Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 6
January 13, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Most if not all MHSAA girls basketball teams have reached the midpoints of their regular seasons, or will do so by this week’s end.
And many of the best we’ve seen so far are winners we’ve come to expect over the years – although this week’s list of teams to note again mixes in some that are shining much brighter in 2014-15 than in the recent past.
Class A
Farmington Hills Harrison (7-1) – The Hawks have opened 7-1 for the second straight season, with the only misstep to one-loss Ann Arbor Huron and only one win by fewer than 12 points; Harrison opens Oakland Activities Association Red play Friday against undefeated Rochester Adams.
Gaylord (6-1) – The Blue Devils’ showdown with Traverse City West last week for first place in the Big North Conference was postponed to Jan. 20; regardless, Gaylord earned wins against Cadillac by 15 and Charlevoix by 29 and hasn’t lost since opening night.
Saginaw Heritage (7-0) – The Hawks’ 2013-14 season ended abruptly with an overtime loss to Midland Dow in their District opener, but Heritage has avenged that one already this winter, by 10 points, its closest win as it’s moved to the top of the Saginaw Valley Association North.
St. Johns (6-3) – The Redwings’ losses are to teams with a combined record of 20-3, and they’ve won three straight – defeating Detroit Pershing, followed by 2014 Class A semifinalist Grand Ledge by three last week and then Owosso by 29.
Class B
Goodrich (6-1) – The Martians have a combined five regular-season losses dating back to the start of the 2012-13 season, and the lone defeat this season was last month to Class A power Farmington Hills Mercy. All of Goodrich’s wins are by double figures, including 70-46 over second-place Flint Beecher last week in a matchup of the top two teams in the Genesee Area Conference Red.
Holland Christian (5-2) – The Maroons came back strong from a tough loss to Grand Rapids Christian with a 15-point win over East Grand Rapids and a 20-pointer over Hamilton last week – just in time for Friday’s matchup with rival Holland.
Hudsonville Unity Christian (5-1) – Holland Christian’s colleague in the Ottawa-Kent Green hasn’t lost since falling to Grand Rapids Christian before break and owns a 10-point win over reigning Class B runner-up Grand Rapids South Christian and a 29-pointer over Allendale from last week.
Macomb Lutheran North (8-0) – The Mustangs lead the Detroit Catholic League AA in part after last week defeating Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, the only team to beat Lutheran North during the regular season in 2013-14. That 35-16 win matched the other seven all in double figures.
Class C
Dryden (6-2) – The Cardinals improved from six wins in 2012-13 to 10 last season and look good to surpass that this winter with a pair of wins last week continuing a three-game streak.
Ithaca (7-0) – Longtime coach Bob Anderson keeps leading winning teams; last week’s 77-37 victory over St. Louis was the 1,130th game of Anderson’s coaching career, girls and boys combined, and he has the Yellowjackets on pace to cruise past last season’s total of 10 wins.
Saginaw Arts & Sciences (5-0) – The Dragons were a solid 14-7 a year ago and continue to improve, with last week’s 53-16 win over Owendale-Gagetown by far their biggest this season and a great way to jump into the Michigan Summit League schedule.
Tawas (9-1) – The Braves have surpassed last season’s 8-11 finish and have a pair of two-point wins – over Class A Bay City Central early and Class D contender Posen 38-36 on Monday.
Class D
Felch North Dickinson (4-3) – The Nordics are halfway to last season’s win total of eight and riding a three-game winning streak with the latest 69-46 over Skyline Central Conference opponent Powers North Central.
St. Ignace (6-3) – Never mind the Saints’ three losses; they are to teams that are all in Class C or larger and are a combined 19-4. St. Ignace kicked off the new year with big wins over Class C Charlevoix and Class A Sault Ste. Marie.
Kingston (8-2) – The North Central Thumb League leaders rebounded off a loss to Brown City in that school’s tournament final to beat Peck and Caseville both by more than 30 points last week; Kingston already owns one win against second-place Deckerville, with the rematch scheduled for Jan. 26.
Newberry (8-1) – The Indians are a three-point December loss to Munising from a perfect record this season and opened the new year with a 54-41 win over solid Engadine on Friday; Newberry and St. Ignace face off Thursday for first place in the Straits Area Conference.
PHOTO: Saginaw Heritage’s 44-24 win over Flint Powers Catholic on Jan. 7 was one of the most impressive of its 7-0 start this season. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 16, 2024
The girls basketball season is barely two weeks old, and the showcase portion that always highlights the first month not even half over – but Division 2 especially is giving us a lot to follow already this winter.
Tecumseh’s double-overtime win over reigning champion Detroit Edison this weekend, combined with Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard’s scorching start, are enough to get the conversation going. Add in a big win from Chelsea, and notable starts from several others, and there’s plenty to talk about.
“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. Tecumseh 70, Detroit Edison 65 (2 OT) This Best of Michigan matchup at Belleville saw Tecumseh (3-0), a Division 2 quarterfinalist last season, outlast the reigning champion Pioneers (2-1).
2. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 55, Rockford 43 The Fighting Irish (4-0) finished up a three-win week with this one over the returning Division 1 semifinalist Rams (2-1), also at Best of Michigan.
3. Chelsea 61, Grand Blanc 58 Chelsea (4-0) is off to another great starter, with this win over the reigning Division 1 runner-up Bobcats (2-2) adding an exclamation mark.
