Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 23, 2026
The march to Breslin Center ramps up significantly this week as more than 700 boys basketball teams across Michigan begin a journey they hope will end in East Lansing.
We always switch up our “Breslin Bound” format once the MHSAA Tournament starts, as last week’s most intriguing results below are followed this time by glances at three District brackets of note in each division. Host sites are bolded, and teams playing in those brackets are listed by seed as determined by Michigan Power Ratings (MPR).
Everything you could want to know this week about tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Boys Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Saginaw Heritage 73, Grand Blanc 60 The Hawks (18-4) avenged a 28-point loss to Grand Blanc (17-4) from December in this matchup of Saginaw Valley League division champions.
2. Detroit Catholic Central 64, Detroit Martin Luther King 54 The Shamrocks (15-6) won the annual Operation Friendship championship game matching the winners from the Catholic High School League and Detroit Public School League, and adding to a 54-46 overtime win over King (17-5) from December.
3. Gladwin 49, Beaverton 46 Gladwin (21-1) claimed the overall Jack Pine Conference championship with its second win this month over Beaverton (17-5).
4. Flushing 52, Goodrich 51 Flushing (18-4) held on for a second close win over Goodrich, this time in the Flint Metro League championship game, after winning their Jan. 27 meeting by four.
5. Wayne Memorial 61, Hartland 48 The Zebras (19-3) capped off their regular season by defeating the Eagles (18-4) in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association title game.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold, and teams are listed by seed:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Cass Tech
1. Detroit Martin Luther King (17-5), 2. Detroit Cass Tech (16-6), 3. Detroit Western (19-2), 4. Grosse Pointe South (11-11), 5. Grosse Pointe North (10-12).
King and Cass Tech have met twice this season – King won the Jan. 21 matchup 60-53 that helped decide the PSL Blue title, and then 68-63 in the PSL Tournament city championship game Feb. 15. King also defeated Western, 56-36, in a league tournament semifinal, while Cass Tech and Western didn’t face each other during this regular season. Grosse Pointe North has won seven of its last nine games and defeated Cass Tech by a point in their District matchup last season, and South owns a big early win over North.
Flushing
1. Saginaw Heritage (18-4), 2. Flushing (18-4), 3. Saginaw United (13-8), 4. Flint Carman-Ainsworth (8-14), 5. Swartz Creek (11-11).
As noted by the results above, Heritage and Flushing emerged at the end of last week as the top teams from the Saginaw Valley League and Flint Metro League, respectively. Saginaw United finished second in the SVL South and split with SVL North runner-up Mount Pleasant this season, and despite losing to Heritage early should also be considered a contender. Flushing has only one loss this calendar year, to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in overtime, and Heritage has lost only twice since Jan. 1 and defeated Mount Pleasant twice by 20 or more points to win the SVL North.
Muskegon
1. Rockford (18-3), 2. Muskegon (19-2), 3. Greenville (20-2), 4. Muskegon Mona Shores (10-10), 5. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (6-16), 6. Cedar Springs (7-15).
Rockford and Muskegon are the anticipated matchup to decide this bracket, and they met in last season’s District Final with the Rams winning 64-62. Rockford has victories over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and East Kentwood but finished second to the latter in the O-K Red. Muskegon has downed Wayne Memorial and Lansing Waverly and won the O-K Green. And definitely don’t count out River Cities Alliance champion Greenville, which has two losses by a combined six points and introduced itself loudly with a December win over Grand Rapids Northview.
DIVISION 2
Comstock Park
1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (16-6), 2. Grand Rapids Christian (16-5), 3. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (17-5), 4. Wyoming Kelloggsville (14-7), 5. Comstock Park (5-17), 6. Ada Forest Hills Eastern (2-20).
Grand Rapids Christian claimed the O-K White title outright last week in part thanks to a 51-43 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central, and they split their regular-season series as the Cougars won their Jan. 20 meeting by five. NorthPointe was second in the O-K Silver and Kelloggsville fourth, and on opposite sides of this bracket certainly could provide obstacles as the Cougars and Eagles pursue a third round.
