Trojans Too Much for Pioneer, East Lansing Returns to Breslin with 72–60 Win

East Lansing Celebrates as they head back to the Breslin. Photo by Reid Rusthoven

The historic Don Johnson Field House in the heart of Lansing was home to the MHSAA Playoffs once again. This rendition of the Division One Quarter-Finals featured the Trojans of East Lansing and the Pioneers of Ann Arbor Pioneer. Coming into the game, East Lansing, the consensus #1 team in the state, entered the game red-hot after dominating their playoff opponents by an average of 22.75 points per game. Pioneer arrived on a six-game win streak and a week removed from a huge upset over Detroit Catholic Central. The game started fast, with both teams trading possessions and pushing the pace up and down the floor. The student sections on both sides of Don Johnson were roaring with each basket. Despite the high pace and loud support, the first quarter was a defensive battle as both teams struggled to finish possessions with a bucket, leaving the score at 12-12 after 8:00. The second quarter, however, was when the Trojans began to heat up. With the help of star K.J. Torbert, the freshly crowned Mr. Basketball winner, and sophomore Tyree Anthony, the Trojans were in constant control of the quarter. This included an 8-0 run late in the quarter with the assistance of three straight turnovers from Ann Arbor Pioneer. The Pioneers could only watch as East Lansing scored 25 points, stretching their end-of-half lead up to 13, making it 37-24 at halftime. Coming out of the half, the third quarter was more of the same from both squads. East Lansing Junior K.T. Thomas, who put up half of East Lansing's third-quarter production, led the Trojans to maintain their lead of 13 by the end of the quarter. But something was developing within Ann Arbor Pioneer's Jordan Harrison. The senior scored 11 of Pioneer's 16, which included a buzzer-beater three-pointer at the end of the quarter. The Pioneer student section roared as the teams headed into the final quarter. Momentum was developing. The Fieldhouse was completely deafening as the fourth quarter got underway, East Lansing up 53-40. After a quick Pioneer basket, Jordan Harrison stole the ball as East Lansing pushed up the court and went for a layup. East Lansing K.J. Torbert chased him down and pinned the ball against the backboard, but a whistle blew. Goaltend, basket counts. The crowd roared. After two possessions ending in buckets for East Lansing and nothing for Pioneer, Ann Arbor went on an incredible 7-0 run supplied by Jordan Harrison and Gian Dula-ogon. East Lansing called a timeout with 4:20 left in the game.  With momentum slipping, East Lansing Head Coach Ray Mitchell rallied his troops back into the game. East Lansing played staunch defense, limiting the Pioneer push late. With 1:40 left in the game, East Lansing KT Thomas drove left down the lane and put up a tough contested shot, igniting the capacity of East Lansing bleachers. The crowd stayed roaring as back-to-back turnovers for the Pioneers sealed their fate. KT Thomas, K.J. Torbert, and Tyree Anthony did what they needed to at the line as a late fouling effort for Ann Arbor was unsuccessful. And with time winding down, up 70-60, KT Thomas of East Lansing shut the gym down with a windmill dunk at the buzzer. East Lansing will now return to the Breslin Center in a Semi-Final match against Brother Rice, a team they beat in late December 62-41. The winner will advance to the Division 1 state championship on March 14 at 12:15 p.m. against the winner of Rockford and Avondale.