Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 2, 2026
This month's girls basketball championships will once again cap the MHSAA winter tournament schedule, and nearly 670 teams will play in Districts this week with dreams of finishing this three-week run on the season's final day.
We always switch up our “Breslin Bound” format once the MHSAA Tournament starts, as last week’s most intriguing results below are followed this time by glances at three District brackets of note in each division. Host sites are bolded, and teams playing in those brackets are listed by seed as determined by Michigan Power Ratings (MPR).
Everything you could want to know this week about tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Girls Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network.
“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. Howell 59, Belleville 51 The Highlanders (21-1) claimed the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association title by handing reigning Division 1 champion Belleville (21-1) its first loss since Feb. 1, 2025, breaking the Tigers’ 35-game winning streak.
2. Grand Rapids South Christian 52, Rockford 50 The Sailors (22-0) capped a perfect regular-season run by handing the Rams (20-2) their first defeat since Dec. 16.
3. Morenci 39, Blissfield 38 The Tri-County Conference champions Bulldogs completed a 21-1 regular season by edging the Lenawee County Athletic Association-winning Royals (18-3).
4. Negaunee 41, Gladstone 36 Negaunee also capped its regular season at 21-1 by finishing a series sweep of Gladstone (18-4) in a matchup of two more league champs and arguably the best teams in the Upper Peninsula.
5. Beaverton 53, Standish-Sterling 29 Four days after defeating Standish-Sterling (17-4) by 11 in league play, the Beavers (19-2) claimed the overall Jack Pine Conference title by winning this rematch as well.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold, and teams are listed by seed:
DIVISION 1
Midland
1. Midland (17-5), 2. Mount Pleasant (16-6), 3. Midland Dow (14-8), 4. Bay City Western (12-10), 5. Bay City Central (1-21).
This bracket includes the entire Saginaw Valley League North except for champion Saginaw Heritage. Midland finished second to the Hawks, a game back, with Mount Pleasant third although those two split their series, the Chemics winning 44-29 on Jan. 9 and the Oilers taking the rematch 48-41 on Feb. 10. Dow lost twice to both of those teams but only by a point to Mount Pleasant the second time.
Muskegon Mona Shores
1. Rockford (20-2), 2. Muskegon (19-2), 3. Cedar Springs (16-5), 4. Greenville (16-6), 5. Muskegon Mona Shores (12-10), 6. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (12-9).
The Rams were Division 1 runners-up last season and have reached at least the Semifinals the last four year. But Muskegon is one of only two teams to defeat Rockford this winter, 58-51 on Dec. 16, and has made an eight-win jump from a year ago. This bracket also includes the River Cities Alliance champion (Cedar Springs) and runner-up (Greenville) among six teams all with winning records.
Utica Eisenhower
1. Utica Eisenhower (19-2), 2. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (18-4), 3. Romeo (16-6), 4. Rochester (10-11), 5. Utica (4-18).
The District bracket is headlined by a pair of league champions – Eisenhower from the Macomb Area Conference Red and Stoney Creek after sharing the Oakland Activities Association Red title. But MAC White runner-up Romeo also is an intriguing contender despite a Dec. 19 loss to Eisenhower, 50-32, and Rochester defeated Stoney Creek 48-29 in their rematch just nine days ago. Eisenhower did also end the regular season with an impressive 50-44 win over Saginaw Valley League South champion Flint Powers Catholic.
DIVISION 2
Non-Traditional (top line hosts)
1. Negaunee (21-1), 2. Kingsford (15-5), 3. Gladstone (18-4), 4. Houghton (16-6), 5. Escanaba (2-17).
There’s an argument to be made that Negaunee and Gladstone – the respective champions of the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference and Great Northern Conference – have been the best in the Upper Peninsula this season. But the top four teams in this bracket are so close statistically that in the week since Districts were seeded Houghton has moved up to second in MPR and Kingsford down to fourth. Negaunee finished a regular-season sweep of Gladstone on Thursday, but last year did the same and Gladstone downed the Miners for the District title. Houghton finished second in the West PAC, and Kingsford was runner-up in the GNC – and Houghton defeated the Flivvers 40-36 on Feb. 19.
