MADISON TWP. — It's been a long time since Lenawee County did a senior showcase boys basketball game.
There used to be a Lenawee vs. Monroe County game, but it ended after the 2016 season and there hasn't been any sort of all-star game since in Lenawee County.
If Saturday's senior showcase turnout was any indication, there won't be a long wait for another game of this nature.
"It was wonderful," Madison coach Erik Thompson said. "Just getting these kids back, honoring our seniors in our county and that's what it was about. Our crowds, our parents, our fans, the student sections were great, It's a lot of fun."
It was an entertaining game with the White team (Addison, Adrian, Blissfield, Clinton and Madison) defeating the Dark team (Britton Deerfield, Hudson, Lenawee Christian, Onsted, Sand Creek, Tecumseh and Jackson Area Home Educators), 98-97.
The game consisted of four, 10-minute, periods opposed to the usual eight-minute periods in MHSAA play. There were plenty of 3-pointers with the teams combining for 31 in the game and a halftime dunk contest won by the county's boys all-time leader in MHSAA points, Adrian's Stevie Elam, as he leaped over Adrian teammate Jay-Sean Rembert for a dunk.
Elam, who will be heading to Division I Wisconsin-Milwaukee, had a game-high 39 points to lead the White team to a comeback win as the Dark team started the game with a barrage of 3-pointers from Tecumseh's Michael Longabaugh and Tyler Clement.
"It meant everything to put on one more for the community," Elam said. "First half we were messing around a little too much. Second half we turned it up and played some defense."
Elam was one of three on the White team who finished as program leaders in points.
Alongside Elam was Clinton's Jalen Stelzer and Madison's Antonio Nieto. Nieto had a strong game as the host of sorts, hitting a 3-pointer to give the White team the lead for the first time in the fourth and then hitting a pair of clutch free throws late.
It was a pair of Stelzer free throws to seal, which proved important as Clement hit one more 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a 1-point loss. Nieto is going to stay in county and play at Siena Heights next season.
