Countdown to Calvin: Girls Report Week 9
January 29, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
As we embark on the final month of this girls basketball season, the first league championships are being clinched and the first conference tournament brackets are filling in.
And on cue, potential MHSAA title contenders continue to rise.
A matchup of two champions from a year ago and the continued surge by the reigning Class A winner are among subjects of today’s report. Countdown to Calvin is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or help us fill in missing scores, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Edison Public School Academy 62, Detroit Country Day 46 – Reigning Class C champion DEPSA has bounced quickly back from its lone loss earlier this month, to Ypsilanti Arbor Prep, with this win especially impressive over the reigning Class B title winner.
2. Pittsford 56, Bellevue 40 – The undefeated Wildcats have won 67 straight games, tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in MHSAA history, and this one over the two-loss Broncos was the 66th in a row and one of most impressive this winter.
3. Bloomfield Hills Marian 34, Farmington Hills Mercy 25 – They could meet again in the Catholic League A-B Tournament in two weeks, but Marian gladly will take in a regular-season sweep of its rival, which could end up cementing the Catholic League Central title.
4. Harper Woods Chandler Park 59, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 35 – Chandler Park looks ready to make a move in Class B, with this the most recent of intriguing results against tough competition.
5. Freeland 71, Hemlock 35 – Freeland has put together another strong run, improving to 11-2 with the latest this victory over previously-undefeated Hemlock in a crossover of first-place teams in the Tri-Valley Conference Central and West, respectively.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Flushing (11-2) – With a group of key seniors to replace and a couple of tough opponents to start this winter, Flushing fell out of the Class A conversation for a bit. But the reigning champ Raiders are back in with 11 straight wins since those opening losses to Flint Carman-Ainsworth and Midland Dow. They’ve opened up a nice lead in the Flint Metro League, but a Feb. 6 matchup with Goodrich will be telling.
Grosse Pointe North (9-2) – The Norsemen, 12-11 a season ago, are on a five-game winning streak that has included avenging this season’s losses to Macomb Dakota and Warren Cousino. That run has put North just a half-game behind Dakota in the Macomb Area Conference Red standings, but with a couple of tough matchups with Port Huron Northern coming up over the next two weeks.
CLASS B
Clawson (12-1) – The Trojans clinched the MAC Bronze championship outright last week and have won every league game by at least 14 points. They can finish a second straight perfect run through the league schedule Thursday at New Haven and soon could equal last season’s 16 wins as well – the only loss was by five to Madison Heights Bishop Foley (now 8-5) at the beginning of December.
Detroit Mumford (10-3) – The Mustangs are perfect in 2018, enjoying a six-game winning streak capped by last week’s 74-66 victory over league rival Detroit Renaissance. Mumford ended 2017 with three straight losses to Class A powers Detroit Martin Luther King, Clarkston and DeWitt, but should be tough in the Detroit Public School League and Class B tournaments.
CLASS C
Flint Hamady (9-4) – A string of four losses in five games quieted talk about the usually dominant Hawks, but it’s important to keep those defeats in context – they came to Chandler Park, Goodrich, Flint Beecher and Country Day. Hamady, a Class C semifinalist last season, avenged the Goodrich loss with 49-44 win Friday and gets Beecher this Friday.
St. Ignace (12-0) – The Saints have been a level above even the best teams on their side of the Upper Peninsula and below the bridge. The latest evidence was last week’s 68-21 win over Cedarville, which is leading the Eastern U.P. Athletic Conference and is 12-2 overall – the Trojans also lost to St. Ignace at the start of December. Circle a Feb. 10 game against Class B Goodrich and Feb. 17 against Detroit Edison among the most intriguing matchups in the state the rest of the way.
CLASS D
Morenci (10-2) – Losses to Pioneer North Central (Ohio) and undefeated Class C Pittsford are all that’s kept Morenci from perfection as it’s looked to build on last season’s 13-9 finish. The Bulldogs finished second in the Tri-County Conference last year but lead it today coming off a two-point win over reigning league champion Adrian Madison last Thursday. Morenci still has both games with second-place Ottawa Lake Whiteford coming up as the first was postponed two weeks ago.
St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (11-1) – Aside from an early six-point loss to Watervliet (now 8-3), the Titans have been perfect. They have a commanding lead in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference White and have played only one other game where the margin has been fewer than 17 points – a three-point win over Class B Buchanan (now 7-4).
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – East Lansing (13-0) at Williamston (14-0) – The Hornets have continued their perfect run despite losing top guard Maddie Watters to a season-ending injury two weeks ago; East Lansing is a Class A contender and should be the toughest test before playoffs begin.
