DETROIT — Blizzard conditions last Saturday evening forced the Catholic High School League to postpone its basketball championship twinbill inside the University of Detroit Mercy’s Calihan Hall to Sunday afternoon.
It only delayed the inevitable. Riverview Gabriel Richard unleashed its energy stored up during the nearly 24-hour stall to vanquish the Jackson Lumen Christi crew, 82-46, for a repeat of the CHSL Boys Cardinal Division championship, won last year 54-48 over Lumen Christi, the team’s fifth title in the last six years.
Lumen Christi joined the CHSL a year ago, and in that brief time it has earned respect by winning league titles in baseball, boys cross country, boys golf, twice in the Prep Bowl, girls cross country and girls soccer, let alone a pair of state football titles and one each for girls cross country and soccer.
Both teams are ranked in Division 3 top 10. In a most recent poll, the Titans (18-3) were fifth, a notch above the Pioneers (16-2). That may change after this latest encounter.
Gabriel Richard charged out to a 29-11 lead in the game’s first eight minutes, spurred by a 22-5 rally that senior guard Drew Everingham stoked with a dunk and a pair of lay-ups.
Senior guard Mike Sobush connected on three triples for half of the 18 points he scored to build the Pioneers a 44-23 lead at the intermission. He wound up with a game-high 26 points. Seniors Luke Westdale contributed 14 points and senior Charles Kage 13.
Senior Luke Tropea had 18 points for the Titans.
“We have great chemistry,” Sobusz said in explaining what’s special about the Pioneers’ success. “We band together for great defense.”
“Their basketball intelligence is very high,” said coach Kris Daiek in his seventh year as coach and athletic director. “They’re great kids and they work hard.”
The ultimate goal is a state championship, one that Gabriel Richard was deprived of last March by a buzzer-beating semi-final loss. They begin that quest Feb. 26 in a district semi-final match against either Allen Park Cabrini (13-6) or Detroit Leadership Academy (3-12).
That’s the same date three other CHSL powerhouses get into action. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (13-6) will begin defending its Division 1 title against either White Lake Lakeland (12-9) or Walled Lake Northern (9-12).
University of Detroit Jesuit (18-2) will take on either Hamtramck (13-8) or Detroit Mumford (4-12) while Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (18-2) meets either Southfield Arts & Tech (6-14) or Oak Park (6-8).
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
