Fitzgerald tops Heritage in overtime thriller at The D Zone Playoff Tune-up

GROSSE POINTE - Warren Fitzgerald held on to beat Saginaw Heritage 49-47 in overtime Saturday for the third game of The D Zone Playoff Tune-up.

Both teams entered the game ranked inside our top 100 - Fitzgerald entered at No. 20. The Hawks fought hard, and led most of the game, but Fitzgerald had two key three-point plays in the overtime to seal the victory.

Saginaw Heritage MVP: Jaylin Cooper, 6-4, Jr.

Cooper has the potential to become an elite shooter with a silky stroke and long wingspan. He scored 10 points in a low-scoring game, but it was easy to see how he could make an instant impact at the next level. This whole Heritage team has tons of upside.

Warren Fitzgerald MVP: Marcellus Phelps, 5-10, Jr.

The Renaissance transfer finally gets to play as full-time point guard and he did a great job operating the offense against a tough Hawks defense. Phelps converted a key 3-point play in the overtime and ran the show efficiently all game. Known as a shooter, he can still do that, but now we also get to see how quick and skilled he is as a point guard.

Team Analysis

Warren Fitzgerald

The Spartans have a really solid squad that played without starting guard Quenten Graham (6-2) most of the game after he suffered a laceration to his lip early in the first quarter. Central State commit Cyrus Mpeba was excellent at getting to the basket. He ended up with xx points. Junior forward Keandre Burtin (6-6) scored 16 points including two thunderous dunks. He has the versatility to catch college coaches’ eyes, especially with another summer and high school season left. Fitzgerald is an elite defensive team who has the ability to score as well. They are in a brutal district with UD Jesuit and Renaissance, but they could surprise some people.

Saginaw Heritage

Heritage had so many different player combinations and made so many substitutions that I’m not really sure if they even know their best five - but this is a very young squad with tons of talent returning. Heritage has seven-to-eight players who will be next year. They are already very solid as a young squad, so the future is certainly bright for this Hawks squad.