Cadillac
1. Big Rapids (17-4), 2. Fremont (19-3), 3. Cadillac (13-8), 4. Ludington (14-8), 5. Reed City (12-10), 6. Newaygo (12-9).
This rare bracket with six teams with winning records seems full of possibilities. Big Rapids, Newaygo and Reed City were the top three teams in the Central State Activities Association Red, respectively, while Ludington and Fremont shared the West Michigan Conference Lakes title and Cadillac is coming off a third-place finish in the Big North Conference. Cadillac defeated Ludington 44-31 on Feb. 9, which will be notable if both reach Friday. But any number of scenarios could play out, including a rematch of those Lakes champs after Fremont won their first meeting by 12 but Ludington won the second by a point in double overtime.
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills
1. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (21-0), 2. Grand Rapids West Catholic (16-5), 3. Allendale (10-12), 4. Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (9-13), 5. Wyoming Lee (1-17).
The intrigue of this bracket centers on the expected championship matchup between the top seeds. Covenant Christian has nine wins over opponents with at least 14 this winter, including league champs Cedar Springs, Big Rapids, Kalamazoo Christian, Shelby and Holland Christian. West Catholic – the Division 2 runner-up last year – finished second in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold to undefeated South Christian but has its share of wins over league champs as well, downing Parma Western, Saginaw Heritage, Tecumseh, Frankenmuth and Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
DIVISION 3
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep
1. Kalamazoo Christian (16-4), 2. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (18-4), 3. Lawton (13-8), 4. Comstock (1-21).
Kalamazoo Christian finished one game ahead of Hackett in winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title, claiming their Jan. 23 meeting by 32 points – but losing the rematch by one last Tuesday. Still, that was the Comets’ first defeat in over a month, breaking an eight-game winning streak. Similarly, that win was part of an 11-game winning streak for the Irish that ended with a loss to Hopkins on Friday. Lawton is another intriguing contender; it’s won seven of its last eight games, with defeats by only one to K-Christian in the midst and two to Hackett before starting the run.
Napoleon
1. Jackson Lumen Christi (18-3), 2. Grass Lake (20-2), 3. Hanover-Horton (17-5), 4. Springport (8-12), 5. Napoleon (5-17), 6. East Jackson (4-18).
The Titans capped their regular season with a 58-56 win over Beaverton (19-3) on Saturday and just as impressively lost to Rockford by only five last Tuesday. They reached the Quarterfinals last season having defeated Grass Lake in the District Final. Grass Lake fell in its regular-season finale to another Division 1 power, Wayne Memorial, by six points, but that was the Warriors’ first defeat since losing to Rockford on Dec. 13. Grass Lake had a big win over Hanover-Horton to start January, but the Comets’ only other losses were two apiece to Brooklyn Columbia Central (18-4) and Division 2 Michigan Center (19-3).
Ovid-Elsie
1. Pewamo-Westphalia (20-2), 2. Hemlock (20-2), 3. Ovid-Elsie (15-6), 4. Ithaca (12-10), 5. St. Louis (11-11), 6. Chesaning (10-11).
A pair of league champions with significant tournament experience anchor both sides of this bracket, with the Central Michigan Athletic Conference’s Pirates having lost to only Division 1 Saginaw Heritage (16-6) and Division 2 Flint Powers Catholic (19-3), and the Tri-Valley Conference Blue’s Huskies fell only to Division 1 Midland Dow (14-8) and Division 2 Freeland (16-6). P-W and Hemlock both won District titles last season. Ovid-Elsie has won at least 18 games the last four seasons and will get to that number again with a championship this week. The Marauders played a good handful of Division 1 and 2 teams as well this season and finished second in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference.