4. Belleville 84, West Bloomfield 49 The Tigers (3-0) made a big early statement against the reigning Division 1 champion Lakers (0-3), which admittedly has had a tough start as they replace four starters from last season.
5. Grandville 48, Midland Dow 42 The Bulldogs (5-0) also are establishing themselves early, with this win over the Chargers (3-2) to open the Petoskey Invitational before Grandville defeated Bay City Western as well the following day.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Hartland (4-0) After finishing a solid 15-9 last season, Hartland might be ready to make a move after a pair of dominating wins last week over Rochester Adams and Linden coming off a 40-26 victory over Holt and 38-36 win over Clarkston during the first week this winter – Holt made the Division 1 Quarterfinals last year and Clarkston was a Regional finalist. Hartland tied for fourth in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West last season and will start that schedule Thursday at Salem.
Saline (4-0) The Hornets have dealt the lone losses this season to three of the four teams on their early schedule – Birmingham Seaholm, Livonia Stevenson and Monroe. Saline won all of those games by 14 points or more, with its closest victory by six over South Lyon East. The Hornets are prepping for a tough road ahead, as they finished second in the Southeastern Conference Red last winter to a Temperance Bedford team that reached the Division 1 Quarterfinals and lost in their District to a Belleville team that played in the Semifinals at Breslin Center.
DIVISION 2
Chelsea (4-0) As noted above, Friday’s win over Grand Blanc stands out most during this fast start for the Bulldogs – but there’s more to tell. Chelsea navigated a first week that included a 54-51 win over Grass Lake and a 50-43 victory over Sault Ste. Marie at Aquinas College – those opponents won 19 and 14 games, respectively last season – and the Bulldogs defeated another returning 19-game winner in Trenton by 32 last week. The win over the Sault the Blue Devils’ only loss so far.
Spring Lake (3-0) The Lakers jumped from 11-11 two seasons ago to 18-7 last winter, and they are prepped for another move coming off a 70-38 win over Fruitport after much closer victories over Fremont (41-37) and Big Rapids (34-32) to start this campaign – Fremont won 20 games and Big Rapids 13 last season. Nemesis Grand Rapids West Catholic – which defeated Spring Lake twice in league play last season and then in a Regional Final – is in a different league this winter, but the Lakers will get another chance to avenge a 2023-24 loss Friday at Grand Haven.
DIVISION 3
Calumet (3-0) The Copper Kings became the second team this season to deal reigning Division 4 champion Ishpeming a loss, downing the Hematites 52-32 on Thursday after losing to them by 26 a year ago. Calumet is hoping for that kind of turnaround overall this winter coming off an 11-12 finish, and wins over West Iron County and Hancock also are nice signs of what may be to come – Calumet swept West Iron during the 2023-24 regular season but lost to the Wykons by 10 in their District opener, and Calumet also split with Hancock last winter but won their matchup last week by 20.
Leslie (3-0) The Blackhawks are coming off a 19-7 run and tie for second place in what was their first season playing in a powerful Cascades Conference East last winter. Leslie this season already has a 51-43 win over Brooklyn Columbia Central, avenging one of those losses from a year ago, to go with double-digit victories over Laingsburg and East Jackson. Leslie will have nearly a half-season of prep before seeing the other Cascades East contenders, taking on Grass Lake for the first time Jan. 16 and Michigan Center for the first time Jan. 29.
DIVISION 4
Ewen-Trout Creek (4-0) Ewen-Trout Creek has won two straight District titles and reached the Regional Final last winter before falling to Ishpeming, ending that run at 20-6. The Panthers have plowed through the first two weeks with all of their wins by at least 19 points, including 58-35 over Ironwood after splitting with the Red Devils last season. E-TC will get a nice test moving into the new year Dec. 27, when it faces host Negaunee at the Irontown Holiday Bash.
Morenci (4-0) The Bulldogs also are coming off a successful 21-4 run last season as they sprinted through the Tri-County Conference and reached the Division 4 Quarterfinals. They opened this season with big wins over Division 2 Adrian and Division 3 Onsted before settling in last week with a 43-41 win over Concord and 62-46 victory over Reading. Concord also was a 20-game winner last season.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Saginaw Heritage (5-0) at Freeland (3-0) – These two annually have aspirations not only in league play but statewide in Divisions 1 and 2, respectively, and Heritage won last year’s matchup 44-42.
Friday – Rockford (2-1) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (4-0) at Cornerstone University – This is among premier matchups of the Cornerstone Holiday Classic, with both also playing next Monday as well.
Saturday – Detroit Edison (2-1) at Detroit Renaissance (4-0) – This rematch highlights the Lady Phoenix Shootout, as Edison won last season’s meeting 46-38.
Saturday – Belleville (3-0) vs. Parma Western (3-0) at Detroit Renaissance – This undefeated pair will meet up as part of the Lady Phoenix Shootout as well.
Jan. 4 – Goodrich (3-1) at Grand Blanc (2-2) – As noted above, Grand Blanc is the reigning Division 1 runner-up, and Goodrich finished 26-1 a year ago with coach Jason Gray earning his 500th win in his team’s season opener this month.
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PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary's Charli Alcorn (12) prepares to pass during her team's 56-37 win over Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central on Friday. (Middle) Perry's Abigail Cochrane (21) and Bath's Jordyn Lira (23) chase after a loose ball during the Bees' 54-24 win Thursday. (MLS/Nouvel photo by Kolleth Photo. Bath/Perry photo by Click by Christine McCallister.)