Arbor Prep Back on Track After Early Injury, Inexperience Fueled Slow Start
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
March 11, 2025
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It’s March, and Ypsilanti Arbor Prep will play for a Division 3 Regional championship Wednesday. Nothing unusual about that. What is unusual is the journey for the Gators, who are above .500 for the first time since opening the season with a victory.
At 13-12, head coach Scott Stine said this is not the season he expected.
“The season hasn’t gone the way I probably envisioned it,” said Stine. “I knew we would probably take a step back.”
It was tough to not.
In 2023-24, the Gators won 25 games while playing one the toughest schedules in the state for any division. They beat Niles Brandywine in the Division 3 championship game, collecting the third girls basketball Finals title in school history.
In the first preseason scrimmage this winter, Autumn Pernell torn an ACL. She was one of three seniors on the roster, and Stine anticipated her being the team’s best player.
“If we had Autumn (now), I think we’d probably be one of the favorites to win a state championship,” Stine said. “We played the vast majority of the year without two of our three seniors.”
Stine has had incredible success at Arbor Prep, which is situated in rural Ypsilanti Township, several miles from Ann Arbor and off US-23, not far from Rolling Hills County Park. In eight seasons, Stine is 154-46. Getting to the Semifinals is an annual ritual for Stine.
This year, that didn’t look likely.
After opening the season with a win, the Gators went through two four-game losing streaks.
The Gators were 3-8 at one point. The schedule was not kind, either. Stine, who is an assistant principal and athletic director, had assembled the usual difficult slate for his team to face.
“I think most years we probably play the toughest schedule in the state. I’d say this year we are top five,” he said. “We’ve been challenged. I’ve told the girls for the last couple of weeks that at this point, there is no one that is going to throw something at us that we haven’t seen. Or, no player that we will (face) is better than anyone we have seen. We’ve seen it all.”
That schedule is paying off. But with such an inexperienced team, Stine has had to do a lot more teaching this season.
“This year has taken us back to almost year one of the school when we had just freshman,” Stine said. “Our expectations haven’t changed. How we do things haven’t changed. We have a way that we go about things in terms of effort and play the game the right way. We still go about our practice with the same principles.”
On cue, as March drew closer, however, things began to click.
“Something started to click that last week of the regular season,” Stine said. “I have three sophomores who have improved greatly. They are giving us valuable minutes now, and that’s because they played early on more than I ever thought they probably would have.”
Those sophomores are Jalaya Banks, Madison Dirra and Annecia Clark. Banks and Dirra are starters while Clark has adapted to her role coming off the bench.
Senior Eliza Bush is the Gators’ point guard. She’s a four-year varsity player with the most experience on the team.
“She’s part of the reason why we turned it around,” Stine said. “She has always been a pass-first, set everybody up. This year, we need her to be more offensive-minded. That’s something we’ve been preaching to her all year. She’s really stepped up her game.”
Junior Angela Meggisson is the Gators’ top scorer and rebounder, averaging a double-double. She also leads the team in steals and blocked shots.
“We rely on her playmaking,” Stine said. “She’s got a knack for putting the ball in the basket. She’s in that mold of some of the kids we’ve had in the past. She’s a tremendous athlete who does everything.”
Standing in the way of the Gators reaching the Quarterfinals is 22-2 Blissfield, a team Arbor Prep has become familiar with in recent years.
“Blissfield is definitely the favorite,” Stine said. “They have a great program. I respect them tremendously. He’s a great coach and they play the right way. They have more experience than us, and they are used to winning.”
Blissfield head coach Ryan Gilbert expects a battle.
“They are as well-coached as any team in the state,” he said.
Blissfield knocked Arbor Prep out of the MHSAA Tournament a couple of seasons ago.
“It’s a challenge,” Stine said. “We have three kids who are back from two years ago when they beat us in the Regional Final. We’ll probably talk about that before we play them this time.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Arbor Prep girls basketball coach Scott Stine, pointing, directs his defense during last season’s Division 3 championship game. (Middle) Angela Meggisson (2) handles the ball in the post for the Gators. (Below) Eliza Bush (12) considers her next pass during her team’s win over Niles Brandywine.
