Calumet Claims 1st MHSAA Hoops Crown
March 21, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING — The chant "U.P. power" isn't just a catchy phrase that rocks arenas whenever a school from the Upper Peninsula reaches the final round of an MHSAA tournament.
To the Calumet girls' basketball team, it had real meaning on Saturday.
The Copper Kings huddled in their hotel around a television to watch the 10 a.m. Class D Final in which St. Ignace from just north of the Mackinac Bridge rallied from a 20-point third-quarter deficit to beat Pittsford in overtime.
One U.P. team brought home a championship and another was inspired to do the same six hours later.
Unranked Calumet won its first MHSAA girls basketball championship, shaking off an early nine-point deficit to beat fifth-ranked Flint Hamady, 57-49, in the Class C Final on Saturday at the Breslin Center.
Hamady had leads of 17-8 and 19-11 during the first two minutes of the second quarter before Calumet got back in the game on the strength of its 3-point shooting. It wasn't as epic a comeback as St. Ignace's record-setting performance, but the game was on the verge of getting away from the Copper Kings against a talented Hamady team that has won three MHSAA titles.
"We were able to sit in our hotel room this morning and enjoy that St. Ignace game," first-year Calumet coach Jeff Twardzik said. "Hat's off to them and congratulations. They helped us mentally, like big-time. When they went down, we thought, 'Oh, no. This is a U.P. team and we're behind them.' When they chipped away at that and came back and showed how gritty they were, they gave us a lot coming into this game. We can do this. We talked to these kids about the ups and downs of a basketball game and we have to stay consistent."
Calumet's victory gave the U.P. two MHSAA girls basketball champions for the first time in the 42-season history of the tournament. It's happened only four times in boys basketball, the last in 1957 when Negaunee and Chassell won titles.
The initial inspiration for this unlikely championship came many years earlier, when six of Calumet's seniors played on a third-grade team coached by Twardzik.
"Ever since third grade, he said this group would win a state championship this year," said senior guard Alexis Rowe, whose 3-point shooting barrage in the second quarter settled down the Copper Kings.
It no doubt made the 500-mile drive home much sweeter for the Copper Kings, who left town at 9 a.m. Monday to play a Quarterfinal game on Tuesday in Petoskey. They practiced in Gaylord on Wednesday before heading to East Lansing that night to play the next day at Michigan State.
"I've been through this experience before in volleyball," said 5-foot-10 Calumet senior Ellen Twardzik, the daughter of the head coach. "You pack for a week before the Quarterfinals and hope to make it to the Finals. We've lost three years in a row in the Quarterfinals. You have to expect the best. You pack all your gear and all your faith."
All-stater Jalisha Terry had 12 of Hamady's first 17 points, as the Hawks got out to a 17-8 lead with 7:04 left in the second quarter. Calumet responded by going 5 for 9 from 3-point range the rest of the quarter, with Rowe hitting three shots from beyond the arc.
Rowe finished with a season-high 22 points, going 4 for 7 on 3-pointers. She came in averaging 1.8 3-pointers a game.
"I know I'm not a 3-point shooter," Rowe said. "I'm more of an inside shooter. When I feel like I'm going, I know I'm going."
An 8-0 run gave Calumet its first lead at 24-23 late in the first half. After four straight Hamady points, a 3-pointer by Rowe with two seconds left in the second quarter created a 27-27 halftime tie.
Hamady's last lead came with 2:50 left in the third quarter when a 3-point play by Terry put the Hawks ahead, 34-33. Calumet led 37-36 going into the fourth quarter, then opened up some breathing room by starting the final period with a 9-0 run. Two free throws by Leah Kiilunen with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter gave Calumet its biggest lead at 46-36.
Hamady was able to score off turnovers to get back in the game, cutting the Copper Kings' advantage to 47-44 on two free throws by Sasha Penn with 1:52 remaining.
