Detroit Denby knocked off Taylor Kennedy 47-37 behind standout Isaiah Sykes' 19 points, pulling away in the second half. Sykes did all of his damage inside and got his teammates involved with a number of outstanding passes.

The lefty made eight of 11 from the floor and added six rebounds and two blocked shots in a solid all-around performance, leading Denby to a Class A Friday semifinal at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Sykes was caught up in the emotion of the win and didn't talk much about his recruitment, though he did offer a few nuggets.

"My coach told me not to think about it … to stay focused," said Sykes after noting his only thought was the state championship. "I've been getting calls from USC and LSU, but we've got to stay focused and hungry."

But Michigan, he said, is "home."

"That's a good place to be," he said. "[Manny Harris] said it's a good school to go to. He said [John] Beilein likes guys that can penetrate and knock down shots, so I've got to work on my shot more."

Denby coach Chuck Albright said it's not that Sykes doesn't shoot the jumper … he's just too unselfish at times and relies on his ability to drive and finish.

Sykes became eligible in January after transferring from Finney. Since then, the team has continued to grow after losing nine games in the regular season.

"They embraced him well," Albright said of his team's reaction to Sykes. "A lot of times they felt he was stealing the show because he was getting all the attention and being highly recruited and all that. Once they realized he's a very unselfish player, sometimes too unselfish, they realized.

"He can shot the ball. He can shoot the ball … but he likes to get to the basket."

Albright said Sykes would have been recruited even more heavily had he been assertive throughout his career.

"People hesitate because they are still trying to see what kind of player he can be," he said. "He always showed potential but didn't play to a full level of the game."

Watch TheWolverine.com for more on Sykes, as well as Carlton Brundidge (playing in the second game at Detroit's Calihan Hall), in the hours to come …