Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Post-Break
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 5, 2026
Holiday break is over, and school is back in session – and the great majority of Michigan’s high school girls basketball teams will be through the first quarter of their seasons by the end of this week.
There’s plenty to catch up on from the last two, so we’ll jump right in with our first “Breslin Bound” report of the 2026 calendar year.
“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 54, Tecumseh 52 The Falcons (6-1) avenged their 54-44 loss to Tecumseh (6-1) in last season’s Division 2 championship game.
2. Rockford 52, Howell 36 The Rams (5-1) handed the Highlanders (6-1) their lone loss this season in a semifinal of their Cornerstone University Holiday Classic Gold bracket.
3. Freeland 57, Hemlock 43 The Falcons moved to 3-2 at the Huskie Holiday Classic in handing host Hemlock (6-1) its only defeat.
4. Niles Brandywine 60, Kent City 42 These two were undefeated when they met Dec. 30 at Kalamazoo College, and Brandywine remains 5-0 while Kent City is 4-2.
5. Tecumseh 41, Detroit Edison 28 Although Tecumseh did finish holiday break with a loss, it started with this notable win over Edison (4-3) at the Detroit Renaissance Phoenix Classic.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Belleville (5-0) The reigning Division 1 champion Tigers defeated host Detroit Renaissance at the Phoenix Classic at the start of break and followed that up with their most impressive victory to date – a 65-50 win over Indianapolis Lawrence Central, arguably the top team in Indiana after winning a state championship in 2024 and finishing 22-2 a year ago. Belleville finished 28-1 last season, and will have a chance to avenge that lone loss a second time when it travels to Wayne Memorial on Jan. 16.
Wayne Memorial (5-0) The Zebras also own a win over Renaissance and have allowed only Muskegon to come within double digits, downing the Big Reds 55-48 at the West Michigan Hoop Summit at Aquinas College. Wayne and Belleville both play in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East and will see each other twice, and the Zebras nearly made it a third time last winter falling a win shy as their playoff run ended in the Division 1 Semifinals.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids South Christian (6-0) The Sailors defeated Coopersville and Muskegon Reeths-Puffer in Cornerstone University Holiday Classic games, the latest victories from a start that’s seen every win by double digits and the closest 10-pointers over Hudsonville Unity Christian and Holland Christian. South Christian finished 24-3 a year ago with two losses to Grand Rapids West Catholic – Tuesday’s opponent – including by two points in a season-ending Quarterfinal.
Negaunee (7-0) This team surely entered this winter extra motivated after suffering its only loss last season in a District Final. The highlight of the Miners’ strong start arguably has been a 45-39 win over reigning Division 4 runner-up Ewen-Trout Creek as part of Negaunee’s Irontown Holiday Bash. The Miners had defeated Kingsford the day before, and have won the rest of their games this winter by at least 11 points.
DIVISION 3
Jackson Lumen Christi (5-1) The Titans defeated Detroit Edison 50-49 on Saturday at the Detroit Cass Tech Showcase to add to an impressive start that’s also included double-digit wins over Michigan Center, Salem, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard and Mio. All but Salem currently have winning records, and Salem is 4-4. The only loss under first-year coach Scott Stine – who led Ypsilanti Arbor Prep to last year’s Division 3 title – came against Ohio’s Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, an Ohio state runner-up last season.
Union City (7-0) The Chargers already have surpassed last season’s 6-17 finish, avenging last-winter losses to Napoleon, Homer and a pair to Springport. Last year did provide a sign of improvement – Union City won more than four games for the first time since 2017-18 – and these first four weeks of 2025-26 could be signaling a big jump in process. Five of these first seven wins came by double digits.
DIVISION 4
Baraga (6-0) A pair of 12-point wins over L’Anse and Houghton have been the toughest challenges so far for the Vikings, who are seeking to advance past their District this season for the first time since finishing Division 4 runner-up in 2022-23. On Thursday they’ll face Hancock, which ended Baraga’s season at 16-7 last March. A trip to Ewen-Trout Creek on Jan. 13 could decide the Copper Mountain Conference title, as Baraga finished second and a game back of E-TC a year ago.
Petersburg Summerfield (7-0) Summerfield tied for second in the Tri-County Conference last season and ended its playoff run at 17-7 with a District loss to TCC champion Morenci – but will get its first opportunity to avenge last winter’s three losses to Morenci on Thursday at home. The only single-digit wins so far this winter came against Division 1 Ann Arbor Skyline and Monroe, and the Bulldogs also see Division 1 Allen Park on Tuesday before hosting their league rival.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Pewamo-Westphalia (4-0) at Flint Powers Catholic (5-1) – Powers is coming off its first loss, but can rebound quickly by avenging last year’s 53-50 loss to the Pirates.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids West Catholic (6-1) at Grand Rapids South Christian (6-0) – These two shared the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title last season, and West Catholic won their third meeting in a Division 2 Quarterfinal.
