Up 10 points with a little more than five minutes to go, the Ypsilanti High School boys basketball team looked to be on its way to big road win over a quality opponent.

But with 40 seconds left, Saginaw High took a one-point lead and was able to hold on to shock Ypsilanti, 45-44.

"If we make free throws, we still win the game,” said Phoenix coach Steve Brooks. "A couple times we had the guys up there that we wanted, we just didn't make them."

Ypsilanti made just 6-of-22 shots from the free-throw line and missed numerous opportunities to put the game away. Mamadou Ba scored a game-high 16 points, but was just 2-of-10 at the line.

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"The ball has to be in the hands of the best free throw shooters,” said Brooks.

Ypsilanti (2-2) led by three points after the third quarter and would push that lead to 10 nearing the midway point of the fourth quarter, but couldn't put the game away.

"That's really been the Achilles heel of this team," Brooks said. "They just don't know how to dominate anybody."

Saginaw scored twice in the next 40 seconds, however, cutting the lead to six. Keyon Addison led Saginaw with eight points and was one of nine different players to score for the Trojans.

The lack of killer instinct is partially due to a lack of patience on offense, according to Brooks. He said his team was moving the ball well early, but lost focus in the fourth quarter. That lack of focus ultimately led to their demise.

Despite losing a game he thinks they should have won, Brooks said his teamed played hard and they shouldn’t hang their heads.

"They're dejected, but that's why we schedule these kinds of games early," Brooks said. "But once we get the rotation the way we like it, we'll be fine.”

FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD 53, JACKSON LUMEN CHRISTI 44

Kamari Davis scored 13 points as Gabriel Richard won its second consecutive game after starting the season 0-3.

"I think that these kids have a tremendous amount of skill, but it can't be going 100-miles per hour at the basket all the time,” said Irish coach Pete Schoch.

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The Irish (2-3) took a 24-14 lead into halftime and stayed ahead of Lumen Christi (1-2) in the second half behind some tough defense that led to easy baskets.

"Defensively this was our best game of the season. We're creating off our defense,” said Schoch. "We're scoring better in transition."

Jason Houle had 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Evan Fosha chipped in 11 points for the Irish. It was the second game in a row that the trio each had 10 or more points.

"We're much better when we have multiple guys in double digits,” said Schoch.

Gabriel Richard got some help off the bench from Michael Meyer on both ends of the floor. Meyer had nine points, three rebounds and three steals while playing limited minutes.

"Meyer really provided a big lift off the bench. He came ready to play,” Schoch said.

Steve Moser led Lumen Christi with 12 points.

WILLOW RUN 56, HIGHLAND PARK 53

Jamal Poplar scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Willow Run's come-from-behind road victory.

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McKenzie Dunlap hit a game-tying 3-pointer with just over 30 seconds left in the game and moments later helped force a turnover. He drew a foul to go to the line with a chance to give his team the lead.

He made the first shot, but missed the second. The 6-foot-8 Poplar would grab the offensive rebound and get fouled himself before knocking down both shots, giving his team a three-point lead with five seconds left.

Highland Park pushed the ball up court and got a shot but missed badly, giving Willow Run its third win on the road this season.

"We've been really challenged on the road in the past so being on the road for these first few games is huge for us,” said Willow Run coach George Woods.

The Flyers got off to a slow start, trailing 10-2 early. Woods gathered his team let them know they were still in the ballgame.

"I told my guys to be patient and we'll take it one basket and one stop at a time,” Woods said. "This was an energy game for us. In the second, third and fourth quarters, they played Willow Run basketball."

Dunlap finished the game with 12 points and three assists. Mike Jarrett led the way for Highland Park with 14.

GIRLS GAME

ARBOR PREP 60, DETROIT ALLEN ACADEMY 20

Even with a 20-point lead at halftime, Arbor Prep coach Rod Wells expected his team to play hard for a full 32 minutes. His players responded by extending that lead to 34 points after three quarters.

"They have to keep their intensity up and play hard all the way through,” Wells said. “This is the time to work on your goals."

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Allona Ray-Davis was a prime example Thursday night against Detroit Allen Academy. Ray-Davis had a career high 12 points and added four steals and three rebounds.

“Davis is really maturing,” Wells said. "We know some people can score on our team, but getting other people to score helps us in the long run."

With 21 points in the first quarter, Arbor Prep (6-0) had already scored enough to win the game thanks to solid work in transition.

"We rebounded the ball well and pushed it on the fast break,” Wells said. “Everyone played the wings well on the break."

Wells pointed to Karlee Morris as the spark on the defensive end. Morris had nine rebounds and five steals to go along with 10 points.

“Karlee is just really disruptive. She has long arms and causes problems,” Wells said.

Zakiya Wells had a game-high 21 points for Arbor Prep, while Diamond Eastman led Detroit Allen with five points.