FeedsThe Champs
Romulus Lions win state championship
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The Romulus Community High School Lions show off their championship hardware after beating Flint Beecher, 65-54. First row from left are Justin Thompson, Lamonthe Nance-Young, Desmond Wills, Corey Wilson, Terry Bumper, and Desmond Wills and from left inThree times is the charm.
The Romulus Community High School Lions basketball team mauled rival Flint Beecher, 65-54, to win their third Michigan Alternative Athletic Association (MAAA) Class B State Championship in four years.
The Match-up was a tough one, considering Flint Beecher beat the Lions in both meetings earlier in the season by 11 and 13 points.
Beecher was hot early taking a seven-point lead. Flint maintained the lead until Romulus point guard Terry Bumper hit a running 30-foot shot at the buzzer to trim the lead down to four.
“That was a huge shot for us,” said Bumper. “We had a very shaky first half and that shot gave us some momentum heading into the locker room.”
The second half belonged to the Lions as the recovered from the deficit and outscored Beecher by 15 points to capture the championship. Despite garnering all the attention from Beecher’s defense, Ray Everett was electric in leading the assault. He scored a game-high 31 points.
“They were bumping Ray all up and down the court, trying to get him off of his game,” said Romulus Coach Charles TenBroeck. “But Ray kept focused and played through that to have his best game at the best time.”
Bumper ran the offense flawlessly and added 29 points to the team’s total. The offense stole the show but it was team defense that won the game, according to TenBroeck.
Vincent Barksdale had nine rebounds and blocked three shots. James Wells and Desmond Wills were solid and kept Beecher from penetrating the Lion’s zone defense, TenBroek said.
“Most importantly the team conducted themselves like champions with a lot of pride and dignity off the court,” TenBroek said. “They handled winning the championship with class and represented our schools and the city of Romulus the way it deserves.”
The Lions beat Tomlinson out of Jackson, 58-42, in the state quarterfinals and beat Grand Rapids’ Omega, 63-38, in the state semifinals to reach the championship game.
