Friday's high schools: Defense lifts undefeated North Farmington over West Bloomfield
West Bloomfield — North Farmington could’ve used a La-Z-Boy in the first half, as its top player spent much of his time sitting with foul trouble.
But Basheer Jihad, along with fellow senior Deon Hayes, were able to show their team was built Ford tough down the stretch of another brand-building win.
North Farmington topped West Bloomfield for the second time in as many weeks 50-39 on Friday night, as Hayes scored 21 points to help his team to 4-0.
“It’s just the press,” Hayes said of his team’s brand. “Defense. Defense wins games for us. Every time.”
Hayes kept his team in it during the early going as Jihad, a Ball State commit, sat courtside.
Even with Jihad back to start the second half, North Farmington stumbled out of the gate again. But after coach Todd Negoshian called a timeout, the full-court press turned up a notch.
“I felt like we were so overly emotional in the first half we just needed to get to halftime and relax,” Negoshian said. “Everybody needed to take a deep breath.”
North Farmington went on an 18-4 run to close the third quarter, taking a 34-25 lead as the bench provided a boisterous lift in a quiet gym. Two guests were allowed for each player because of COVID-19 protocols.
North Farmington forced six turnovers in the third quarter during the run.
“If we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down playing harder than them, playing our speed,” Negoshian said. “I thought we really turned it on.”
Added Hayes: “The way we run the press in practice, we weren’t running it that hard against West Bloomfield. We knew we had to turn the pressure up and they couldn’t handle the pressure for 32 minutes.”
Jihad went to work in the fourth quarter, scoring six of his eight points and securing several tough rebounds. He finished with eight rebounds, all after halftime.
Rishard Weaver scored 10 points to lead West Bloomfield (0-5), Ryan Hurst had nine, and Kipras Blazevicius and Emmanual Oviasu had eight points apiece. Oviasu threw down three powerful two-handed dunks.
North Farmington has its sights set on knocking off Clarkston from its 14-year perch atop the OAA Red.
Next up is rival Farmington at home on Wednesday in another rematch. West Bloomfield plays host to Bloomfield Hills on Monday.
More boys basketball
Dearborn 44, Dearborn Fordson 32: Adnan Rammouni scored 20 points and Nassim Mashhour had 14 points for Dearborn (4-1). Mohammad Sayed scored 16 for Fordson (2-3).
Dearborn Crestwood 52, Redford Union 46: Muhammad Sobh scored 18 points and Hassan Ismail had 16 points for Crestwood (2-2, 1-1 Western Wayne). Braylon Allison had 14 points for Redford Union (2-1, 2-1).
Dearborn Edsel Ford 51, Wyandotte 34: Hamza Elbaneh had 21 points with 14 rebounds and Kezion Irby scored 12 points and had six assists for Edsel Ford (1-3, 1-3 Downriver). Delonte Wyatt had 12 points for Wyandotte (3-3, 2-2).
Detroit Cornerstone Health & Technology 59, Redford Westfield Prep 21: J’sean Sharria had 14 points and Carlos Hall had 13 points for Detroit Cornerstone (1-3). Desmond Pearson had 14 points for Westfield (0-3).
Detroit Douglas 68, Parkway Christian 58: Pierre Brooks II had 38 points and 13 rebounds, Javante Randle scored 11 with 16 rebounds and Damonn Tiggs scored 10 for Douglas (5-0). Austin Hosmar scored 23 points and John Stricker had 22 for Parkway (2-2).
Hamtramck 62, River Rouge 56: Javier Whitaker scored 16 and Amari Allen had 12 points with five assists and five steals for Hamtramck (4-0). Legend Geeter scored 16 for Rouge (3-1).
Merritt Academy 48, Austin Catholic 43: Hunter Lentine scored 16 points for Merritt (1-2). Lukas Bruni had 13 points and Trecetan Cadeline scored 12 for Austin Catholic (0-3).
Romulus Summit Academy North 73, Detroit Community 22: Orlando Lovejoy had 20 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists, James Wright scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds, and Dontez Scott had 13 points with five assists for Romulus Summit (4-0, 4-0 Charter). Community is 1-2, 1-2.
Walled Lake Northern 57, Milford 36: Johnny Archer scored 23 points, Jake Lanser had 11 points, and Kevyn Robertson had 10 points with 11 rebounds and six assists for Walled Northern (3-1, 3-1 Lakes Valley). Scott Siterlet scored 18 points for Milford (2-3, 1-2).
