Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Girls Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 13, 2021
We’re two weeks into this girls basketball season, and it’s not taking long to recognize a few teams that could be in the championship mix in three months.
Midland Dow and Parma Western were among those to continue headline-making starts last week, and another power-packed schedule coming up could vault a few more potential contenders as we move toward the holiday break.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Midland Dow 56, Hudsonville 51 The Chargers (4-0) actually defeated two reigning Finals champions last week – Hudsonville (2-1) on Tuesday in a rematch of last season’s Division 1 Semifinal, and then Division 3 Grass Lake on Saturday.
2. Parma Western 44, East Lansing 43 The Panthers (4-0) handed East Lansing (1-1) its first regular-season loss since Feb. 26, 2019.
3. Portland St. Patrick 46, Pewamo-Westphalia 30 After breaking a 12-game losing streak against the Pirates (3-1) in last season’s lone showdown, the Shamrocks (4-0) made it two straight over their rivals to continue a perfect start.
4. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 68, Wayne Memorial 41 The Gators (3-0) should again be among Division 3 favorites and made a nice statement with this Best of Michigan Holiday Classic win over the Division 1 Zebras (0-1).
5. Grand Blanc 72, Clarkston 43 Both were District champions last season, and this is a nice early move as the Bobcats (3-1) look to build on last winter’s 12-4 finish.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Brighton (2-0) The Bulldogs went 15-4 with a District title last season, and they’ve rolled that success back into this winter. After opening with a 59-40 win over Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Brighton on Friday defeated Farmington Hills Mercy 58-32 – Mercy is the reigning Detroit Catholic League Tournament champion and likewise an annual Division 1 force.
Saline (4-0) The Hornets entered this season a combined 40-4 over the last two, with both regular-season defeats during that run to Temperance Bedford. Saline has an upper hand in that Southeastern Conference Red showdown this winter, defeating Bedford 38-29 on Friday, and after opening the week with a 51-44 overtime win over Canton.
Division 2
Houghton (3-0) Breaking a four-game losing streak against Negaunee could be a great sign for a team that went from 6-15 to 12-6 last season and seemed on the cusp of taking even a few more steps up –four of those losses were by five points or fewer. The Gremlins defeated the Miners 65-56 and also have handed the lone defeats to Ishpeming and L’Anse.
Lansing Catholic (3-0) While the Capital Area Activities Conference White also features reigning Division 2 champion Portland, the Cougars have emerged as another league force winning 13 games and a District title last winter. They’ve more than doubled up their first three opponents, including last week at Detroit Cass Tech.
Division 3
Cass City (3-0) The Red Hawks are off to a fast start as they seek their first above-.500 finish since 2018-19. After finishing 6-9 last season, Cass City is halfway to equaling that win total and Friday avenged a February loss to North Branch, 39-36. The Red Hawks opened the week with arguably an even more impressive win, 49-30 over Ubly, which went 11-4 last season.
Hartford (3-0) After tying for second place in the Southwest 10 Conference last season and finishing 11-6 overall, Hartford is off to a speedy start and already has avenged two of last winter’s losses – opening with a 36-30 win over Gobles and following with a 45-31 win over Mendon. Gobles had ended Hartford’s 2020-21 season with a four-point Regional loss March 29.
Division 4
Portland St. Patrick (4-0) While some of their toughest competition may come from also-undefeated league foe Fowler, the Shamrocks may be on their way back into the statewide Division 4 elite. In addition to Division 3 Pewamo-Westphalia (noted above), St. Patrick also has handed lone losses this season to Lansing Christian and Adrian Lenawee Christian – and is winning its games by an average of 25 points per victory.
Rudyard (2-0) The Bulldogs made an early Straits Area Conference splash with a 55-53 win over reigning champion Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, avenging 22 and 15-point losses from last season to the Division 2 Blue Devils. Rudyard has won 11 or 12 games all of the last three seasons, but did finish last winter on a 9-3 run.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Wednesday – Detroit Renaissance (2-0) at Wayne Memorial (0-1) – This is a rematch of a Division 1 Semifinal from last season, won by Renaissance 75-72.
