EAST LANSING — Lewis Lovejoy started the game off feeling himself and wanted to test his range.

The freshman point guard for A&T Academy of Pontiac grabbed the pass after the opening tip and walked into a 3 a few feet behind the college line.

It clanked off the rim, drawing immediate yells from the bench, where his father, A&T Academy of Pontiac coach Orlando Lovejoy Sr., got on him immediately for his shot selection.

"I was feeling good during the warm-up line," Lewis said, smiling. "We were working on it. We shoot far back, so I felt good about it. But then he got on me. Told me to attack the defense, pass it out, roll it through the offense. Don't settle."

The fatherly message resonated with Pontiac freshman point guard, who went away from the deep shot after two misses early on. From there, he exclusively used his handle to navigate around the high pressure from Ishpeming Westwood in the Division 3 boys basketball semifinals at the Breslin Center.

Lewis ended with three missed shots, all from 3-point range, but made all eight shot attempts inside the arc to lead A&T Academy of Pontiac with 19 points and five assists in the Lions' dominant 76-40 win over Ishpeming Westwood to reach the first state championship game in school history.

"It feels amazing," Lewis said. "I can play with my cousins, my father is the coach, so it feels good. My first year, I come in, and we go to the states, it feels good, especially being in the finals."

Academy of Pontiac jumped on Westwood with an opening 8-0 sparked by steals and blocks, which eventually morphed into a 36-15 lead by halftime. Lewis led the way with 13 first-half points, using his quickness to beat whoever Westwood put in front of him. He would get to his pull-up jumper or floater between 10 to 15 feet, or hesitate to beat the last line of defense.

Orlando credited the work Lewis puts in on his own, whether it is playing his older brother, Detroit Mercy guard Orlando Lovejoy Jr., or working with college coaches like former Mercy coach Mike Davis.

"Coach Mike Davis who used to be the coach at University of Detroit Mercy allows us to come in and use a nice facility," Orlando Sr. said. "Those guys get a lot of one-on-ones with them over at Oakland Fieldhouse. We go over there and get a lot of one-on-ones and he just gets it in. He doesn't look like a freshman."

After the early scoring barrage, Westwood tried different defensive coverages in the third quarter, including doubling Lewis as he crossed halfcourt, but nothing translated to easy points for the Patriots. Instead, A&T Academy of Pontiac continued to cruise in the halfcourt thanks to their point guard, while turning up the pressure defensively for easy transition points.

They got the ball out of Lewis' hands, but center De'Vontae Grandison, who had 17 points and nine rebounds, or the Hicks brothers, Terrance and Teyshaun, who combined for 18 points, filled in the gaps.

"Lewis, that's my guy," Grandison, a junior, said. "We've been in the gym working together a lot, with his dad, and we got enough of a connection there."

They are the first Pontiac team to reach the state final since Pontiac Northern repeated as Class A champions in 2001-02. And they are primarily led by an entirely new group to the school. Lewis, a freshman, was joined by the Hicks brothers, who transferred from Detroit Pershing. Also new to the school is his father, who is in his first year as a high school head coach after spending time leading AAU teams and serving as an assistant or middle school coach in Detroit.

"For a minute, I just was thinking that it was like another game, but it is way bigger than that," Orlando said. "Not only for me, but for the kids.

"And not only for the kids, (but) for the whole program. And not only for the whole program, but for the city of Pontiac."

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press . Follow Jared on X or Bluesky , and email him at [email protected].