Boys scores
Allen Park Cabrini 61, Waterford Lakes 52
Almont 53, North Branch 36
Auburn Hills Avondale 59, Royal Oak 54
Belleville 48, Livonia Stevenson 45
Brighton 38, Howell 31
Dearborn Heights Annapolis 42, Garden City 36
Dearborn Heights Crestwood 52, Redford Union 46
Detroit Henry Ford 72, Detroit Pershing 59
Gilbraltar Carlson 36, Lincoln Park 29
Grosse Ile 59, Monroe St Mary Catholic Central 43
Harper Woods Chandler Park 89, Detroit Leadership Academy 16
Hartland 59, Plymouth 37
Lake Orion 38, Birmingham Seaholm 29
Melvindale 54, Redford Thurston 51
Mount Clemens 47, Southfield Bradford Academy 44
Northville 46, Novi 41
Romulus 59, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 41
Salem 64, Canton 50
South Lyon East 39, White Lake Lakeland 37
Southfield Arts & Technology 51, Rochester Adams 46
Troy Athens 57, Berkley 48
Walled Lake Northern 57, Milford 36
Wayne Memorial 82, Westland John Glenn 48
Girls basketball
Dearborn 52, Dearborn Fordson 37: Fatne Khalil had 14 points and Alley Hammoud scored 10 points for Dearborn (4-1, 4-1 KLAA East). Batoul Reda scored 16 points and Zuzu Alaouie had 11 points for Fordson (2-3, 2-3).
Ecorse 42, Detroit Denby 37: Taylor Sullivan had 16 points and seven rebounds, Breale Holly had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Breshay Holly had 12 rebounds for Denby (1-1). Ecorse is 4-1.
Grosse Pointe North 57, Port Huron 44: Meadow Venet had 13 points, Annabel Ayroult scored 11 points, and Sophia Borowski had 10 points for North (4-1, 3-0 MAC Red). Morgan James scored 18 points and Julia Gilbert had 17 points for Port Huron (2-3, 1-2).
Hamtramck 50, River Rouge 28: Kyndal Sarver scored 18 with four assists, Aniysia Lewis had 14 points with seven rebounds and Diamonique Ross scored 11 with 10 steals for Hamtramck (5-0). Rouge is 0-3.
Hartland 53, Plymouth 28: Amanda Roach scored 19 points and Syd Caddell had 10 points for Hartland (5-0). Ella Riley scored 12 points for Plymouth (3-2).
Madison Heights Lamphere 62, St. Clair Shores South Lake 34: Brooke McNab scored 12 points and Kate Robinson and Elizabeth Hamil both scored 11 for Lamphere (3-0). Dalajah Horn had 20 points for South Lake (2-1).
Plymouth Christian Academy 51, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 40: Anna Fernandez scored 19 points and Ariela Boboc had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Plymouth Christian (4-1, 3-0 MIAC Blue). Bethany Estoll had 14 points for Inter-City Baptist (3-3, 1-2).
Romulus 64, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 38: Ciara Hardy had 24 points and Dionna Carter scored 14 for Romulus (3-0, 3-0 Western Wayne). Ciara Hughes scored 18 points for Robichaud (0-3, 0-2).
Roseville 38, Sterling Heights 16: Olivia Vanderham scored 10 points with eight rebounds and Saniah Love had 10 points and five steals for Roseville (3-0, 2-0 MAC Gold). Idalia Shodhana scored seven for Sterling Heights (0-2).
Walled Lake Central 51, Waterford Kettering 24: Kylie Anderson scored 15 points and Abbey Renner and Savannah Breitwiser each had 10 points for Walled Central (4-0, 4-0 Lakes Valley). Markayla Holland had 11 points for Kettering (0-3, 0-3).
Wayne Memorial 82, Westland John Glenn 42: Alanna Micheaux scored 34 points and Lachelle Austin had 11 points for Wayne (5-0). Taylor Watkins-Johnson scored 22 with five steals and India Grissom finished with nine points for John Glenn (0-4).
Girls scores
Belleville 59, Livonia Stevenson 32
Canton 44, Salem 17
Clarkston 80, Flint Powers Catholic 37
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 45, St. Clair Shores Lakeview 44
Croswell-Lexington 50, Algonac 31
Dearborn Heights Annapolis 43, Garden City 34
Eastpointe 47, New Haven 44
Gibraltar Carlson 63, Lincoln Park 16
Harper Woods 70, Taylor Prep 24
Hazel Park 45, Clinton Township Clintondale 12
Howell 56, Brighton 54 (OT)
Livonia Franklin 46, Livonia Churchill 19
Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 50, Utica 33
Marine City 55, Warren Fitzgerald 23
Marysville 47, St. Clair 22
New Baltimore Anchor Bay 65, Sterling Heights Stevenson 41
Northville 36, Novi 24
Redford Thurston 55, Melvindale 20
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 61, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 11
Romulus Summit Academy North 59, Warren Michigan Collegiate 27
South Lyon 36, Walled Lake Western 34
Trenton 50, Brownstown Woodhaven 25
Utica Eisenhower 49, Port Huron Northern 46
Utica Ford 56, Romeo 31
Walled Lake Central 51, Waterford Kettering 24
Warren Cousino 48, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 29
West Bloomfield 64, Troy 47
Whitmore Lake 45, Westland Huron Valley Lutheran 40
Wixom St. Catherine 55, Allen Park Cabrini 24
Wyandotte 39, Dearborn Edsel Ford 26
Ypsilanti Community 36, Ypsilanti Lincoln 25
Matt Schoch writes for PlayMichigan.com and freelances for The Detroit News; Detroit News staff contributed.