EAST LANSING — Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac sophomore Lewis Lovejoy delivered one of the most impressive individual scoring performances in state championship game history, but a more complete Pewamo-Westphalia team survived the blitz to take home the Division 3 boys basketball state championship.
Pewamo-Westphalia trailed by one point entering the fourth quarter after Lovejoy poured in 17 third-quarter points, but the Pirates buckled down in the final moments to pull off a 61-57 win over ATAP to take home the school’s first state championship since 2019.
Lovejoy scored 41 points, tied for the seventh-most in state championship game history and the third-most by any player in the 21st century. He accounted for 71.9% of ATAP’s scoring, making 14 of 27 shots while his teammates when just 7-for-25 for 16 points combined.
He got hot in the second quarter to erase an early double-digit lead for P-W and then exploded in the third quarter to give the Lions their first lead.
But the senior-laden P-W group did not flinch.
The Pirates, led by Grady Eklund, Trent Piggott and Logan Farmer, showed steely resolve late. They came up with clutch buckets and did enough to slow down ATAP’s only threat to come away with the win.
Eklund led the Pirates with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Piggott had 11 points and 12 boards and Farmer contributed 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
P-W jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. Eklund hit the ground running with six quick points and an assist in the opening quarter. The Pirates stifled ATAP’s offense early, holding the Lions to just 3-for-15 shooting as they built its 10-point lead.
ATAP closed the gap slightly in the second quarter thanks to the individual heroics of Lovejoy. The sophomore hit four 3-pointers and a pair of free throws for 14 second-quarter points, trimming P-W’s lead to 28-23 by halftime. Lovejoy had 18 first-half points, and then nearly doubled it with his 17-point third quarter.
P-W went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead in the fourth quarter and never relinquished it again. Eklund had six big points and a full-court assist that helped P-W to the second state championship in school history.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pewamo-Westphalia outlasts Lewis Lovejoy eruption for D-3 MHSAA state title
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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