The time to see how Oakland County teams stack up against one another and the rest of the field has about arrived.
There’s no Kalshi market on county teams, but the polls will tell you all you need to know. Last winter, three teams (St. Mary’s, Brother Rice, Everest Collegiate) were among the top-five, regardless of division, with one more ranked and two more receiving votes. Avondale and Brother Rice are carrying the torch this year, with ATAP and Southfield Christian just outside the polls. Most would agree talent is dispersed pretty well across the state this year, at the least.
But someone seems primed for a run that’s longer than expected. In itself, Avondale is a much better version if itself from a year ago. Some will overlook Rochester or Lamphere for not playing in the highest divisions of their respective conferences, but they should be real tough outs. Several others might be better than their resumes suggest if they can get healthier than they’ve been, as it often is this time of year. At the end of the day, iron sharpens iron, and Oakland County’s teams tend to thrive because of it.
Getting to the Breslin Center starts with districts, though, so here’s a breakdown of the ones involving Oakland County teams and their outlook. Note that all team records are as of Feb. 18.
DIVISION 1
District 13
Host: Fenton
Teams: Fenton (4-17), Milford (11-10), Brighton (14-7), Howell (13-8), Hartland (18-3)
Breakdown: The Mavericks should get at least two games playoff experience here with an opener against Fenton. Hartland won the KLAA West with a 12-2 league mark, but it also dropped games late to Howell and Brighton. Those losses were by five points combined and the Eagles already had the league wrapped, so that’s worth considering, but it could go multiple ways on Friday.
Pick: Hartland
District 14
Host: Detroit Catholic Central
Teams: South Lyon (2-18), Novi (6-15), Northville (5-16), South Lyon East (14-6), Walled Lake Western (12-9), Detroit Catholic Central (14-6)
Breakdown: Walled Lake Western lost twice to South Lyon East, the LVC winners, so something will need to change if the Warriors want to make the district final. The Cougars are on a roll altogether, boasting a eight-game winning streak. Still, this one would be an upset if the Shamrocks didn’t get the job done on their own floor.
Pick: Detroit Catholic Central
District 22
Host: Livonia Stevenson
Teams: Livonia Churchill (4-17), Livonia Stevenson (9-12), Livonia Franklin (13-8), North Farmington (12-9), Farmington (9-12), Redford Thurston (18-2)
Breakdown: It’s the KLAA against the OAA! Mostly, and for now. North Farmington is riding into the playoffs playing good hoops. After a two-point loss at Ferndale, the Raiders beat River Rouge, then Clarkston in overtime. They’ve got better wins than Stevenson. Farmington could top Churchill and make the final. Thurston didn’t play the toughest schedule, so they’re the choice here, albeit a soft one.
Pick: Redford Thurston
District 23
Host: Hamtramck
Teams: Detroit U-D Jesuit (4-14), Oak Park (11-4), Detroit Mumford (4-14), Detroit Renaissance (10-8), Hamtramck (12-8), Warren Fitzgerald (16-6)
Breakdown: This is another district that’s really solid from top to bottom when you consider the Cubs are probably at the low end. Mumford is no pushover. Fitzgerald went unbeaten in the MAC White and could make for a fun matchup for whoever ends up in the final, though the safe bet is the hosts getting past Renaissance.
Pick: Hamtramck
District 24
Host: Southfield A&T
Teams: Berkley (8-13), Birmingham Groves (4-17), Southfield A&T (10-11), Birmingham Seaholm (9-12), Bloomfield Hills (19-2), Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (16-5)
Breakdown: Neither will probably reach Friday, but credit to Southfield A&T and Seaholm, who could both make it to the semifinals. The Warriors won six of their final games in the regular season, while the Maples, who finished 6-4 in the OAA Blue, lost just one game all year to a team under .500 (U-D Jesuit). It’s likely to be the Black Hawks and Warriors for the silverware, and Bloomfield Hills has either beaten or hung with everyone (including Clarkston) except for an Ann Arbor Huron team that’s somewhere near Rice’s level. Now, eight out of 10 times, this game probably goes the Warriors’ way — they’re not unbeatable — but credit has to be given to a team that’s gone 2-2 against D1’s other top-10 teams.
