Breslin Bound: Girls District Review
March 10, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first week of the MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament is done, and what do we know so far?
There will be a new Class B champion this winter, and a number of emerging contenders could shake things up in all four classes.
See below for our take on four District champs from each class that especially stuck out during last week’s action; click to follow this week’s Regional Tournament. Next week’s Breslin Bound report will preview all 16 Quarterfinals.
Class A
Byron Center (18-5) – The Bulldogs have steadily climbed the last four seasons from sub-.500 in 2011-12, with this District title a nice crowning achievement no matter what happens this week. Byron Center opened with a five-point win over East Kentwood (11-10), then avenged last season’s District Final loss by beating Grand Rapids Christian (17-5) in this Semifinal, 48-44. Byron Center then downed Caledonia (15-7) in the championship game, 39-27.
Marquette (23-0) – The Redettes pushed their sphere of domination further downstate, extending their perfect run against some of the biggest and best from the northern Lower Peninsula. Marquette first beat Big North Conference champion Traverse City West (17-4), which had eliminated Marquette the last two seasons. The Redettes then beat Traverse City Central (9-12) in the Semifinal before finishing the run with a 65-41 win over Big North runner-up Gaylord (18-5).
Muskegon Mona Shores (20-3) – Mona Shores shared the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black title with Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (16-5) because it lost to the Rockets – twice – during the regular season. But the Sailors won with the season on the line, beating Reeths-Puffer 50-46 in the District opener. They then beat Grand Haven in the Semifinal and won the championship against Muskegon, which eliminated Mona Shores last winter.
Salem (19-4) – The Rocks followed up their Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship with three wins including two over familiar opponents. Salem opened with a three-point victory over Plymouth (17-4), which had eliminated the Rocks the last two seasons, and then beat Northville (13-8), which finished second to Salem in the KLAA Central. The Rocks moved on with a 42-29 win over Canton (11-11), last season’s Class A runner-up.
Class B
Midland Bullock Creek (23-0) – Arguably the favorite for the entire tournament, Bullock Creek had to survive an early scare and another strong opponent to advance. After beating Pinconning (8-11) in the opener, the Lancers just edged Bay City John Glenn (15-4) by a point, 40-39, in the Semifinal. Bullock Creek came back big in the Final with a 65-30 win over Gladwin (16-7).
Haslett (18-5) – The Vikings are looking again like the contenders they were expected to be at the start of this winter. They opened by avenging a regular-season loss against Williamston (19-2), downing the Hornets 53-43, and then beat Perry (15-6) by 28 in the Semifinal. Haslett finished with a 66-30 win over Lansing Catholic (12-11) in the championship game.
Jackson Northwest (19-4) – The Mounties opened by ending the season for the reigning Class B champion, Eaton Rapids (7-14), by beating the Greyhounds 48-44 in overtime after falling to them in last season’s District. Northwest moved on with double-digit wins over Leslie (14-7) and then Olivet (17-5).
Macomb Lutheran North (20-3) – The Mustangs took a step farther than last season after falling in the District championship game a year ago. After eliminating Algonac and Marine City (12-8) by double figures, Lutheran North beat Marysville 42-40 on a put-back with 10 seconds to play in the Final. Marysville shared the Macomb Area Conference Gold title this season, while Lutheran North won the Detroit Catholic League AA.
Class C
Laingsburg (23-0) – The undefeated Wolfpack kept their perfection going against two of their toughest regular-season opponents and then the team that eliminated it last season. Laingsburg opened with a 32-26 win over league rival Pewamo-Westphalia (17-4), then beat Bath (12-7) by 10 before avenging last season’s District Final loss to Carson City-Crystal (20-3), beating the Eagles this time 28-17.
Napoleon (16-6) – The Pirates advanced in impressive fashion with an upset and then a little bit of vengeance. After downing Jackson Lumen Christi (8-12) in the opener, Napoleon – runner-up in the Cascades Conference – downed Big 8 Conference champion Concord (18-3) by nine. The Pirates finished the week by defeating Cascades third-place finisher Michigan Center (18-5) which had beaten Napoleon by 10 on Jan. 29.
Reese (17-5) – The Rockets followed up on their shared Greater Thumb Conference West championship with a pair of wins over tough District opponents – Millington (13-9) by 30 points and then New Lothrop (18-5) by 35 in the championship game.
Traverse City St. Francis (21-2) – After a quick first-game exit last season, the Gladiators won a strong District that included a pair of league runners-up. St. Francis, co-champ in the Lake Michigan Conference, opened by beating Ski Valley Conference runner-up Johannesburg-Lewiston (18-3) by 12 points, 52-40, and then defeated Mancelona in the Semifinal and Northwest Conference runner-up Maple City Glen Lake (15-7) in the Final, 47-38.
Class D
Bellaire (22-1) – The Eagles claimed their second straight District title with three wins over teams .500 or better. Bellaire opened by doubling up Boyne Falls (11-10), tripled up Ellsworth (10-10) and then downed rival Gaylord St. Mary 46-32. Bellaire beat the Snowbirds (18-5) by a nearly identical score in last season’s District Final as well.
