Mount Clemens boys win share of division title By Jon Malavolti Mount Clemens High’s boys basketball team finished the regular season with its first division title since 2002. “I’m very happy,” Mount Clemens coach Kurt Wilson said. The Battling Bathers were scheduled to host a Class B district this week; the state tournament began after press time. The team ended up 15-5 overall, 11-1 in the Macomb Area Conference Gold Division, earning a share of first place with Warren Mott. Mount Clemens and Mott split close games against each other and dominated the rest of the division, finishing five games ahead of the next closest team in the standings — Sterling Heights High. Wilson knew the team could ill afford any slip-ups in league games if it wanted to keep pace with the Marauders, who entered the season as co-defending champs and with some of their top players back. “We couldn’t miss a beat,” the coach said. He was especially proud of the fact that his team closed out games and the year strong, ignoring distractions and overcoming obstacles — things that have caused past squads to struggle and fall out of title races in recent years. Knowing at the beginning of the season the squad was talented and could challenge for a title, one of Wilson’s concerns was how it would handle success. “I’m very proud,” he said. “We stayed focused throughout the year.” Mount Clemens has finished in third or fourth place of the division six times in the last seven years. Before that, it won back-to-back MAC Gold titles. “I was extremely relieved and happy for my guys,” Wilson said. “At Mount Clemens, we haven’t been winning; we’ve been down. It’s good to be back.” For updates on the Bathers as they look to bring home their first district title since 2002 and the playoff status of the other local boys basketball squads, check future editions of the Journal and our Web site at www.candgnews.com. You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040. |
