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NEW HAVEN BASKETBALL

New Haven runs by Warren Lincoln with 80-30 victory on the road to closeout the regular season finishing 18-2

2/23/2016

New Haven built a 60-17 first half lead and went on to win 80-30 defeating Warren Lincoln on the Road to close out MAC Gold league play and the regular season finishing 18-2

NEW HAVEN 80, LINCOLN 30: Eric Williams Jr. scored 16 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Rockets (12-0, 18-2). Romeo Weems (12 rebounds, eight assists) tossed in 20 points, while Innocent Nwoko (10 boards) added 14 and Tavares Oliver finished with 11.

The Abes (3-9, 7-12) got eight points from Corey Wilhoite.

New Haven 31 29 12 8 -- 80

Lincoln 14 3 9 4 -- 30

NEW HAVEN (12-0, 18-2): Eric Williams Jr. 16, Tavares Oliver 11, Alante Stevens 5, Innocent Nwoko 14, Jerry Ben 3, William Weems 5, Romeo Weems 20, William Moore 3, Alex Palajac 3. Totals: 28 (7) 14-23 – 80.

LINCOLN (3-9, 7-12): Dennis Blount 1, Le'Ron Moore 4, Corey Wilhoite 8, Malik Parker 2, DeAngelo Parker 4, Delvon Hawkins 2, Jaevon Dixon 4, Andrew Terry 5. Totals: 9 (3) 9-23 – 30.

Ford defeats No. 3-ranked 17-1 New Haven

2/18/2016

By George Pohly
@GPohly on Twitter
Ford was unfazed by New Haven’s record and ranking – and its own struggles.

Alex Iafrate scored 21 points and Alek Ivanovic and Donnie Schuster added 13 apiece to lead the Falcons to a 73-71 boys basketball victory over host New Haven on Thursday night.

The Falcons ended the game on an 11-7 run after New Haven, which trailed for most of the evening, took a 64-62 lead on a 3-pointer by Eric Williams Jr., who scored 32 points, with five minutes to play.

“We were just hype and coach told us to bring all of our energy in here,” Iafrate said as Falcons fans celebrated the MAC crossover victory. “We did what we had to do. We made our shots. We played good defense.

“We just did what we were supposed to do. Coach told us what they were going to run on defense and how to stop it, and that’s what we did.”

Ford is 5-6 in the MAC White Division. The Falcons took an 8-8 record into the game.

“We were kind of slap-happy,” Iafrate said. “We were just going to leave it all out there. We came ready to play. We were loose and focused.

“Even though we’re struggling, this gives us focus to win out and potentially win districts.”

Iafrate said it was the most satisfying victory he has been part of as a Falcon.

“Not even close,” he said.

Freshman Romeo Weems had 22 points for New Haven, which has clinched its second consecutive MAC Gold Division championship.

The Rockets were ranked No. 3 in the state in Class B by The Associated Press this week. They are 11-0 in the Gold and 17-2 overall.

“I take my hat off to Ford,” New Haven coach Tedaro France said. “They played well. They knocked down big shots. They deserved to win.

“Our defense is supposed to win games for us. Tonight it lost the game for us. We had too many breakdowns. That’s not us.”

France met with his players for several minutes.

“We know that we can get better,” he said.

He told the Rockets, “Thank Ford for coming in here and smacking you in the mouth and waking you up.”

And, France added, “Sometimes, right before the playoffs start, like right now, is a good time to get humbled.”

Ford made eight 3-point field goals and hit 13 of 19 free throws in the game.

Schuster scored six consecutive Falcons points after New Haven took a 61-60 lead on a 3-pointer by Williams.

Schuster also assisted on a basket as he handled the ball for most of the closing minutes of the game.

“Donnie Schuster became the player I know he can be,” Falcons coach Jeff Olson said. “He took the game over. He made big bucket after big bucket. He made free throws.”

Ford was coming off a 55-46 victory over Grosse Pointe North on Tuesday.

“Effort, energy and intensity – we came to play tonight,” Olson said.

“This is who we can be. This is who we could have been all year long. We’re peaking at the right time. We had a great shoot-around this morning. We got here, and I could tell they were dialed in pregame, and they executed.

