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.)
McLaughlin Building Meridian Legacy with Record Scoring, Unmatched Success
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
January 15, 2025
Halen McLaughlin wasn’t aware she had broken the Sanford Meridian career scoring record when her coach called timeout to make sure the accomplishment was properly recognized.
She just knew she had hit a layup and was about to go to the free-throw line for a chance at a 3-point play, and she wasn’t super thrilled about the interruption.
“She was like, ‘Why are you calling a timeout? Are you trying to ice me?’” Meridian girls basketball coach Tanner Smith said. “I was like, ‘No, you just broke the record.’ For me, that shows she’s more of a team-first kid. She just knew she had to score to help us.”
McLaughlin has been scoring to help Meridian win games for three-plus seasons, and now she’s done it more than anyone to ever wear a Mustangs uniform. As a junior, she became the first girls basketball player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points, and on Jan. 9 she passed Ron Fillmore for the most in school history regardless of gender. Filmore’s old record was set at 1,641 in the early 1980s, and McLaughlin scored 30 in a win against Pinconning on a night she needed just 10 to break it. Her total is up to 1,689 with more than half this season to play.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” McLaughlin said. “I couldn’t have done it on my own. … It means a lot (to pass Fillmore). I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s done. I was told that he played three sports and was really solid at all of them. It’s cool that I was able to accomplish something like that, but honestly for me it was so surreal because I’ve put in so much time and effort and energy into this game.”
McLaughlin is averaging 28 points per game for the Mustangs, who are 7-2 on the season. For her career, she’s averaging 21.4 ppg.
But more important for her, she has a career winning percentage of .886, as Meridian is 70-9 during her time. The Mustangs haven’t lost a Jack Pine Conference game during McLaughlin’s career, a win streak that has reached 48 games, and they’ve won 20 or more games all of her three full seasons.
That’s a remarkable record on its own, but even more so when considering her freshman season was the first winning season for the program since 2011-12.
“Coming into high school, I knew how their record was and I wanted to change that,” she said. “I’ve never been one that liked losing. I’m a big competitor, and I definitely wanted to get more wins than they had been. So much has changed, and I’ve been so happy to be a part of that, to help put in the work and be a part of that, and help show the younger players how hard work can help change a program and impact a game.”
Smith knew before McLaughlin enrolled in the high school that she had the potential, along with a strong Class of 2024, to lead a program renaissance.
“I saw her back in seventh grade,” Smith said. “They were double-, triple-teaming her, and she’s got her head up, making all the right passes.”
By that time, years of work had already been put in by McLaughlin, who began playing as a second grader and moved on to travel ball as a fifth grader after being noticed by Tim Kolnytis with Fast Break out of Midland. She’d eventually move to the Michigan Mystics, but credits Kolnytis for helping jump-start her career.
While her parents are not basketball players, she also credits them. Her mom coached her first rec team, and her dad has spent countless hours with her in their driveway, working on her game.
“I always say that’s where I get my handle, from playing on rocks,” McLaughlin said. “There were times where we were out there until 12 at night, 1 in the morning. I fell in love with it. There’s just something about the ball bouncing up to me. If I’m having a rough day at school or anything, I would go outside and play basketball. It was an escape for me, and I just loved it.”
As ready as she was when she got to high school, her first game still provided a rude awakening, as McLaughlin managed just six points in a 36-20 loss against Freeland.
“(Coach Smith) got into me right away,” McLaughlin said. “He said, ‘You’re scoring the ball. That’s what we need you to do.’ It hit hard, but I knew I was better than what I showed. Ever since then, it was a reminder to me that no matter what, you have to give it your all. That was definitely a turning point for me.”
It was a turning point for the program, too. The Mustangs won their next 18 games, and McLaughlin averaged 17.5 points per game as a freshman.
She’s only improved, averaging between 23 and 24 points per game both of her next two seasons before settling in near 30 this year. She’s also filling the stat sheet in other ways, averaging 4.5 assists, eight rebounds and 5.1 steals per game this winter.
“You’re not going to take the ball from her; she’s that good of a dribbler,” said Smith, who called McLaughlin a three-level scorer who can finish equally well with either hand at the rim. “I think one huge trait that people overlook is that she’s a phenomenal passer. … I think some people question her top-end speed, but to me, she’s like a comparison to Luka Doncic. She’s not going to blow you away with super speed, but she plays with pace and has a variety of moves and counters to get her to where she needs to be.”
McLaughlin is zeroing in on a college decision, with Lake Superior State and Wayne State as her finalists. When that announcement is out of the way, all her focus can turn to helping the Mustangs win a third District title during her four years. Her main goal, however, is to win the program’s first Regional title, something she and her teammates were a game away from accomplishing a year ago.
“Since I was a freshman in high school, I always wanted to have a Regional win on the board,” McLaughlin said. “All these achievements, all these awards are amazing, and I’m so blessed and grateful. But for me, it’s about winning. I want Meridian, these girls, to have a Regional win on the board. That’s the goal for me.”
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) Sanford Meridian’s Halen McLaughlin puts up a layup against Hemlock during last season’s District Final win at Pinconning. (Middle) McLaughlin holds up the celebratory basketball she received after becoming her school’s all-time leading scorer. (Photos courtesy of the Sanford Meridian girls basketball program.)