Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 7
January 16, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The girls basketball regular season reached the midpoint last week with its share of surprises but also performances as expected so far.
Powers like Pittsford and Saginaw Heritage rolled through the first half 10-0 – the Hawks are discussed quite a bit in this week’s Breslin Bound report powered by MI Student Aid. But we also have more improved achievers to highlight, including one of our smallest schools that calls the northern Lower Peninsula home.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Marshall 41, Jackson Northwest 40 – A one-point win over its Interstate 8 Athletic Conference rival helped start Marshall’s surge last season to the Class B title, and history seems to be repeating itself to this point.
2. Pewamo-Westphalia 38, Laingsburg 31 – The previously-undefeated Wolfpack was the talk of the Central Michigan Athletic Conference and Class C statewide, but the Pirates have moved ahead in both conversations with this win.
3. Midland Dow 52, Midland 51 – One-loss Dow survived an early scare against the rival Chemics as it looks to challenge Saginaw Heritage again in the Saginaw Valley League North.
4. Detroit Country Day 67, Flint Hamady 28 – Handing Class C contender Hamady its first loss in this way was another indication that most of Class B is chasing the undefeated Yellowjackets.
5. East Kentwood 47, Caledonia 42 – The Falcons moved into first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red with a win that should prove key even though it came near the start of the league season.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Dearborn (7-2) – The Pioneers had a tough stretch over the holidays with an overtime loss to Belleville and another defeat to neighbor Dearborn Divine Child. But they opened the winter by handing Northville its only loss this season, and a 60-48 win over Robichaud on Friday was similarly impressive.
Saginaw Heritage (10-0) – After winning its first 15 games last season, Heritage is off to a similar start with nine wins by at least 25 points. Coming up Tuesday is Midland Dow – the team that broke last season’s streak and with which the Hawks shared the Saginaw Valley League North title.
CLASS B
Hamilton (8-1) – Aside from a four-point overtime loss to Hudsonville, Hamilton has been perfect as it looks to improve from last season’s runner-up finish in the O-K Green. A 50-37 win over second-place Holland Christian on Friday put the Hawkeyes in first alone.
Kalkaska (5-0) – The Blazers might be lined up for a special season after finishing second a year ago in the Lake Michigan Conference to Traverse City St. Francis. Kalkaska downed St. Francis 61-51 on Saturday to take over first place.
CLASS C
Adrian Madison (8-1) – A Regional finalist last season, Madison has been on a tear again since falling to Lenawee Christian in its opener. The Trojans are back in first place in the Tri-County Conference and have seven double-digit wins.
Blissfield (8-2) – Ida was one of our featured Class B teams last week, but Blissfield moved into first place in the Lenawee County Athletic Association by handing the now second-place Bluestreaks their first loss 52-49 on Friday. Blissfield's defeats were to 2016 Class B semifinalist Bay City John Glenn and one-loss Class A Utica Ford.
CLASS D
Engadine (7-1) – The Eagles have improved from three, to seven, to 11, to 14 wins over the last four seasons and could take another step this winter. The lone loss came in their opener to Munising, which they see again next week.
Bear Lake (6-2) – Friday’s 38-33 win over Pentwater gave Bear Lake as many wins as last season. And the Lakers should contend in the West Michigan D League as well, with a victory already over contender Custer Mason County Eastern.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Saginaw Heritage (10-0) at Midland Dow (8-1) – For all of the reasons mentioned above, this is one of the biggest games in Class A during the regular season.
Tuesday – Bloomfield Hills Marian (7-2) at Farmington Hills Mercy (7-2) – A Class A contender regularly comes out of the Detroit Catholic League Central, and these are the best so far of a strong group.
Tuesday – Stevensville Lakeshore (7-1) at Edwardsburg (6-1) – This nonleague matchup could be telling for both Class B hopefuls and likely will be closer than last season’s Lakeshore 19-point win.
Wednesday – Bellaire (6-1) at Gaylord St. Mary (6-1) – These two are tied for first in the Ski Valley Conference and among the north’s elite in Class D.
Thursday – New Boston Huron (7-1) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (6-1) – SMCC, third place in the Huron League, gets the co-leaders back to back taking on Huron after facing Carleton Airport (6-1) on Tuesday.
NOTE: The Clarkston/Detroit Martin Luther King game Monday also would have made this list but had begun before this report was published.
PHOTO: Saginaw Heritage guard Moira Joiner (4) protects the ball during the Hawks’ game last month against Solon, Ohio. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: Girls Regional Preview
March 8, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament field was reduced from more than 700 to 128 last week with a number of the expected contenders moving on – and few of the unexpected joining the group as well.