“It’s good to see my guys finally live up to their potential. It’s a great time to get a win like this.”

Ford led 38-30 at halftime and pushed its lead to nine points multiple times in the third quarter.

Williams Jr’s clutch shooting leads New Haven past WWT

2/12/2016

Photo Gallery by Kevin Lozon)
By Kevin Lozon
@MIPrepZoneMD
ew Haven’s Eric Williams Jr. was a rally killer on Friday night.

Warren Woods-Tower made two runs at the host Rockets in the fourth quarter and both times, Williams stepped up and hit a big shot, scoring 10 of his game-high 19 points in the final quarter, leading New Haven to a 66-54 MAC Gold Division victory.

The Titans trailed 51-36 after three quarters, but closed to within 10 at 54-44 on two free throws by Charles Barnes with 4:49 to play. Williams answered on the other end, making a layup in traffic, starting a 6-0 run, which he capped with a triple, pushing the Rocket lead to 60-44 with 3:33 to go.

WWT had the Rocket lead down to 61-47 on two free throws by Dazmond Lawrence with 2:58 left. After a Rocket miss, Williams picked the pocket of the Titan guard along the baseline and converted the layup, capping the victory.

“His play tonight was huge,” New Haven boys basketball coach Tedaro France II said. “He’s been consistent the whole year. He’s been shooting the ball well and he’s grown just knowing the game. He’s so unselfish that sometimes he waits too long to take those shots.”

Titan coach Nick Evola added, “He made some big shots, but a couple times it was a mental lapse on our part. We were lackadaisical with the ball and didn’t have the awareness where guys were at.”

New Haven started slowly, leading 13-9 after one quarter behind five points by Romeo Weems. The Rockets separated themselves from the Titans in the second quarter, outscoring WWT 23-6, gaining a 36-15 lead at halftime. Innocent Nwoko led the way with six points, but France said the key to the outburst was his team’s defense.

“Defense is what we thrive to be the best at,” France said. “Kids are competing on defense to stay in the game. Our speed and quickness can force teams to play quicker than they want to. That way we can get some quick points off our defense.”

“I told they guys I thought we got some good looks, but the ball wasn’t falling,” Evola said. “A couple shots were rushed because I think some guys were worried about getting it blocked.”

The Titans regrouped at halftime and played a solid third quarter, outscoring the Rockets 21-15 in the period, cutting New Haven’s lead to 51-36. Jauron Vicks and Robert Anderson each scored six points to lead the way.

“The second half we made some adjustments and the guys answered the call,” Evola said. “We had a heckuva second half. When we’re down by that much, you can’t get caught up exchanging baskets.”

Besides Williams, the Rockets had Weems with 16 points, while Jerry Ben and Nwoko each chipped in 10 points. The win improved New Haven’s record to 16-1 overall, 10-0 league.

“We have a young group and I’m seeing the growth in them each day,” France said. “We need to win games like this one to prepare us for March. Warren Woods-Tower is a great team and this was a great league game. I’m proud of my team for staying composed and making plays down the stretch like we needed to.”

WWT was paced by Vicks with 13 points, while Lawrence added 12 points. Anderson contributed 10 points as the Titans fell to 12-4 overall, 7-3 league.

“(Vick’s) has been good for us all year,” Evola said. “There was a lid on the rim for him in the first half, but I told him he was getting some great looks and to keep going and not worry about it. The second half he stepped up and got it going.”

Freshman Romeo Weems helps New Haven topple Warren Woods Tower, 66-54, in MAC Gold showdown

2/12/2016

By Ally Racey | MLive.com

Unstoppable Romeo Weems helped New Haven beat Warren Woods Tower, 66-54, to remain at the top of the Macomb Area Conference Gold Division boys basketball standings Friday.
The 6-foot-6 freshman guard has been getting a lot of buzz lately, and rightfully so.
Weems averages a double-double per game and on Friday night he did not disappoint as he racked up 18 points.
“I don't feel like I’m the best, I just go out there to win,” Weems said.