Kingston (19-3) – The Cardinals also won their second straight District title with a pair of double-digit wins over North Central Thumb League rivals. Kingston, the league champion, beat third-place Carsonville-Port Sanilac (12-7) in the Semifinal and then second place Deckerville (16-5) in the championship game, 38-21.
Pickford (16-7) – The Panthers finished second in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference this winter, but avenged a pair of losses to league champion Cedarville (16-6) to advance last week. Pickford opened with a win over EUPAC third-place Brimley (11-9), then downed Kinross Maplewood Baptist (11-5) before edging Cedarville 59-54 in the Final.
Pinckney Livingston Christian (14-5) – LCS claimed its first girls basketball District title with a series of wins including two over similarly-successful teams. After opening with a victory over Ann Arbor Central, Livingston Christian downed Ann Arbor Rudolf Steiner (13-7) and then Adrian Lenawee Christian (14-5) by a bucket, 27-25, in the Final.
PHOTO: Ithaca defeated St. Louis 61-32 in a Class C District Final last week to advance to the MHSAA Regionals for the first time since 2000. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Performance: Oakridge's Sophia Wiard
February 9, 2018
Sophia Wiard
Muskegon Oakridge junior – Basketball
Wiard, a 5-foot-9 guard and three-year varsity player, went over 1,000 points scored for her career with 27 against rival Shelby on Feb. 1, earning the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week” as he team extended what is now a 76-game winning streak in West Michigan Conference play. Oakridge has clinched a share of the league title – its ninth over the last decade – with two league games to play.
Wiard also has been part of two of the team’s six District titles over the last eight seasons, and she has a career record of 54-9 entering tonight’s game against Ravenna. This winter, she’s averaging 22.3 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals per game – and by going over 1,000 career points, joined her sister Keyara in achieving that milestone. Keyara Wiard graduated from Oakridge in 2013 with the program record of 1,353 points and last winter finished her career at Grand Valley State University. That record has since been broken, and Sophia Wiard is chasing 2017 graduate Hannah Reinbold's milestone of more than 1,500 points, which she hopes to eclipse next season.
Oakridge fell to Hamilton in a Regional Semifinal last season and to Grand Rapids Catholic Central in the Regional Final in 2015-16. If Wiard can lead her team to a Regional title, it would be the program’s first since her mom Renee (Burns) Wiard was a senior on the team in 1991. Sophia also will join her sister as a college athlete, already having committed to sign with University of Toledo this fall. A strong student, she is interested in studying chemical engineering or pharmacy. Wiard also joined Oakridge's softball varsity as a freshman and helped the team make last season's Division 2 Regional Finals.
Coach Terry DeJonge said: "Sophie is the epitome of being a student-athlete. Her 3.965 grade-point average and her Division I basketball skills make her a role model for all young females to follow. She has been not only our floor leader, but also the locker room and classroom leader. Pursuing and landing Sophie makes Toledo one of the smartest colleges in the country, as far as I am concerned."
Performance Point: “(The 1,000th point) is one step, one part of the process. It’s one goal that’s been met. It’s one of the first that I’ve been focusing on. Now it’s time to look even farther past that. … What’s next hopefully this season is to win the District, Regional and state championship.”
Born scorers: “I think (my sister and I) both put in the time, and I think in girls basketball if you put in the time, you will find success. We were raised playing basketball, so it was natural instinct to play basketball – and that’s what we did. I think that really just helped lead to scoring and stuff like that, when we’ve both just always been surrounded by good players to help us do that.”
Thanks Mom, thanks Sis: “My mom’s always been a kind-hearted person, which (taught me) be kind to everyone. And on the basketball court, it’s work hard, but make sure you’re having fun – stuff like that. It’s not just the game of basketball, it’s life. Just the simple things. She’s never been one to force me to do anything. She’s just been riding the roller coaster with me. … (From Keyara, I learned) work hard. Do the dirty things, like she was very scrappy. She did all the little things. (She was the) most athletic player to come through Oakridge, for sure. She just was the go-to player to make the shot but you could trust her to make the stop her team needed. She was always capable of doing the things others wouldn’t do.”
This can be the team: “Over the years we’ve always been really close. I’ve always been really close with my teammates. This year, the group of girls, everybody clicks really well. We all mesh really well. We’re all very close. We count on each other in school, out of school, on the basketball court, anywhere really. Our bench helps support us. Just little things like that. We’re all in it together. … Since I was watching my sister, when I was the manager, and they were always so close to winning Regionals, I was just getting hungry for that. I wanted to live that. I wanted to get that trophy at the end of the game. … I’m really hungry, and I really want to win.”
Finding the formula: “Science and mathematics, those are my two favorite subjects, and if I follow the path of chemical engineering I can do both. … I just think finding new ways to do things, (like) if it’s more environmentally-friendly, just being able to solve the little things to make it better – to improve things is what interests me the most.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City Central golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Oakridge's Sophia Wiard works to get up a shot against Shelby last week. (Middle) Wiard breaks between two Muskegon defenders earlier this season. (Photos by Sherry Wahr.)