Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 27, 2025
Michigan is thawing out after last week’s deep freeze – and just in time.
This week’s schedule is full of top-notch girls basketball matchups – we mention five below, a few more elsewhere in this week’s “Report,” and we’ll be keeping an eye on Armada/Yale, Mio/Oscoda and several more as we continue surging into the regular season’s second half.
“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. Gaylord St. Mary 51, Indian River Inland Lakes 47 (OT) The Ski Valley Conference includes five teams at .500 or better and St. Mary (10-1) sits at the top thanks to this overtime win over the formerly co-leading Bulldogs (9-3).
2. DeWitt 51, Holt 38 The Panthers (12-1) avenged their lone loss, 47-39 on Dec. 6, and took a half-game lead in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue on the second-place Rams (8-4).
3. Stevensville Lakeshore 56, St. Joseph 44 This was another matchup for first place, and Lakeshore (8-1) leads the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West after handing St. Joseph (7-1) its lone loss.
4. Frankenmuth 39, Saginaw Heritage 31 These two met at the Martin Luther King Classic at Saginaw Valley State, the Division 2 Eagles (11-2) earning one of their best wins in downing the Division 1 Hawks (11-2).
5. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 49, St. Charles 40 Sacred Heart (11-0) sits atop the Mid-State Activities Conference and St. Charles (7-3) moved to second with this standings shifter.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance (14-1) The Phoenix have seen their last two seasons end with losses to the eventual Division 1 champions, and this could be their turn with an another impressive run so far including wins over Hartland (11-2), Detroit Cass Tech (10-4) twice and St. Clair Shores South Lake (11-4) among others. The lone loss was to Grass Lake (10-3) on Jan. 11, 53-49 in overtime, and Renaissance is carrying a 22-game winning streak in the Detroit Public School League Blue into this week after already clinching a third-straight league title.
Utica Ford (12-0) After last season’s campaign ended with an unanticipated loss to rival Utica High, Ford has stormed back beginning with a 46-point opening-night win over the Chieftains and continuing with a run that’s seen only one game decided by fewer than 13 points. Ford entered this winter coming off two straight Macomb Area Conference White championships and will face Utica Eisenhower (12-1) on Tuesday for first place in the MAC Red.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (9-2) A solid 62-45 win over Sault Ste. Marie (9-2) on Jan. 18 at the Jeff McDonald Memorial Showcase in Cadillac is their most recent game, but the Falcons will return from a 10-day break Tuesday hoping to pick back up on a five-game winning streak as they no doubt are eyeing a Feb. 7 home date with Frankenmuth (11-2) that could determine if they end up sharing the Tri-Valley Conference Red title. Freeland downed the Eagles in last season’s Regional Semifinal after two regular-season losses, and Frankenmuth won the first meeting this winter by 27. Freeland’s only other loss this winter came to Division 1 Saginaw Heritage (11-2).
Holland Christian (11-1) After two seasons of pushing Grand Rapids West Catholic in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue, Holland Christian is in the O-K Black this season and leading the league by two games after a first run through the schedule. A 53-41 win over second-place Zeeland East (10-4) has been arguably the most notable since the start of the new year, and the Maroons also did solid work with earlier one-basket wins over East Grand Rapids and Zeeland West. The lone loss came 58-44 to Grand Rapids South Christian – a potential District foe after also defeating Holland Christian in double overtime to win their bracket last year.
DIVISION 3
Pewamo-Westphalia (12-0) The Pirates are chasing what would be a first Central Michigan Athletic Conference championship since 2019-20 and lead Fowler (10-1) by a game through the first half of the league schedule thanks to a 46-43 win over the Eagles on Dec. 17. P-W’s three nonleague wins also have been close and notable; the Pirates opened with a 66-63 double-overtime victory over Division 1 East Lansing, edged Division 1 Lowell 47-46 at the end of December at Cornerstone University and followed that with a 53-50 win over Division 2 Flint Powers Catholic. The Fowler rematch is Feb. 5, and a Feb. 19 game at New Lothrop (11-1) also awaits.
