West Bloomfield Boys Basketball Lose 65-57 To Buena Vista

WEST BLOOMFIELD – The West Bloomfield High School varsity boys basketball team is still searching for answers.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lakers weren’t consistent on either end of the floor in a 65-57 loss to Saginaw Buena Vista on the last day of the Metro Detroit/Saginaw Valley Basketball Challenge.

“We haven’t been able to get on a roll all season,” West Bloomfield head coach Jeremy Denha said.

Denha’s team is shooting less than 40 percent from the field this year and it was more of the same on Saturday. The Lakers (1-3) struggled shooting the ball for much of the game and couldn’t find a consistent scoring option for the first three quarters.

“It’s not due to lack of talent, it's flow,” Denha said. “They are taking bad jump shots and we aren’t finishing at the rim.”

Junior Malik Humes had 12 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a lead Buena Vista built up during a 14-0 run in the third.

Knights guard Dwayne Farris had three 3-pointers during a two-minute stretch that left West Bloomfield reeling.

Farris hit back-to-back 3-point shots to give Buena Vista a 38-32 lead with 2:25 remaining in the third and then closed out the quarter with a final triple to give his team a 43-35 lead.

The senior was one of three Knights players to reach double digits. He led all scorers with 23 points. Teammate Jaleel Hogan had 17 and Vonta Brookins had 10.

Hogan, a 6-foot-6 center, helped Buena Vista grab an early lead with a strong first quarter. West Bloomfield struggled stopping the sophomore under the basket early in the game. He put up nine points in the opening quarter and ended the first on a high note with an impressive dunk off a fast break.

The Lakers settled down in the second quarter with some solid play from guards Nikhil Mankuzhy and Lawrence Pukhrmbam. They combined for 13 of West Bloomfield’s 18 points in the quarter.

Midway through the second, Mankuzhy hit a 3-pointer and followed it up with a quick steal. He quickly went up the court and was fouled attempting a layup. The senior nailed both free throws and cut Buena Vista’s early lead down to 23-21.

A 3-pointer from Pukhrmbam gave the Lakers their first lead of the quarter 27-25 with 2:37 left in the half. West Bloomfield went into halftime with a 28-26 lead.

The stretch was a glimpse of how effective Denha thinks his team can be. But for the team to starting winning, he said they can’t just show flashes of consistency.

“This team can’t be a glimpse team,” Denha said. “We don’t have one high end guy that’s going to dominate for us. If we are a glimpse team, we are going to get beat every night. We have to play a complete game.”

Denha went deep into his bench during the game and made a lot of substitutions. Two weeks into the season, he’s still trying to find a winning combination.

“No one is separating themselves,” Denha said. “We don’t want to solidify positions, we want the kids doing it. No one wants to take every minute of every game for some reason. For me, it’s just about competing and constantly getting after it.”

Humes finished the game as the Lakers leading scorer with 15 points and Mankuzhy had nine points.

West Bloomfield’s next game will be on Dec. 28 in the Falcon Classic up at Roseville.