DIVISION 4
Hale
1. Mio (18-4), 2. Au Gres-Sims (19-3), 3. Hale (14-5), 4. Fairview (4-12), 5. Whittemore-Prescott (2-12).
The expected District Final in this bracket would be the third matchup this season between Au Gres-Sims and Mio, which played each other twice over four days in mid-February with Au Gres winning the first by seven and Mio the rematch by four. That led to their sharing the North Star League Little Dipper title. Placing third was Hale, which is a combined 31-11 over the last two seasons and took Au Gres to overtime in their first meeting this winter.
Ishpeming
1. Ishpeming (18-3), 2. Munising (16-5), 3. Cooks Big Bay de Noc (18-2), 4. Eben Junction Superior Central (5-12), 5. Rapid River (5-16).
The Hematites are only two seasons removed from winning the Division 4 title, and they’ve looked to be in similar form most of this season with losses to only Division 2 Negaunee (21-1), Gladstone (18-4) and Houghton (16-6). Ishpeming also defeat Munising significantly in their lone regular-season matchup Feb. 16, but the Mustangs have won three straight District titles and know what it takes as well at this time of year. Big Bay de Noc is intriguing and takes on Munising on Wednesday. The Black Bears won the Northern Lights League and have totaled at least 16 victories four straight seasons.
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
1. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (16-6), 2. St. Charles (17-5), 3. Bay City All Saints (14-7), 4. Merrill (15-7), 5. Saginaw Arts & Sciences (10-10), 6. Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (4-18).
St. Charles and Merrill finished first and second, respectively, in the Mid-State Activities Conference East, while MLS was runner-up to Hemlock in the TVC Blue and All Saints won the Big Thumb Conference Red title. MLS opened this season with a 53-44 win over St. Charles, defeated All Saints 60-51 on Jan. 29 and Merrill 54-34 a week later, and may have to see two of those again with Merrill playing SASA tonight on their side of the bracket and St. Charles and All Saints possible Friday opponents.
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PHOTOS (Top) Ishpeming's Jenessa Eagle is defended by Bark River-Harris's Emma Zawada (14) and Melinah Cortez (21) during the Hematites’ 77-45 victory last Tuesday. (Middle) Davison’s Samantha Beller (22) works to get past her Linden defender during the Cardinals’ 49-33 victory also Tuesday. (Ishpeming/Bark River-Harris photo by Cara Kamps. Davison/Linden photo by Terry Lyons.)
Westwood Sets Sights on Past Heights
December 20, 2018
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ISHPEMING – The Westwood Patriots do not have a senior on their girls basketball roster and only two players stand as tall as 5-foot-9.
But don’t overlook this team.
Five juniors who played extensively a year ago provide the leadership and experience, while two sophomores and a promising freshman show excellent potential in the challenging Mid-Peninsula Conference. And they play for a team that is steeped in tradition and success, including a 2003 Class C championship.
Kurt Corcoran, a former Westwood cager, is in his seventh season as head coach. His assistant coach is Irv Dieterle, who is second in the Upper Peninsula among boys basketball coaches with 555 wins. Corcoran played for Dieterle in the 1990s.
“Irv is one of my very best friends in life now,” said Corcoran. “At times I was so angry and frustrated with him as a teenage boy. Now we can sit over a cup of coffee and laugh and laugh and laugh.
“I have the best assistant coach possibly in the nation. I feel very privileged to have him as a friend, assistant and mentor.”
Dieterle provides suggestions at halftime or when asked on the bench. “I would be crazy not to heed his advice,” said Corcoran, who is in charge of this team.
With the lack of size, the Patriots use solid defense and rely heavily on the shooting skills of junior Madi Koski, a three-year starter who was all-conference and All-U.P. as a freshman. In their most recent game, Dec. 18, Koski scored 21 points and hit two 3-point baskets to help subdue Gladstone 50-32.
“Madi is a stone-cold killer when it comes to scoring,” said Corcoran. “I’ll put her shot up against anybody (in high school).”
Her sister Jillian is a freshman with outstanding promise playing like most freshmen riding the roller coaster of success and mis-adventures. She did not score against Gladstone but had 17 points against archrival Ishpeming on Dec. 10.
