Bowers' Balance Paying Big for Kent City
December 20, 2018
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
KENT CITY – Kenzie Bowers’ mother made sure her daughter wasn’t going to grow up to become just a scorer.
An extra incentive did just the trick.
“When I was younger my mom would record my games, and she would give me a dollar for every five or 10 points, but then she would also give me a dollar for every assist, too, because she didn’t want me to go out there and think that I was just going to score,” the Kent City standout sophomore said. “That was my way of thinking I was going to score, but I’m not going to be selfish with the ball because I wanted money both ways.”
Bowers, a 5-foot-10 guard, is still doing her share of scoring and distributing, and she’s picking up where she left off after a sensational freshman season.
In her debut campaign on the varsity, Bowers averaged 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while also leading her team in assists and steals en route to being named to the Class C all-state first team.
Bowers also helped spark Kent City’s historic postseason run to the Class C Quarterfinals.
“I’ve talked to Coach since seventh grade, and he told me if I kept working hard then he would have a spot for me on the varsity,” Bowers said. “He wanted me to be a leader, and I knew I was going to have to be a leader. I was ready for it, and I expected it.”
Kent City girls basketball coach Scott Carlson has known Bowers since first grade and helped coach her at every level leading up to high school.
He knew early on that she had a bright future ahead.
“By third grade you knew she was going to be a ball player because she was playing with our fifth and sixth-grade travel players at that point,” Carlson said. “She could handle the ball, and she loved the game. She was a baller from the word go.”
Bowers’ passion for the game developed from watching her two older brothers, and she started playing with older girls when she was in third grade.
“I was the only third-grader, and I think it was definitely good to have that experience going into my fourth and fifth grade years when I was playing against girls my own age,” Bowers said. “You could tell I had played recently, and I was the second or third tallest girl on my team, but I was very skinny.”
Bowers’ overall skill set quickly progressed. She attended multiple basketball camps and started playing AAU.
As middle school began, college coaches became aware of Bowers’ rare abilities.
“Seventh grade was the first time someone told me that college coaches were watching me and they thought I was pretty good,” Bowers said. “I was like, ‘College coaches are watching me?’ It was definitely surreal.”
A highlight of Bowers’ first high school season was a 37-point performance in a Regional Semifinal win over Beaverton.
Kent City went on to win its first Regional title in 29 years before losing to Pewamo-Westphalia in the Quarterfinals.
“She certainly surpassed what I expected of her as a freshman, but it didn’t surprise me in how hard she works,” Carlson said. “She’s very athletic, and she’s a quick study. If you show her something once she gets it quick, as quickly as anyone I’ve ever seen, and she’ll work on it until she perfects it.”
Bowers already has received several scholarship offers from Division I college programs, including Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Illinois State, Davidson and Oakland.
“It’s been really cool knowing I can go play college basketball at the next level,” Bowers said. “It makes me feel blessed and happy because I know I don’t have to spend all that money and I get to do something I love.”
Kent City is 4-1 this winter with its lone loss coming to Detroit Martin Luther King, 40-39.
Bowers is one of eight returning players from last season’s 22-4 squad.
“We didn’t lose anybody, so we know we are going to be a good team,” Bowers said. “We’re working to get better and make it further this season.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kent City’s Kenzie Bowers drives to the basket against White Cloud during a Dec. 7 win. (Middle) Bowers works to get past a Detroit Martin Luther King defender during their Dec. 8 game at Okemos. (Photos courtesy of the Bowers family.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 9, 2024
It’s too early to tell us much. But the first week of this 2024-25 girls basketball season sure seemed to signal some potential movement at the top as we start a long road that will end in East Lansing in March.
Two of last season’s Finals champions fell in their first games of this winter – and that could mean big things for Saginaw Heritage and Gladstone, the winners of those games. A few others also jumped out immediately after just the first week of play, and as we’ll do all season, we’ve highlighted several below that made an impression.
“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 79, West Bloomfield 53 The Hawks (2-0) finished the first week at Ypsilanti Arbor Prep’s Ice Breaker Classic with a big win over the reigning Division 1 champion Lakers (0-1).
2. Gladstone 51, Ishpeming 47 – The Hematites (1-1) lost just once on the way to winning Division 3 last season, but Gladstone (2-0) handed them this defeat in their season opener.
