www.thetimesherald.com
They are just getting started.
The New Haven boys basketball team is only eight games into the new season, but the Rockets already appear to be in mid-season form. New Haven enters the week riding high on top the Macomb Area Conference Blue Division standings.
The Rockets have rarely been challenged, winning games by an average of 29 points.
"We are playing pretty solid team basketball heading into this week," New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. "We have to be more consistent at doing the little things. That has been the emphasis this week.
"To focus on completing and finishing plays in all three phases of the game, and not just looking for the big play, which is great, but we have to make all the small plays and be consistently fundamentally sound on offense and defense. I am also looking forward to getting a couple guys back who have been out injured and getting them back into our normal rotation."
New Haven returns home Tuesday against East Detroit, before traveling to L'Anse Creuse Friday.
The Capac Chiefs (7-0) remain No. 2 in the Times Herald poll. The Chiefs had a Blue Water Area Conference game scheduled against Armada that was postponed due to inclement weather and will return home Tuesday against Imlay City.
The Marine City Cardinal Mooney (6-1) boys basketball team is third in the Times Herald poll, and is riding a six-game win streak. The Cardinals have a couple of key games approaching, including Friday night's road contest at Detroit Cristo Rey.
"Our defense has been our primary focus all year and has gotten better week by week," Cardinal Mooney coach Mike McAndrews said.
"I am pleased with how we have started the season but we can't get complacent and must continue to improve on both ends of the court."
The St. Clair High School basketball team is fourth in the poll at 6-3. The Saints picked up a pair of conference wins last week to take the lead in the MAC Gold Division. That included an impressive victory over Port Huron early in the week.
Rounding out the top five of the poll is Port Huron Northern, which picked up a pair of victories last week, including a win over Port Huron High.
"It was a nice week for us, getting two road wins at Fraser and Port Huron," Northern coach Brian Jamison said. "I thought our defensive intensity was pretty good and we defended the 3-point line a lot better than we had the games before the break."
Boys Basketball Poll
1. New Haven
2. Capac
3. Cardinal Mooney
4. St. Clair
5. Port Huron Northern
6. Richmond
7. Port Huron
8. Marine City
9. Croswell-Lexington
10. Brown City
Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.