Saugatuck (8-1) The Trail Blazers have built a solid lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Central as they seek a repeat championship, and all eight of their wins have come by at least 15 points as they seek to build on last year’s 22-2 run. The lone loss came to SAC Valley contender Lawton, 50-43 on Jan. 7, and the next time those two could meet would be a Division 3 Quarterfinal. In the meantime, a pair of matchups with South Haven (9-1) will be telling, as will later games with Kalamazoo Christian and league rival Gobles, Saugatuck having defeated the latter 50-26 on Jan. 17.
DIVISION 4
Leland (9-1) Keyed in part by a defensive effort giving up just 25.5 points per game, Leland has jumped from 11-13 last season to first place in the Northwest Conference. The only time the Comets have allowed more than 31 points was a double-overtime win over Maple City Glen Lake, 45-40, after Leland had lost by 21, 16 and nine to the Lakers last winter. A 46-36 toppling of Onekama was especially notable, and the Comets will be hoping for a similar result when they face second-place Frankfort for the first time Wednesday. Leland’s lone loss was 31-26 to Lake Leelanau St. Mary on Jan. 14, and they meet again Feb. 17.
Pittsford (13-0) The Wildcats won 18 games every one of the last three seasons, and they are off to another magnificent start this time with the return of coach Chris Hodos – who previously led the program to back-to-back Class D titles in 2016 and 2017 and stepped away after the 2018-19 season. The Wildcats are allowing just 22 points per game and lead the Southern Central Athletic Association East heading into Thursday’s matchup with second-place Hillsdale Academy; Pittsford won the first meeting by 20.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Negaunee (14-0) at Gladstone (11-0) – They are leading their respective leagues and may be the best of another very strong group in the Upper Peninsula this season.
Tuesday – Midland (10-1) at Saginaw Heritage (11-2) – These are two of the three teams in the Saginaw Valley League without a conference loss, and Midland also plays the third, Mount Pleasant, on Friday.
Tuesday – Blissfield (11-1) at Adrian Madison (11-1) – These two are tied atop the Lenawee County Athletic Association and won’t meet again until the league finale Feb. 21.
Friday – Tecumseh (10-1) at Chelsea (10-1) – Tecumseh leads Chelsea by a game in the Southeastern Conference White after winning their first meeting 53-41 on Jan. 9.
Friday – Rockford (14-1) at Grand Haven (11-1) – It’s the same story in the O-K Red as league leader Rockford won the first meeting with the second-place Buccaneers 60-48 on Jan. 3.
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PHOTOS (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia’s Elly Bengel launches a halfcourt shot that gave the Pirates an eight-point lead during their 58-34 win over Laingsburg on Jan. 16. (Middle) An Otsego player gets up a shot in the lane during her team’s win over Three Rivers on Dec. 19. (P-W/Laingsburg photo by Jim Pivarnik. Otsego/Three Rivers photo by Gary Shook.)
Paw Paw Following New Coach, Sophomore Standouts to Renewed Success
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
January 18, 2022
PAW PAW — New coach, new attitude and new results have sparked the Paw Paw girls basketball team to success it has not seen in years.
The new-look Red Wolves (7-2) will battle Otsego (10-1) on Friday, with the winner landing atop the Wolverine Conference.
That's been unvisited territory the last few seasons for Paw Paw, which finished with a 5-12 record last season and 6-15 two years ago.
“I thought they’d be better than the five games (they won) last year,” coach Ernie Ramirez said. “They’re exceeding my expectations right now.”
Two sophomores are instrumental in the turnaround.
At 6-foot-1, Katelyn Baney – who was honorable mention all-state last year – has already received a scholarship offer from Western Michigan University. She averages 13 points, 11.2 rebounds, three steals, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Because of a broken arm, Addison Roy played just four games during last year’s COVID-shortened season. But the 5-11 sophomore has been putting up numbers on the court this year as well, averaging 11.7 points per game, 12.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per contest.
