Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 22, 2024
The second half of this girls basketball regular season is upon us, and with it several teams are finding their ways into our “Breslin Bound” conversation.
The biggest headliner of last week certainly was East Kentwood, and we explain why below. The Falcons have just one loss this winter, but 19 teams have reached this point without experiencing defeat – and we discuss five of those as well, along with others continuing to emerge with six weeks remaining until the start of District play.
“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. East Kentwood 60, Rockford 54 The Falcons (10-1) handed reigning Division 1 champion Rockford (10-1) its first loss since Dec. 22, 2022, breaking the Rams’ 33-game winning streak and taking over first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red.
2. Portage Central 54, Stevensville Lakeshore 44 The Mustangs (9-0) won this matchup of undefeated teams to move a game ahead of Lakeshore (8-1) in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West standings.
3. Goodrich 44, Lake Fenton 36 The Martians (11-0) remained perfect and further avenged last season’s three regular-season losses to reigning Flint Metro League Stars and overall champion Lake Fenton (8-4).
4. Frankfort 59, St. Ignace 45 The Panthers (8-3) crossed the Bridge and won St. Ignace’s B.C. Pizza Classic, defeating the Saints (9-3) in the final after downing Menominee on Friday to advance.
5. Freeland 67, Chelsea 61 Freeland’s Falcons (9-1) won a matchup of Division 2 hopefuls, avenging last season’s 58-52 loss to the Bulldogs (8-3).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance (12-0) Coming off last season’s 23-2 finish and run to the Division 1 Semifinals, Renaissance has raced back into contention with an early 53-46 win over reigning Division 2 champion Lansing Catholic and victories over Romulus and Detroit Country Day also among the most impressive. The Phoenix downed Muskegon 65-43 on Saturday and can clinch at least a share of the Detroit Public School League Blue title in its next game, next Monday against Detroit Cass Tech.
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (9-0) With five of six teams in the Oakland Activities Association Red at 6-4 or better, and reigning Division 1 runner-up West Bloomfield sharing the league lead, Stoney Creek’s start is even more impressive. But the Cougars put themselves in this conversation a few seasons ago and have built on last year’s 17-7 run with victories over nine-win Romeo and Clarkston and by handing Royal Oak its lone loss. The first meeting with West Bloomfield comes up Jan. 30.
DIVISION 2
Adrian Madison (9-2) The Trojans moved into Division 2 this season after several in Division 3, and also switched to the Lenawee County Athletic Association from the Tri-County Conference. So far, so very good, as Madison already has bettered last season’s 7-15 record and sits just a half-game behind Blissfield in the league standings with their first of two meetings coming up Tuesday. What’s more, all but one of Madison’s opponents has a winning record or would if not for losing to the Trojans.
Paw Paw (8-1) The Red Wolves have finished second in the Wolverine Conference the last two seasons but could be the team to chase this winter. They defeated reigning champion Vicksburg 60-50 in their second game this season, which remains the Bulldogs’ only loss. Paw Paw did follow up that win with an 87-85 double-overtime loss to Edwardsburg, but the Red Wolves came back to defeat the Eddies 58-53 last week and then handed Otsego its first conference loss Friday, 55-39. Paw Paw plays Vicksburg again Feb. 2.
DIVISION 3
Kalamazoo Christian (8-1) Last season’s 22-4 run included a perfect 10-0 record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley, and the Comets are halfway to repeating the latter accomplishment as they sit in first, one game ahead of rival Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep. Christian’s only loss was 68-44 to Grand Rapids Covenant Christian on Jan. 5 in their first game after break, and Martin and Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian are among upcoming opponents that should give the Comets similar tests as they ready for an intriguing postseason.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (8-2) Arbor Prep’s opponents have won 78.4 percent of their games this season, and yet Arbor Prep has bested that with losses only to undefeated Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard and one-loss Jackson Northwest. The Gators handed the only defeat to Flint Powers Catholic, 51-43, and as usual for the Division 3 contenders have a schedule loaded with challenges the rest of the way including undefeated Detroit Edison. Only one of Arbor Prep’s final 12 regular-season opponents doesn’t have a winning record at this point.
