Breslin Bound: Girls Report Post-Break
January 6, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The new year and end of break means midseason is approaching for MHSAA girls basketball teams – and the elite are beginning to separate from the rest of the pack.
See below for four teams from each class that shined especially brightly while school was out. Also new from Second Half this week – we’ll print by class each Monday a list of the undefeated teams left in Michigan and add in those with one and two losses as the season rolls on and the undefeated are down to just a few. (Click for this week’s list.)
Class A
Detroit Martin Luther King (7-0) – The Crusaders are again among the elite regardless of class, and no opponent has gotten within 23 points – including one-loss Port Huron Northern, discussed more below.
Grand Rapids Union (4-1) – The Red Hawks stumbled to just four wins last season but equaled that total with a 63-59 victory over McBain on Dec. 27 at the Motor City Roundball Classic. The day before, Union fell by only eight to strong Bay City John Glenn.
Port Huron Northern (6-1) – The Huskies did lose to King but have dominated locally with the second win this season over Marysville claiming that school's invitational title Saturday.
Warren Cousino (5-1) – Despite losing big to Bloomfield Hills Marian during the second week, Cousino has beaten its other opponents all by at least 14 points and swept Dexter and Northville to win the latter’s tournament at the end of December.
Class B
Kingsford (5-2) – The Flivvers entered the break on a two-game losing streak, but did defeat West Iron County 57-27 to break the brief downward run; Kingsford is only three wins from equaling last season’s total.
Manistee (7-0) – After going 22-1 last season, Manistee hasn’t slowed a bit in dominating its first seven opponents by an average of 30 points per.
Spring Lake (6-0) – Spring Lake turned a 2-5 start last season into 13-8, but is on the move earlier this winter with only one of its wins by fewer than 19 points.
Wayland (6-0) – The Wildcats are nearly halfway to last season’s 13 wins after winning the Blue division of the Cornerstone University Holiday Invitational; only Grand Rapids Christian in that title-deciding game has come closer than 20 points.
Class C
Galesburg-Augusta (5-2) – The Rams should be contenders in the Kalamazoo Valley Association and won their holiday tournament with victories over Sturgis and Bronson; the losses came to Class B Plainwell and Battle Creek Pennfield.
Laingsburg (6-0) – The Wolfpack heads into 2015 coming off wins over league rivals Fowler (33-29) and Pewamo-Westphalia (36-33) and with three more over Class B teams.
Sandusky (7-0) – The Redskins are following up nicely on last season’s Regional Final run and have only one loss total over the last two regular seasons.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (7-0) – Arbor Prep’s perfect start included a pair of strong wins at the end of December, 58-53 over Dayton Carroll of Ohio and 59-55 over one-loss Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Class D
Bellaire (4-0) – The Eagles finished second to Gaylord St. Mary in the Ski Valley Conference last season and get their first of two matchups with the Snowbirds on Friday.
Big Rapids Crossroads Academy (6-0) – The Cougars could be on their way to repeating in the West Michigan D League with all of their wins – including five in league – by at least 16 points; second place Bear Lake is next up.
Mackinaw City (6-0) – The Comets have started 6-0 for the second straight season and lead the Northern Lakes Conference with a big win over Boyne Falls the highlight so far.
McBain Northern Michigan Christian (5-0) – These Comets are already halfway to equaling last season’s win total with 30 points their closest win margin so far.
PHOTO: Detroit Martin Luther King’s perfect run has included a win against Chicago Crete Monee during the Detroit Public School League Holiday Classic. (Photo courtesy of Detroit Public School League.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 9
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 9, 2026
It’s league championship time this girls basketball season, and with less than a month until District play begins and some interesting clusters of games coming up thanks to winter-weather postponements, there will be at least a few wild finishes over the next few weeks.
Our report below includes news on a few teams that already have clinched, mentions of more that are closing in, and explanations of at least two pairs of contenders likely to decide their league titles while seeing each other twice over just a matter of days.
“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. Midland 38, Grand Haven 36 In the midst of a deadlocked Saginaw Valley League North race, co-leader Midland (13-4) took on another Division 1 contender in Grand Haven (13-2).
2. Birmingham Groves 73, Detroit Edison 62 This win over an annual power just adds to an incredible turnaround for Groves (13-2), which won six games last season and is guaranteed its first winning record since 2017-18.
3. Clarkston 52, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 45 This pulled the Wolves (12-5) even with Stoney Creek (12-2) atop the Oakland Activities Association Red standings, and these two face off again tonight.
4. Jackson Lumen Christi 55, Farmington Hills Mercy 49 The Titans (14-2) moved into the Catholic High School League Bishop final with this win over the Marlins (11-4).