Pick: Brother Rice
District 25
Host: Oxford
Teams: Lapeer (3-18), Holly (7-14), Oxford (5-17), Flint Kearsley (10-10), Davison (9-11), Grand Blanc (17-3)
Breakdown: Despite a winless league campaign, Oxford hung around in games against good teams late in the year and the Wildcats are capable of getting past Holly in the opening round. Kearsley was average in the Flint Metro League’s Stripes Division, though, and average is probably not enough to get by the fifth-ranked Bobcats, the district favorite.
Pick Grand Blanc
District 26
Host: West Bloomfield
Teams: Lakeland (10-11), West Bloomfield (5-16), Walled Lake Central (10-11), Walled Lake Northern (12-8), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (8-10)
Breakdown: Every coach in this district will say it’s for the taking, and they’ll all be right (and probably glad it’s not last year, too, for all but the Eaglets). Central and Northern are the only teams here that finished with a .500 or better record in their league. But can St. Mary’s still prove that the rigors of the Catholic League’s top division trump all? It’s a fun mish-mash of programs, but that answer is probably, even if the overall run ends up shorter than it has been in previous years for OLSM.
Pick: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
District 27
Host: Lake Orion
Teams: Waterford Kettering (4-17), Lake Orion (12-10), Waterford Mott (16-6), Clarkston (16-5), Avondale (21-1)
Breakdown: Who can stop a collision course of this year’s best OAA Red programs? To their credit, the Dragons played pretty competitive ball despite their record, losing a good amount of their games by slim margins. Can Mott pull off an upset of the Wolves? The Corsairs won seven of their final nine, only losing to undefeated Rochester and in OT to Adams. But it’s hard to get cute here. A full season of results speaks, and it says the Yellow Jackets have been the county’s best.
Pick: Avondale
District 28
Host: Utica Eisenhower
Teams: Romeo (4-17), Utica Eisenhower (6-16), Utica (12-9), Stoney Creek (10-11), Rochester Adams (14-7), Rochester (22-0)
Breakdown: Even if this ends up as a rematch between Adams and Rochester — the Falcons have taken care of business in those previous meetings, more or less — they’ll not have a paved road there. Eisenhower is a tough out that’s improved as the year’s gone on despite some injuries, and the Cougars, if healthy, have size and seem to be a better fit together than they were at this time last season. Still, don’t bet against the unbeaten.
Pick: Rochester
District 29
Host: Troy Athens
Teams: Warren Mott (1-19), Royal Oak (7-13), Troy Athens (8-14), Troy (8-13), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood (8-10)
Breakdown: Apologies to Mott, but it feels like anyone else could take this district. Royal Oak didn’t win a league game this season but shouldn’t be overlooked with the abilities of CJ Hairston, the Ravens’ star junior guard. Meanwhile, it’s a rivalry of Troy teams in the other semifinal, and the Colts and Red Hawks are separated by a feather, at most. They finished with identical records both overall (8-14) and in the OAA Blue (3-7), and in head-to-head contests, the Red Hawks won one in OT and lost the other to the Colts by one point. Flip a coin, but advantage to the hosts.
Pick: Troy Athens
DIVISION 2
District 58
Host: Detroit Old Redford
Teams: Ferndale University (3-16), Detroit Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (0-19), Detroit Lincoln-King (8-12), Hazel Park (14-8), Detroit Old Redford (6-9), Ferndale (9-12)
Breakdown: The hosts will probably take on Hazel Park in one semifinal, and that could probably go either way. Hazel Park won its last five league games of the year, most notably at home over Lamphere on Feb. 13, a victory that should give them plenty of belief. Whichever team wins, it shouldn’t be floored by the talents of Ferndale after having seen good players or teams a few times throughout the year. Still, the Eagles are tested and finished their OAA Red portion of the schedule with a winning record, which has to make them the favorites.
Pick: Ferndale
District 61
Host: Detroit Country Day
Teams: Warren Michigan Collegiate (4-11), Macomb Lutheran North (6-12), Center Line (13-7), Madison Heights Lamphere (17-3), Detroit Country Day (14-7)
Breakdown: Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo probably wasn’t talking about this Beverly Hills being where he wanted to be in that hit song, but it should be a destination assuming Lamphere has a date with the hosts on district final Friday. The Yellowjackets’ health and availability will probably play a role, but the guard play is going to be dynamic regardless. The Rams’ chances in that game should not be overlooked.
