Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Girls Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 5, 2022
Another girls basketball season began last week – and took off in a hurry for several teams anticipating great things this winter.
Two themes generally dominate the start of a hoops season – contenders facing off in intriguing nonleague matchups, and teams that didn’t enjoy the greatest success last winter eclipsing it quickly this time around. We have plenty to tell of both as we begin another series of “Breslin Bound” reports.
“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. Grand Rapids West Catholic 55, Hudsonville 50 – Last season’s Division 2 runner-up opened with this win over the 2020 Division 1 champion Eagles, who are coming off a 21-3 finish from a year ago.
2. Lowell 66, Kent City 39 – The Red Arrows handed Kent City – a Division 3 semifinalist last season – its first regular-season defeat since Jan. 14, 2020.
3. Hart 43, Ludington 42 – The Pirates opened the season by edging the Orioles, who are coming off a Division 2 Semifinals appearance in March.
4. Grosse Pointe North 56, Detroit Country Day 45 – The Norsemen capped the season’s first week with a double-digit win over the Yellowjackets, who have made the Division 2 Semifinals two straight seasons.
5. Lake Fenton 46, Frankenmuth 36 – Lake Fenton, a Division 2 Regional finalist last season, opened with this win over one of last season’s quarterfinalists.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Flint Carman-Ainsworth (2-0) Despite starting 0-2 last season, Carman-Ainsworth rebounded to finish 18-5 and win a District title. Those early defeats came to Williamston by three and Brighton by 19, and those teams both went on to win 17 games. Last week, Carman-Ainsworth opened with a 61-50 win over Williamston and then defeated Brighton 59-43.
Taylor (3-0) The Griffins closed 5-2 over their final seven games last winter to get to 11-11 for the season, and they’re well ahead of that pace with three first-week wins – including a 38-33 victory over Dearborn Heights Crestwood, which is coming off a 12-7 finish. This week should be telling as Taylor faces Gibraltar Carlson and Allen Park after going a combined 1-3 against them last season.
DIVISION 2
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (3-0) The Irish also opened with three first-week wins, the exclamation mark coming with a 73-50 victory over Redford Westfield Prep at Saturday’s Arbor Prep Ice Breaker Invitational – Westfield was 21-2 last season. Gabriel Richard is coming off a 15-7 run last winter and also last week defeated reigning Division 4 runner-up Plymouth Christian Academy 61-44.
Kingsford (2-0) A 5-5 start last season turned into a 7-13 finish, but Kingsford looks to be on stronger footing early with wins last week over Felch North Dickinson 48-37 and Ishpeming Westwood 42-38. Those two handed the Flivvers losses of six and 29, respectively, to start last winter. Kingsford is seeking its first winning season since 2018-19.
DIVISION 3
Dansville (2-0) The Aggies are coming off a solid 17-8 season, especially considering they play in a league with statewide powers Portland St. Patrick, Fowler and Pewamo-Westphalia among others. Dansville lost to the two-time reigning Division 4 champion Eagles by six and 27 last season, but finished last week by handing them a 36-22 defeat.
Gwinn (2-0) The Modeltowners didn’t win a game last season until Feb. 9, and that was their lone victory. Their 19 losses included a pair to Gladstone, and Gwinn avenged those with a 41-38 win Tuesday – and then doubled last year’s win total with a 41-31 victory over Brimley on Saturday.
DIVISION 4
Manistee Catholic Central (2-0) The Sabers opened with double-digit wins over Big Rapids Crossroads Academy and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, the latter after losing 43-30 last season as Hackett went on to finish 13-9. MCC continued to finish 14-6 and share the West Michigan D League title, and will see the first of the other two co-champions, Mesick, for the first time Friday.
Morenci (2-0) The Bulldogs generally see Adrian Lenawee Christian once during the regular season and then frequently a second time during the MHSAA Tournament. Last week’s 47-39 win over Lenawee Christian was Morenci’s first since Dec. 4, 2015, and the Bulldogs also defeated Addison 49-17 to avenge an opening-night loss from last year.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Bloomfield Hills Marian (1-1) at Imlay City (2-0) – The Spartans were 19-4 last season and loaded up a strong nonleague opponent for an early test.
Tuesday – Clarkston (2-0) at Macomb Dakota (1-0) – Both are coming off 17-win seasons and will play (other opponents) in the weekend’s Best of Michigan Holiday Classic.
Friday – Fowler (1-1) at Portland St. Patrick (1-1) – Fowler may have won last season’s Division 4 championship thanks in part to a District Final win over the Shamrocks, but St. Pat won both regular-season meetings and the league title.
Friday – Detroit Edison (1-0) vs. Bolingbrook, Ill. (8-0) – The reigning Division 2 champion Pioneers start a weekend facing Illinois powerhouses with Bolingbrook at Belleville, then take on Chicago Whitney Young on Saturday.
