Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 6
January 14, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
By the end of this week, we'll have reached the midpoint of this girls basketball regular season.
But plenty of teams are showing they might just be warming up for a much longer run this winter.
Below are 10 that impressed last week, including a handful which have made it through the season's first month and a half without a loss. (Records are based on results reported to the MHSAA Score Center.)
1. Hemlock (8-0, Class C) – After winning a respectable 12 games last season, Hemlock has dominated this winter and already beaten reigning Tri-Valley Conference Central champion Freeland.
2. Holt (8-0, Class A) – The Rams have consistently piled up wins for more than a decade, but often in the shadow of rival East Lansing; a 12-point win over the Trojans last week has helped Holt look like another Lansing-area contender.
3. Charlotte (6-0, Class B) – The Orioles, who finished a game over .500 in 2012-13, proved their perfect start is for real with a two-point win over rival and mid-Michigan power Eaton Rapids on Friday.
4. St. Louis (8-0, Class C) – Volleyball usually is the Sharks’ best game, but they finished tied for third in TVC West hoops last season and have a one-game lead this time thanks to an 18-point win over second-place Carrollton last month.
5. Haslett (6-1, Class A) – Quietly the Vikings also are looking like a team to watch in Class A, although an 11-point win over rival DeWitt on Friday rang loudly.
6. Cadillac (7-1, Class B) – Only a four-point loss to Manistee on the season’s second Friday has kept the Big North Conference-leading Vikings from a perfect start.
7. Midland Dow (8-1, Class A) – Since a four-point loss to Saginaw Heritage before holiday break, Dow has won five straight by an average of 17 points per.
8. Gaylord St. Mary (6-1, Class D) – The Snowbirds are returning to their former roost as a Class D power, with their lone flaw this winter a loss to Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
9. Negaunee (5-3, Class C) – After a 1-3 start, the Miners have won four straight to rise to the top of the Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference.
10. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (7-2, Class C) – A 1-2 start is a distant memory thanks to six straight wins including handing the first defeat to league foe Kentwood Grand River Prep.
PHOTO: Hemlock defeated league foe Alma last week to improve to 8-0 overall this season. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 7
January 15, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We're officially midway through the MHSAA girls basketball season. And the contenders are starting to break away from the pack.
Those on this week's list of high performers look like strong possibilities to keep rolling into their District tournaments that begin in only six weeks.
Records and scores below are based on those submitted to the MHSAA.com Score Center.
1. Clarkston (8-1) – The Wolves have cruised since their only loss, to Macomb Dakota a month ago, and handed outstanding Southfield-Lathrup its only loss this season (37-35) on Friday.
2. Crystal Falls Forest Park (11-0) – Unless you made it for an early Class D Semifinal last season, or are a Division I college coach, you may not know much about Lexi Gussert. But get ready to hear more.
3, Posen (10-0) – Halfway through its regular season, Posen still hasn’t experienced a game closer than 19 points.
4. Battle Creek St. Philip (7-0) – The volleyball power continues to show plenty hoops ability as well, scoring at least 50 points in every game this season.
5. Holly (9-1) – The Bronchos haven’t fallen again after losing to Hartland by five on opening night, and are only six wins from equaling last season’s total.
6. Davison (8-2) – After starting 0-2, Davison has run off eight straight wins including a strong 62-28 victory over Saginaw Arthur Hill on Friday.
7. Oxford (8-1) – The Wildcats have won six straight since losing to White Lake Lakeland (and added a seventh-straight win tonight by beating Troy by three to go to 9-1).
8. Walled Lake Western (7-2) – The Warriors need only five more wins to already equal last season’s total, and handed solid Waterford Kettering its only loss, 43-42, a week ago.
9. Gladwin (7-1) – The Flying Gs’ only loss was by two to Roscommon, and they no doubt are looking forward to that rematch on Jan. 29.
10. Sterling Heights Stevenson (7-1) -- Stevenson knows how to win the close ones, with two one-point victories plus a 60-55 overtime win over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on Thursday.
PHOTO: Davison won its eighth-straight game last week by defeating Saginaw Arthur Hill. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)