Perhaps the finest high school basketball game in this 2005-2006 season saw the Lumberjacks from Saginaw Arthur Hill win in double overtime over the Chieftains from Okemos. The basketball performance from these two teams was unbelievable. Darquavis Tucker scored 26 points and finished it off with a finger roll with five seconds left in the second overtime, just moments after a controversial 5-second call at the mid court on star senior point guard Jonathan Jones from Okemos.

It was high school basketball at its finest. 70-70 at the end of regulation. Jones was spectacular in regulation, scoring 38 points overall and controlling the game offensively for Okemos with the dribble drive and pull up jumpers galore. He made the spectators asking the basketball gods why JJ isn't already signed, sealed and delivered to a High D-1 school. He was that good! 25 and 38 was a terrific encore to David Kool's 37 and 43 in Class B a year ago.

This is a great year for the underclassmen. Not only do we have Tucker scoring 26 but Anthony Ianni, junior 6-10 center for Okemos, had 23 points and 9 rebounds. Tommy Prater, junior 6-2 wing forward, scored 20 points before fouling out in the first overtime. But it was the sophomore wing forward from Arthur Hill, Latreze Mushatt, who really stole the show for the Lumberjacks, 6 of 7 from the floor with 19 points. Yes, Michigan is young and the underclassmen really showed up in the Class A title game.

"I used to coach, now I teach," said head coach Greg McMath of Saginaw Arthur Hill. "We were in a rough spot mid season and playing a very tough schedule. Instead of pounding my guys for poor performances, I decided to grow up and teach and mentor instead of ridicule. It made all the difference in the world tonight."

Yes, Mushatt was good and Ianni played his best game of the season and Prater was very solid, but this basketball game revolved around the talents and skills and abilities of Mr. Darquavis Tucker. Most every game has a turning point in it and this one was no exception. Inside two minutes in the second overtime, Jones missed the second foul shot of two opportunities and Tucker rebounded the ball. You could sense he smelled blood. It was like he knew it was time to take over and steal the show. That he did.

First he came down and scored on a circus shot while drawing a foul and finishing off the three-point play. Then, after the controversial 5-second call against Jones, he hit the finger roll to win the game. The best players in the game find a way to make the best plays. That's DQ. He's a Top 5 player in the 2007 class with High Major written all over him and I may have him underrated. He was asked what the win over Okemos meant to basketball in Saginaw?

"It means we made history," he said with a huge grin on his face, "and that's a good thing!"

That's not a good thing DQ, that's a great thing!