Calumet came up with two huge rebounds off of its own missed free throws, the first by Terilynne Budreau after Abby Bjorn went 1 for 2 from the line and the next by Twardzik after Clara Loukus went 1 for 2. Calumet outrebounded Hamady, 42-29.
"It was more of a mentality that I'm going to get that and you're not going to stop me," said Twardzik, who had eight of her 11 rebounds on the offensive glass.
A 3-pointer by Deajah Cofield got Hamady within 55-49 with 53 seconds left, but the Hawks didn't score again.
"It's still been a good season," Hamady coach Keith Smith said. "We would've still loved to have finished on top. The girls have nothing to be ashamed of."
Terry, a junior guard, finished with 26 points.
"I'm taking each loss as a lesson to be learned," she said.
Before this season, Calumet had won only one Regional championship, losing 57-43 to Mount Pleasant in the 1977 Class B Quarterfinals.
"It's just going to breed more success," said coach Twardzik, who led the junior varsity team before this season. "These kids, even before we did this, the enthusiasm they are giving back to our community. In the third through sixth grades in the elementary program, we have 81 young ladies coming out from a small town. It has everything to do with these guys. They give up every Saturday for these young women to come in and learn basketball and have fun along the way. It's going to mean a ton. I hope we can keep this ball rolling."
Calumet finished 24-2, its two losses coming to rival Houghton, which was a Class B Regional finalist.
Hamady finished 26-2.
Click for the full box score and video from the postgame press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Calumet coach Jeff Twardzik holds the MHSAA championship trophy up to his players Saturday. (Middle) Calumet’s Alexis Rowe works to get past Hamady’s Jalisha Terry.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 9
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 9, 2026
It’s league championship time this girls basketball season, and with less than a month until District play begins and some interesting clusters of games coming up thanks to winter-weather postponements, there will be at least a few wild finishes over the next few weeks.
Our report below includes news on a few teams that already have clinched, mentions of more that are closing in, and explanations of at least two pairs of contenders likely to decide their league titles while seeing each other twice over just a matter of days.
“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. Midland 38, Grand Haven 36 In the midst of a deadlocked Saginaw Valley League North race, co-leader Midland (13-4) took on another Division 1 contender in Grand Haven (13-2).
2. Birmingham Groves 73, Detroit Edison 62 This win over an annual power just adds to an incredible turnaround for Groves (13-2), which won six games last season and is guaranteed its first winning record since 2017-18.
3. Clarkston 52, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 45 This pulled the Wolves (12-5) even with Stoney Creek (12-2) atop the Oakland Activities Association Red standings, and these two face off again tonight.
4. Jackson Lumen Christi 55, Farmington Hills Mercy 49 The Titans (14-2) moved into the Catholic High School League Bishop final with this win over the Marlins (11-4).
5. Grand Rapids South Christian 50, Grand Rapids West Catholic 44 The Sailors (16-0) continued to pull away in an Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold where West Catholic (12-4) is one of three more teams with at least 10 wins.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Howell (17-1) The Highlanders have already clinched the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title with three league games left to play. The title is Howell’s second in three seasons, and the dominance has extended through its nonleague schedule with the only loss to Rockford (13-1) at Cornerstone University in December. Many statewide eyes will be turned toward the KLAA overall championship game Feb. 26 and the Highlanders’ anticipated matchup with reigning Division 1 champion Belleville.
Utica Eisenhower (12-2) The Eagles can clinch a share of the Macomb Area Conference Red title with a win against Port Huron on Tuesday, and they are a combined 34-5 over the last two seasons having also shared the league title a year ago. Eisenhower has loaded up tough nonleague competition and no doubt benefitted even from losses to Goodrich and Detroit Renaissance – with a chance to head into the postseason on a roll with a trip to Flint Powers Catholic for the regular-season finale.