Warren Woods Tower coach, Nick Evola, tells the team that New Haven's hight is not a threat(Ally Racey | MLive.com )Weems averages 16.5 points per game and is already one of the team’s top leaders.
“To be 14 and do the things he does is just unreal,” New Haven coach Tedaro France said. “He is already a great leader, and I can’t wait to see him grow into an even better leader.
“He does a great job for us day in and day out.”
Eric Williams’ 19 points sparked New Haven (16-1, 10-0), while 6-foot-11 senior, Innocent Nwoko, added 10 points.
Nwoko, a 2016 Mr. Basketball possibility, got the home crowd on its feet in the first quarter after a dunk to ignite the team.

He said the Mr. Basketball title is a very honorable award.
“When I come to the gym I put in hard work to get better everyday,” Nwoko said.
He recently accepted a full-ride scholarship at Central Michigan University.

“Besides being a great ball player, he is just a great kid, a hard working kid and a great leader,” France said. “He brings out the best in his teammates.

“To be where he is at now just shows how hard he has worked to get to where he is.”
Tower (12-4, 7-3), trailed New Haven, 36-15, going into the second half.

Jauron Vicks scored two straight 3-pointers to rally Tower, but it wasn't enough and the team wound up falling three games behind New Haven in the MAC Gold race.

Tower coach, Nick Evola, said New Haven’s height was a concern, but an opponent like Nwoko doesn't mean beating Tower is impossible.

“Their length makes it tough, but it’s just a matter of executing the game plan,” Evola said. “If we just clean up some mistakes, then we should be confident playing teams that are our size or any size.”

Evola thought the team was nervous during the first half because of all of the blocked shots by New Haven.
After telling the team to stay calm and keep fighting, he said they came out a lot stronger in the third quarter.

“We came prepared, and we aren’t going to be timid, and we aren’t going to back down,” Evola said.
New Haven had a 51-34 lead over Warren Woods Tower going into the final quarter.

Nwoko continued to win the crowd over with his hard drives to the basket. Even the opposing fans were squirming in their seats whenever he attempted to dunk.

The deafening crowd roared when Williams scored 10 fourth-quarter points as New Haven wrapped up the win.
New Haven, the third-ranked Class B team in this week’s Associated Press poll, remains at the top of the MAC Gold standings just two games ahead of St. Clair.

Still, Williams said that the team needs to play better to secure the title.
“We need to know our roles and we will be good,” he said. “We just worked hard and we came through.”

Weems added: “We just need to play our game.”

New Haven travels to Sterling Heights, while Warren Woods Tower returns home to take on L’Anse Creuse. Both games are 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“These guys are fighters, and they work hard every day,” Evola said.

Rockets remain unbeaten in League play defeating Lakeview 60-27 staying perfect in the MAC Gold

2/9/2016

MAC GOLD DIVISION

NEW HAVEN 60, LAKEVIEW 27: The Rockets (9-0, 15-1) blasted off to a 43-12 halftime lead. Eric Williams Jr. scored 15. Alante Stevens, who scored the team’s first seven points, finished with 13 points and five assists. Innocent Nwoko had nine points, 10 rebounds. Jerry Ben finished with six points and eight boards. Romeo Weems registered six points, nine rebounds, seven steals, six assists and two blocks.

Lakeview’s Jayfon Burns scored seven

New Haven welcomes Warren Woods-Tower Friday.

Lakeview 9 3 6 9 -- 27

New Haven 21 22 15 2 -- 60

LAKEVIEW: Jayfon Burns 7, Joe Charrette 3, Anthony Militello 4, Skailar Hage 3, Dale Stanley 5, Bobby Hedges 5. Totals: 6 (3) 6-12 -- 27.

NEW HAVEN (9-0 Gold, 15-1): Eric Williams Jr. 15, Ashton Sherrell 4, Alante Stevens 13, Ronald Jeffery 2, Innocent Nwoko 9, Jerry Ben 6, William Weems 2, Romeo Weems 6, William Moore 3. Totals: 18 (3) 12-23 -- 60.

New Haven rolls past St. Clair, 70-44

2/7/2016

Eric Williams Jr

Joseph Hayes, Times Herald

ST. CLAIR - The intensity in the St. Clair gym was palpable.
The noise and energy gave the St. Clair boys basketball team an impressive home court advantage Thursday in its game against Macomb Area Conference Gold Division leader New Haven.

