Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 8
January 27, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Just more than a month remains in the MHSAA girls basketball regular season.
After a brief midseason break, Breslin Bound is back with a look at four teams in each class to pay attention to after they served notice again over the last week.
Class A
Allen Park (9-2) – The Jaguars have raced to the top of the Downriver League at 6-0 in-conference heading into tonight’s matchup with second-place Brownstown Woodhaven to finish the first half of the league season. Allen Park finished third in the league in 2013-14.
Grand Ledge (9-2) – The Capital Area Activities Conference Blue leader graduated its two top scorers after making last season’s Class A Semifinals and took a bad loss to DeWitt during this season’s first week. But the Comets have won five straight and are 7-0 in league play after the first run through the schedule.
Kalamazoo Central (10-1) – The Maroon Giants took their first loss Saturday, 71-57 to Chicago Simeon, but remain undefeated in Michigan and atop the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East standings. Central opened last week by handing Class C Niles Brandywine its first loss, 68-65 in overtime.
Traverse City West (9-2) – The Titans' only losses came to Marquette and Midland Dow in their hometown over holiday break. They’ve won six straight to start 2015, handing Manistee its lone loss and Gaylord its only loss in league play to move to the top of the Big North Conference after finishing third a year ago.
Class B
Clare (9-3) – The Pioneers are playing from a slight deficit over the second half of the Jack Pine Conference season after losing to first and second-place Beaverton and Gladwin, respectively, by a combined three points. But they beat Central State Activities Association Gold leader Big Rapids 40-36 on Monday.
Marshall (10-1) – The Redhawks own a half-win lead on Jackson Northwest in the first-year Interstate 8 Athletic Conference, having beaten the Mounties by 11 on Jan. 16. Marshall’s only loss came to Williamston during the first week.
Perry (9-2) – The Ramblers also are surging in a first-year league, the Greater Lansing Activities Conference, going 7-0 in league play so far to move a win ahead of Olivet. Perry finished runner-up to powerhouse Goodrich last season in the Genesee Area Conference Red.
Plainwell (12-0) – The Trojans have won 18 games each of the last two seasons, but appear poised for more with a one-win lead on Otsego in the Wolverine Conference East and a defensive effort that hasn’t given up more than 35 points since Jan. 6.
Class C
Flint Hamady (9-0) – The Hawks haven’t lost a GAC Blue game in nearly two calendar years and show no sign of breaking that streak, although second-place Morrice hosts Hamady tonight. The Hawks have won all of their games by double digits, including against nonleague local rivals Flint Southwestern and Flint Northwestern.
Gobles (10-0) – Last season’s Class C semifinalist hasn’t lost a step as it has cruised back to the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference North. The Tigers have scored more than 60 points eight times and hit 70 once; they’ve held all but one opponent to 24 or fewer points.
Kent City (11-2) – The Eagles took over first place alone in the CSAA Silver with a 58-46 win over second-place Morley Stanwood on Friday and are 7-0 in 2015. The lone losses came to Class A DeWitt during holiday break and Class B Coopersville in early December.
Saginaw Nouvel (8-3) – The Panthers’ schedule is packed with much larger opponents, with Mid-State Activities Conference leader Carson City-Crystal last week one of the few also from Class C. Nouvel beat the Eagles 48-41 and travel to reigning Class D champion Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart tonight.
Class D
Bay City All Saints (8-3) – The Michigan Summit League leader has rebounded from a 1-3 start and hasn’t lost since Dec. 11. The Cougars held on to the top spot with a 34-23 win over second-place Saginaw Arts & Sciences two weeks ago and have doubled last season’s win total of four.
Kingston (11-2) – The Cardinals sitting atop league standings is nothing new, and they’re leading the North Central Thumb League by two wins over Deckerville after beating the Eagles 44-30 on Friday. Among conference opponents, only Deckerville, in their first meeting on Dec. 9, has come within single digits of knocking Kingston from its perch.
Morrice (11-1) – Regardless of what happens against Hamady tonight, Morrice can continue to boast as a strong Class D team in a league filled mostly with Class C. The Orioles did lose to co-second-place New Lothrop by three points two weeks ago, but also beat New Lothrop by a bucket in overtime on Dec. 9.
