Sports: Pistons Lose; St. Phil, Harper in Quarterfinals

Detroit Pistons

The Phoenix Suns held off a late Pistons rally to pull out an 88-86 victory at The Palace of Auburn Hills last night. Detroit had many chances to steal the win late, but couldn't pull it off as they fall to 3-9. Brandon Jennings posted 19 points despite shooting 1-of-9 from three and chipped in seven assists. Detroit (3-9) has lost three in-a-row.  Greg Monroe put up an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double in the loss.  The Pistons visit the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow.

Volleyball

The third-ranked Tigers are headed to the State Quarterfinals again, after a sweep of second-ranked Mendon at Lakeview High School.  Abbie McKinzie had 16 kills and 15 digs.  Emily Schaub had 27 assists, four kills and 13 digs.   St. Philip advances to face Waterford Our Lady in Friday’s state semifinal, beginning at 2 p.m.

The Harper Creek volleyball team plays Lake Odessa Lakewood in the State Semi-Finals today at Kellogg Arena.

Red Wings

The Red Wings visit the Jets in Winnipeg tonight.  The Wings have recalled defenseman Xavier Ouellet from Grand Rapids a defenseman Brendan Smith goes on the seven-day injured reserve list with a hand injury. Detroit heads back to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs on Saturday night before returning home to play Ottawa on Monday.

College Basketball

In women’s basketball….No. 3 Notre Dame beat No. 15 Michigan State 71-63 last night. Aerial Powers scored 27 points for the Spartans.

In men’s basketball…Connar Tava scored 21 points as Western Michigan defeated Oakland 82-71 last night.

Michigan tips off against the Detroit Titans tonight. (Mike Alverson won tickets on WBCK)

Michigan State will host Loyola Chicago Friday night at the Breslin Center.  (Eric Santaneri won Tickets)

College Football

MSU hosts Rutgers this Saturday.  Congratulations to Randy Hart who wins tickets to take his grandson to the game, courtesy of Michael Jordon, attorney.

Michigan hosts Maryland this Saturday.

Thursday Night Football

"Thursday Night Football" …..The Kansas City Chiefs take on the 0-10 Oakland Raiders at the Coliseum.  KC has won five straight overall and seven of its last eight games.  At 7-and-3, the Chiefs are tied with Denver for the division lead.

Oakland remains the last winless team in the NFL this season at 0-and-10.

Lions

The Lions are at New England on Sunday.  After missing last week's game against Arizona with injuries, running back Reggie Bush and tight end Brandon Pettigrew both took part in drills yesterday.  LaAdrian Waddle, who injured his knee against the Cardinals, was limited in practice.   Calvin Johnson, Joique Bell and Nick Fairley were among players who sat out.

Athlete of the Week

Our WBCK/Meijer Athlete of the Week is Lakeview junior running back Dre Kemp.  Kemp rushed for just short of 15-hundred yards on the season with 22 touchdowns leading the 9-2 Spartans to a district title and reaching the Regionals for the first time in more than 30 years.

Go on line today to nominate our WBCK/Meijer Athlete of the Week!   We want to salute local kids who are working hard both on and off the field, and it’s easy to nominate someone you think is deserving of an award.  The winner will get mentioned on WBCK and at wbckfm.com and also get a trophy from Recognition Inc. in Battle Creek. We’ll announce a new WBCK/Meijer Athlete of the Week each Wednesday.