Spring Break's Start Just Got Sweeter for Traverse City St. Francis
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 23, 2023
EAST LANSING — The seniors on the Traverse City St. Francis boys basketball team are going to have to change their spring break plans.
Senior and leading scorer Wyatt Nausadis said a group of seniors on the team were originally supposed to leave later Thursday for a spring break trip to Destin, Fla., but a little something got in the way.
That “little something” was a Division 3 Semifinal win over Niles Brandywine, as the Gladiators earned a 46-36 triumph.
The victory advanced St. Francis to Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. championship game against Flint Beecher, a development that will shorten the spring break trip in a good way.
“When was departure supposed to be?” St. Francis head coach Sean Finnegan said to his players in the postgame press conference.
“Today,” Nausadis said.
Finnegan then asked “When will departure now be?”
Nausadis then responded, “Sunday.”
Finnegan then smiled and said “perfect.”
The Gladiators hope their appearance in the Basketball Final will end differently than the Division 7 Football Final in November, when St. Francis lost to Jackson Lumen Christi, 15-12.
“It would mean a lot,” said Nausadis, who was the quarterback on the football team. “Going into this school year, our goal was to win both football and basketball. We fell short in football. That first week of basketball was pretty rough for me and all the other football players. It was hard to enjoy. Once we started playing, we all were like, ‘It’s time to buy into this. Let’s win a state championship in this one. We’re one step closer.”
Defense and Nausadis were the big edges Thursday for St. Francis, which limited Brandywine to 36.4-percent shooting from the field overall and a 2-of-13 performance from 3-point range.
The Gladiators also held a 36-24 rebounding advantage.
“Defense is our staple,” Finnegan said. “That’s where we put our pride and joy. Maybe not joy all the time, but that’s our pride. I believe we’ve given up over 40 one time in the tournament so far. We put a lot of attention and a lot of detail there. Our offense gets a lot easier when our defense is working and clicking how it should.”
Offensively, Nausadis led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds for St. Francis (24-4).
Junior Jaremiah Palmer scored eight points to lead Brandywine (25-3), which was playing in the program's first Semifinal.
“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” Brandywine head coach Nathan Knapp said. “We couldn’t finish some shots tonight. They didn’t go our way. I’m happy with these kids and the season they’ve had. It’s been an amazing run, and they play hard.”
Leading by three with 7:28 remaining, St. Francis scored six straight to grab a 41-32 lead with 3:11 left.
Brandywine scored four straight to cut its deficit to five with 2:08 remaining, but a free throw by Nausadis with just under a minute left made it 42-36 St. Francis.
Following a Brandywine turnover, Nausadis hit another free throw with 49.4 seconds left to give St. Francis a seven-point lead.
After another Brandywine turnover, St. Francis all but sealed the game when John Hagelstein made a layup with 33.8 seconds left to make it 45-36 Gladiators.
St. Francis now will turn its attention to the juggernaut that is Beecher.
However, the Gladiators enter with confidence not only because of their familiarity with the big stage after football season, but also because they played several larger schools during the summer and regular season.
Canton and Detroit Cass Tech are Division 1 schools St. Francis played at home this year.
“I think that’s prepared them,” Finnegan said. “They know they can play with any team in the state. We just have to keep believing that and proving that when it happens.
PHOTOS (Top) Traverse City St. Francis’ Wyatt Nausadis gets a hand up as Brandywine’s Nylen Goins pulls up for a jumper Thursday. (Middle) Brandywine’s Jaremiah Palmer (3) defends as the Gladiators’ John Hagelstein works for a shot.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 19, 2026
League play is taking over the spotlight as boys basketball season moves through its second month and several conferences reached their midway points last week.
We highlight several of those races below, and there will be more details to come as Michigan’s statewide contenders focus first on local rivals before stretching out their championship chases with the MHSAA Tournament beginning a month from Friday.
“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. East Kentwood 69, Rockford 68 Add East Kentwood (10-1) to the contenders in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, which top-to-bottom might be strongest league in Michigan after the first half as Rockford (10-2) has been ranked among the top few statewide.
2. Detroit Catholic Central 86, Benton Harbor 82 The Shamrocks (8-4) stopped a two-game slide with a win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s followed by handing Benton Harbor (14-1) this first defeat at the Rocket Classic at Westland John Glenn.
3. Fowler 56, Concord 52 These two remain among the top three in Division 4 MPR statewide but with a little shuffling as Fowler (12-1) dealt Concord (11-3) this loss.
4. Saginaw Heritage 62, Mount Pleasant 42 The Hawks (11-3) finished the first half of the Saginaw Valley League North schedule by moving into first place alone and sending the Oilers (10-2) into second.
