East Lansing vs. Wayne Memorial – – Division 1 Boys Basketball Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 15, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

In today’s Division 1 Boys Basketball Final, the Trojans from East Lansing will compete with the Zebras from Wayne Memorial for the state championship! Both these teams have some excellent players! Here is some information that the Michigan High School Athletic Association provided about them. (Please note that except for the won/loss records, they were compiled before the Friday semifinal games.)

Wayne Memorial has a 25-3 record and is rated #14 in Division 1. Carlos Medlock is a junior who averages 24.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He has hit 49 three point shots so far this season. Jaylohn Allen averages 17.7 points and 4.4 assists. He has made 58 three point baskets. Austin Tory averages 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Jalahn McClellan has hit 29 three point shots this year.

East Lansing has a 27-1 record and is rated #2 in Division 1. K.J. Torbert scores 20.3 points and pulls down 5.6 rebounds per game. Cameron Hutson scores 18.5 points and gets 7.4 rebounds per game. Kingston Thomas scores 8.0 points per game. All three of these players have fathers who had great basketball careers at Michigan State University. (They are Kelvin Torbert, Andre Hutson and David Thomas.) Jayce Branson averages 7.8 points and 2 steals per game.

Of course, the Trojans got to this point by beating Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Mr. Basketball, Trey McKenney in the semifinal! Here is the play by play of that game!

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The Wayne Memorial Band played the National Anthem and did a fine job. As I’m a musician myself, it is always cool to be able to salute students for a musical job well done!

It is now time to review the events of this game through the hopefully accurate eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the days of yore. He was showing real promise at dunking the ball, but everything fell apart when the basketball powers-that-be raised the rim from five feet to ten feet. (All that time practicing windmill dunk moves went to waste. Alas.)

The opening tap goes out of bounds and Wayne gets the ball. The Zebras miss a layup. East Lansing misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Jaylohn Allen hits a sixteen footer near the top of the key to give the Zebras the first two points of the game. East Lansing misfires on a triple try from the wing. Kingston Thomas taps the rebound to a Trojan teammate. KJ Torbert hits a layup for East Lansing to tie the game at 2-2.

Carlos Medlock Jr. hits a three point shot from the side for Wayne. Abraham Rooks gets his hand on the ball and an East Lansing dribbler loses it out of bounds. Wayne misses a driving twelve foot shot from the side of the lane. East Lansing misses a layup. Kingston Thomas hits a putback to trim the Wayne lead to 5-4.

Wayne misfires on a triple try from the wing. Antwaun Williams steals the ball for the Zebra. Jaylohn Allen hits a layup for Wayne. East Lansing misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Carlos Medlock Jr. hits a three point shot from the wing for Wayne. Cameron Hutson grabs a loose ball and hits a layup for East Lansing to trim the Wayne lead to 10-6.

Wayne turns the ball over. Kingston Thomas passes the ball to Cameron Hutson, who hits a layup for the Trojans. Carlos Medlock Jr. is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to boost the Zebra lead to 12-8 with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter.

Austin Tory gets his hand on the ball, but East Lansing recovers. The Trojan miss a layup. The Zebras miss a three point shot from the wing. Carlos Medlock Jr steals East Lansing’s outlet pass. Wayne misses a layup. Austin Tory gets the offensive rebound for the Zebras. Wayne misses a layup. KJ Torbert is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to shave the Wayne lead to 12-10 with 2:15 to go in the opening quarter.

Wayne misses a three point shot from the wing. Carlos Medlock Jr. harasses the Trojan ball handler. The ball gets loose and it bounces around like a hot potato until Antwaun Williams dives on it to get the possession for Wayne. East Lansing fouls as they try to recover the ball. Carlos Medlock Jr drives and hits a six foot banked shot to give the Zebras a 14-10 lead.

East Lansing misses a six foot runner in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Zebras take possession. Jayce Branson blocks a Wayne shot. East Lansing misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Wayne takes possession. KJ Torbert knocks a Zebra pass out of bounds; Wayne retains possession. Jaylohn Allen leands and hits a sixteen foot shot from the wing for Wayne. Cameron Hutson drives and hits a layup for East Lansing just when the opening quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After one quarter, Wayne Memorial has a 16-12 lead.

Wayne inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. The Zebras miss a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Zebras get another opportunity. Wayne misses a six foot shot from the baseline. Abraham Rooks harasses an East Lansing dribbler on a drive and he loses the ball out of bounds. Brian Windham knocks the ball away from Wayne and Jayce Branson picks it up for East Lansing. Brian Windham passes to Cameron Hutson, who hits a layup for the Trojans to trim the Wayne lead to 16-14.