See below for four teams from each class that jumped out as we watched Districts finish up and anticipated the start of Regionals tonight. Click for brackets for all 32 and stay with Score Center tonight for scores and updated matchups.
Class A
Dearborn (16-7) – The Pioneers saw a two-season league title streak end, but have improved four wins from a year ago and won their District with a 56-51 victory over Allen Park – which finished 18-4. Dearborn has won 12 of its last 14 games.
East Lansing (17-6) – The Trojans emerged from a District that featured the reigning runners-up in Class A (DeWitt) and B (Haslett), downing Haslett 60-42 in an opener, then rival Grand Ledge 52-36 before beating surprise Lansing Waverly in the Final; 57-41. The Trojans have won 10 straight.
Saginaw Heritage (21-1) – The Hawks’ season looked like it might get away when they fell to Midland Dow 48-40 on Feb. 12 after the team lost standout Jaela Richardson to injury for the rest of the season. But Heritage has rebounded to win six straight and beat Dow 42-32 in the District Final.
Southfield Lathrup (20-3) – The win in the District Final, 56-28 over Southfield, was significant in that the two schools will merge into one after this school year and Southfield was a league champion this winter. But on the way, the Chargers also beat two more league champs in Berkley and Detroit Renaissance.
Class B
Alma (11-10) – The Panthers entered the postseason with a sub-.500 record, but opened last week with an overtime upset of Belding (which beat Alma in the District last season) and then won the title with a 15-point clincher over Shepherd.
Freeland (20-3) – The Tri-Valley Conference Central champion won its ninth straight game in a nail-biter, beating league rival Saginaw Swan Valley 56-53 in double overtime for the District title. The Falcons had beaten the Vikings by only six and five points during the regular season.
Reed City (11-11) – The record may not jump out, but the Coyotes are leaps and bounds better than 2014-15, when they finished 0-21. Reed City tied for fourth in the Central State Activities Association Gold this winter, but beat co-champion Big Rapids in the opener before edging Clare 48-47 in the Final.
Stevensville Lakeshore (19-2) – The Lancers won their first District title since 2013 with a 57-35 win over Benton Harbor, holding Tigers star Kysre Gondrezick to a still-impressive 24 points after she had scored an MHSAA-record 72 in a double-overtime District-opening win a few days earlier.
Class C
Gobles (22-0) – The Tigers nearly saw their perfect run end against a familiar foe, surviving a 65-62 triple-overtime thriller against Hartford in the District Final. Gobles had beaten Hartford, which finished 15-8, 61-18 and 62-28 during the regular season.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (16-5) – Last week ended much differently than District week in 2015. Covenant Christian opened with a 45-19 win over Grandville Calvin Christian, a league champion and the team that eliminated the Chargers last year. They then won 54-18 over a Saugatuck team that finished 18-5.
Iron Mountain (14-8) – The Mountaineers repeated as District champs in something of an unexpected scenario. Iron Mountain met up with Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference foe Norway for the third time, and this time won 51-40 after falling 63-37 and 79-45 in the regular-season meetings.
Traverse City St. Francis (22-1) – The Lake Michigan Conference champion hadn’t crossed paths this season with Northwest Conference champion Maple City Glen Lake, but ended the Lakers’ season at 20-3 with a 62-55 win in the District championship game after beating 15-win Elk Rapids in the Semifinal.
Class D
Ann Arbor Rudolf Steiner (18-3) – The annual Mid-South Conference power took another step this season, winning its league again and then its District with a 42-35 victory over Adrian Lenawee Christian; the Storm fell in its first District game in 2015.
Athens (16-7) – After closing the regular season with three losses in its final four games, Athens is back in familiar territory thanks to a 51-49 overtime District Final win over Mendon – which finished 17-4. Athens also beat Mendon for a District title last season.
Bellevue (17-6) – The Broncos continue to improve under former Eaton Rapids standout Kayla Whitmyer and are four wins better than a season ago. Bellevue beat Battle Creek St. Philip 36-30 in the District Final a week after falling 40-36 to the Tigers amid a three-losses-in-four-game skid.
Fruitport Calvary Christian (19-3) – One more win will give Calvary Christian 20 for the third straight season, but would mean much more than that; also for the third straight season, the Eagles meet Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in a Regional Semifinal and have lost the last two meetings.
PHOTO: Reed City and Clare players scramble for a loose ball during Reed City’s one-point District Final win last week. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)