Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 24, 2026
With Sunday’s announcement of this season’s Girls Basketball District seeds and matchups, more than 650 teams across the state now know their championship paths once the playoffs begin.
But the journey really started months ago – and there’s one more week left this regular season for contenders to build up momentum as they prepare to play for more. We detail some of what we've seen and what to expect below.
“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. Grass Lake 52, Brooklyn Columbia Central 42 These two have met in three straight Cascades Conference championship games, and Grass Lake (19-1) won its third straight title in adding to a previous victory this winter over Columbia Central (17-3).
2. Flint Powers Catholic 49, Saginaw Heritage 40 The Chargers (19-2) won this matchup of Saginaw Valley League division winners, sending Heritage to 15-6.
3. Goodrich 58, Fenton 27 The Martians (21-0) won their third-straight Flint Metro League overall championship, downing Fenton (14-8) for the second time this season.
4. Rockford 61, Grand Haven 41 The Rams (19-1) finished an outright championship run in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red and a season sweep of the Buccaneers (17-3).
5. Farmington Hills Mercy 60, South Lyon East 47 The Marlins (16-4) handed East (19-1) its only loss this season.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
DeWitt (16-4) The Panthers have wins over four teams with at least 15 victories this winter, and all four of DeWitt’s losses came to teams with at least 15 wins. Despite splitting with Holt, the Panthers finished just behind the Rams in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue, but could see Holt again in a Regional Final. DeWitt also has an opportunity to see East Lansing again in their District Final after falling to the Trojans in their second of two regular-season meetings.
Holt (15-4) After finishing second and tied for second in the CAAC Blue to DeWitt the last two seasons, Holt celebrated clinching the outright championship by finishing a regular-season sweep of East Lansing on Feb. 13. The Rams then followed with an impressive 52-51 win over Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richand and impressed as well despite falling to Haslett (18-2) by three points on Thursday. All four losses have come to opponents with at least 15 wins this season.
DIVISION 2
Warren Regina (15-5) The Saddlelites have tied last season’s win total with at least three more games to play, and one more victory will give them their highest total in at least 15 years. The losses came in clumps; Regina won its first seven games, lost five of the next seven, but have now won six straight. The Saddlelites finished third in a Catholic High School League Central West that also included Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (16-3) and Farmington Hills Mercy (16-4), both Division 1 teams.
Yale (19-1) The Bulldogs clinched a share of their third-straight Blue Water Area Conference title Friday and can make the championship outright Tuesday against second-place Armada – and after Yale and Armada shared the championship a year ago. The Bulldogs’ only loss this winter came to Division 1 New Baltimore Anchor Bay (17-2), and Armada in the teams’ first matchup is the only other opponent to get within single digits.
DIVISION 3
Kalamazoo Christian (15-3) Five of six teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley have winning records, and topping them is undefeated Kalamazoo Christian – which has won the title outright with an opportunity to finish a perfect league run against second-place Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep on Tuesday. The three Comets’ losses came to Division 1 and 2 opponents that are a combined 48-12, and K-Christian will be playing next week for a fourth-straight District title.
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (15-4) The Crusaders made a memorable jump last season starting 1-3 and ending as the Division 3 runners-up. They got rolling a little more quickly this winter and have won eight straight while clinching the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue title outright despite playing in a league that has four of six teams with at least 13 wins. Lutheran Northwest also has tested itself nonleague with losses to Division 1 Clarkston and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek and Division 2 St. Clair.
DIVISION 4
Mio (16-4) The Thunderbolts will seek to add to two straight trips to the Regional Semifinals when they begin their postseason march next week, and they’ll hope to secure a third-straight league title tonight when they play Hillman with a share of the North Star League Little Dipper championship on the line. Mio split back-to-back games with Au Gres-Sims, which has clinched a share of the title. Mia McGregor has passed 2,000 points this season as a junior and is in line to pursue the all-time MHSAA career scoring record next winter.
Portland St. Patrick (16-4) The Shamrocks have been championship contenders – and won their share – over the last several decades, but this season is a little different as past championship player and assistant coach Michelle Smith has taken over the program from longtime leader Al Schrauben. The success continues. While St. Patrick is fourth in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference – which features four teams with at least 16 wins – all of its losses have come to those other three teams, which all play in Division 3.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Kingston (21-0) at Deckerville (17-3) – This will finish determining one of the final league races still outstanding, as Kingston has clinched a share of the Big Thumb Conference Blue title but Deckerville can do the same by avenging an earlier 53-34 loss to the Cardinals.