Ludington
1. Ludington (20-2), 2. Hart (19-3), 3. Reed City (10-12), 4. Manistee (12-10), 5. Big Rapids (9-13).
Ludington finished undefeated in the West Michigan Conference Lakes and has reached Regional Finals the last two seasons. Hart was second in the WMC Rivers and is seeking a first District title since 2019. They have key mutual opponents; both lost to North Muskegon this winter, and Hart also took a loss from Fremont while Ludington swept the Packers. Manistee and Ludington played Thursday – Ludington winning 68-55 – and they could meet again in a District Semifinal if Manistee gets past Big Rapids tonight.
Yale
1. Yale (20-2), 2. Croswell-Lexington (17-5), 3. Imlay City (16-6), 4. Almont (10-10), 5. North Branch (7-15).
All five of these teams are from the Blue Water Area Conference and finished among the top six, with Yale and Croswell-Lexington sharing the championship and splitting their matchups – the Pioneers won Jan. 20 in overtime, 64-57, while Yale won the rematch Friday 60-41. Imlay City finished third in the BWAC and despite losing both games against both champs took Croswell-Lexington to overtime the second time they played.
DIVISION 3
Kent City
1. Blanchard Montabella (15-7), 2. Kent City (14-8), 3. Morley Stanwood (13-9), 4. Ravenna (13-9), 5. Lakeview (7-15), 6. White Cloud (3-19).
The top four seeds all finished second or third in their respective leagues and will look to add a trophy winning what could be one of the most tightly-contested brackets in any division. Montabella tied for second in the Mid-State Activities Conference West and has won six of its last seven games since falling to Ravenna 43-39 on Jan. 28. Ravenna, which tied for third in the WMC Rivers, has bounced back from a late rough stretch and opened this season with a win over Morley Stanwood – which finished second in the Central State Activities Association White while splitting with third-place Kent City, which won their Friday matchup by 20.
Mancelona
1. Mancelona (20-2), 2. East Jordan (20-2), 3. Indian River Inland Lakes (14-8), 4. Harbor Springs (11-11), 5. Boyne City (9-12), 6. Charlevoix (6-15).
By the numbers, Mancelona and East Jordan has been so close at the top of this District that East Jordan actually passed Mancelona in MPR during the week after seeding. East Jordan also won the Ski Valley Conference by game over Mancelona, claiming their matchups 48-38 and 45-36. Inland Lakes finished third in the Ski Valley, losing to both league title contenders twice, and Harbor Springs is coming over after finishing third in the Northern Shores Conference and losing to East Jordan by only six points, 45-39, on Thursday.
Unionville-Sebewaing
1. Harbor Beach (19-3), 2. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (18-3), 3. Cass City (16-6), 4. Unionville-Sebewaing (11-11), 5. Bad Axe (6-15).
There is a great deal of familiarity in this bracket as well, as Harbor Beach won the Big Thumb Conference Black and Laker and Cass City were first and second, respectively, in the BTC White. Harbor Beach saw both during the first half of the regular season, defeating Cass City by seven and Laker by three. Laker defeated Cass City by seven and nine to win their league. USA tied for fifth in the BTC White – with an eight-point win over Cass City and a four-point loss to Laker in February rematches.
DIVISION 4
Lake Linden-Hubbell
1. Dollar Bay (19-2), 2. L’Anse (15-6), 3. Baraga (15-6), 4. Lake-Linden-Hubbell (7-15), 5. Chassell (5-16).
Dollar Bay won the Copper Mountain Conference championship and L’Anse and Baraga both finished among the upper half among a strong group – in fact, Baraga defeated Dollar Bay by 11 just 10 days ago. Dollar Bay did defeat Baraga in last season’s District Final, and the Blue Bolts’ only other loss this season was to Division 1 Marquette. L’Anse is enjoying its first winning season since 2018-19 and swept Baraga during the regular season.
Rogers City
1. Hillman (19-2), 2. Posen (15-5), 3. Gaylord St. Mary (13-9), 4. Rogers City (12-9), 5. Onaway (5-17), 6. Atlanta (4-13).
Hillman and Posen shared the North Star League Little Dipper championship, splitting the regular-season series with Posen and winning their most recent matchup 57-50 on Jan. 27. They may meet again, but Hillman also took a loss from potential Wednesday opponent Rogers City before winning their rematch by 20. Rogers City also defeated Posen twice. Gaylord St. Mary is intriguing after finishing fourth in the Ski Valley Conference but, as noted above, defeating that league’s champion East Jordan earlier this month.
Three Oaks River Valley
1. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (17-4), 2. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic (13-7), 3. New Buffalo (14-8), 4. Eau Claire (11-11), 5. Three Oaks River Valley (3-17).