5. Auburn Hills Avondale 43, Clarkston 38 Similarly, Avondale (12-1) finished the first half of the Oakland Activities Association schedule in first place with Clarkston (10-3) now a game back.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Lansing (13-0) The reigning Division 1 champion has now won 36 straight games and capped the weekend with a 47-31 victory over Warren Fitzgerald in the Horatio Williams Freedom Classic at Wayne State. A week earlier, the Trojans downed Rockford 80-71 in overtime in what was a matchup of the top two teams in Division 1. Also among the most notable this winter are a 62-41 win over Brother Rice, a 63-60 win over Roseville and a 41-40 victory over Detroit Martin Luther King.
Grandville (9-0) The O-K Red has four teams with at least 10 wins this winter and one undefeated team in Grandville, which saw its matchup with Grand Haven on Friday postponed but can continue to build on its big start this week against Rockford and Hudsonville. The Bulldogs already have all but guaranteed bettering last season’s 9-15 finish, with a 47-45 win over Pewamo-Westphalia at the Cornerstone University Holiday Showcase among the most impressive victories during the turnaround.
DIVISION 2
Frankenmuth (11-0) Although the Eagles finished last season third in the Tri-Valley Conference Red, they defeated champion Bay City John Glenn in a District Final and appear to have carried that momentum into this season as they capped the first half of league play undefeated. Frankenmuth sits in first place thanks to a 47-43 win over second-place Freeland on Jan. 9, and remains undefeated overall in part because of a 47-46 overtime win over the host Raiders at the Flushing Winter Classic.
South Haven (10-0) The Rams have won 15 or more games all of the last three seasons and could be on the verge of taking another step up coming off their 17-4 finish a year ago. That run included finishing second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore after being swept by champion Bridgman, but South Haven already owns a 59-41 win over the Bees and also handed Coloma its only league loss. A Feb. 10 trip to currently-undefeated Gobles should be circled on the calendar.
DIVISION 3
Harbor Beach (8-2) A 49-48 loss to Division 1 Marquette may have been a tough way to end the week, but it couldn’t have started much better than handing Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker a 45-42 defeat – Harbor Beach is in first in the Big Thumb Conference Black, while Laker leads the BTC White. The Pirates finished 23-2 a year ago, so they have plenty to build on and they’ve lined up some nice postseason prep taking on Marquette and with their other loss to Division 2 contender Freeland on Jan. 2.
McBain (9-1) The Ramblers are chasing Beal City in the Highland Conference after falling to the Aggies 49-41 on Dec. 19. But McBain also lost their first meeting with Beal City last season and rebounded to win a third-straight league title. Those two face off again Feb. 3 in Beal City. In the meantime, McBain finished this past week dealing third-place LeRoy Pine River a 68-45 loss and on Jan. 2 avenged its other regular-season defeat from a year ago by downing Cadillac 64-37.
DIVISION 4
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (10-1) The Chargers have a new all-time leading scorer in Ethan Esse, who broke coach Mark Kraatz’s career record for career points during a 78-54 win over Whitmore Lake last week. Their team also is off to another stellar start coming off last year’s run to the Division 4 Quarterfinals. After losing to Detroit Country Day in the season opener, Inter-City has played only two single-digit games – in wins over Division 1 Grosse Pointe South and Allen Park. The Chargers are first in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue thanks to last week’s 67-51 win over Southfield Christian.
Felch North Dickinson (9-1) Coming off a Division 2 runner-up finish in 8-player football, the Nordics have brought their successful run into basketball season with their only loss Dec. 16 to Stephenson. North Dickinson finished 18-6 a year ago and last week avenged last-winter losses to both Norway and Munising. Next up is arguably the biggest of all; the Nordics visit Crystal Falls Forest Park, which defeated them three times last season including in a Regional Semifinal.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Greenville (11-1) at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (13-0) – These two are tied atop the River Cities Alliance, with Greenville the reigning league champion.
Tuesday – Croswell-Lexington (10-3) at Yale (13-0) – Yale shared the Blue Water Area Conference title last year, with Cros-Lex a game back in third, and missed winning the league outright in part because of a 42-40 loss to the Pioneers that Yale then avenged with a three-point District Final win.
Tuesday – Ludington (11-0) at North Muskegon (12-1) – These are the league leaders in the West Michigan Conference Lakes and Rivers, respectively.
Tuesday – Detroit Western (13-0) at Detroit Davis (9-1) – The Cowboys own a half-game lead over the Aviators in the Detroit Public School League Gold as both head into the final stretch of league play.
Friday – Grand Haven (12-1) at East Kentwood (10-1) – The O-K Red will continue to sort itself out as these are two of three teams undefeated in league play entering this week.
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PHOTOS (Top) Surrounded by Negaunee’s entire lineup, Ishpeming Westwood's Ethan Marta makes a move into the lane to score two points during a 65-41 win Friday; he set a school record with 46 points. (Middle) Saginaw Heritage senior Jaylin Cooper (5) drives past a Freeland defender during their Jan. 6 matchup, won by the Falcons 65-58. (Negaunee/Westwood photo by Cara Kamps. Heritage/Freeland photo by Kolleth Photo.)