Detroit Douglass beats Dollar Bay 58-47 to advance to the Division 4 State Championship

Detroit Douglass's Kamari Howard at the free throw line on Thursday night's Semi Final match up. Photo By Nathan Fears.

Detroit Douglass came into the matchup energized during warmups, bringing a confident 20–7 record into the game. Meanwhile, Dollar Bay made the long trip down from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as part of the UP trio competing in the tournament, carrying an impressive 24–2 record. Dollar Bay came up empty on its opening possession, but Baron Colbert quickly got them on the board to tie the game early in the first quarter. Detroit Douglass struggled to find its rhythm offensively early, missing several opportunities before Kamari Howard drew a foul and headed to the free-throw line with about 4:30 remaining in the quarter. Douglass began applying some full-court pressure, but Dollar Bay handled the press well and broke it with ease. Looking to swing momentum, the Blue Bolts forced an offensive foul on Douglass.

Dollar Bay's Bench Celebrating a big time three. Photo by Nathan Fears.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, Caleb Kentala knocked down a corner three to tie the game at five. Liam Tourtillott later caught the Douglass defense sleeping, slipping behind them for a layup. Douglass responded immediately with a basket of their own.

Dollar Bay closed the quarter on a 7–0 run, but a late three-point attempt by Tourtillott at the buzzer came up short. After the first quarter, Douglass held a narrow 12–8 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Jeremiah Thurman made a strong defensive play, coming from behind to stop a Dollar Bay fast break. Detroit Douglass called a timeout with 4:27 remaining in the half, leading 14–11. Out of the timeout, the teams traded baskets. Damani Oliver created some controversy when he appeared to get away with a push-off before finishing a layup—something the Dollar Bay defense clearly didn’t appreciate. Still, the Hurricanes maintained their lead heading into halftime, 22–17.

Huge Block by Joshua Brooks of Douglass he lead the game with 2 total. Photo by Nathan Fears

Douglass wasted no time extending its advantage after the break. The Hurricanes opened the second half with a huge and-one three-pointer from Damani Oliver, immediately energizing their offense. Quinn Davis followed with a corner jumper to add to the lead.

Dollar Bay answered behind Baron Colbert, who converted a strong and-one play to cut the score to 28–22. Colbert later added a three-pointer, continuing to keep the Blue Bolts within striking distance. Despite trailing by seven, Dollar Bay kept fighting to stay in the game. Meanwhile, Oliver was nearly unstoppable in the third quarter, scoring consistently and reaching 12 points just halfway through the period. Detroit Douglass pushed its lead to 10 points midway through the third. The Blue Bolts refused to go away. Liam Tourtillott connected on a floater to cut the deficit to six. By the end of the third quarter, Dollar Bay had trimmed the lead to 40–35, keeping the game competitive heading into the final period.

However, Douglass took control in the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes went on a decisive run that eventually put the game out of reach for Dollar Bay. Despite the Blue Bolts’ efforts to rally, Detroit Douglass maintained control down the stretch and secured the victory.

When the final buzzer sounded, Detroit Douglass walked away with a 58–47 win, advancing after a strong second-half performance. Leading Scorers. Detroit Douglass: Damani Oliver: 21 Quinn Davis: 14 Jacodi Nathan: 6 Dollar Bay: Baron Colbert: 23 Liam Tourtellot: 14 Caleb Kentala: 8