Clarkston. Warren Lincoln. Warren De La Salle. West Bloomfield. Northville.
These schools are often mentioned when fans talk about the top basketball programs in the state.
Brighton? Not yet, but that’s the goal first year Brighton coach Taylor Langley pushed forward after the Bulldogs 52-38 regional semifinal loss to Detroit Catholic Central Tuesday night in Belleville.
“If we can consistently win districts and get to regionals you’ve got a chance,” Langley said. “Bitterness comes before sweet. I hope our guys taste this a little bit and that taste motivates them all summer long. We can stay where we are or we can move forward. You’ve got to learn your lessons. Losing is the greatest teacher in life and if you come out the right way you can come out much better for it.”
That sweet Taylor talked about could come as soon as next season. The Bulldogs (16-9) return a good nucleus, which includes guards Brandon Lovejoy, CJ Sageman and David McLaughlin. Big men Tristan Provancher (6-foot-7) and 6-6 Dylan Edgeworth also return.
Taylor wants his guys to play tougher competition in AAU ball and on the varsity circuit. Catholic Central (12-12) played a more demanding schedule, losing by seven points to U-D Jesuit (21-3 and Catholic League Central Division champion), by one to Warren Lincoln (19-4 and winners of the Macomb Area Red Conference) and River Rouge (15-8) by four.
There is a huge disadvantage for Brighton if it wants to consistently compete with the Clarkston’s or CCs of the world. Many of the players who compete for Clarkston do not live in Clarkston. There are not many players from Novi where CC resides.
The Brighton kids live in Brighton and the Bulldogs are not able to cast as wide a net as other programs.
“If we are going to be in the same breath as those schools we are going to have to take steps to get there,” Langley said. “The step is really committing. It’s guys committing to becoming the best versions of themselves. It is getting in the weight room. It’s getting shots up in open gym. I’d like to see some of our players get into AAU programs. We have college players on this team and they need a little more exposure and playing better competition from time to time. I want to make sure we are challenging each other at the highest level. Iron sharpens iron. We will get there.”
The tougher games CC played may have been the difference Tuesday night. Brighton played its usual tenacious brand of ball. However, CC forward Andrew Walker helped shut down the middle and was still able to defend the perimeter. His 6-4 frame made it difficult for Brighton’s guards to shoot over. CC point guard Malachi Clayton proved to be too quick as he broke down Brighton’s defense for easy feeds to teammates Devin Lee (13 points) and Wycell Davis.
CC knew what to expect when times got tough. Brighton did not. Brighton has not played in a regional game in 17 years. CC advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2022.
“I look at things in terms of the state,” Langley said. “We look at things where we play a style where we can beat the best teams in the state. I don’t think we are there yet. We are a good team, but we are not great. I think we are on the cusp. Great teams execute things nine out of 10 times. Tonight, we were not able to do that. We are not able to execute the game plan the way we wanted to and they were able to exploit us.”