Friday – Parma Western (4-0) at Jackson Northwest (3-1) – Western won both meetings last season and is an emerging Division 1 force, but Northwest has received its share of statewide attention over the years as well.
Friday – Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (3-0) at Plymouth Christian Academy (2-0) – The Eagles made some noise with their first-week win over Detroit Country Day, and a win over Arbor Prep might ring even louder.
Friday – Fowler (4-0) at Portland St. Patrick (4-0) – The Central Michigan Athletic Conference might have two of the top Division 4 teams statewide, and this will be their first meeting of the winter.
Saturday – Detroit Edison (1-1) vs. Hudsonville (2-1) at Aquinas College – This is arguably the premier matchup of the West Michigan Spotlight; Edison is coming off a two-point loss to Indiana power South Bend Washington.
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PHOTO Mikayla Sharrow and Charlevoix surged to a 33-22 win over Boyne City. (Photo courtesy of the Petoskey News-Review.)
Fowler Adds to Stunning Run in Earning Another Trip to Season's Final Day
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 20, 2025
EAST LANSING — Fowler has been no stranger to deep Division 4 tournament runs in recent years, but this season’s journey does have a bit of a different wrinkle.
Simply put, the Eagles have seemed to rout opponents more so than usual en route to another championship game appearance.
The latest result was a 57-32 win over Genesee Christian in a Semifinal on Thursday, which put the Eagles in Saturday’s 10 a.m. championship against Ewen-Trout Creek.
Fowler (26-2) will be going for its third Division 4 championship in five years, and after falling in Semifinals the last two. Given the way this tournament has gone for them, the Eagles may be hard to beat.
In its six tournament games, they have won by an average of 37.5 points, with the closest margin of victory 21 points (57-36) in a Regional Final win over previously-undefeated Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
“It’s pretty special,” Fowler head coach Nathan George said. “But given the kids I coach, I’m not surprised how focused they are each and every game. While I’m sometimes impressed by the point differential for some of our games, it’s because of the hard work they put in and their willingness to go above and beyond expectations."
The teams were tied 11-11 at the end of Thursday’s first quarter. Fowler then dominated the second, outscoring Genesee Christian 14-2 to take a 25-13 lead at halftime.
The lead only grew from there, with the Eagles going up by as many as 20 points during the third quarter and taking a 41-24 advantage into the fourth.
Fowler then ensured there wouldn’t be a comeback by growing its lead further.
The balanced scoring attack that Fowler has featured all year – with six players entering the game averaging at least seven points per contest – was on display again.
Senior Brooke Weber scored 14 points, senior Elizabeth Hufnagel scored 13, senior Katie Spicer had 12 points and seven rebounds, and junior Paige Thelen had 11 points and seven rebounds for Fowler.
The Eagles shot 48.8 percent from the field overall (20 of 41) and made 7 of 16 shots from 3-point range. Fowler also forced 15 Genesee Christian turnovers and had a 29-20 rebounding advantage.
“I think it took us a couple of possessions to just calm down and play our game,” Hufnagel said. “When we came out in the second quarter, we knew what we had to do to get a lead going into the half. We were able to settle down. We were able to drive and kick and get to the rim.”
While running into the Fowler buzzsaw, Genesee Christian rightfully basked in a historic season that saw the Soldiers make the Semifinals for the first time.
Senior Haven Chapman, who’ll graduate as the program’s all-time leading scorer, finished with a game-high 18 points. Reagan Gardner added 10.
“Amazing, amazing run for this group of girls,” Genesee Christian head coach Jake Boike said. “This has been a special group that we have had our eyes on for a long time. We knew the season was going to go well. We didn’t know how well. We had some hurdles to get over. I’m really proud of the effort they gave today.”
PHOTOS (Top) Fowler’s defense collapses to help as Genesee Christian’s Haven Chapman (2) drives during Thursday’s Semifinal at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Eagles’ Elizabeth Hufnagel (5) makes a move to get into the lane.