Gettin' Freaky

Johnson gets loose for 34 in Indy

Indianapolis--The mid-spring addition of 6-4 forward James Johnson paid instant dividends for the U-16 Lakers in Ypsilanti in May, but his stock is still rising.

Johnson, a soon-to-be junior at Saginaw Heritage, made sure the Lakers didn't leave the Hoosier Shootout without a win.

After struggling in their first three games with only seven players, the Lakers broke through in their consolation game with a 69-63 victory over the Tennessee Heat.

Johnson scored 21 first half points and finished with a season-high 34 points and 15 rebounds.

Johnson swished three consecutive 3-pointers in the second half before turning the game over to the Lakers' most consistent scoring threat, Demarco Sanders (Flint Powers).

Sanders scored 15 points and, alongside Troy Wright (Saginaw Heritage), took part in the Lakers' best backcourt performance of the season.

Joey B is back

Former Laker, Joe Blanchett, returned to play with the U-16 squad in Indianapolis. Blanchett had a very good tournament, and was the Lakers' top defensive guard. He's grown a bit and is much stronger than the average guard. Blanchett will be a junior this season at Owosso--his third season on varsity.

Hoosier Shootout News & Notes

• The U-17 Lakers finished pool play at 2-1 and lost in their consolation game. Forgetting Tuesday's consolation debacle, the U-17 squad had an excellent showing. Every single player played a role in securing two wins against high-level competition.

• The U-16 Lakers lost all three pool play games and won their consolation game. It's hard to win with so few players.

• Demarco Sanders averaged 18 points per game in four games. With so few players, Sanders may have sat on the bench for a grand total of five minutes in the entire tournament.

• Demetrius Miller (Flint Central) scored 27 points in a nine-point victory over the St. Louis Majestics on Monday. Miller once again proved to be the Lakers number one option on offense.

• Ryan Schultz (Davison) also turned in a tremendous performance in Indy. He was the Lakers' top rebounder and interior defender.

• Players and coaches alike owe a great debt to Mr. Pickens and Mr. Hope for all their help this weekend. We could not have done it without them.