By John Raffel
MaxPreps.com
Derek Dennis is headed to the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship.
But Dennis is impressing in another sport this winter, scoring in buckets for Forest Hills Central of Grand Rapids.
Dennis had six 3-pointers and scored 28 points in a 74-51 victory over Greenville last week that improved the team's record to 6-1 overall.
"Dennis is averaging 21 points per game," Forest Hills Central head coach Ken George said. "He's a real unique athlete. He's signed with Michigan to be their shortstop. He'll be drafted (professionally). But he can shoot the ball."
The previous Friday, Forest Hills Central again got 28 points from Dennis in a 75-58 win for George, giving him his 200th career victory. George has coached the team for 15 seasons and has taken the squad to the state quarterfinals three times.
"I'm proud of how we approached the (Greenville) game," George said. "We came off an emotional win on Friday night and don't practice on Sunday. But the guys still played with a lot of poise."
Girls Basketball
Detroit Country Day’s boys basketball team has established itself as a power over the years with alumni like Chris Webber and Shane Battier starring at the school in the past. But the girls’ squad, led by junior Madison Williams and senior Amber Moore, is stealing some of the boys’ thunder this year.
Frank Orlando's Country Day team is off to a 10-0 start.
“It's a combination of good defense and a balanced scoring attack. We're a diversified type of team,” Orlando said. “A lot of kids can do a lot of different things. We've had good defensive efforts.”
Moore is leading the team in scoring. But Williams, a 6-foot-7 post, is making her presence felt with nine rebounds and six blocks per game.
“Moore has a good basketball IQ. She's a very intelligent basketball player,” Orlando said. “She sees the floor very well. She's a very good shooter, but is also a good passer and has a good sense for the game.
“(Williams) is getting better at blocking shots without fouling,” Orlando said. “She kind of tips the ball now where she used to come down real hard and would try to put people away. Now she's blocking and trying to keep it in play. She's a very good defensive player.”
Williams’ defensive presence has helped the Yellowjackets limit opponents to just 33.5 points per game. Country Day scored its most impressive victory to date Jan. 10 against Connecticut-bound Samarie Walker and Chaminade-Julienne of Dayton, Ohio.
The biggest remaining obstacle in the way of a perfect regular season is 10-1 Arthur Hill of Saginaw on Feb. 7.
