Ferndale boys basketball edges out Saginaw, 65-60, in Division 2 state semifinal

EAST LANSING — After coming up short in two successive trips to the state semifinals, Ferndale has finally found the winning recipe.

The Eagles overcame a paltry 2 of 24 shooting from 3-point range, but found enough of the right ingredients in Friday’s Division 2 Final 4 matchup to subdue Saginaw, 65-60, at Breslin Center.

Ferndale outscored Saginaw, 21-14, in the decisive in the final period and got a big tip-in from Caleb Renfroe with only 2:02 left to break a 55-all deadlock. Ferndale then held on by making 6 of 8 free throws in the final 39 seconds to hold on for the victory.

Despite the Eagles’ 8% 3-point shooting, Ferndale found other ways to win, but the green light is still from beyond the arc for  the next big game.

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“I would have thought we lost, I really don’t know what to say,” said Renfroe, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who scored a team-high 16 points. “Rebound, defend, take charges ... they had a lot of offensive rebounds, so we had to hit and box out. In a game against University Prep we were 3-for-30-something, but I believe we have the best amount of shooters in the state.”

Cameron Reed, who made 5 of 6 late free throws to secure the win, added 12 points, including 8 of 10 from the foul line as Ferndale hit 19 of 27 free throws (70.4%) as a team.

“I’m normally a good free throw shooter, but the beginning of the season, middle of the season they weren’t falling,” the 6-foot senior guard said. “Shooting free throws – all it is is confidence. If you’re worried about missing it, you’re going to miss it., or if it’s the crowd, you’re going to miss. You just lock in, do your technique like you do in practice every day and you’re going to make the shot.”

Ferndale senior forward Christopher Williams had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while 6-7 senior center Jayden Hardiman finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

“That just goes back to how our coaches coach our team,” Reed said. “We’re a good 3-point shooting team, but we still have to have the intangibles like battling for the loose balls. On the (chalk) board before every game we have, ‘Rebound the ball, defend and limit turnovers,’ so if we do those things, we have a pretty good chance of winning.”

Senior Javarie Holliday led Saginaw (21-7) with a game-high 20 points, while Brandon McCune added 17.

The Trojans won the 3-point battle going a respectable 9 of 21 (42.9%), but lost their bid to earn their 11th state championship game appearance in school history.

Saginaw coach Julian Taylor, who guided the Trojans to the 2012 Class A title, said Ferndale did a lot of the little things to win the game. Saginaw also had 19 turnovers to the Eagles’ 11.

“I think they outrebounded us (41-37) and it comes down to the hustle plays,” Taylor said. “I think they outhustled us. We shot the ball well, but they outhustled us and we had some crucial turnovers late in the game that really cost us.”

Early in the third quarter, Ferndale went up, 36-27, on a layup by Hardiman, but the Trojans stormed back with a 19-8 run — thanks to four 3-pointers — to lead, 46-44, entering the fourth.

Ferndale led, 12-8 after one quarter as the teams combined for 14 turnovers and shot an aggregate 6 of 22 from the field.

After Saginaw pulled even at 16-all on a McCune 3-pointer, Ferndale answered with six straight free throws, including a pair by Blocker after a technical foul on Saginaw en route to a 32-24 halftime advantage.

“To me, being able to put on this Saginaw jersey means a lot to me,” said Holliday, a 6-2 guard. “My big brother was a part of the state championship team in 2008, so I just wanted to be like him ever since I was little, and bring one back to the city as well. With this being my last time playing putting on this jersey there’s a lot of emotions everywhere, but I can say I’ll be a Saginaw Trojan for life.”

Meanwhile, Ferndale, which last won the state title in 1966, was successful after losing in the 2021 and 2022 semifinals — both to Grand Rapids Catholic Central.

“We’ve definitely experienced being on the stage in the semifinals,” said Reed, who was a part of both those teams. “So, this year, the third time, we just kind of played it like another game. We didn’t look at the crowd or how big the gym is, just play, lock in and win the game.”