Michigan Lutheran finished first, Our Lady and New Buffalo tied for second, and Eau Claire finished fourth in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League. New Buffalo handed Michigan Lutheran its only conference defeat in their second of two games – winning by a point – and New Buffalo and Our Lady split their two games, decided by five and two points. Michigan Lutheran also defeated New Buffalo to clinch a District championship a year ago.
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PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon’s James Martin throws down a dunk against Muskegon Mona Shores during a Jan. 30 win. (Middle) Flushing’s Raymond Neither (10) works for post position against Goodrich’s Jensen LePla during the Raiders’ 52-51 Metro League title clincher. (Muskegon/Mona Shores photo by Tim Reilly. Flushing/Goodrich photo by Terry Lyons.)
Yale Athletics Completes Banner Winter with 3 Record-Setting Seasons
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 20, 2025
Whatever dollar number Chace Palmateer had next to “banner updates” on the 2024-25 Yale athletic department budget, it’s not going to be enough.
But after a record-breaking winter for the Bulldogs, he’s not really concerned with costs.
“We have six (titles to add) for winter alone, and that’s not including that we had a pretty good fall with cross country,” Palmateer said. “It’s a fantastic problem to have, and truthfully, I hope we have more in the spring.”
Yale’s wrestling, boys basketball and girls basketball teams each completed perhaps the best seasons in their respective program histories this winter, smashing team and individual records along the way.
“That energy among our student-athletes was phenomenal this winter,” Yale boys basketball coach Garnett Kohler said. “That’s one thing about our Yale community, we all support each other. We’re all Bulldogs, through and through, and we love to see each other have success. I thought we kind of fed off each other’s success, too. The wrestlers got going really good early, and that kind of set the stage, then us and the girls got going.”
Yale’s wrestlers were runners-up at the Division 3 Team Final, their best finish ever. The boys basketball team set a record for wins in a season at 22, won the Blue Water Area Conference and District titles, and advanced to the Division 2 Regional Final for just the second time in program history. The girls also set a record for wins in a season at 22, shared the BWAC title, won a District and advanced to a Regional Final for the first time.
“The atmosphere in the school was great,” Yale wrestling coach Rob Majcher said. “So many programs were having so much success because of the work they put in. It’s nice to see that hard work that the kids and coaches put in really paid off for them.”
Majcher’s team was the first to make its postseason run, winning its second-straight Regional title with a dramatic 32-31 victory against BWAC rival Algonac.
The Bulldogs defeated Adrian Madison in the Quarterfinals and Lake Odessa Lakewood in the Semifinals at Kalamazoo’s Wings Event Center before running into an all-time great Dundee team in the Final.
“It meant everything (to get to the Finals),” Yale senior 120-pounder Landon Sopha said. “Everything I’ve done throughout my life was all coming down to that moment for the team. It was just pure joy and excitement, not only getting that mitten (trophy), but thinking of these next years and how great Yale wrestling can be.”
Sopha was part of a record-tying six boys Individual Finals qualifiers for the Bulldogs, and one of five to place, as he took third at 120. Mackey McClelland (113) placed second, Cole McLaughlin (165) placed third, Logan Rhodes (120) placed fourth and Kersten McClelland (132) placed fifth. The five boys placers were second-best in program history, and if you add Gianna Hoskins (105) and Ember Marriott (190), who both placed sixth in the girls tournament in their respective weight classes, the seven total would be an all-time best.
Throughout the year, the Bulldogs set program records for most individual varsity matches won (798), takedowns (1,485) and varsity pins (475) in a season.
McLaughlin set the record for most first-minute pins in a season at 24, and Kersten McClelland had 536 match points, a school record.
“We told the kids, ‘You stick with this, and you will do good things,’” Majcher said. “As a coach, it’s definitely fulfilling to see a group of kids that did stay and did achieve what they were able to.”
Then there was Sopha, who finished off a record-breaking career for the Bulldogs. He became the first in Yale wrestling history to advance to the individual semifinals all four years, the second four-time all-state finisher, fourth four-time Finals qualifier, third four-time BWAC champ, and the all-time leader in career match points at 1,354. He also became the second Yale wrestler to reach the 200-win mark.
“It means a lot,” Sopha said. “For me, it’s something that I’ll be able to look back on forever. It’s something that I’ll hopefully be able to watch people in the future break. It’s pretty cool.”
