Two straight, it feels great.
That was the sentiment from the Lansing Sexton basketball team after the Big Reds demolished Lakeshore 67-32 in the Class B title game for Sexton’s second straight state championship.
“These guys have endured so much pressure,” said coach Carlton Valentine, who has a six-year record of 124-25. “They were the No. 1 team in the state of Michigan, regardless of class. We played the toughest schedule in Michigan. We played Romulus, Pershing, and Lansing Eastern in front of 4,500 people. The only game we lost was to Pershing by one point. We deserved that loss. It made us better because we didn’t lose a game after that.”
The loss to Detroit Pershing was by a score of 81-80 and came in the eighth game of the season.
The game against Lakeshore was over early, with Sexton rolling to a 32-10 halftime lead. It was 57-21 after three quarters.
For Sexton, 27-1, it was a memorable ending to a near-perfect seaso. It prevailed against old nemesis Detroit Country Day in the state semifinals 74-59.
In the title game, Sexton shot 28 of 49 from the floor for 57.1 percent, while Lakeshore was 11 of 49 for 22.4 percent.
Bryn Forbes netted 19 points for the champs, while Denzel Valentine collected 15 points, seven assists, and 11 rebounds. Jalen Hayes added 12 points and five boards in the title game.
“These are great individuals,” Carlton Valentine said. “With Denzel being the coach’s son, he had to put up with me being on him. But Denzel’s a great high school basketball player. He’s a back-to-back state champ, he deserves everything he got. Denzel’s every father’s dream. I’ve been lucky to coach both my sons. Denzel has done everything we’ve asked of him. As a freshman, he had two knee surgeries. He didn’t know if he was even going to play again. He fought through some difficult struggles with his knee.
“Anthony Clemmons always took the best team’s guard and had to play great defense on them. He scored when we needed to. Bryn Forbes is our team’s best scorer.”
The team had 11 seniors, three sophomores, and one junior.
“We’ve been winning some games because, quite frankly, we have more experience than other people,” Valentine said. “I give Lansing Catholic more credit out of anybody we played because they executed very well.”
Lansing Catholic gave Sexton arguably its toughest game of the season, with Sexton taking a 66-56 win in the district finals.
“I was thinking if you can get by them, you have a chance to win the whole thing,” Valentine said. “Every ballgame we played was a tough game, these guys executed in the end.”
“Everybody sacrificed themselves to win. It’s a good feeling, a blessing. We have a winning coach, too, you can’t forget him,” Forbes said.
The players, including senior Jeff Cain, were asked if Sexton should be considered among the best teams in state hoops history.
“We’re real good,” Cain smiled. “We know each other. We’ve been playing with each other since we were six years old. We all know what each other does. Yeah, I think we’re one of the greatest teams.”
“To win two back-to-back state championships is amazing,” Denzel Valentine said.