Both have tallied five double-doubles, three times posting them together in the same game.
Baney honed her skills practicing with older players, including her sister, Allison, who was a senior when Baney was in third grade.
Ramirez said Baney may be young, but she is long in experience.
“With all the basketball she’s played, travel basketball, multiple games, if you add all those games, it’s probably like a senior’s worth of games,” he said.
“That’s unique. Sometimes all the games outside the school add up to another season.”
The coach said Roy has been a surprise.
“She works hard at her game,” he said. “She’s the one who says, ‘Hey Coach, can I stay 20 or 25 minutes after?’
“She’s going to be that girl who always improves because she works at her game. She is that quiet leader.”
Roy said the way she improves is by listening and watching.
“I try to really focus and be open to what everyone else has to say, take a little piece of advice from everyone because everyone has a little piece of advice to offer to help you become a better player,” she said.
“I also watch my teammates to see if I can do (what they’re doing) too, if it works for them.”
Seniors tasting success
Ramirez is especially happy that the three seniors on the team are experiencing a winning season.
“The girl that’s probably played the most varsity is Taylor Rickli,” he said. “She’s been there through thick and thin, the first girl they had to pull up (to varsity) when she got to high school.
“Jackie Villanueva has always been the ‘rah rah girl’ on the team. Sophia Griffin is also probably tired of having those losing seasons.”
The five juniors on the team are Hannah Conway, Leah Wilder, Sammi Jurgensen, Avery Vogel and Molly McNitt. Freshmen Grace Mitchell and AJ Rickli join them as well.
Baney said the key to this year’s team is “our team is stronger and has a greater knowledge of our sport of basketball.
“I think we click a little better and we all have the ultimate goal of wanting to win.”
Roy added that team chemistry has a lot to do with the Red Wolves’ success
“We all really do get along on and off the court, which helps a lot with playing as a team,” she said.
“I think we’re all sick of losing in any sport. Coming off a losing season makes you want to work harder.”
Baney said after her freshman year, she knows other teams are aware of her on the court: “I feel I do get targeted a lot and double-teamed, but it makes it even better that I’m seen that way through other people’s eyes.”
Ramirez said the sophomore is one of the team captains for a reason.
“You need one of those young people who can work with the middle school kids,” he said. “They see her as an example, not only on the court but off the court, too.
“I see some of the younger kids gravitate to her. She’s a little bit of a stats-stuffer, too.”
Ramirez said the young players are the future of the team, and that future looks bright.
The junior varsity is currently undefeated.
“The JV team pushes the varsity girls to keep playing the way they are because they want to get on varsity,” he said.
“That’s one of those good things where the program as a whole is getting better.”
Paw Paw a good fit
Ramirez, who is a research and development specialist at Zoetis in Kalamazoo, said he was helping a friend do some offseason coaching that included a few girls from Paw Paw.
They mentioned the varsity job might be open.
“I juggled it in my head because I was at Comstock,” he said. “Something pulled me over here.
“I already knew they had a core group of girls who were dedicated to the gym. That’s always a must for me.”
He said by June, he knew it was a good fit because “there were already girls lined up to do summer stuff with me, wanting to do a lot of scrimmaging and whatnot.”
Ramirez said the program’s success is a team effort, and not only from the players.
“I have a great coaching staff; it’s not just me,” he said. “Katie Steers is a new JV coach; my assistant coach Montana Martin is new and came with me from Comstock.
“They all played basketball at Trine University, so they’re a good woman example of teaching how to be a good high school and college athlete. I’m only as good as my coaching staff.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Paw Paw sophomores Addison Roy, left, and Katelyn Baney are leading a resurgent varsity this winter. (2) From top: Baney, Roy and coach Ernie Ramirez. (3) Roy gets in position for a rebound against Vicksburg. (4) Baney follows through on a free throw. (Action photos by Brent McNitt/1001 Words Photography. Head shots by Pam Shebest.)