DIVISION 4
Gobles (6-3) As we move toward the midway point of the regular season for most of the state’s girls teams, Gobles ranks high in Division 4 Michigan Power Rating in part because of good losses to SAC Central rivals Martin and Saugatuck, both 8-1, and with its third defeat coming from Kalamazoo Christian (see above). Gobles also has defeated Hackett and opened the season with a 52-39 win over Watervliet, which ended the Tigers’ 2022-23 in the District. The Saugatuck rematch comes up Friday, and the second meeting with Martin is Feb. 2.
Portland St. Patrick (7-2) The Shamrocks have loaded the schedule again this winter, taking a loss to 2023 Division 2 semifinalist Grand Rapids West Catholic but handing Division 3 Ovid-Elsie its first defeat last week 51-45. St. Patrick followed the latter with a 56-33 win over reigning Central Michigan Athletic Conference champion Dansville. The Shamrocks also fell to one-loss Fowler 69-63 on Dec. 14, and that rematch is coming up Feb. 2 – but they certainly will be dialed in first for Wednesday’s home game against undefeated Bath, which with Fowler leads the CMAC this winter.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Thursday – Harbor Beach (10-1) at Sandusky (10-1) – These two are first and second, respectively, in the Greater Thumb Conference East, after Harbor Beach won the first meeting 30-26 on Jan. 2.
Friday – East Kentwood (10-1) at Grand Haven (10-1) – They join Rockford at 10-1 overall and as noted above, East Kentwood defeated Rockford last week to move into first alone in the O-K Red.
Friday – Fowler (9-1) at Bath (8-0) – Both are undefeated in CMAC play heading into their first of two meetings, the second set for Feb. 27.
Friday – Frankenmuth (8-2) at Freeland (9-1) – The Eagles hold a one-game edge in the Tri-Valley Conference Red thanks to their 53-51 win over the Falcons on Dec. 8.
Saturday – Rockford (10-1) vs. Lansing Catholic (7-3) at Calvin University – The reigning Division 1 and 2 champions, respectively, meet in the 6 p.m. game at the Calvin University Showcase.
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PHOTOS (Top) Otsego's Tessa Prough (31) puts up a shot during her team's 61-31 win over Sturgis last week. (Middle) A Clare player gets to the basket during her team's 51-36 win over Ithaca. (Top photo by Gary Shook; middle photo by High School Sports Scene.)
Young Bedford Emerges with Quarterfinal Run
March 18, 2019
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
TEMPERANCE – The timing of girls basketball season in Michigan was about to change, and Temperance-Bedford boys and girls basketball coach Bill Ryan knew he had a difficult choice.
It was about that time that 10 girls walked into his Bedford High School classroom and asked him to remain their basketball coach. It was a slam dunk decision.
“I have no regrets about that,” said Ryan, who will coach the Mules in Tuesday’s Division 1 Quarterfinal against Wayne Memorial after winning his second Regional championship last week. “None.”
Ryan has had a string of success coaching the Bedford girls, including a 25-1 team in 2008-09 and this year’s team that turned some heads in southeast Michigan by going 20-5 and reaching the Quarterfinals despite carrying just two seniors on its roster and being led in scoring and rebounding by freshmen.
“I knew we would be okay,” said Ryan. “But the Southeastern Conference is so strong. Saline had a real solid team, and Ann Arbor Pioneer is loaded. I knew we would be good, but I didn’t know what the wins and losses would look like.”
This is Ryan’s fourth run into the Quarterfinals. He was an assistant coach on two Bedford girls teams that made consecutive trips to the Class A Quarterfinals in the early 2000s. He was the Bedford boys varsity basketball coach from 2001 to 2007.
