Ja’Hion Bond. Sam Dillard.
Both play guard for Fenton. Both are dangerous scorers who are capable of big 30-point nights.
They will be in the starting lineup to defend their district title in Wednesday’s semifinal against Brighton at Hartland High School. The big question for Brighton head coach Mike Griest is which guard he puts super defender Grant Hetherton on.
Hetherton played super defense on Hartland superstar Parker Sundman in the Bulldogs opening round 60-48 victory Monday night.
Brighton likes to play man to man defense. The smart play Wednesday might be to play zone. It was easier for Heatherton to shut down Sundman because he likes to initiate his offense from the wings.
Bond and Dillard like to attack from the top of the key with cross over and spin moves. Brighton had no answer during an 87-68 loss at Fenton earlier in the season. However, the Bulldogs claim this will be a much closer game. They lost 90 percent of their scoring a season ago and were still trying to figure each other out.
Brighton must figure a way to control tempo. If this turns into a track meet they are likely to get blown out again. They have a chance if their limit possessions and contain Bond and Dillard. That’s easier said than done. The last time WHMI visited Fenton Dillard dropped a 40-point bomb on Linden.
“They are two good scorers on that team,” Hetherton said. “It is going to be a battle for sure, but we’ve got to keep them grinding.”
Brighton is bonding more which helped in two double digit wins over Hartland during a stretch of winning eight of the last 10 games.
“We were not fully connected (early in the season)’” Said junior center Vincent Salmon. “I think we’ve come together now.”