But the Rockets are ranked No. 3 in Class B for a reason. Their offense is explosive and their defense is suffocating. Those two factors combined Thursday to propel New Haven to a 70-44 victory over St. Clair.

"It's tough when you go up against a 6-foot-6 phenom freshman that's blocking you or a 6-foot-11 guy," St. Clair sophomore Ben Davidson said after leading the Saints with 10 points. Their defense is the best I've ever seen by a high school team. They are crazy athletic. They probably have 25 or 30 steals a game. It's hard to beat.

Cameron Parslow added eight points for St. Clair. Five players scored in double figures for New Haven, led by Alante Stevens, who scored 19 points. Former St. Clair player Eric Williams added 11 points, 10 assists and five steals for the Rockets.

"We prepared for this atmosphere," Williams said. "We had to keep our composure and I thought we did well. We just knew they coudn't dribble that well. They said they would come out as pit bulls. But I think we were the ones that came out as pit bulls and competed out there.

"It feels good to win because everyone is talking and you just have to respond."
The Rockets (8-0, 13-1) remained undefeated in the MAC Gold Division with the win. New Haven led from start to finish and never allowed St. Clair to get into a rhythm. But that didn't stop the Saints (6-2, 9-4) from putting forth their best effort.

Despite trailing 19-2 early in the first quarter, the Saints battled back and were still in the game in the second half. But they would never pull closer than 13 points and the Rockets had enough left to hold them at bay.

"It's always tough to come here and play," New Haven coach Tedaro France said. "To come here, we have to have great team defense. The kids know if they don’t play defense they won't play for me.
"The game plan was to take (Davidson) away. He's a great young player. Taking the ball out of his hands was important."

After falling behind 9-2 early in the game, the Rockets went on a 10-0 run to lead 19-2 and put tremendous pressure on the Saints. But St. Clair went on a 5-0 run late in the first quarter to pull closer and trailed 24-10 entering the second quarter.

St. Clair continued to settle in as the second quarter began. But each time they appeared to capture the momentum, New Haven would answer with a big play. That allowed the Rockets to take a 33-15 lead into halftime.

The Saints were at their best in the third quarter. St. Clair pulled within 13 points and stayed there for most of the quarter. But New Haven went on a surge late in the quarter and led St. Clair 45-29 entering the fourth quarter.

During the first five minutes of the final quarter, the Rockets began to pull away. They went on a torrid 21-4 run to blow the game open and then took their starters out with just over three minutes to play and with a 66-33 lead.
St. Clair will return on Feb. 9 at Sterling Heights.

"The end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter hurt us," St. Clair coach Shawn Sharrow said. "Also at the beginning of the game we spotted them and it was 19-2 out of the gates. We panicked a little bit. But we got back into the game. Then at the start of the fourth quarter they switched presses and went to a zone press and we didn't respond.

"We hung around though. I was proud of our kids effort. This is my ninth year and it was one of the more electric games. It was a buzz here at tip-off. It’s a tribute to how our kids have been playing. I feel like we have the community behind us."

Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @Joseph_Hayes11. Listen to him every weekday from 4-8 p.m. on 88.3 FM.

New Haven Defeats Lowell 52-48 in the 2nd Annual Red Hawk Showcase at Grand Rapids Union High School. Eric Williams Jr Named Game MVP

2/6/2016

New Haven topped Lowell 52-48 Lead by Junior guard Eric Williams Jr 21 points 4 rebounds and 3 assist. Williams was named Red Hawk Showcase Game MVP. Innocent Nwoko 17 points 13 rebounds, Jerry Ben 5 points 10 rebounds 3 blocks, Romeo Weems 15 rebounds 5 assist 3 steals, Ashton Sherrell 5 points.

Stevens scores 19, New Haven stifles St. Clair

2/4/2016

Alante Stevens

By George Pohly
@GPohly on Twitter
ST. CLAIR >> It was Alante Stevens’ turn to shine.

On a team the features two Division I college recruits in the paint, senior guard Stevens scored 19 points Thursday night to lead New Haven to a 70-44 MAC Gold Division boys basketball victory over St. Clair.

Stevens had 13 points in the first half as New Haven built a 33-15 lead before a vocal crowd in the Saints’ gymnasium.