As wrestling season wound down, the boys basketball team found itself re-writing its own program record book.
Yale finished 22-4 on the year, winning a record 19 regular-season games and setting a program record for consecutive wins with 14. It was a season that surprised Kohler.
“We lost eight seniors from last year, and they had a lot of success on their own,” he said. “We had a lot of new guys coming in, and I did know they had some talent and had some success coming up through the younger ages. I knew we could eventually be good, but I didn’t expect the season-long success we had, strictly because we were so young and untested. That’s really a testament to what (seniors) Ryan Fisher, Clayton Harmon and Blake Bowman were able to do. They were able to get those other guys to buy into that real early, and everybody kind of fed off their leadership.”
While the team was setting records, junior guard Jackson Kohler was lighting the individual record book on fire.
He set marks for points (560), steals (82) and 3-pointers (76) made in a season, as well as points (1,164) and assists (417) for a career.
“Obviously, I’m a team guy, so I wanted the league championship and the District championship, but it’s always good to have accomplishments along the way when you’re winning,” said Jackson Kohler, who is Garnett’s son. “Being a little kid growing up when he was coaching here earlier, I was always watching the older guys practice and how they would go about practicing and how they would be in their games. I always looked up to them and just worked and worked to get to where I am now.”
As Jackson was setting records on the boys side, his classmate Sadie Dykstra was doing the same while leading a record-setting Yale girls team.
Dykstra, who won the long jump and 300-meter hurdles at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Track & Field Finals in 2024, also became her program’s all-time leading scorer this season, sitting at 1,248 after her junior year.
She’s the Yale girls basketball record holder for points in a game (38), field goals in a game (14), free throws made in a game (12), points in a season (596), scoring average in a season (22.9) and field goals made in a season (217 prior to the Regional Final).
“I think it was super cool – this doesn’t happen very often where you can (go) from the girls side to the boys side and see records being broken by two individual players,” said Dykstra, who admitted that her record-setting season hadn’t really sunk in yet. “I’m going to be honest, it’s probably not even hit me yet that our team went that far to the Regional. Of course, I’m super excited, but I just know I have so much more to give. I’m really looking forward to next season.”
For Yale girls basketball coach Jason Leonard, who spent time with the boys program before taking over the girls head coaching job a year ago, seeing Kohler and Dykstra excel at the same time has been a joy.
“You don’t get to see that – you’re lucky to see one on one side, boys or girls,” he said. “To me, they’re the two best players in the area, and it’s a pretty cool thing to see. I’ve seen Jackson come up on the boys side and as a freshman, he had a huge impact. It’s pretty cool to see and pretty cool for the programs and the community to have them leading their teams to a new level.”
Of course, Dykstra’s records were just the tip of the iceberg for a team that was also experiencing a record run.
The Bulldog girls tied their program record for BWAC wins (13) and regular-season wins (19), while setting the mark for total wins. They also set records for free throw percentage (63.96 percent) and field goals made in a season (551 prior to the Regional Final).
Dykstra also wasn’t the only record-breaker on the team, as senior Alyssa Barr became the program’s all-time leader in career rebounds and blocks with 690 and 74, respectively, heading into the Regional Final loss against Country Day.
“I think we exceeded expectations,” Dykstra said. “I don’t think anybody thought, ‘Oh, they’re going to get to the finals of Regionals,’ just for the fact that we matched up with Armada in the first round of Regionals. I think we definitely exceeded expectations coming from more of other people’s standpoints. For me, I think we met my expectations, because we weren’t going to lose to a team (Armada) two out of three times.”
Regardless of the expectations any of the teams had coming into the season, one thing is certain: It was a winter nobody in Yale will soon forget.
“I will say, we’ve had very good teams come out of the Thumb, and different schools have had different teams succeed at different times, but I don’t remember a school having across-the-board success like we had this winter with the three teams,” Garnett Kohler said. “In schools like ours, talent gets spread out across the groups, and talent comes in waves. To do it all in the same season, it’s pretty fun to watch.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Players on Yale’s bench cheer on their teammates during a game this season. (2) Landon Sopha carries the state flag during the opening ceremony at the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals. (3) Jackson Kohler gets to the basket against Algonac. (4) Sadie Dykstra shoots a jumper against Croswell-Lexington. (Photos by Katie Allen/Yale Expositor.)