Davis Sinks Memory-Maker This Time as West Bloomfield Downs Rockford in OT
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 22, 2024
EAST LANSING – West Bloomfield wanted badly to avenge last year’s loss to Rockford in the Division 1 Final.
The Lakers did so in dramatic fashion Friday.
Indya Davis banked in a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, and West Bloomfield converted timely free throws during the extra session for a thrilling 55-47 win over the Rams in the second Division 1 Semifinal at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
“It took us 365 days and an extra quarter to get that back,” Lakers coach Darren McAllister said. “Since last year we felt like we left something in East Lansing and it was about Rockford because they beat us, but the big thing is it's not about Rockford. It’s about getting what we left in East Lansing and Rockford, which is a great coached team, was the next step.”
West Bloomfield (26-1) trailed the entire second half before Davis’ heroics.
“Before I took the shot, I told Summer (Davis, her twin sister) that I wanted the shot,” Davis said. “Give me the ball. As soon as that ball came off my hand, I knew it was good.
“That’s the type of shot you see in movies. You don’t think it's really going to go in, but we believed in it and practiced it. When it went in, it was our day.”
Summer Davis led the Lakers with 22 points and made 13 of 16 from the free throw line. She made 10 of 11 in overtime, accounting for all of West Bloomfield’s points during those additional minutes.
Indya Davis finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, the game-tying 3-pointer one of two she made from beyond the arc.
“I believe in her, so I wasn't about to question giving her the ball and it went in,” Summer Davis said. “It was a big surprise, but it wasn't because we came to win.”
McAllister wasn’t surprised to see that shot go in.
“That's Indya all day long, and we practice that,” he said. “I wasn't shocked by it because I knew at the end of the day they weren't ready to go home and schedule a banquet. They wanted to keep playing."
West Bloomfield will face Grand Blanc in Saturday’s Division 1 Final at 12:15 p.m.
The shot stunned the Rams (26-2), who appeared to be on their way to an opportunity to finish a repeat title run.
“I thought we were in a great position up three there in the closing moments,” Rockford coach Brad Wilson said. “We defended it pretty well, but hats off to them. They made a heck of a shot.
“It was tough when we saw that one go through. However, I think we really preached that (positive mentality) all season and we were ready to take on overtime and try and get the win.”
It was the third straight meeting at the Breslin between the two teams. West Bloomfield defeated Rockford in a Division 1 Semifinal in 2022 before the Rams’ victory last year – when Rockford took the final lead on a 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play.
“Losing to Rockford by four last year was unacceptable,” said Indya Davis, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. “We came back with a new fire this year, and we wanted to win. The rivalry between us and them is huge, and today we got the outcome.”
West Bloomfield led 15-10 in the first quarter, but the Rams responded and outscored the Lakers 19-5 in the second to take a 29-20 lead into halftime. A 7-0 run sparked the comeback, punctuated by Kate Higgins’ 3-pointer.
Despite the halftime deficit, the Lakers cranked up the defensive pressure and clawed back, getting to within six (39-33) after three quarters.
The Rams shot only 35 percent (15-43) from the field, including 4 of 19 from behind the 3-point arc. They were led by Anna’s Wypych’s 20 points. Jordan Mateer added 12 points, while Higgins, a sophomore, recorded 11 points and 13 rebounds.
PHOTOS (Top) West Bloomfield’s Destiny Washington (1) brings the ball up the court during Friday’s Division 1 Semifinal at Breslin Center. (Middle) Indya Davis (24) pulls up for a shot with Rockford’s Kate Higgins defender. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Fowler Takes Final Steps to 'Finish' Best in Division 4 for 3rd Time in 5 Seasons
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 22, 2025
EAST LANSING – Fowler’s Katie Spicer recalled all season the disappointment of losing in the Division 4 Semifinals to finish the past two.
She didn’t want to relive that emotion to close her final year in an Eagles uniform.
Spicer and her teammates ended their season on top again after downing Ewen-Trout Creek 53-29 Saturday morning in the Division 4 Final at the Breslin Center.
It was the third Division 4 title over the last five years for Fowler (27-2).
“That feeling of getting so close and not being able to finish, it hurts a lot,” said Spicer, who led Fowler with 17 points on 5 of 9 shooting.
“Obviously it felt great that we made it here, but it hurt falling short. So we used that a lot as motivation throughout the whole year. It helped a lot.”
It was another dominating performance for the Eagles, who won every MHSAA Tournament game by more than 21 points.
“These seniors have been locked in,” Fowler head coach Nathan Goerge said. “We talked about some preseason goals, and I had open communication about what we wanted. And the message all season has been ‘Finish’ because we knew where we got last year, and the girls didn’t like that feeling of losing in the Semis.
“Every time they broke a huddle, every time they left a locker room, it was always ‘finish’ and I'm just so happy that they were able to do that this year.”
Fowler forced eight turnovers during the first quarter, but led only 14-8 as Ewen-Trout Creek junior guard Emma Besonen scored all of her team’s points, including burying two deep 3-pointers.
Fowler went ahead by double digits (19-8) in the second quarter when Spicer lofted a perfect pass down court to Neelah O’Rourke for a lay-in.
A driving lay-up by freshman Bree Besonen during the waning seconds of the first half closed the gap to 23-16. The Besonen sisters combined to score 14 of the Panthers’ first-half points.
Fowler scored the first six points of the third quarter to push the lead to 29-16. Paige Thelen’s offensive rebound and put-back during the closing seconds gave the Eagles a commanding 42-19 advantage as they outscored E-TC 19-3 during the period.
“Very proud of the girls, especially in the second half,” Goerge said. “We had some defensive lapses in the first half, and to their credit they had some good looks and made some shots.
“The girls really picked it up and played our style of Fowler girls basketball, and I thought that was the difference in the second half. We played with so much more energy and did a fantastic job.”
Senior Elizabeth Hufnagel added 10 points, five rebounds and three steals for Fowler, while Brooke Weber also had 10 points.
“Coming back here and winning it my senior year is a great feeling,” Weber said. “I think our ability to run and stay focused and locked in really helped us. This is amazing.”
The Panthers (27-2) played in their first championship game since the Class D Final in 1985 and had no seniors on their roster.
“They have a place in history at our school, and I’m super proud of them,” Ewen-Trout Creek head coach Jacky Besonen said. “Fowler is very balanced, they are very physical and strong and their defense caused some problems for us tonight.
“I was crying during the ceremony, but they were not tears of sadness. They were tears of joy that I’ve been holding in for days because I’m just so happy that they got to experience this being here at the state championships. I told them many times that you are living a dream that a lot of little girls hope to get to.”
Emma Besonen led the Panthers with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while Bree Besonen had nine points and Irelynd McGeshick finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
PHOTOS (Top) Fowler’s Elizabeth Hufnagel drives toward the lane during her team’s Division 4 Final win over Ewen-Trout Creek on Saturday. (Middle) The Eagles’ Neelah O’Rourke (12) gets up a shot from the post. (Below) E-TC’s Bree Besonen (20) works to get to the basket with Fowler’s Selena Stump defending. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)