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: Girls Report Week 2
December 14, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
League schedules have started for some girls basketball teams already this winter, and with them the usual speculation of which contenders will lead the chase.
But we’re also keeping an eye out for a few more that are breaking into those conversations after showing early sparks.
Each week during the regular season, we’ll glance at four teams from each class that have caught our attention. Results and records below are based on schedules posted at MHSAA.com.
Class A
Alpena (3-0) – The Wildcats are seeking their first winning record in at least five seasons and possibly could be in line for more with only two more wins needed to equal last season’s total.
Jackson (4-0) – The Vikings lately have been only a slight factor in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue race, with two fourth-place finishes over the last four seasons. But they could be in the thick of a competitive group after a 48-45 win over East Lansing on Friday gave them four wins, only two fewer than last year.
Midland (3-1) – A loss Friday to Class B power Bay City John Glenn aside, Midland is gearing up for another Saginaw Valley League run. The Chemics have handed the only losses so far to Freeland, St. Johns and Bay City Western.
Port Huron Northern (3-0) – The Huskies will again be a team to watch after going 21-4 a year ago; they have won their first three games by 19, 31 and 37 points, respectively, after a similar start last December.
Class B
Ada Forest Hills Eastern (3-0) – The Hawks were 15-7 a year ago so another nice start isn’t a surprise, but beating Lowell 57-50 last week is a bonus after they lost to the Red Arrows by seven last December.
Birch Run (3-0) – The Panthers can circle Jan. 13 on their calendars; beating Millington 56-50 last week could mean Birch Run will again be the main contender with Frankenmuth, the opponent that night, for the Tri-Valley Conference East title (although Otisville LakeVille on Wednesday also will be a challenge).
Fowlerville (4-0) – Two of the first four wins have come by three points apiece and a third was by only six, but Fowlerville will take them gladly; the Gladiators have equaled their total of a year ago, when they finished 4-17.
Grand Rapids South Christian (4-0) – Former assistant Kim Legge took over this season for longtime successful coach Jim DeBruyn, and the Sailors haven’t missed a beat. Friday’s 46-45 win over rival Grand Rapids Christian kept them perfect so far.
Class C
Bath (4-0) – Winning 12 games each of the last two seasons, the Bees have been on the verge. They might be taking that next step this winter, with an early 51-31 win over Portland St. Patrick possibly making a difference in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference race.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (4-0) – The Chargers needed to bounce back from a 1-3 start last year to get back to .500, but things are off on a much better note with wins over Sparta (55-19) and Hudsonville Unity Christian (46-40) avenging December losses of a year ago.
Sand Creek (3-0) – The Aggies quietly improved from five wins two seasons ago to 14 last winter, and have continued the surge with last week’s 49-45 win over Adrian Lenawee Christian avenging one of last winter’s losses.
Traverse City St. Francis (2-1) – The Gladiators have sandwiched two nice wins around a first-week loss to Manistee; they kicked off the season beating Gaylord by seven, and edged Class D contender Frankfort last week 76-72.
Class D
Eben Junction Superior Central (3-2) – The Cougars went from 20 wins two seasons ago to 2-19 last winter, but are on their way back up again; Friday’s 49-33 victory over Rapid River put Superior Central already ahead of last winter’s squad.
Fulton-Middleton (2-0) – The Pirates were only 7-14 a year ago, but already have an impressive win – 49-40 over Fowler, a team featured in this report a week ago after its 2-0 start.
Lake Linden-Hubbell (4-0) – The Lakes are halfway to last season’s win total and looking for their first winning season in three after downing Watersmeet and Ewen-Trout Creek on back-to-back nights.
Wolverine (2-2) – The Wildcats earned their second win of the young season last week, 50-21. They won only four games total in 2014-15, not earning their second victory until Jan. 12.
PHOTO: Shepherd, in white, picked up its first win of the season last week against Sanford Meridian. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)