DIVISION 2
Big Rapids (10-3) The Cardinals have won 20 straight Central State Activities Association games and lead the Red after the first cycle through the schedule and after winning the title a year ago. They defeated CSAA White leader Morley Stanwood 57-53 and have lost to Grand Rapids Covenant Christian, Spring Lake and Mount Pleasant – which are either undefeated or contending for league titles. Matchups with Saginaw Heritage and Kent City on back-to-back days next week will be a valuable challenge.
Otsego (12-1) The Bulldogs are a one-point overtime December loss to Richland Gull Lake from perfection, and that’s while playing a schedule that’s included two wins over Sturgis (13-2) and one apiece against Marshall (10-5), Plainwell (10-3) and Saturday over Niles Brandywine (15-1). Otsego looks ready to climb after winning 12-14 games each of the last three seasons and has jumped from No. 15 to No. 4 in statewide Division 2 MPR over the last two weeks.
DIVISION 3
Cass City (12-3) The Red Hawks have won 10 of their last 11 and have a half-game lead on Caro in the Greater Thumb Conference White with Thursday’s matchup with the Tigers potentially for first place alone in the league. Cass City already handed Caro one of its two losses and Deckerville one of its two defeats, with wins over Sanford Meridian and Unionville-Sebewaing also especially of note. Two of the Red Hawks’ losses were back-to-back to Hemlock (15-1) and Kingston (15-0), but Cass City will have a similar opportunity against Sandusky (14-1) in the regular-season finale.
Morley Stanwood (12-2) As noted above, Morley Stanwood leads the CSAA White, with those losses nonleague to Big Rapids and Fremont (11-3). Both came during a string of four straight games against opponents now with double-digit wins, and Morley Stanwood also defeated Kent City and Mio during that string. The Kent City win was by a 64-62 score, and the rematch is set for Feb. 20. The team needs just one more win to equal last season’s total.
DIVISION 4
Au Gres-Sims (14-1) The Wolverines jumped 11 spots to No. 6 in statewide Division 4 MPR this week thanks in part to a 55-37 win over Hale (10-3) after they defeated Hale by just a point in overtime in their first meeting Jan. 8. Au Gres-Sims and Mio are the only undefeated teams left in North Star League Little Dipper play and meet Tuesday for the first time this season and then again Friday. The Wolverines’ only loss came to Tawas (11-2) in their season opener, by just four points.
Ishpeming (12-2) The Hematites are a half-game back of first-place Negaunee and a half-game ahead of Houghton atop the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference standings – and although it didn’t count toward the league title race, Ishpeming avenged its WestPAC loss Friday by downing the previously-undefeated Miners 51-39. The Hematites did that after falling to Gladstone 53-49 in overtime only three nights before. Baraga (14-2) and Munising (12-3) should be two more challenging opponents before Ishpeming finishes the regular season with Houghton (11-4).
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Grass Lake (15-1) at Michigan Center (14-2) – There are a handful of Cascades Conference games left, but the East championship should come down to this matchup after Grass Lake won the first meeting 61-55.
Tuesday – Wayne Memorial (14-1) at Belleville (16-0) – The Tigers can clinch a share of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East championship with a win over the rival Zebras, who have lost only to Belleville.
Tuesday – Hanover-Horton (13-2) at Brooklyn Columbia Central (13-2) – These two are tied for first in the Cascades Conference West and will meet again Feb. 17.
Wednesday – New Lothrop (13-1) at Ovid-Elsie (12-2) – New Lothrop has a half-game lead on Ovid-Elsie in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference after winning their Jan. 5 meeting 47-34.
Friday – Jackson Lumen Christi (14-2) vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (15-2) at Oakland – The champions of the Catholic High School League Central-East and Central-West, respectively, will meet for the Bishop Tournament title.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and X @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy’s Symone Brandt (1) drives during a 51-43 loss to Mio on Friday. (Middle) Houghton's Kate Filpus cuts between Marquette's Kylie Smith (25) and Hayley Taylor (22) and takes a shot. (SASA/Mio photo by Kolleth Photo. Houghton/Marquette photo by Cara Kamps.)