He spent three seasons coaching both varsity teams. When the seasons shifted beginning with 2007-08, however, that was no longer possible. That’s when the girls came to his classroom and said they wanted him to remain their coach and keep the program rolling.
Ryan, who played basketball at Bedford, is 244-101 as the Mules girls varsity coach. Combined with 72 victories in his seven boys seasons, he now has 316 wins at his alma mater.
“They just said, ‘Let’s stay together,’” Ryan said. “Several of the girls were sophomores at the time. They were a coach’s dream. If I was having an open gym or something all I would have to do is call one girl and they would all be there. It ended up being a good move for me.”
Ryan has made all the right moves from the sidelines of this Kicking Mules team. In addition to its tough SEC schedule, Ryan piled onto its slate a handful of high-quality teams from northwest Ohio to help the Mules get ready for not only the conference battles but the MHSAA Tournament. That is paying dividends now as Bedford has won 13 of its past 14 games.
“We had two really good games in the Region to advance,” Ryan said. “I think our District got us ready for those games.”
Bedford started the season blazing hot, winning its first five games, including two to claim the Southgate Holiday Tournament championship. That’s when the Mules hit a rough patch – dropping four of six games, including three SEC Red games. The Jan. 18 loss to Monroe was a turning point, Ryan said.
“We let a 10-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter,” Ryan said. “Monroe is a big rival for us. That didn’t sit well with a lot of girls. There were no team meetings or anything like that, but they were aware.”
By then Ryan had also turned to 6-foot-2 freshman Sophia Gray and his 5-11 freshmen daughter, Grace Ryan, for more productivity. They responded in a big way. Grace leads the team in scoring at about 9.5 points a game. It’s a typical Ryan-coached team, however, where the girls seemingly take turns leading the team in scoring and several average around the 7-10 point mark.
“They could start for us, but I like the way things have worked out,” he said. “They come in about the 4-minute mark, sometimes the 2-minute mark, and they give us an immediate spark. Once they learned the nuances of our defense, I had no inhibitions about leaving them out there at key points of the game.”
Ryan and Gray both came into the season ready to play.
“They are friends, and they have played together all along,” Ryan said. “They have played some AAU and travel ball. They’ve played a lot of basketball, competitive basketball, against a lot of good competition. When they get to the varsity, they’ve played against a lot of great players already. They are not in awe of anyone. They were ready for the rigors of varsity basketball.”
The team has been balanced all season, but during the tournament run that sharing of the scoring wealth seems to have taken on even greater meaning.
In the Regional Semifinal win over Detroit Cass Tech, 6-1 sophomore Molly Koviak scored 14 points and Ryan 12. In the Regional Final win over Dearborn Heights Crestwood, junior Aubrie Zeunen and Savannah Killinen shared the team lead with 12 points each while junior Madison Norton and Ryan each scored 10 points.
Bedford’s two seniors are Selena Sandoval and Sarah Koviak, and both play important roles on the team. Killinen is a talented 5-7 sophomore.
“She has some swag about her that we really like,” Ryan said.
After the Regional championship, Killinen didn’t seem fazed by the fact the Mules were headed to the elite eight.
“It feels good, especially since we are a really young team,” she said. “This is what we’ve dreamed of – to see it come true is awesome,” she said.
The Kicking Mules will get its toughest test to date Tuesday against 23-2 Wayne Memorial, a team loaded with college signees and next-level prospects.
“It’s a win-win game for us,” Ryan said. “I wanted them to get a deep run into the tournament to get that experience. To win a Regional is just the cherry on top. But I wouldn’t put anything past our girls. They don’t cower to anyone, and I know they’ll be fighting to the end. We wear the underdog role pretty well.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTO: Temperance Bedford girls basketball coach Bill Ryan talks things over with his players during a game this season. (Photo by Vanessa Ray.)