Pick: Country Day
Notre Dame Prep celebrates as time expires in its 55-52 win over Pontiac to capture a D2 District title on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (KEN SWART – For MediaNews Group)
District 62
Host: Goodrich
Teams: Ortonville Brandon (6-15), Linden (10-10), Lake Fenton (13-8), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (10-11), Pontiac (16-6), Goodrich (15-6)
Breakdown: A pretty well-balanced six-pack of programs, really. Not a lot separates the top three or four teams. In the semifinals, the Phoenix should get the Irish, who had to replace some big pieces from last year but seem to be playing some of their ball as of late, with their only defeats in their last nine games coming to one-loss teams (Avondale, Frankenmuth). Goodrich, meanwhile won the Flint Metro League Stars Division, while Pontiac only lost to Bloomfield Hills in the league. An edge to the team that played arguably the toughest schedule here.
Pick: Notre Dame Prep
DIVISION 3
District 90
Host: Royal Oak Shrine
Teams: Detroit Community (4-13), Detroit Communication Media Arts (5-10), Madison Heights Madison (9-9), Royal Oak Shrine (15-6), Detroit Loyola (18-4)
Breakdown: The Eagles, who finished 7-3 in the MAC Bronze, are no pushover, but this title game should be decided between Shrine and Loyola. The Knights will have home court advantage and need it against the Bulldogs, who have just three in-state losses, and two of those have gone to overtime.
Pick: Loyola
District 91
Host: Clawson
Teams: Waterford Oakside Prep (1-13), Clawson (4-17), Madison Heights Bishop Foley (4-16), Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (6-13), Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (9-11), Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (13-3)
Breakdown: Lutheran Northwest and Oakland Christian should be a fun semifinal here. The Lancers won by two in Auburn Hills on Jan. 13, then the Crusaders scored a 49-43 win on Feb. 3. at their place. But can anyone stop ATAP? Whether the cast around Lewis Lovejoy is better or not from last year will be proven in the coming weeks, but the point guard has gotten bigger and better from his freshman season.
Pick: ATAP
DIVISION 4
District 123
Host: Detroit Douglass
Teams: Southfield Manoogian (1-12), Warren Michigan Math & Science (15-5), Detroit Davis Aerospace (14-3), Detroit Douglass (15-7)
Breakdown: Anything but Douglass here would be a surprise. Its not had a bad loss all season, and the Hurricanes have quality wins that include Country Day, Saginaw United and Denby.
Pick: Douglass
District 124
Host: Bloomfield Hills Roeper
Teams: Plymouth Ivywood Classical Academy (8-8), Farmington Hills Huda Upper School (10-9), Southfield Bradford Academy (3-4), West Bloomfield FJA (5-12), Novi Christian Academy (10-10), Bloomfield Hills Roeper (14-7), Southfield Christian (16-5)
Breakdown: The discrepancy in the amount of games some of these teams have played compared to others in the district makes them tougher to gauge, especially with three first-round games, but Roeper should be able to make its way to the final. But the Eagles hammered Roeper 77-33 on Feb. 12, so a loss, even on Roeper’s hardwood, would be quite the reversal of fortunes.
Pick: Southfield Christian
District 125
Host: Marine City Cardinal Mooney
Teams: Chesterfield Austin Catholic (5-12), Pontiac Academy for Excellence (7-9), Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (4-16), New Haven Merritt Academy (8-9), Marine City Cardinal Mooney (11-11)
Breakdown: Parkway Christian and Merritt Academy will battle in one semifinal, while Cardinal Mooney gets a bye and will face the winner of the other teams. Frankly, this one seems fairly cut and dry in favor of the hosts, who were competitive in the CHSL Intersectional 1 Division.
Pick: Cardinal Mooney
District 126
Host: Clarkston Everest Collegiate
Teams: Flint Michigan School For The Deaf (0-14), Burton CenterPoint Christian (7-7), Clarkston Everest Collegiate (9-11), Burton St. Thomas More Academy (15-4), Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (15-6), Genesee Christian (17-4)
Breakdown: The Mountaineers will have the benefit of the home floor, and they’ll need the advantage in the semifinals against Genesee, ranked 10th in the latest polls. The Soldiers’ only D4 loss has been to Webberville, who they had already beaten in the first of back-to-back games. The Lakers seem like a good bet to reach the final considering they already beat St. Thomas More by 35 points back in late January.
Pick: Genesee Christian