Tuesday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (5-1) at Warren Regina (7-0) – St. Mary’s was a co-champion in the Catholic High School League Central West last season and Regina looks like one of the contenders this winter.
Wednesday – Evart (4-0) at McBain (4-0) – These two are tied early atop the Highland Conference after Evart finished first and McBain tied for second last season.
Friday – Ishpeming (5-0) at Negaunee (7-0) – These two look like the top contenders again in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East after Negaunee won it and Ishpeming was second a year ago.
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PHOTOS (Top) Livonia Stevenson’s Bella Sapia (23) drives into the lane during her team’s win over Berkley on Dec. 23. (Middle) Negaunee's Clare O'Donnell looks for an open teammate during her team’s Dec. 19 win over Ishpeming Westwood. (Stevenson/Berkley photo by Douglas Bargerstock. Negaunee/Westwood photo by Cara Kamps.)
Tri-unity Ends Historic Run in Quarters
March 16, 2016
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
WYOMING – When the month of March rolls around at Wyoming Tri-unity Christian High School, it’s traditionally been a time for the community to rally around the boys basketball team for a lengthy postseason run.
The boys team has been a perennial state powerhouse in Class D for the past 20 years, winning four MHSAA Finals (1996, 2002, 2006, 2011) and earning four runner-up finishes.
This season, however, the girls basketball program enjoyed similar success with its own jaunt through the Class D tournament.
The Defenders won their first MHSAA Regional title last week with a 58-46 win over Climax-Scotts, upping their winning streak to 13 games after an 8-4 start. Tri-unity’s historic campaign ended Tuesday night with a disappointing 71-30 loss to unbeaten Pittsford in a MHSAA Class D Quarterfinal.
"Our goal was to do this,” Tri-unity coach Bryan Sinner said. “This is my third year, and our goal coming in was to bring some respect to the girls’ side of the program and that’s what we’re doing. The boys are going on a run, and we’re on a run, and it’s been fantastic for the school, especially for these girls now.”
The Defenders finished with a 21-5 overall record, and the banner season was something they knew was possible at the start of the season.
“I knew we could go far as long as we worked together,” said senior guard Sarah Buffum, a four-year varsity player who averaged a team-high 17.5 points per game.
“We had the talent, but we just had to come together as a team. We knew we could do it, and winning Regionals was so special, especially since it was the first time in school history. It meant a lot.”
Tri-unity’s other senior, center Marissa Stevenson, said it was thrilling to become the first team to reach the Quarterfinals.
“It was exciting to be noticed and make history for our school,” she said. “I think we were all in a lot of shock when we won, but throughout the season we learned our team chemistry, and our defense really picked up in this tournament. I had so much confidence in our team.”
Said Sinner: “They felt pretty special after that win, and they worked extremely hard for it. It’s a true blessing that we were able to do that, and the support from our fans and community has been fantastic. It’s gone back and forth between the girls and the boys, and it’s really great for our small school.”
The Defenders received a wealth of encouragement from the boys during their journey.
“The boys were supporting us along the way, and that was exciting to see,” Stevenson said. “It was nice to have their support behind us, and we give them our support, too.”
Tri-unity’s squad consisted of only 10 players: six juniors and a pair of sophomores joined the lone seniors.
After enduring two one-point losses on buzzer-beaters early in the season, as well as double-digit losses to Fruitport Calvary Christian and Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, the Defenders began to find their groove.
They gained confidence with each victory and built momentum for the postseason.
“The middle of the season we started coming together and playing as a team,” Sinner said. “I could see some special things happening. There was this determination and this commitment to going out there and leaving it all on the floor. You could see it in their eyes.”
Junior guard Cierra Smith provided a spark for Tri-unity, as did 6-foot sophomore Elasia Craig, who averaged 12 rebounds a game and set a school record for blocked shots with 82.
A demanding schedule, which included games against Class A, B and C squads, also factored into the Defenders’ success.
“Playing those schools helped us prepare and get ready for these months,” Sinner said. “I don’t think we’ve done that in the past, but we’re trying to do that now. I would rather take my lumps during the season in order to prepare us for this time in the season.”
The future of the girls program remains bright with the graduation of only Buffum and Stevenson. An experienced core will be back and a group of younger players are waiting in the wings.
“I have five freshmen playing now, and seven eighth-graders and 13 seventh-graders who are coming to these games and seeing the excitement,” Sinner said. “Hopefully it keeps growing this way.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sarah Buffum drives during Tuesday’s Quarterfinal loss to Pittsford. (Middle) Marissa Stevenson (42) works to get to the basket Tuesday. (Below) Elasia Craig provides plenty of hope for the future after setting a school record for blocked shots. (Photos by Chris Duzan.)