5. Grand Rapids South Christian 50, Grand Rapids West Catholic 44 The Sailors (16-0) continued to pull away in an Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold where West Catholic (12-4) is one of three more teams with at least 10 wins.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Howell (17-1) The Highlanders have already clinched the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title with three league games left to play. The title is Howell’s second in three seasons, and the dominance has extended through its nonleague schedule with the only loss to Rockford (13-1) at Cornerstone University in December. Many statewide eyes will be turned toward the KLAA overall championship game Feb. 26 and the Highlanders’ anticipated matchup with reigning Division 1 champion Belleville.
Utica Eisenhower (12-2) The Eagles can clinch a share of the Macomb Area Conference Red title with a win against Port Huron on Tuesday, and they are a combined 34-5 over the last two seasons having also shared the league title a year ago. Eisenhower has loaded up tough nonleague competition and no doubt benefitted even from losses to Goodrich and Detroit Renaissance – with a chance to head into the postseason on a roll with a trip to Flint Powers Catholic for the regular-season finale.
DIVISION 2
Big Rapids (10-3) The Cardinals have won 20 straight Central State Activities Association games and lead the Red after the first cycle through the schedule and after winning the title a year ago. They defeated CSAA White leader Morley Stanwood 57-53 and have lost to Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, Spring Lake and Mount Pleasant – which are either undefeated or contending for league titles. Matchups with Saginaw Heritage and Kent City on back-to-back days next week will be a valuable challenge.
Otsego (12-1) The Bulldogs are a one-point overtime December loss to Richland Gull Lake from perfection, and that’s while playing a schedule that’s included two wins over Sturgis (13-2) and one apiece against Marshall (10-5), Plainwell (10-3) and Saturday over Niles Brandywine (15-1). Otsego looks ready to climb after winning 12-14 games each of the last three seasons and has jumped from No. 15 to No. 4 in statewide Division 2 MPR over the last two weeks.
DIVISION 3
Cass City (12-3) The Red Hawks have won 10 of their last 11 and have a half-game lead on Caro in the Greater Thumb Conference White with Thursday’s matchup with the Tigers potentially for first place alone in the league. Cass City already handed Caro one of its two losses and Deckerville one of its two defeats, with wins over Sanford Meridian and Unionville-Sebewaing also especially of note. Two of the Red Hawks’ losses were back-to-back to Hemlock (15-1) and Kingston (15-0), but Cass City will have a similar opportunity against Sandusky (14-1) in the regular-season finale.
Morley Stanwood (12-2) As noted above, Morley Stanwood leads the CSAA White, with those losses nonleague to Big Rapids and Fremont (11-3). Both came during a string of four straight games against opponents now with double-digit wins, and Morley Stanwood also defeated Kent City and Mio during that string. The Kent City win was by a 64-62 score, and the rematch is set for Feb. 20. The team needs just one more win to equal last season’s total.
DIVISION 4
Au Gres-Sims (14-1) The Wolverines jumped 11 spots to No. 6 in statewide Division 4 MPR this week thanks in part to a 55-37 win over Hale (10-3) after they defeated Hale by just a point in overtime in their first meeting Jan. 8. Au Gres-Sims and Mio are the only undefeated teams left in North Star League Little Dipper play and meet Tuesday for the first time this season and then again Friday. The Wolverines’ only loss came to Tawas (11-2) in their season opener, by just four points.
Ishpeming (12-2) The Hematites are a half-game back of first-place Negaunee and a half-game ahead of Houghton atop the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference standings – and although it didn’t count toward the league title race, Ishpeming avenged its WestPAC loss Friday by downing the previously-undefeated Miners 51-39. The Hematites did that after falling to Gladstone 53-49 in overtime only three nights before. Baraga (14-2) and Munising (12-3) should be two more challenging opponents before Ishpeming finishes the regular season with Houghton (11-4).
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Grass Lake (15-1) at Michigan Center (14-2) – There are a handful of Cascades Conference games left, but the East championship should come down to this matchup after Grass Lake won the first meeting 61-55.
Tuesday – Wayne Memorial (14-1) at Belleville (16-0) – The Tigers can clinch a share of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East championship with a win over the rival Zebras, who have lost only to Belleville.
Tuesday – Hanover-Horton (13-2) at Brooklyn Columbia Central (13-2) – These two are tied for first in the Cascades Conference West and will meet again Feb. 17.
Wednesday – New Lothrop (13-1) at Ovid-Elsie (12-2) – New Lothrop has a half-game lead on Ovid-Elsie in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference after winning their Jan. 5 meeting 47-34.
Friday – Jackson Lumen Christi (14-2) vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (15-2) at Oakland – The champions of the Catholic High School League Central-East and Central-West, respectively, will meet for the Bishop Tournament title.
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PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy’s Symone Brandt (1) drives during a 51-43 loss to Mio on Friday. (Middle) Houghton's Kate Filpus cuts between Marquette's Kylie Smith (25) and Hayley Taylor (22) and takes a shot. (SASA/Mio photo by Kolleth Photo. Houghton/Marquette photo by Cara Kamps.)