Thursday – Clarkston (11-2) at Southfield Arts & Technology (9-4) – The Wolves are undefeated in the Oakland Activities Association Red with a 55-50 win over Southfield A&T on Dec. 22 remaining the Warriors’ only league loss.
Thursday – Macomb Dakota (10-3) at Port Huron Northern (10-4) – This matchup might have the best chance to mixing up what’s becoming a mashed-up MAC Red race; these two are among four teams at the top with either two or three league losses.
Friday – East Kentwood (14-0) at Grand Haven (10-3) – The Falcons finished the first half of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red schedule undefeated, but their closest win in or out of league this season was a four-pointer over Grand Haven in the first meeting Jan. 5.
Friday – DeWitt (12-1) at St. Johns (8-3) – The Panthers lead the Capital Area Activities Conference Red by two wins on St. Johns, but the Redwings are 5-1 since falling to DeWitt by 12 in mid-December.
PHOTO: A Freeland ball handler navigates the Hemlock defense during last week’s meeting of first-place teams in the Tri-Valley Conference. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Gladstone Off to Another Strong Start Led by All-Time Leading Scorer Johnson
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
January 15, 2026
GLADSTONE — So far, so good for the Gladstone girls basketball team.
The Braves, who are 8-2 overall, hope to make a deep postseason run after reaching the Division 3 Quarterfinal at Cheboygan a year ago where they dropped a 56-36 decision to Frankenmuth to finish 24-3.
They are led by 6-foot senior forward/center Lillie Johnson, who set the school’s all-time career scoring record during a 51-30 triumph over Ishpeming Westwood Jan. 6.
Johnson, who will play at Wisconsin-Green Bay next season, scored 27 points against the Patriots and added 30 in a 74-27 rout of Manistique on Friday, running her career total to 1,852.
“It was exciting to reach that and see all the support that came out,” she said. “It was definitely a relief to get the nerves out and help our team win.”
Gladstone has since defeated Marquette 64-52 and will host Menominee on Tuesday.
Johnson's total bested that scored by Reece Castor from 2016-19.
“I think personally, we started slow,” she said. “We lost two big players from last year’s team. It took a little time to get used to our roles.”
After winning its first three games, Gladstone dropped a 63-59 decision at Houghton on Dec. 19 despite a 47-point effort by Johnson, then fell at Ishpeming 54-44 three nights later.
“Lillie did everything at Houghton,” coach Andy Cretens said. “The other girls didn’t step up that night. We just need that second and third player to step up and help out with our scoring. (Houghton) had that one circled on their calendar. They wanted it. Those two games were important. Although, that could be a good thing. It could be a blessing in disguise. On defense, our rotation and communication needs to get better and we need to clean things up on offense. We’ve got some tough games coming up.”
Ishpeming is led by Baylor University volleyball recruit Mya Hemmer.
“Mya’s got the height and Houghton is a great team,” Johnson said. “Both teams are well-coached. I think we need to come out faster and get used to playing on the road.”
Junior Eva Pankonien, an outside shooting threat, sank three 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points against Manistique. Senior guard Addy Blowers, who plans to play volleyball at nearby Bay College next fall, often sets up the offense and scoring chances for her teammates.
Both filled roles off the bench earlier in their careers, with those experiences paying off now.
“That gave me confidence,” she added. “I’m sometimes the point guard. I just go out there and do what needs to be done. We really need to work on detailed stuff and taking care of the ball. The coaches are getting on us about leadership. We need to get back to the basics. I’m trying to be more of a defensive player this year. I’m excited for this next month.”
Pankonien also thrived in a similar situation early in her prep career.
“I was forced into a role I wasn’t used to in my freshman year,” she said. “It motivated me to work harder.”
Gladstone visits the Miners on Jan. 27 before hosting Calumet on Jan. 30 and Ishpeming on Feb. 3. Negaunee visits Gladstone for a rematch Feb. 26.
The Braves are entered in the Division 2 District Tournament in which Negaunee is the designated host. Gladstone defeated Negaunee in last season’s District Final after falling twice to the Miners during the regular season.
Johnson is naturally looking forward to her future at UWGB, but in the meantime there are great opportunities ahead for her and her teammates.
“Lillie is one of a kind,” Cretens said . “She can make anything happen. She draws attention from other teams which allows the other girls to be more comfortable.
“It has been a good start. We had some ups and downs. We’re still somewhat of a young team.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top ) Gladstone's Lillie Johnson (21) leads a fastbreak against Kingsford early this season. (Middle) Addy Blowers sets up for a free throw attempt. (Photos courtesy of the Gladstone athletic department.)