“They are not the same player. Jillian will sacrifice her body, but Madi is a little more reserved diving into those (piles of) bodies,” said Corcoran. “(Jillian) is a real good ball handler, probably one of the best I’ve seen, but she needs to get stronger and catch up to the speed of the game.”
Jillian Koski has been a point guard since forever but is now at shooting guard, with her sister at the point. “(Jillian) is not on anybody’s radar yet (but) she is catching up with the speed of the game. That takes at least 10 games,” said Corcoran. “She lets the game come to her. Madi has to score. Madi facilitates the game. She wears many hats (scoring, passing, defending).”
He said the young sisters “really have just one goal in common, and that is to win.”
Corcoran is trying to restore Westwood to the level of long-ago years when the Patriots were always among the Upper Peninsula’s elite teams under veteran coach Tom Hammar (nearly 400 career wins) and with such standouts as Sarah Stream and Megan Manninen, who both played in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State, respectively. Jessica Racine also played at Tech, and Chelsea Wealton was another standout.
Two years ago, the Patriots beat unbeaten Norway and all-stater Jordan Kraemer, and last year they beat unbeaten neighbor Negaunee in the District opener. Negaunee and Westwood, two of the best teams in the peninsula this season, will collide in the tourney opener in March after two regular-season league matchups.
“With the guard play we have now and in the future, our goals are set high,” said Corcoran. “But we have to get past that first game to even get out of Districts. I’d be lying if I didn’t say we have our sights set on making a run downstate. They have paid their dues; they want a state championship. That is not a secret, but that is also Negaunee’s goal and West Iron’s goal. That is everyone’s goal.”
Reaching that height would be a big change from where the Patriots were a couple of years ago. The Pats were 5-15 when Madi Koski and fellow junior standout Tessa Leece were in eighth grade.
“As freshmen, they came to a struggling program that had been down in the dumps. They were given the keys to the Cadillac as young teenagers and they really were not ready,” said Corcoran.
But the two frosh made an immediate impact and Corcoran said “from that moment forward the program took a turn for the better. They got to 12 wins and beat 18-0 Norway. (Madi Koski and Leece) are the lead dogs and are really comfortable in their lead roles. They really stepped into a big hole in the program.”
He said his junior aces spend 365 days a year in the gym, and that hard work is catching on with their teammates, such as junior Karlie Patron and sophomore Ellie Miller.
Leece’s sister Mallory is a freshman on the school’s junior varsity. With low numbers (eight varsity players, nine jayvees), the younger Leece stayed with the jayvees but could join the varsity for the postseason.
Corcoran said he is seeing many long-time Westwood fans returning to the gym as they hear about the program’s revival. “We’re turning heads a little bit and people are starting to notice,” he said, admitting that also generates pressure from parents, fans and administrators.
He pointed out the Westwood school district was born in 1974 through a consolidation that brought in students from Champion, National Mine and Michigamme. “Westwood is not a town,” he said of the area west of Ishpeming that covers about 700 square miles of woodlands and water and consists of multiple generational Westwood school families.
With just 17 girls in the basketball program, Corcoran was asked about the future of girls basketball, which in the U.P. has just seven freshmen teams.
He said youth travel programs have made a big impact in recent years – and goals can become misplaced on winning tournaments instead of how many players enjoy the sport enough to continue on into high school.
“They play little (weekend) tournaments and everybody has fun, they have pizza parties at their hotel. Then they get to the high school level and coaches hold you accountable," Corcoran said. "We practice seven days a week, there are no pizza parties, no trophies. They’re in ninth grade and they already have a seven-year career and they’re not having fun anymore.”
“Basketball is a way of life up here and we take it seriously. With that comes a lot of hard work, too.”
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012 and currently is in a second stint as the interim in that position. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) Westwood's Tessa Leece (2) drives to the basket while Ishpeming's Emma Poirier defends last week. (Middle) Poirier (2) is pressured by Westwood's Jillian Koski as she heads to the basket. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)