Wayne misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Cameron Hutson is fouled hard on a driving layup. Goaltending is called to give East Lansing two points and Cameeron Hutson hits his free throw to give the Trojans a one point lead. Cameron Hutson steals the ball for East Lansing. East Lansing misses a layup. Kingston Thomas hits a putback to give East Lansing a 19-16 lead.

Wayne misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. East Lansing misses a driving layup. Kingston Thomas pulls down the offensive rebound for the Trojans. Brian Windham passes to Kingston Thomas, who hits a threeball from the top of the key for East Lansing. Wayne misses a ten foot hook shot from the side of the lane. KJ Torbert drives and hits a layup for East Lansing. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 5:02 to play in the second quarter, East Lansing has a 24-16 lead.

KJ Torbert gets the offensive rebound for East Lansing. Jayce Branson hits a layup for the Trojans. Wayne misses a lon threeball from the wing. East Lansing misses a six foot baseline hook shot. Wayne misses a threeball from the corner. Jayce Branson passes to Kingston Thomas, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key to give East Lansing a 29-16 lead.

Wayne misses a fifteen footer from the side. East Lansing misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Wayne gets the ball. The Zebras miss a threeball off the dribble from the wing. Esat Lansing misses a layup. Wayne misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. East Lansing throws an outlet pass too long. Brian Windham makes a great effort to save the Trojan possession, but the ball goes out of bounds and the Zebras get it.

Wayne misses a fifteen foot shot off the dribble from the wing. East Lansing misses a twelve foot shot from the side. The rebound wedges between the basket and the rim. Your Bleacher Denizen is disappointed that he was not asked to be the hero by leaping and knocking the ball loose. (Those of you who note that I am old, 5′ 8″ and am challenged to jump over a sheet of paper are just being cynical. PUT ME IN, COACH!!) While the Bleacher Denizen muses about possible heroism, the ball is knocked loose and play resumes. The Possession Arrow decides that East Lansing should get the ball.

Jayce Branson inbounds the ball to Kingston Thomas, who hits a layup for East Lansing. Jalahn McClellan gets into the lane and hits a six foot shot for Wayne. Jaylohn Allen knocks the ball out of bounds; East Lansing retains possession. East Lansing misses a jump shot off the dribble from the three point line. KJ Torbert snares the offensive rebound for the Trojans. East Lansing misses a threeball from the side. Wayne misses a layup. Austin Tory hits a putback to trim the Trojan lead to 31-20.

East Lansing misses a driving layup. Kingston Thomas is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws for East Lansing with just 29.2 seconds to play in the half. Cameron Hutson’s fierce defense causes Wayne to travel on a drive to the basket. Austin Tory knocks an East Lansing pass out of bounds as the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, East Lansing has a 33-20 lead.

Carlos Medlock Jr leads Wayne with 10 points and Jaylohn Allen has 6 points.

Kingston Thomas has 14 points for East Lansing and Cameron Hutson has 10 points. KJ Torbert also has 6 points.

Wayne inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Antwaun Williams inbounds the ball to Austin Tory, who hits a twelve foot shot in the lane for the Zebras. East Lansing throws a pass out of bounds. Carlos Medlock Jr steals the ball for Wayne. The Zebras miss a threeball from the corner and foul on the rebound. KJ Torbert drives the baseline and hits a layup to give the Trojans a 35-22 lead.

Jaylohn Allen inbounds the ball to Austin Tory, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Wayne. East Lansing misses a driving layup. Jayce Branson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Trojans. Brian Windham drives and hits a layup for the Trojans. Jaylohn Allen is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to trim the Trojan lead to 37-27 with 5:33 remaining in quarter number three.

Cameron Essell’s defense forces a Wayne dribbler to lose the ball out of bounds on a drive to the hoop. KJ Torbert gets into the lane, hesitates and drives in for a layup for East Lansing. Kingston Thomas drives to tie up the ball for the Trojans. The Possession Arrow is impressed with his hustle and awards the ball to East Lansing. The Trojans miss a driving layup. Jayce Branson blocks a Wayne fast break layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and the Zebras get another chance. Wayne misses a driving layup. KJ Torbert Torbert hits a fast break reverse layup to give East Lansing a 43-27 lead.

Jayce Branson blocks a Wayne layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Wayne gets another possession. Austin Tory hits a layup for the Zebras. East Lansing misfires on a triple try from the wing. Talan Clark is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to shave the Trojan lead to 43-31 with 3:04 to play in quarter number three.

