Breslin Bound: Girls Report Post-Break
January 6, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Welcome to 2020 as we charge full steam ahead into the post-holiday portion of a girls basketball season that has begun with the usual mix of predictability and surprises – and will end with a bit of a twist.
Remembering that this season will see the top two teams in each District seeded for the first time, we’d like to take this week to introduce the Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) on MHSAA.com. Teams are searchable and comparable both by division and District number, and every Monday during the regular season we’ll also pull a top 20 in each division and post them on our Second Half rankings page.
There’s a full explanation of how MPR is calculated, and for the rankings teams were considered this week that had played at least four games against opponents that also are eligible for the MHSAA Tournament, since MPR includes only those opponents in its calculation. So you won’t see undefeated Detroit Edison or Menominee in this week’s Second Half rankings – but those teams are sure to join the list over the next week or two as they play more MHSAA opponents.
Below is a look at some of what you may have missed in holiday hoops during the break. “Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grass Lake 43, Pewamo-Westphalia 40 – The Warriors continued building what’s shaping up as a special season by edging the reigning Division 3 champion at the Grand Valley State Holiday Classic.
2. East Grand Rapids 42, Southfield Arts & Technology 41 – The Pioneers should be dangerous contenders in league play and more after finishing their 2019 part of the schedule with a win over last season’s Division 1 runner-up.
3. Detroit Edison 68, Columbus Africentric Early College 59 – The reigning Division 2 champion avenged its lone loss of 2018-19 to move to 6-0 this winter.
4. St. Ignace 65, Ann Arbor Huron 52 – Even with a loss two days later to Ann Arbor Pioneer, Division 4 St. Ignace had to be happy heading home having dealt Division 1 Huron its only defeat.
5. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 53, Southfield Arts & Technology 50 (2 OT) –Arbor Prep finished a tough couple of days for A&T. But although the Gators also lost two days later by two to Division 1 Brighton, in both games they showed they’ll again be tough against the teams in their Division 3.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Midland (6-0) Dow has most recently ruled the Midland area in girls basketball. In fact, Midland High went only 5-16 last season. But the Chemics have bounced all the way back, with double-digit wins in all but one game – their 38-31 victory over Dow on Dec. 19. Also impressive was a 15-point win over another Division 1 team on the rise, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, at the Motor City Roundball Classic.
Temperance Bedford (6-0) The Kicking Mules’ Southeastern Conference Red is loaded, with Saline also unbeaten and Ann Arbor Huron and Pioneer with just one loss apiece. But after opening with a seven-point win over Flat Rock, Bedford has won its next five by an average of 29.4 ppg – a big return after last season’s Quarterfinal run.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids Christian (7-0) After 13-9 and 11-11 finishes the last two seasons, respectively, this one could see the Eagles take a step back into the elite. They earned a Cornerstone Holiday Tournament title with wins over Forest Hills Central and Zeeland East and have only one other single-digit win among their first five – a 54-46 overtime avenging of last season’s loss to Holland Christian.
Menominee (7-0) The Maroons followed up two straight .500 finishes by going 15-9 with a District title last winter, and the surge has continued. A 52-47 win over otherwise-unbeaten Ishpeming Westwood on Dec. 18 was impressive, and Menominee spent part of its holiday break winning a tournament in Gillett, Wis., with a pair of double-digit victories.
DIVISION 3
Manton (6-0) Manton is one of two Highland Conference teams entering 2020 unbeaten – rival Lake City being the other – and the reigning league champion Rangers have won six straight by double digits after opening with a 52-49 win over Charlevoix. Along the way, they also handed the lone losses to Kingsley and McBain Northern Michigan Christian – and get another major test Wednesday against Maple City Glen Lake.
Niles Brandywine (6-0) Solid wins over Berrien Springs and Kalamazoo Christian highlight Brandywine’s perfect start as it looks to build on last season’s Quarterfinal run. The Bobcats headed into the break with a 71-23 win over last season’s Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red champion Comstock, and they’ll see co-leader Buchanan for the first time Jan. 16.
DIVISION 4
Fruitport Calvary Christian (5-2) The Eagles’ season has been book-ended so far by a pair of losses to Division 3 teams, the most recent to one-loss Hart on Saturday. But a 50-46 win over Division 2 Central Montcalm the day before can’t be overlooked – the Hornets are 4-2 but hadn’t lost a regular-season game for two straight heading into this winter. Senior Kelsey Richards’ scoring gives Calvary a shot to make a run at any time.
Pickford (7-0) The Panthers closed the 2018-19 regular season with seven straight wins and 13 over their final 14 games to claim the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference title by a victory ahead of Cedarville and Rudyard. They don’t see either of those teams until later this month, but they’ve set the standard so far with all double-digit wins and four by 30 points or more. A 62-46 win over Gaylord St. Mary on Dec. 4 remains the Snowbirds’ only defeat.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Southfield Arts & Technology (4-3) at West Bloomfield (5-1) – This will surely affect the Oakland Activities Association Red race; both are perfect in league play, and both teams’ losses have come against some of the state’s best.
Tuesday – Detroit Edison (6-0) at East Lansing (5-0) – Contenders in Divisions 2 and 1, respectively, face off with one accepting its first defeat of this season.
