Huron senior guard Dante Williams defends Kalamazoo Central's De'tavia Moore during the first half of Huron's 61-52 win Saturday at Lansing Eastern High School's Don Johnson Fieldhouse.

Andrew Kuhn | for AnnArbor.com

LANSING - Before Huron’s game against Kalamazoo Central, senior point guard A.J. Mathew stressed how the preparation for Saturday would be like any other game.

Despite the fact that Kalamazoo Central was the team that had ended the River Rats’ season each of the past two years, including in last year’s Class A state final, Mathew insisted the game against the No. 1-ranked Maroon Giants would be treated like any other.

Central limited Mathew to three points in last year's state final, more than 10 under his average. Still, Mathew insisted the game wasn’t about personal redemption, nor would it be about exorcising demons of the past for his team.

Whether they sought redemption or not, the River Rats and Mathew accomplished exactly that at Lansing Eastern’s Don Johnson Fieldhouse on Saturday, defeating Kalamazoo Central 61-52 during the Mr. Basketball Martin Luther King Jr. Classic.

It was Central’s first loss of the season.

Less than two minutes into the game, Mathew had scored more points than he had in last year’s final. Mathew ended with a game-high 16 points and was named MVP of the game.

“It felt good, but we prepared for it like it was any other game,” said Mathew. “Obviously there was more hype, more attention coming into it because they ended our season two years in a row.”