Pittsford (12-0) – The Wildcats are the last in Class D without a loss and handed the second this season to Cascade Conference co-leader and Class C Manchester, 47-39, on Monday. That was only the second game Pittsford has won by fewer than 26 points – the other close win came against Pioneer North Central of Ohio.
PHOTO: Saginaw Nouvel earned a key win against another Class C team, Carson City-Crystal, and sits 8-3 with five weeks until the start of the MHSAA tournament. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Injuries Add to Challenge, But Dundee Answering with Breakthrough Success
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
January 20, 2026
Ava Johnson hasn’t played in a game in two seasons, but she doesn’t want to miss any time with her Dundee girls basketball teammates.
“I still go to every single thing I can,” Johnson said. “All of the open gyms, all of the practices. I love the excitement and being part of the basketball family in any way I can.”
Johnson has torn her ACL twice – once in a Dundee game and once during a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. She may not be able to see action on the court, but her dedication to being with the team is part of the culture shift at Dundee. The Vikings started the season 6-0 for the first time since the 1990s and are 8-3 after a nonconference win at Napoleon on Monday.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Johnson said about missing her senior season. “It’s taken a lot of mental toughness, but I want to be there for my teammates. I’m always there to help, especially the younger girls. I’ll pick up the white board or answer questions when I can. You can always coach the attitudes.”
Attitudes are definitely shifting in Dundee.
“We haven’t experienced a lot of success in, really, a couple of decades,” said third-year coach Jay Briggs. “I use that as motivation. It’s a challenge. We’re seeing the difference on and off the court.”
Other than going 7-5 during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Dundee hasn’t finished above .500 since 2011-12. The Vikings haven't had back-to-back winning seasons since a stretch from 1983-1990. The last – and only – league title for Dundee was won in 1984.
Starting out 6-0 this season turned a few heads around the Lenawee County Athletic Association and Monroe County.
“While we have not won anything important yet, we are building with a youth movement,” Briggs said.
After winning six games last year, Briggs was counting on five seniors this season. Unfortunately, three of them are out with knee injuries and may not see action the entire season.
“The unique thing about those three is how supportive they have been,” Briggs said. “All three come to all practices and games to still support their teammates. The team bond is the best I have been around.”
The lack of seniors led Briggs to turn to some underclassmen, and they have responded. Two freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and two seniors make up the roster. The JV has 10 players after some offseason recruiting by classmates got some new faces interested in basketball.
“The girls did a lot of recruiting in the hallways,” Briggs said. “Some of them have never played basketball, but they are playing and having fun.”
Senior Maddie Salenbien is one of the seniors and leads the team in scoring at 11 points a game.
“Our culture has definitely changed,” Salenbien said. “We were always known kind of as a losing team. We have focused a lot about being a team and being a family. We’ve improved so much, and it’s great to see the hard work paying off.”
After starting 6-0, Dundee lost three straight games but have rebounded for two straight wins to get to five games above .500.
Freshman Aisley Cousino had a breakout game earlier this season, setting a school record with seven 3-pointers in one contest. Sophomore McKenzie Heath is second on the team in scoring after Salenbien. Junior Ella Rath is second on the team in 3-pointers with 11.
Briggs is a Dundee graduate who played basketball in high school. He was an assistant coach at Tecumseh for one season while doing his student teaching and served as an assistant coach for boys and girls basketball in Dundee before accepting the head coaching job.
He’s committed to seeing the Vikings sustain success in girls basketball.
“We have high hopes for continued success in future years,” Briggs said.
Salenbien, one of the captains, has played for a couple of coaches during her high school years but said this is the closest team she’s been on.
“I think he has really focused on changing the culture,” she said. “He told us we were going to have to work really hard. He always tells us to be friends on and off the court, and I think we are.”
Salenbien said she almost wishes she was an underclassman with more time remaining to play as a Viking.
“I think they will only keep getting better,” she said. “I’m excited to see the program keep improving even after we’re gone.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Dundee players are upbeat as they run toward their cheering teammates and coach Jay Briggs during a break in a game this season. (Middle) Maddie Salenbien (14) considers her next move during her team’s 46-41 loss to Onsted on Jan. 13. (Below) Aisley Cousino (5) works to get into the lane as teammate Lacey Evans (15) moves to open space. (Photos provided by the Dundee girls basketball program.)