Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Girls Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 17, 2022
We’ve reached the midway point of girls basketball season for most of Michigan’s teams – with seven weeks done and seven more until District play begins.
And we’re getting a better idea every week about which teams might be extending their stays a week, two or three longer.
Our latest look at the week that was includes a few references to MPR – Michigan Power Ratings – the metric used to seed the top two teams in every District. Click to see the girls basketball MPR in full.
“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. Lansing Catholic 55, Portland 52 The Cougars (11-0) earned higher billing in the Capital Area Activities Association White and statewide Division 2 conversations in dealing reigning league and Finals champion Portland its first loss.
2. Howell 37, Hartland 31 The Highlanders (6-3) halted Hartland’s regular-season winning streak at 33 in dealing the Eagles (8-1) their lone defeat.
3. Hudsonville 62, Rockford 48 The Eagles (7-2) set themselves up as the top contenders in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red with undefeated Holland West Ottawa, although Rockford (8-1) is likely to be heard from again.
4. Edwardsburg 52, Otsego 32 The Eddies (9-0) made their undefeated start look even stronger in handing previously-undefeated Otsego (10-1) this loss.
5. Traverse City St. Francis 54, Harbor Springs 37 The Gladiators (8-2) also handed out a first loss last week, riding a strong defensive effort to this win over the Rams (8-1).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Battle Creek Lakeview (9-0) The Spartans are consistently a top team in southwest Michigan, and they raised their profile even more over the last few seasons with 16 wins in 2019-20 and a 13-2 record last year. They opened this one with a 36-33 win over Marshall (6-3), and the highlight of the first half almost assuredly was a 39-38 win over Kalamazoo Central on Dec. 9; Central dealt Lakeview both of those losses last year.
Dearborn Divine Child (9-0) Wins over annual favorites Bloomfield Hills Marian and Farmington Hills Mercy to start the 2022 calendar year have vaulted Divine Child to the top of the Detroit Catholic League Central. The Falcons also are No. 2 in Division 1 MPR with six opponents boasting winning records. The Marian and Mercy rematches come up over the next week, and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard also could provide a couple of tests.
Division 2
Frankenmuth (8-1) The Eagles took over first place alone in the Tri-Valley Conference 8 with a 50-45 win over Freeland on Friday, as they look to repeat as league champions. Arbor Prep (see below) is the only team to deal Frankenmuth a loss this season, during the Motor City Roundball Classic. The Eagles reached the Regional Finals last year, falling by four to Portland, and will have an opportunity to avenge last season’s other defeat when they face Division 1 contender Midland Dow on Tuesday.
Tecumseh (10-0) A frequent contender in the Southeastern Conference White the last few seasons, Tecumseh looks like an early favorite this winter after a perfect first half filled with impressive performances. Tecumseh is winning its games by an average of 36.2 points per, with victories over Blissfield (8-3) and Onsted (8-1) among the most impressive.
Division 3
Niles Brandywine (9-1) The Bobcats quickly bounced back from their lone loss, by two points Jan. 7 to Division 2 Benton Harbor (5-3), to hand Buchanan (9-1) its only loss; Brandywine will meet the Bucks again Feb. 17 in Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red play. Brandywine also owns a 59-54 overtime win over Bronson, but no other opponent has come closer than 15 points.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (8-0) The Gators on Thursday handed Redford Westfield Prep its lone loss; Arbor Prep previously did the same to Wayne Memorial and Frankenmuth, and seven of eight opponents this season have .600 or higher winning percentages. None but Westfield has come closer than 15 points of catching the Gators, who are led by one of the state’s best in senior Mya Petticord.
Division 4
Coleman (7-1) The Comets are seeking their first league title in at least a decade, and look well on their way after handing reigning Mid-State Activities Conference champ St. Charles its lone league loss Jan. 10 and then contender Carson City-Crystal the same 33-31 on Friday. The lone defeat came to Farwell (6-3) on Dec. 8, but Coleman has otherwise shined as it builds on last year’s 12-7 overall finish.
Posen (8-0) The Vikings are another team always in the mix. They’re playing for what would be a fifth-straight league title coming off last year’s 15-2 run that also included a District championship. A 56-49 overtime win over Oscoda capped the 2021 calendar year, and a 50-46 win over Hillman on Friday put Posen in a solid position in North Star League play as they approach the midpoint.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Houghton (10-0) at Calumet (7-0) – These undefeated teams meet for the only time during the regular season in a matchup that eventually could decide the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference title.
Tuesday – Midland Dow (8-0) at Frankenmuth (8-1) – The Chargers are No. 4 in Division 1 MPR and the Eagles are No. 3 in Division 2.
Tuesday – Elk Rapids (6-1) at Traverse City St. Francis (8-2) – These two have emerged as the early favorites in the Lake Michigan Conference again; Elk Rapids was last season’s champion and St. Francis the runner-up.