Tuesday – Beaverton (17-2) at Standish-Sterling (17-3) – These two will face off for the overall Jack Pine Conference championship after also facing each other Friday, with Beaverton winning the first round 58-47.
Thursday – Belleville (21-0) vs. Howell (20-1) at Northville – This has been one of the most anticipated matchups in the state for weeks as the reigning Division 1 champion Tigers seek to finish as repeat overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association champs.
Thursday – Rockford (19-1) at Grand Rapids South Christian (20-0) – Both are strong candidates to finish at Breslin Center next month, the Rams in Division 1 and the Sailors in Division 2.
Thursday – Negaunee (19-1) at Gladstone (17-3) – Gladstone will be seeking to avenge a 30-19 loss to the Miners from Jan. 27, and they’re lined up to potentially see each other in a Division 2 District Final next week as well.
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PHOTOS (Top) Mio’s Mia McGregor (33) handles the ball during a game against Saginaw Arts & Sciences earlier this month. (Middle) Baraga's Danica Jahfetson directs the offense against Ishpeming. (Mio/SASA photo by Kolleth Photo. Baraga/Ishpeming photo by Cara Kamps.)
Belleville Succeeds in Breslin Return, Earns 1st Trip to Championship Day
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 21, 2025
EAST LANSING – Belleville has been chasing history since the start of the MHSAA Tournament.
The Tigers overcame a giant hurdle in pursuit of it Friday.
Belleville knocked off 2024 champion and perennial powerhouse West Bloomfield 60-55 in the first Division 1 Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
The Tigers (27-1) will play in their first Final at 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
“It means everything,” said sophomore Sydney Savoury, who tallied game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds. “We felt the heartache from the loss last year so we really wanted to change the outcome and we knew from the beginning of the season that we had a chance to do it, and we knew that we could have a lasting impact on our school.
“It’s an exciting moment and we know the pressure that comes with it, but it’s a good pressure.”
Belleville, which lost to Grand Blanc last year in their first trip to the Semifinals, had defeated West Bloomfield by double digits during the regular season.
However, coach Jason Wilkins figured the rematch would be more difficult, especially against a program that had advanced to the Breslin the past four years.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Wilkins said. “They are two-time state champs, and they’ve been here four years in a row, so we knew Coach (Darrin) McAllister would come with a gameplan and they were going to play hard. We came out and made a quick run, but we knew they were not going to back down.”
Belleville jumped out to an early double-digit lead during the first five minutes as junior Se’Crette Carter knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a commanding 21-5 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
“That’s how we play,” Wilkins said. “In every game we make a run, it’s just a matter of when, and we made it in the first quarter. We knew we had to withstand their run, and us getting out to a big lead helped us.”
The Lakers (19-9) rallied in the second quarter and trimmed the deficit to 21-13 on a mid-range jumper by Sheridan Beal. Ava Lord drained a 3-pointer for West Bloomfield later in the first half to make it 28-23.
The Lakers continued to make a push in the third quarter. A driving lay-up by Breasia Gamble-Jones cut the Belleville lead to only two (31-29).
However, the Tigers responded with a 9-2 run and led 45-36 entering the final quarter. A three-point play from Paisley Stephens with 2:17 left sealed it for Belleville.
West Bloomfield, which returned only one starter from last year’s championship team, started the season 1-4 before winning 16 of their next 19 games.
“A lot of people counted us out,” McAllister said. “We lost four dynamic players, and we had players still understanding how to play their roles. Nobody thought we could get here, but the crazy part about it is we knew that we could get here.
“This has been an incredible journey just getting back here, and we had a slow start (today) and were like deer in headlights, but we had an opportunity to settle down and come together and showed we could play with the big boys.”
Beal and Gamble-Jones both finished with 17 points for West Bloomfield, while Londyn Hall had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Carter made four 3-pointers and added 18 points for Belleville. Stephens, a freshman guard, chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Rylan Buschell, one of only two seniors on Belleville’s roster, was thrilled to get over the hump and have an opportunity to play for the school’s first Finals title.
“We worked hard all summer and during the year, and we always wanted to come back here,” she said. “Last year was a heartbreak, but we just wanted to make it to the last day and make it count.”
PHOTOS (Top) Belleville’s Sydney Savoury places her school on the championship game line of the Division 1 bracket after the Tigers’ clinched their first Finals berth Friday at Breslin Center. (Middle) Belleville’s Jaida Quinn (5) and Iyana Stephens defend as West Bloomfield’s Breasia Gamble-Jones considers her options. (Photos by Keionna Banks/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)