By By JEFF FISHER / Dowagiac Daily News
MISHAWAKA, Ind. - Quickness was the difference Friday night as the Indiana East All-Stars knocked off the taller Michigan All-Stars, 97-87, to capture the Sports Fest 2005 boys' basketball championship at Bethel College.
Team Michigan won the opening tip Friday night, but it was the East forcing Michigan into two quick turnovers.
The Benton Harbor connection of Wilson Chandler and Rodney Alexander gave Michigan an early 8-1 lead.
The East's first bucket came at the 16:42 mark of the first half when Michael Moore (Concord) drained a "three" to narrow the deficit to a 8-6 Michigan lead.
Michigan had a 19-18 lead at the 10:03 mark, until a Alexander dunk opened up a 23-18 margin.
East's Kory Lantz (Wawasee) began the comeback for the East as he hit a jumper at the 7:21 mark to give Michigan a three point lead 22-25.
The East would tie the game up and would take the lead 37-36 with one minute remaining. Another Alexander basket plus a foul shot gave Michigan a 41-40 lead at halftime.
Tyler Leighton (Jimtown) paced the East with 15 points and was 6-8 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe.
Alexander also had 15 points including eight rebounds.
Chandler with 11 points, nine boards, seven turnovers, and three personal fouls at halftime.
Michigan regained the lead back in the second half on a "three" by Kevin Luckey (Cassopolis) 63-61. The momentum began to shift East as Ronnie Thomas (Northridge) gave the East a 66-65 lead at 10:34, but the lead swelled to five points with a bucket by Mauri Miller (Elkhart Central).
The East took a commanding 89-78 lead at the 3:13 mark as Michigan had no answer for the inside presence of Thomas, as he scorched Michigan for seven straight points and also held Chandler in check during the second half.
Michigan found itself down 93-83 with 1:04 remaining, when Milo Jeffries (Coloma) was called for a technical foul, one of 28 fouls called during a very physical second half, which gave the East a 97-87 lead and let the clock expire on Michigan to give them the championship.
Leighton finished with 25 points for the East. Thomas with 20 points, 17 second half points, to go along with 12 boards. Moore netted 10 points along with six assists.
Michigan's Alexander had 26 points, 16 boards. Chandler finished with 19 points, 10 boards. Buchanan's Gordon Bryant with 10, and Luckey with nine.
MICHIGAN 87
Wilson Chandler 8 3-5 19, Tony Robinson 1 1-4 5, Rodney Alexander 10 6-9 26, Milo Jeffries 1 2-4 4, Tyler Weaver 2 0-2 5, Nick Roth 2 2-3 6, Simon Cholometes 0 4-4 4, Gordon Bryant 3 3-4 10, Kevin Luckey 3 0-2 9. Totals: 30 21-37 87
INDIANA EAST 97
Kory Lantz 3 0-0 6, Michael Wienhorst 2 0-0 5, Michael Moore 4 0-1 10, Mauri Miller 3 0-1 6, Ronnie Thomas 8 4-9 20, Derrick DeShone 0 1-2 1, Austin Kaiser 4 0-0 9, Jeremy Stouder 4 4-6 13, Eric Gaff 0 2-2 2, Tyler Leighton 9 6-6 25. Totals: 37 17-27 97
Halftime score: Michigan 41, Indiana East 40
Three-point baskets: Michigan 6 (Luckey 3, Jeffries, Weaver, Bryant), Indiana East 6 (Moore 2, Wienhorst, Stouder, Kaiser, Leighton). Total fouls: Michigan 24, Indiana East 28. Fouled out: DeShone, Wienhorst (East). Technical foul: Jeffries (Michigan)