Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 1
December 8, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Some of our favorite stories from the beginning of each season are told when a team, after just a week, has already equaled its success from the previous season.
A few of those are highlighted in this week’s Breslin Bound girls hoops report to kick off 2014-15.
Each week, we’ll look at four teams from each class that stuck out over the previous seven days or the season to that point as we point toward the start of the MHSAA District tournaments March 2.
For schedules of each day’s games statewide and results as we receive them, plus links to each team’s full schedule, results and league standings, click here – and please help us by filling in missing scores or emailing them to [email protected].
Class A
Farmington Hills Mercy (2-0) – The Marlins, Class A semifinalists last season, are proving again already they can win close with 55-52 and 49-46 wins over Waterford Mott and Salem, respectively, to open 2014-15.
Flushing (2-0) – The Tigers improved two wins last season to 13-9, with two losses to Flint Powers Catholic; they beat the Chargers 56-23 on Friday to kick off a perfect first week.
Howell (2-0) – The Highlanders were solid to start coming off a 15-7 finish last season, but with an impressive performance to further generate excitement for the weeks to come; 6-foot-1 junior Erin Honkala had 19 points, 28 rebounds and eight blocked shots in Friday’s 47-30 win over Ann Arbor Skyline. The rebounds tied for 13th most for one game in MHSAA history.
Lapeer (2-1) – The former Lapeer East and West last season finished with a combined record of 13-29; the new schools created from a merger of the old kicked off last week with two wins before falling only 57-47 to always-strong Goodrich.
Class B
Adrian (2-1) – The Maples already have equaled their win total from last season’s 2-19 finish, with a 47-35 overtime victory over Monroe Jefferson among highlights.
Berrien Springs (2-0) – The Shamrocks didn’t win last season until February, but equaled last season’s win total with two victories to start including a 50-48 nail-biter over Cassopolis.
Grosse Ile (2-0) – The Red Devils are looking to build on last season’s 18-4 finish and kicked off this winter with a pair of wins over Detroit Catholic League teams including 42-41 over Livonia Ladywood on Friday.
Haslett (2-0) – The Vikings made the Class A Regional Finals last season finishing 23-2, but are back in Class B and opened with a 63-21 win over reigning Finals champion Eaton Rapids – one of two teams to beat Haslett in 2013-14.
Class C
Grass Lake (2-0) – Last season’s 9-12 finish included a 2-7 skid at the end; the Warriors ended it with a 61-52 win over Concord on opening night and then a 62-36 victory over Cascade Conference foe Hanover-Horton.
Hesperia (2-0) – One week in and Hesperia has guaranteed a better finish than last winter’s 1-18; the Panthers equaled it with a 34-28 win over Mason County Eastern in the opener and surpassed with a 42-30 victory over Kent City Algoma Christian on Thursday.
Lake City (2-0) – The Trojans also started strongly last winter with five straight victories before struggling down the stretch, but looked pretty tough beating Harrison by 15 and Mancelona by 36 last week.
Niles Brandywine (2-0) – The Bobcats have a streak worth statewide attention; they haven’t lost a regular-season game since Jan. 30, 2012, and opened this winter by beating Class A Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 53-46.
Class D
Baraga (2-0) – The Vikings won six games last season, with a 52-point loss to Houghton on opening night; they beat Houghton 33-24 to start this season and are on pace to equal last year’s win total by January.
Bark River-Harris (2-0) – Two of last season’s five losses (to go with 18 wins) were to Crystal Falls Forest Park, but Trojans’ star Lexi Gussert is at Michigan State University now and the Broncos got a hard-fought 36-34 win over Forest Park in their first Skyline Central Conference game.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (2-0) – The Irish weren't considered a favorite before winning last season's Class D title; Sacred Heart won't sneak up on anyone this time and opened with their 14th and 15th-straight wins dating to last January.
Wakefield-Marenisco (2-0) – The Cardinals have been on a nice run since the middle of last season; after opening 2013-14 at 2-7, they finished 8-4 and added another pair of wins to open last week.
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Averi Gamble prepares to shoot in the reigning Class D champion’s 43-35 win over Shepherd on opening night. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Experience Pays for Veteran Saints
March 14, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Senior Sarah Cullip and junior Kelley Wright learned a few things during their previous trips to Breslin Center that surely came to mind during Thursday’s Class D Semifinal against Climax-Scotts.
And with neither team able to find the back of the net, both had to call on those lessons to lift the top-ranked and undefeated Saints back to a familiar spot among those who will play on the final day of the season.
Wright made only 6 of 20 shots from the field, but connected on the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:54 left in regulation. Cullip missed more than half the game because of foul trouble, but made two free throws with her team up only three and 25 seconds to play as the Saints held on for a 42-36 victory.
St. Ignace (26-0) will face three-time reigning champion Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes at 10 a.m. Saturday to try to earn a second MHSAA championship in three seasons. The Saints fell in last season’s Class C Semifinals, but won Class C in 2011 and finished runner-up in 2010.
“I think it was really crucial that I’d been here and played in this gym multiple times before, to know I have to calm down in a pressure situation,” said Cullip, who has been on the floor during all four of her team’s Breslin trips. “It’s just another free throw. It could be the first play of the game or the play that saves the game.”
The Saints have proven plenty this season that they can win big. Their first and only game closer than 10 points before Thursday came in the Regional Final, a 74-68 win over No. 6 Posen. St. Ignace has scored more than 80 points six times this season and more than 90 on three occasions.
But unranked Climax-Scotts (20-6) didn’t allow the Saints to get into their usual rhythm.
The Panthers finished with more field goals, 17-15, and the same number of rebounds. They actually shot better from the floor, 38 percent to 32. But Climax-Scotts got to the free throw line for only two attempts and had 20 turnovers. St. Ignace made 10 of 20 free throw tries and turned the ball over only 10 times.
The trip to Breslin was Climax-Scotts’ first to Finals weekend since finishing Class D runner-up in 1986.
“I can’t be prouder of my girls. They took on the number one ranked team in the state – number one from the get-go – and gave them probably the best game they’ve played all year,” Climax-Scotts coach Dana Perrin said. “I told the girls after the game they had nothing to hang their heads about, be sad about.”
St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls, meanwhile, recalled some of the tears in her players’ eyes after they fell during last season’s Class C Semifinals to eventual champion Morley-Stanwood – and how those likely paid off in extra resolve this time around.
Senior guard Brook Chambers could play only seven minutes Thursday because of an ankle sprain she re-aggravated during the Quarterfinal. Cullip, the team’s second-leading scorer and best defender, played only 15 minutes because of foul trouble.
“It obviously wasn’t the prettiest of games,” Ingalls said. “But at this state of the game, if you can win ugly, it’s a good thing."
Senior center Fallon Froberg led Climax-Scotts with 14 points and seven rebounds, but she had nearly half of her team’s 17 field goals. “Just them making chaos is the toughest thing,” Climax-Scotts senior guard Janae Langs said of the Saints’ defensive pressure.
Wright finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Freshman forward Abbey Ostman grabbed 13 rebounds for the Saints.
Click for a full box score.
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Ignace three-year starter Kelley Wright pushes the ball up court during Thursday's Semifinal. (Middle) Wright defends Climax-Scotts' Destiny Froberg (10). (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)