3. Portland 57, Frankenmuth 56 The Raiders (2-0) opened this season with a slim but most impressive win over another regular Division 2 contender in the Eagles (1-1).
4. Onekama 61, Elk Rapids 54 (OT) The Portagers (3-0) defeated the host Elks (1-1) – returning Division 3 quarterfinalists – to open the Elk Rapids Invitational, then downed Maple City Glen Lake 57-42 for the championship.
5. Rockford 62, Wayne Memorial 45 The reigning Division 1 runner-up Rams (2-0) earned a second big win of the week over another team in Wayne (0-1) that’s always in the title conversation.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (2-0) The Big Reds nearly doubled their wins from 2022-23 to last season, from eight to 15. They are off to the right start again with a 62-46 win over Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse and 57-38 victory over Port Huron last week. Port Huron was a 16-game winner last season.
Dearborn Fordson (2-0) The Tractors have made an impressive climb over the last four seasons, from six wins in 2020-21 to 12 the following season, 16 and then 17 last winter. They opened with a one-point win over Allen Park but followed up by doubling up Dearborn Edsel Ford to finish the first week.
DIVISION 2
Gladstone (2-0) As noted above, the 51-47 win over reigning Class C champion Ishpeming was quite a start, and it was followed up by a 51-38 victory over Ishpeming Westwood – and those are even more telling with some context. Gladstone was a solid 14-9 last winter, up from eight wins the season before, and won the Great Northern Conference title – but also lost to Ishpeming twice and split with Westwood with all three losses by double digits.
Monroe Jefferson (2-0) The Bears opened with a 42-37 win over Southgate Anderson followed by a 46-43 victory over Erie Mason. It was a nice jump into the winter coming off last year’s 5-19 finish, which included a 14-point loss to Mason. Jefferson has won five games the last three seasons and could be on the way to taking another step.
DIVISION 3
Detroit Pershing (2-0) The Doughboys have posted two straight winning seasons – including an 11-5 finish a year ago – and they also are off to the right start. Pershing won big over Detroit Henry Ford in its season opener and followed that up with a 49-40 victory over Detroit Osborn. Pershing finished third in the Detroit Public School League Gold last winter.
Memphis (2-0) After much tougher days a decade ago, Memphis has hovered around 7-8 wins the last four, finishing 8-15 last season despite an 0-3 start. Last week should mean good things for this team’s fortunes, as the Yellowjackets defeated Chesterfield Austin Catholic 31-15 and Vassar 36-25, the latter avenging a 2023-24 defeat.
DIVISION 4
Petersburg Summerfield (3-0) The Bulldogs not only sprinted to start the season last week, but followed up a 53-41 win over Hudson with a 26-point victory over Division 2 Dundee and a nine-point win over Division 1 Ann Arbor Skyline. Add that to last season’s second-straight District title, a great finishing surge that came after a 2-4 season start and 1-3 end to the regular season.
Webberville (2-0) An 0-2 start last season turned into an eventual 7-14 finish, but the Spartans already have a nice jump with their season-opening 32-19 win over Morrice avenging a pair of those 2023-24 defeats. Webberville closed the week with a 54-45 win over Brighton Livingston Christian.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Thursday – West Bloomfield (0-1) at Belleville (1-0) – This week should tell us a ton about Belleville, as the Tigers first take on the reigning Division 1 champion and host Muskegon on Saturday at the Best of Michigan showcase.
Thursday – Fowler (1-0) at Portland St. Patrick (0-1) – This is always worthy of statewide attention; last season St. Patrick won the Central Michigan Athletic Conference and finished 21-3 overall, while Fowler was second, 24-4 and reached the Division 4 Semifinals.
Friday – Sault Ste. Marie (2-1) at St. Ignace (2-0) – This is the first of two meetings between these former Straits Area Conference rivals, and the Sault carries a four-game winning streak in the series.
Saturday – Rockford vs. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard at Belleville – The Best of Michigan event will tip off this matchup at 5:30 p.m. between last season’s Division 1 runner-up Rockford and Division 2 runner-up FGR.
Saturday – Detroit Edison (1-0) vs. Tecumseh (1-0) at Belleville – This Best of Michigan matchup will send reigning Division 2 champion Edison against a quarterfinalist from last season.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO A Bath player looks to pass the ball into the post during the Bees’ 51-12 win over Fulton last week to open this season. (Photo by John Johnson.)