Tuesday – Sanford Meridian (10-1) at Coleman (7-1) – Both are leading their leagues, Coleman the MSAC (see above) and Meridian the Jack Pine Conference.
Thursday – East Lansing (7-2) at Detroit Edison (3-1) – This also matches up two of the elite from Divisions 1 and 2, respectively.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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 Muskegon takes on Grand Rapids Union on Jan. 11 in what would end up the second of a current three-game winning streak for the Big Reds. (Photo by Tim Reilly.)
Mooney Girls Re-Ignite Proud Program
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 14, 2018
The Cardinal Mooney girls basketball season ended last week in the Regional Final with a loss to Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.
On the surface, for a program with Mooney’s rich history in the past decade-plus, it was disappointing – especially against a longtime rival that went on Tuesday to clinch a Semifinal berth.
But considering the Cardinals didn’t make it to Game 1 of the regular season two years ago, any disappointment was overshadowed by the massive steps forward the program has taken.
“This is about perspective,” Mooney coach Mike Lombard said. “Two years ago, we didn’t even have a varsity program. This year, we went to Allen Park Inter-City Baptist for a Regional Semifinal, were down 12 late and went on an 18-1 run to end the game. Everyone was upset (after the Regional Final loss), but there’s got to be perspective to say that the girls have come a long way.”
Mooney, which played in the Class D Final in 2009 and advanced to the Semifinals in 2008 and 2014, didn’t field a varsity team for the 2015-16 season because of a lack of players. With just seven, the vast majority underclassmen, the Cardinals opted to simply play a JV schedule.
“It was kind of crazy going from being coached by coach (Susan) Everhart, which was a really intense experience, to going backward,” said Lilly Wolf, who played varsity as a sophomore in 2014-15. “I think I kind of knew that eventually in my senior year there would be a varsity team, and it would be better for the program and myself to stick with it.”
It was a tough decision for a proud program, but it appears to have worked out. The Cardinals won the Detroit Catholic League Intersectional title in their first year back, and advanced to the District championship game before losing to Sterling Heights Parkway Christian.
Lombard gave a lot of the credit for that quick rebound to Wolf, who is now a freshman at Saginaw Valley State University.
“We were incredibly lucky that Lilly Wolf stayed with the program,” he said. “We played 22 games last year, and of those 22 games, Lilly would have been the best player on the floor in 17 of them. She bailed us out. We were able to have a little success because of Lilly Wolf, and to a lesser extent Lauren Luzynski and Molly Lombard. Those three girls really saved our bacon. They made basketball look attractive again.”
Mooney’s remaining players took advantage by getting to work in the offseason – not only on the court, but off it, recruiting their classmates to come out for the team.
“We tried to recruit those girls that we knew had played basketball in the past or that were just athletic,” Luzynski, a junior, said. “We just wanted to get people to come out for the team. We wanted to make Mooney great again.”
Building up numbers at a small Class D school was a major step for the program, and this season Mooney finished with 11 on the varsity team and eight on the JV, more than double the number of players in the program two years ago.
“We really had to say to ourselves that we have to start somewhere,” Molly Lombard, a senior, said. “With all of us working hard, we had to say that we have to start somewhere and build something up. I think people want to be part of something like that, and leave a mark on their school.”
Mooney won another Catholic League Intersectional title this season, won a District title and finished 18-6. It was the type of season nobody saw coming two years ago.
“Yeah, it was definitely unexpected,” Luzynski said. “When I came in my freshman year, we barely even had a JV team. We barely had enough girls to have a basketball team. Making such a strong comeback in these last two years was very unexpected.”
There is certainly room still to grow, and the loss to Lakes showed that. It was also a call back to the past, when Mooney and Lakes would battle seemingly every postseason.
“There was some symbolism there, but also I think a dash of realism for the girls who are going to stay in the program,” Mike Lombard said. “That Lakes team puts in a lot of work as Lakes teams always do. Mooney teams have to do the same thing. So I think it was a look to the past, but also a look to the future to see where they want to be and where to get back to.”
Putting in the work should be nothing new for this group of Cardinals, and those who enter the program will have a good example to look to thanks to the teams from the past few years.
“I watched the girls play at Mooney when I was in eighth grade -- I was at their camp in seventh and eighth grade,” Molly Lombard said. “I knew how good they were, and I was hoping to bring that back to Mooney. I feel like we did bring that back to Mooney. We have a JV team now; we have a varsity. We have a new legacy going on at Mooney, and it’s great to be a part of it.”
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) Marine City Cardinal Mooney players stand with their Class D District trophy won two weeks ago. (Middle) Junior Casey Rice puts up a shot this season. (Photos courtesy of the Cardinal Mooney girls basketball program).