Performance: Heritage's Shine Strickland-Gills
March 22, 2018
Shine Strickland-Gills
Saginaw Heritage junior – Basketball
On back-to-back days, Heritage’s 6-foot-1 forward put together back-to-back standout performances at Van Noord Arena to lead the Hawks to their first MHSAA girls basketball title since 2002. She had 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a 46-28 Semifinal win over Grosse Pointe North, then 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in Saturday’s 57-36 Class A championship victory over East Lansing to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
This season, Strickland-Gills averaged 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 2.2 assists and two steals per game as Heritage finished 27-1 – its only loss was in double overtime to eventual Class C champion Detroit Edison. She also started as a sophomore when the Hawks finished 20-2 and was a varsity sub when they were 22-2 in 2015-16.
Strickland-Gills still has plenty of time to figure out her future, of course, but she'll choose from Division I college basketball opportunities and is interested in a career in the medical field, perhaps as a physician’s assistant. She’s also played volleyball and participated in track & field at Heritage, although she’s unsure if she’ll compete in either sport moving forward.
Coach Vonnie DeLong said: “Shine has developed into one of the best post players in the state. She has come so far since her freshman year, physically, mentally and emotionally. She has always been a very hard worker and spends hours in the gym. But this year there is a maturity about her that really took her to the next level. Her hard work was finally paying off and as she started seeing the results it just motivated her even more. She has developed a great understanding of the game. She has also become one of our vocal floor leaders, which allows her to ‘quarterback’ the back of our defense. I always tell my kids, ‘I can't give you confidence. The only way you gain more confidence is by putting the time in and transferring it to game situations. It comes down to preparation.' Shine has done that and is now a pretty confident basketball player. She has also become a great teammate. We don't win the state championship without her. … I'm excited to see what the next year holds for Shine. She seemed to get better every game this year, and after another offseason of workouts and AAU, I am sure she will be even better next year. I'm just happy I get the opportunity to coach her for another season. She is a very coachable, kind, fun-loving kid that I am really going to miss when she moves on.”
Performance Point: “What’s sticking out the most is how relentless we are and how focused we are because it’s extremely hard to play back-to-back like that, especially two really tough games,” Strickland-Gills said of her memories from the weekend. “That we came out and performed hard, and did the best we can, I was very proud of that. We knew that if we came to play Friday, we would have a sure chance of winning and to play on Saturday. And if Saturday we came to play, we could really do it. … There’s been a lot of congratulations. Every time I come down the hallway, every teacher I’ve had, and I got lots of teacher emails and stuff like that.”
Shining Moment: “When (Coach DeLong) took us out with two minutes to go, when everybody sat down, we were all just like, ‘We did it. Finally, we just really did it.’ And it really hit – we just won states. It was a very proud moment.”
Expectations met: “In the past we’ve had really good groups. But this year was something special because we had a better mindset before we got into the tournament. Everybody bought in, and our practices were a lot, lot better. We even got better as a team during the tournament. … We never stopped getting better and we never stopped going hard, and I think that was a major difference that helped us.”
Pride in my roles: “My team is really good at scoring. That’s what they do. My team doesn’t always need somebody to score 20 points a game. We just need to play defense – you can’t win without stopping your opponent from scoring. My team (also) really needs me to rebound, so that’s what I focus on. I know if I do my job, I can really reap the benefits. … ‘Coming out, I need to score 10, 15 points,’ has never been a thought in my head. I just need to come to play and do what my coach tells me to do, and we’ll get it done. I take a lot more joy in my teammates scoring and seeing how happy they get, how happy the crowd gets, rather than just me.”
Making her name: “I was born in spring. At the beginning of April, it isn’t too warm, but it was super hot that day. (My mother) was like, ‘I don’t know what to name her.’ So my original name was going to be J. My dad wanted to name me Erma after his mom. So my mom said, ‘You know, it’s hot outside. So we’re just going to name her Shine.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
March 15: Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian swimming - Read
March 8: Dakota Greer, Howard City Tri-County wrestling - Read
March 1: Camree' Clegg, Wayne Memorial basketball - Read
February 23: Aliah Robertson, Sault Ste. Marie swimming - Read
February 16: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids wrestling - Read
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City Central golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Saginaw Heritage's Shine Strickland-Gills works to get past East Lansing's Jaida Hampton during Saturday's Class A Final. (Middle) Strickland-Gills goes up for the opening jump.