Tuesday – Bloomfield Hills Marian (5-0) at Farmington Hills Mercy (6-0) – These Detroit Catholic League Central rivals could set the conference pace again after Marian finished first and Mercy second last season.
Wednesday – Manton (6-0) at Maple City Glen Lake (4-1) – These two sit No. 5 and No. 4, respectively, in Division 3 MPR as of Monday afternoon.
Thursday – Calumet (5-1) at Ishpeming Westwood (4-1) – These two are looking early like two of the Upper Peninsula’s best in any division, and that means they could see each other in the Division 3 postseason as well.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: Midland earned a 38-31 win over rival Midland Dow on Dec. 19 to help spark a perfect start this season. (Photo courtesy of the Midland girls basketball program.)
Goodrich Finishes Winter Season with Perfection, Completing Undefeated Title Run
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 21, 2026
EAST LANSING – Kayla Hairston approached the Division 2 bracket poster with two hands on the Goodrich nameplate, getting it positioned on the final line in the only way she and her teammates knew how to do things – perfectly.
The Martians defeated Tecumseh 55-44 on Saturday in the night’s concluding Girls Basketball Final at the Breslin Center, finishing off a 29-0 season.
“Playing Tecumseh, the team that knocked us out last year, and beating them for the state championship felt amazing,” Hairston said. “We came to Breslin and we emphasized that we don’t want to be at Breslin, we want to be here for a state championship, and that mindset is what got us here.”
It was the third title for the Goodrich girls team, and first since the program won back-to-back Class B titles in 2012 and 2013. The Martians’ victory also prevented Tecumseh from repeating as the Division 2 champ.
“It’s definitely special,” Goodrich senior Tanner Schramm said. “Coming out and getting this win today against Tecumseh is big, because we lost to them last year thinking we could win it all last year. Coming out and winning today feels even better.”
Hairston finished with 21 points in her final game at Goodrich, while Baylor Lauinger had 14 and Schramm had eight. Lauinger added five rebounds and four steals, both team highs.
Avery Zajac led Tecumseh with 19 points, while Addi Zajac had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Everything was difficult for Tecumseh, however, as it was held to its third-lowest scoring output of the season.
“I thought our kids were just awesome today,” Goodrich coach Jason Gray said. “Tecumseh’s a very good team, and we thought there were certain things that they had advantages on, and certain things that we had advantages on, and we really kind of leaned on our advantages tonight. All year, our defensive pressure has been a key. We don’t always trap and run all over the floor like that, but we do press to the ball. Tonight was probably one of the best (games) we played all year long.”
Goodrich’s unrelenting defense had Tecumseh sped up throughout the first half, as the returning champ had as many turnovers as points through 16 minutes and trailed 29-14 at the break.
Three Martians – Kat Federick, Baylor Lauinger and Kaylee Eickhoff – had three steals apiece by halftime, and the team had scored 22 points off turnovers.
All of that success came despite star senior Schramm being saddled with foul trouble and spending a majority of the half on the bench.
“We really couldn’t run anything,” Tecumseh coach Kristy Zajac said. “We were really trying to pound it into the post to Addi, and our guards were getting pressured so much, and we kept turning the ball over. You can’t turn the ball over in big games like this. That kind of made our offense struggle all together.”
Tecumseh (26-3) settled down in the second half, but the hole was too deep. Even when it did get the game back to a 10-point deficit in the final seconds of the third, Schramm hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to extend the lead and wipe away any Tecumseh momentum heading into the fourth.
“That was tough,” Kristy Zajac said. “We were working our way back little by little, then they hit that 3, and that was the dagger. This crew never gives up. I told them in the timeout that we were down to Chelsea by 11 with a minute to go and we came back and won that game – they fight and they fight, and they battle and battle until the last buzzer sounds, and I thought they did that tonight. They just made more shots than we did and played a little bit better.”
Schramm’s shot came off a set play for the Martians, even though Gray didn’t have to call a timeout or even signal to Hairston and Schramm to run it.
“Kayla knew exactly where she was going to go: She was either going to get a layup or she was kicking it to Tanner,” Gray said. “Tanner knew that ball was coming, and Tanner knew that shot was coming. It really gives the kids a lot of confidence when they know they’re supposed to be taking the shot and they’re not questioning it. That 3 was huge, but it was by design. Our kids were ready for that moment.”
From there, Hairston and the Martians left no doubt. The senior scored eight points over the quarter’s first 1½ minutes as Goodrich built a 19-point lead and put the game away.
“It feels great, but I give it all to my teammates,” Hairston said. “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my 3-point shot, so them just having my back and telling me that’s my shot and not to give up on myself, even though I’ve been missing, it just means a lot. For them to set me up and get me those open shots, it means a lot.”
PHOTOS (Top) Goodrich’s Kayla Hairston (12) drives to the basket as Tecumseh’s Addi Zajac (40) goes for a block during Saturday’s Division 2 Final at Breslin Center. (Middle) Goodrich’s Kaylee Eickhoff (10) makes a move on the baseline with Avery Zajac defending. (Photos by Keionna Banks and Lilanie Karunanayake/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)