Inkster rolls past Renaissance at PSL Hoops Classic

BY ANTHONY FENECH FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

Inkster head coach Peggy Carr reminded her team.

"Remember that feeling in the locker room last year," she told the Lady Vikings after each practice leading up to their Monday afternoon showdown against Detroit Renaissance.

"You don't want to feel that way again."

And after her team defeated Detroit Renaissance, 48-39, in the Detroit Public School League Holiday Hoops Classic at Cass Tech, the Lady Vikings didn't feel that way again, like they had a year earlier, with heads buried and tears bursting after a regular-season loss to the Phoenix.

"It was revenge," said Lady Vikings forward Crystal Bradford. "But it's a big win because we don't like to lose to teams two years in a row."

The senior came off the bench in the second quarter to spark an eight-point run that gave the Lady Vikings a four-point lead at the half, a lead Inkster would never relinquish.

"As usual, she gave us a big boost off the bench," Carr said.

Bradford finished with 11 points and Renaissance senior Asia Boyd led all scorers with 21 points.

FRIEND OR FOE: Boyd's game-high 21 points were no surprise to Bradford.

"That's my best friend," she said. "I know how she plays and she's real aggressive but she wasn't going to push me around."

The two met through organized basketball in their early teens, and have kept in close contact since.

"It's disappointing," Boyd said of the loss. "We're really good friends but on the court, it gets kind of serious."

They have played against each other for years, never on the same team, and now, Bradford admitted, "It's about even."

HANG TEN: Detroit Central seniors Lakia Clark and Charity Cole each scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Trail Blazers erased a late deficit and finished strong in a 55-51 victory over Detroit Northwestern.

Trailing by eight points entering the fourth quarter, Central nearly equaled its point total of the first three quarters - 29 - with a 26-point explosion in the fourth.

Clark was the game's high scorer with 22 points, and Cole added 15 for the Trail Blazers. Senior Karena Otto scored 21 for Northwestern.

WORKING OVERTIME: After playing to a tie through regulation and overtime, Detroit Pershing's Caprice Dennis knocked down a jump shot with 28 seconds left in the second overtime to give the Doughgirls a 67-64 victory over Southfield-Lathrup.

Dennis, a junior, made a free throw with just 6 seconds left in the first overtime to tie and extend the game. She finished with a game-high 21 points.

"We played smart," said Pershing head coach Shawn Hill. "This was big for us mentally, we gave up the lead but kept on fighting."

The Chargers erased a double-digit second half lead but couldn't hang on for the victory. Junior Amber McCann scored 20 points for Lathrup.

NEXT LEVEL: Two Mid-American Conference coaches were in attendance and sat courtside Monday, and both lauded the competition on display.

"You can't beat it," said third-year Akron assistant Matt Ruffing. "To get up here and see this much talent in a three-day span is unbelievable."

Alongside Ruffing was Central Michigan head coach Sue Guevara, who has been recruiting the Detroit area since 1986.

"There are always great basketball players in this city," she said. "And there are always coaches from across the country that come here to recruit."

SECOND CHANCE: Detroit Northwestern senior Brandon Moses made his mark in just his second game since returning to the team after an early season suspension.

Moses scored 35 points in the Colts' 72-65 victory over Detroit Central, propelling Northwestern to victory after scoring 20 of those points in the third quarter.

"He's a terrific player," said Colts head coach Sayligmon Staten. "He helped us a lot and took a lot of pressure off our shoulders."

Other scores

Detroit Finney 46, Communication and Media Arts 43.