Charlotte boys basketball beats Lansing Catholic for third time, wins district title

Maliki Garza isn't the primary scorer for the Charlotte boys basketball team.

But when the Orioles looked like they were in jeopardy of losing Friday's Division 2 district championship game against Lansing Catholic, he hit two big-time shots to change the course of the game.

Garza drilled two 3-pointers as part of a game-changing 10-0 run, the latter of which put Charlotte ahead for good with 4:45 remaining as the Orioles held off their CAAC White brethren, 70-68, to win their first district title since 2015.

It was also the Orioles' third win this season against the Cougars.

"To beat a team three times, and in the districts, it's really hard to do," Garza said. "I'm just glad we could pull it off and come back with the win."

With Charlotte trailing 54-48 with 6:40 to go, Braden Hill started the game-changing run with a layup. On the ensuing possession, it looked like Lansing Catholic had beat the zone for a layup, but Koda Brandt tipped an entry pass at the last second, which Hill corralled. Hill passed to Garza, who dribbled down all the way into the middle of the paint, then back out to the left wing and hoisted a 3-pointer.

Bang.

Then, following a defensive stop, Garza got open in the corner for another triple.

Bang again. Charlotte 56, Lansing Catholic 54.

"(On the first one), I heard someone on the bench just go, 'Shoot it,' " Garza said. "I let it go and their center knocked me down. I couldn't even see the shot go in. I heard the crowd just cheering.

"And on the second one, Braden was driving and I was yelling 'Corner, corner, corner' because I hit one before that so I was kind of feeling again. Again, one of the dudes on the bench was saying, 'Shoot it,' And I just let it go."

Garza finished the game with 12 points.

"He's our quarterback," Hill said. "He's the decision maker. He keeps us focused, he keeps us poised and when we need him to make shots, he makes shots. I think he's the reason we got back in it and end up winning."

Cutler Brandt's layup with 2:00 showing finished the 10-0 spurt to give Charlotte (17-7) a 58-54 lead.

Lansing Catholic (9-15) would cut the deficit to one on four occasions, the last time at 69-68 with 4.1 seconds left.

The last time Charlotte won the conference and district titles in the same year: 1986. Steve Ernst was the all-state player on that team and was also the Orioles' head coach for the 2015 district title.

"I put on the board in (the locker room), 'Become legendary,'" Charlotte coach Tom Fleming said. "And I think a lot of people are going to remember this team."

Cutler Brandt led the Orioles with 20 points, and Hill scored 19. Hill scored seven straight Charlotte points in the final 90 seconds — five from the free-throw line — and Garza made the last three to provide the final margin.

"We've played them two times on top of this one, so we knew they were a good team," Hill said. "We knew what we had to do to take them down and that's exactly what we did."

Lansing Catholic lost despite making 11 3-pointers on the night. Jack Jacobs led the Cougars with 21 points, while Drew Tolfree added 15 points and Justin De Varona 10 points.

Ben Buzzard was also in double figures for Charlotte with 12 points.

Charlotte moves on to play Tecumseh (19-7) in the regional semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Chelsea High School. Chelsea (19-5) and Dundee (13-11) play in the other semifinal.

"I'm just so proud of them. I'm happy for the community and the school, but especially the players," Fleming said. "You know what? We're not done. We're moving on."

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Charlotte boys basketball beats Lansing Catholic for district title