Jalahn McClellan knocks East Lansing’s inbound pass out. The Trojans retain possession. East Lansing loses a pass out of bounds. KJ Torbert blocks a Wayne layup. Jaylohn Allen steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. He hits one of his two free throws. East Lansing is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 2:06 to play in quarter number three, the East Lansing lead is at 43-32.

Wayne misses a driving layup. Abraham Rooks hits a putback for the Zebras. Cameron Hutson hits a twelve foot shot in the lane for East Lansing. Cameron Hutson blocks a Wayne layup. East Lansing misses a six foot shot from the side. KJ Torbert steals the ball and is fouled on a layup. He hits two free throws and East Lansing has a 47-34 lead with 49.3 seconds left in the quarter.

KJ Torbert blocks a Wayne shot. Kingston Thomas hits a fast break layup, is fouled and makes his free throw for the Trojans. Jayce Branson knocks the ball away from Wayne and Cameron Hutson picks it up for the Trojans. East Lansing misses a fast break layup. Cameron Huston is there to slam a putback dunk as the buzzer calls an end to quarter number three.

With three quarters in the books, East Lansing has a 52-34 lead.

East Lansing inbounds the ball to open the final quarter. A Trojan dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. KJ Torbert gets his hand on the ball and Wayne loses it out of bounds. East Lansing misses a threeball from the corner. Cameron Hutson hits a putback for the Trojans. Wayne misses a driving layup. Cameron Hutson lobs the ball to KJ Torbert, who dunks the ball to give East Lansing a 56-34 lead.

Wayne misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and East Lansing takes possession. The ball gets loose, but Kingston Thomas is there to grab it and lay it in the hoop for the Trojans. Carlos Medlock Jr drives and hits a layup for Wayne. Cameron Hutson is fouled on a dunk attempt and hits one of his two free throws to give East Lansing a 59-36 lead with 5:40 left on the clock.

East Lansing misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Wayne takes possession. Wayne misses a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. East Lansing misfires on a triple try from the side. Wayne misses a driving reverse layup. KJ Torbert passes to Jayce Branson, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to boost the Trojan lead to 61-36 with 4:41 remaining in the contest.

Wayne misses a three point shot from the wing. Jaylohn Allen taps the ball away from East Lansing and Carlos Medlock Jr picks it up for Wayne; Carlos Medlock takes the ball in for a Zebra fast break layup. Brian Windham is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for the Trojans. With 3:40 to go, East Lansing leads 62-38.

Wayne misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Carlos Medlock Jr grabs the offensive rebound for the Zebras. Jaylohn Allen drives from the side and hits a layup for Wayne. East Lansing misfires on a threeball from the corner. Wayne misses a three point shot from the side. Cameron Hutson lobs the ball to Jayce Branson, who dunks the ball for the Trojans. East Lansing has a 64-40 lead.

Wayne misses a three point shot from the side. Joshua Dennis gets the offensive rebound for the Zebras. Wayne is whistled for a traveling violation. Jalahn McClellan harasses East Lansing’s ball handler and the Trojans call time out. Joshua Dennis knocks the ball away from East Lansing and Jaylohn Allen picks it up for Wayne. Jaylohn Allen hits a fast break layup for Wayne, is fouled on the play and makes his free throw. With 2:04 to go, East Lansing leads 64-43.

East Lansing misses a driving layup. Tamaren Campbell passes to James Reese, who is fouled on an eight foot hook shot in the lane. He hits one of his two free throws to trim the Trojan lead to 64-44 with 1:42 left.

Chase Dyer steals the ball for Wayne. The Zebras miss a driving layup. Travelle Hawkins gets the offensive rebound for the Zebras. Wayne misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Owen Fortman drives and hits a layup for East Lansing. Wayne misses a ten foot shot from the side. East Lansing misses a layup. Chase Dyer bursts into the lane and is fouled on an eight foot shot. Chase Dyer hits two free throws for Wayne. East Lansing leads 66-46 with 28.4 seconds remaining.

East Lansing misses a threeball from the side. Wayne misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Zebras get another possession. Wayne misses a three point shot from the side as the final buzzer sounds.

East Lansing wins this game by the final score of 66-46 and wins the 2025 Division 1 Boys State Basketball Championship!

Carlos Medlock Jr and Jaylohn Allen led the Wayne scoring with 14 points each. Austin Tory supported his teammates with 9 points. Abraham Hooks, Jalahn McClellan, Chase Dyer and Talan Clark each added 2 points. James Reese had 1 point.

Cameron Hutson scored 20 points to lead East Lansing. Kingston Thomas contributed 19 points. KJ Torbert joined his teammates in double figures with 16 points. Jayce Branson chipped in with 6 points. Brian Windham scored 3 points and Owen Fortman put in 2 points.