From Anchor Bay to Benton Harbor to Ludington, New Haven met a variety of challenges on the road to the longest boys basketball winning streak in Macomb County history.
The Rockets, who are 26-0 this season, won their 52nd in a row as Ronald Jeffery III scored 29 points in a 78-72 triumph over Bridgeport in a state Class B quarterfinal game at Corunna on Tuesday night.
Thirty-one different schools were New Haven victims during the 52 games.
The Rockets defeated 15 Macomb Area Conference teams.
That list included Dakota, which was the last team to beat New Haven, in the second game of the 2016-17 season, before the Rockets went on the record run.
On the way to consecutive MAC Blue championships, the Rockets defeated division opponents Anchor Bay, Cousino, Eastpointe, Fitzgerald and L’Anse Creuse four times each.
They knocked off Flint Beecher, Lake Shore, Notre Dame Prep, St. Clair, South Lake and Warren Woods-Tower twice each.
Both victories over Notre Dame Prep came in state tournament games. Those triumphs helped defending state champion New Haven build the 14-game tournament winning streak it takes into a semifinal game against Grand Rapids Catholic Central (23-2) at the Breslin Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Flint Beecher, a regular-season home-and-home opponent this year and last, was the only team to take New Haven to overtime. The Rockets won in triple overtime at Beecher last year.
Non-conference opponents defeated by the Rockets included Loyola and De La Salle of the Catholic League, Algonac of the Blue Water Area Conference, and Detroit Public School League members Osborn and Renaissance.
Other non-MAC teams defeated included Michigan Collegiate, Flint Northwestern, Mount Clemens, Saginaw Arthur Hill, Benton Harbor and Ludington.
A victory over Loyola at Calihan Hall in the third game of the 2016-17 season started the streak. The Rockets also defeated De La Salle at Calihan Hall, and one of their victories over Anchor Bay came at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
New Haven defeated Benton Harbor and Ludington in 2017 state semifinal and championship games, respectively, at the Breslin Center.
Benton Harbor is back in the state semifinals. The Tigers (25-1) play River Rouge (23-1) at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Semifinal winners meet in the state championship game at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.