By Jon Malavolti
C & G Sports Writer

When people find out that Clawson High’s boys basketball team has been drawn into a district that includes regional powerhouse Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day, the reaction toward the Trojans is often apologetic.

But Clawson coach Billy Shellenbarger couldn’t be more excited about having the Yellowjackets and the other talented squads in the Class B district the Trojans are hosting.

“Every time you tell people who is in your district, they always sort of groan or say, ‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ the coach said. “But my view is that what better atmosphere would you want to be in — it’s great.”

“I think it’s great to have that caliber of talent in our gym.”

The district round tips off the state tournament beginning March 8. Each local district’s semifinal round takes place March 10; the finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. March 12.

Every game will be played at the host schools.

Shellenbarger expects every matchup in the district will entertain the fans.

“Each game will have teams and players who can flat out light it up, and that will make it fun and exciting,” he said. “Hopefully, we are part of that excitement at some point.”

Clawson takes on Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood in a 7 p.m. opening-round game. The winner of that contest advances to take on Bloomfield Hills Lahser in a 7 p.m. semifinal.

Country Day plays Madison Heights Lamphere in the early opening-round contest at 5 p.m. The winner advances to face Madison Heights Madison in a 5 p.m. semifinal.

While there may be some mismatches on paper, the magic of March means any team has a shot of winning the district title and advancing to regionals.

“Anything can happen on any given night,” Shellenbarger said. “Who knows who can get hot or pull off a big one.”

Elsewhere in district action, Royal Oak High drew a first-round bye in Class A and plays the winner of Birmingham Groves and Bloomfield Hills Andover at 7 p.m. in a semifinal at Groves. Birmingham Brother Rice, Berkley High and Birmingham Seaholm make up the rest of the group.

Royal Oak Shrine hosts its Class C district and takes on Southfield-Bradford Academy in a 7:30 p.m. first-round game. The winner advances to play Ferndale University in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest and Pontiac Academy for Excellence round out the district.

Check out our Web site at www.candgnews.com and click on the Sports link for updates and coverage throughout the playoffs.

You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040.