Saturday – Detroit Country Day (1-1) at Belleville (0-0) – The most intriguing matchup of instate opponents at the Best of Michigan Holiday Classic pits the host Tigers – who have upped their win total three straight seasons – against a Country Day team with high aspirations.
MHSAA.com'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 Davison and Flushing tip off last week; the Raiders won their season opener 50-41. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Genesee's Zinn Setting School, Family Records While Climbing MHSAA All-Time Lists
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
January 7, 2026
Averie Zinn had a front-row seat as her sister Ryleigh re-wrote the Genesee girls basketball record book.
As a middle school student, and then freshman teammate whose parents are the Genesee coaches, Averie saw exactly what it took for Ryleigh to get there.
She also had a pretty good idea of what would be required to overtake her.
“I remember when I was little I was like, ‘Yep, I’m breaking all her records,’” Averie said. “My mom’s sister, she held all of those before. But I just remember when Ryleigh was getting those records, I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to break them.’”
Averie Zinn has broken those records and then some, splashing her name across the MHSAA record book with most of her senior season still to go.
She’s scored a school-record 1,892 points during her career, and with a per-game average this season of 39.8, could surpass 2,000 by the end of next week – making her the 34th girls basketball player in state history to eclipse it.
If that average holds throughout the season, and even if the Wolves play the minimum number of games remaining, Zinn could become just the seventh female in the state to hit 2,500 points.
That, of course, is a projection of where she could be, but she already appears 20 times in the MHSAA record book.
Her 851 points scored a year ago are third highest in a single MHSAA season. Seven of her single-game scoring performances are listed, including five games of 50 or more (she’s added another 53-point performance already this season that is not yet listed).
Her 21 points in a single quarter are tied for third all-time – she’s since hit 22, which will tie her for second.
She made 186 free throws a year ago, 10th-most in a single season, and has three games of 15 or more makes from the free-throw line.
Then there’s the steals: Two seasons in the top 12 all-time with 218 a year ago (third) and 170 as a sophomore (tied for 12th), and five games with 15-plus.
“I just think it’s such a blessing,” Zinn said. “No one really gets that opportunity, it’s such a select few amount of people. I almost don’t even think I’ve processed it. I think it’s really cool, and the fact that it’s happening with my parents coaching me, it’s really cool.”
Zinn, a 5-foot-10 point guard who also takes the opening tip for the Wolves, has scored 199 points through five games this season, going over 30 in four games and over 40 in two of those four.
She’s recorded 48 steals, as well, going for double digits (11, 12, 16) in each of her first three games.
“I mean, she’s 100-percent locked in,” said Genesee coach, and Zinn’s dad, Mike Zinn. “She’s been training hard with strength and conditioning, working on her range – a different range. Normally, she shoots from pretty deep, from nearly halfcourt like it’s nothing. But she’s been wanting to work on her mid-range game a little bit.”
As the Zinns have had their successes, so has the Genesee program. This year’s team is off to a 4-1 start, and last year the Wolves won a District title and advanced to a Regional Final in Division 3 for the second time in program history. The first came during the 2022 postseason.
Both of those seasons resulted in 17 wins, which is a school record.
The District title in 2022 was the program’s first since the mid-1990s, when their mom, Megan was playing.
“Mike and I graduated from Genesee High School, and we were the last ones to win a District title,” Megan Zinn said. “We decided to stay in the community, raise our kids in the community and coach here. It’s bigger than basketball. We believe we could work to put Genesee on the map, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Last year, going to the Sweet 16 was the furthest we’ve ever gone. We lost both times, but just to say that we could get there while coaching both of our daughters is pretty special.”
When Averie Zinn is done breaking records at Genesee, she will continue her basketball career at Wayne State University.
She committed this past summer to play for the Warriors, a program she’s felt connected to for years. Not only is assistant coach Andy Ayrault a family friend, but Zinn caught the eye of head coach Carrie Lohr while hitting deep 3-pointers as an eighth grader at a team camp.
“I’m really excited,” Zinn said. “I’m getting more and more excited, especially since the new year is here and knowing this is the year that I’m going away and playing there. I know a lot of my teammates already. Wayne State feels like another home to me. That’s what was most important in my decision.”
Genesee won’t be without Zinns, either. While Mike and Megan will continue coaching, there’s also another player coming through, as Averie and Ryleigh's younger sister Maylee Zinn will be a freshman next season.
“I’d say the (age) gap for me and Maylee is like one year too far,” Averie said. “Me and Ryleigh played together, we would go to trainings together. We got super close that year (they were teammates). I always say that to my mom, that I wish I was back a year so I could get that year with Maylee. She’s pretty good.”
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) Genesee’s Averie Zinn (0) gets to the rim during her team’s 71-30 win over Birch Run on Dec. 22. (Middle) Zinn elevates for a shot while defended by a pair of Panthers. (Photos by McInchak Family Photography.)