“It was very crazy in here,” Stevens said of the atmosphere. “This is a tough place to play.”

But the Rockets did their best to take the St. Clair crowd out of the game – or at least curb its enthusiasm -- with a 15-0 run that gave the visitors a 19-2 lead in the first quarter.

“My teammates fed me the ball and I produced,” Stevens said. “I am just happy we were able to come out with the win.”

New Haven improved to 8-0 in the division and 13-1 overall. St. Clair, in second place in the Gold, is 6-2 in division games and 9-4 overall.

Stevens was not part of the Rockets’ regular playing rotation last season when they won the Gold title and added district and regional championships.

But the 6-foot-1 Stevens, who also plays football and soccer for the Rockets, told coach Tedaro France he would be ready to contribute mightily this season.

“He stepped into a real big role this year,” France said. “He’s a great leader. The way he plays on defense and the way he runs our team are very important to us.

“He took it upon himself to work hard in the gym. He told me he would be ready this season. He’s a great kid.”

Jerry Ben, a Cornell recruit, scored 14 points and Central Michigan signee Innocent Nwoko had 12 for New Haven.

Eric Williams Jr. scored 11 points and ninth-grader Romeo Weems had 10 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, six blocked shots and eight steals.

Ben Davidson led St. Clair with 10 points.

The Rockets held St. Clair to five points in the second quarter and led 33-15 at halftime.

Stevens’ three-point play capped New Haven’s 15-0 run in the first quarter, and he scored the Rockets’ final six points of the first period on a pair of 3-point field goals.

Ben started the spree with consecutive baskets, the second on a dunk by the 6-9 senior.

Nwoko had 11 rebounds.

New Haven basketball, the most recent northern Macomb County program to become a factor in the state tournament

2/2/2016

Tom Markowski

www.statechampsnetwork.net

New Haven – The success of a number of programs in northern Macomb County recently perhaps has shown a shift in power from programs like Sterling Heights Stevenson and those in the Warren area to those further north.
Romeo won the Division 1 title last fall giving the school its first football state championship and the volleyball again reached the final after capturing the school’s first title in 2014.
Richmond won wrestling (Division 3) titles in 2010-12, finished second the next two seasons and won the title last season. Its baseball program, for the first time, reach the state final (Division 2) in 2013 and ’14.
Joining this list of champions and title contenders could be the boys basketball program at New Haven.
The Rockets reached the Class B quarterfinals last season and are 11-1 and ranked No. 2 heading into Tuesday’s home game against Madison Heights Madison.
New Haven also reached the quarterfinals in 1990 and 2012 but has never made it to the semifinals.
Jerry Ben (6-9) started every game last season and Innocent Nwoko (6-11) started half the games. That’s it as far as returning starters. For many programs this lack of experience would set it back. But New Haven might be better than it was last season.
Alante Stevens is one of the few seniors and he’s at the point. This is the first season Stevens has seen quality minutes and he’s responded.
The leading scorers are underclassmen. Eric Williams, a 6-4 junior, averages 16.5 points and gets his points in a variety of ways.
Freshman Romeo Weems (6-6) leads the team in scoring (17.4 points) and is second in rebounds (10.2). Weems plays beyond his years. If coach Tedaro France asks Weems to play the point he does. If France needs him to play inside he can do that, too. Weems shows improvement week to week and has already displayed leadership skills.
This is France’s ninth season as head coach and he’s built a solid foundation, one that will continue to be successful year after year.
New Haven will miss Ben (Cornell) and Nwoko (Central Michigan) next season but there’s even depth where next season the Rockets will again contend for the Macomb Area Conference Gold Division title and be relevant in the tournament.
Much of this has to do with Weems, one of the state’s top freshman, but most of the credit goes to France.
France is a New Haven graduate. He cares about the community and the community cares about athletics.
“We were 6-15 my first year,” he said. “I cut three starters from the year before. They didn’t understand how to play the game. They didn’t know how to win.
“If I don’t show them the right way I’m doing them a disservice. They have to understand that’s it’s not about them, it’s about the team. They want to lift weights. They understand this is a program.
“This is a growing area. Families are moving into (northern Macomb County). We had one of our largest freshmen classes ever.”
New Haven has 390 students, the most since 2009.