DeBoer Looks to Steer Sailors to Breslin
February 18, 2016
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
CUTLERVILLE – Jenn DeBoer remembers the thrill of playing in the MHSAA Class B Final when she was a sophomore.
The South Christian standout would like nothing better than to revisit that feeling in her final season.
DeBoer, a 5-foot-7 point guard, is currently leading the Sailors toward what they hope is another extended postseason run.
South Christian is 16-1 with three games remaining in the regular season before Districts tip off in March.
“That was a lot of fun, and obviously it was different because I was a sophomore and I knew that I had two more years after that,” DeBoer said. “But this year it’s a big goal for all of us seniors. We’ve talked about how we want to get back there and end our senior season strong.”
Led by DeBoer and a cast of veteran senior teammates, the Sailors have displayed the potential to make some noise in the MHSAA tournament.
They’re seeking an Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title and currently own a perfect 7-0 mark in league play. Their championship hopes hinge on upcoming showdowns with Wayland and Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
“It’s been a blast so far,” DeBoer said. “I couldn’t ask for a better senior season. Our team chemistry is so amazing, and the other seniors and I get along so well. Obviously, winning has been fun too, and it’s probably one of the best teams I’ve been on.”
DeBoer, a four-year varsity player who committed to Division II Grand Valley State University before her junior season, has been the floor general of this year’s squad.
She has contributed in every aspect of the game, averaging 16.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 steals per contest.
First-year South Christian coach Kim Legge has watched DeBoer improve and mature throughout the past years.
“She has made strides because of her work ethic, and she always wants to learn,” said Legge, a longtime assistant under recently-retired coach Jim DeBruyn.
“She’s like a sponge, and she’s been to a point guard camp the past two summers. That has really helped with her decision-making and leadership skills.”
DeBoer recently established two new school records for her 3-point shooting prowess.
During a recent win over Hastings, she set a new mark for career 3-pointers that had stood since 2003 while also surpassing the single-season record.
DeBoer toppled Leah Pettinga’s career record of 93 3-pointers made. She currently has 45 on the season.
“It’s a huge honor to have the record now,” DeBoer said. “I knew I was pretty close because I focus on shooting 3s. It’s my favorite thing to do, and that’s just what I do. I wasn’t sure if I would ever make it, so it is definitely really cool to know that I have the record now.”
Legge didn’t know DeBoer was approaching the milestone until a few weeks ago, but she wasn’t surprised by the accomplishment.
“Anything that girl puts her mind to she seems to get done,” Legge said. “I got clued in a couple games before that she was getting close, but she would have never said anything to me. That’s how she is. She is so humble. It was a goal of hers, but it never would’ve come out of her mouth.”
DeBoer said the transition from DeBruyn to Legge wasn’t a difficult one.
“They both have similar coaching styles, but coach Legge is a lot more centered on defense so our defense this year has really picked up,” she said. “We have done a lot of the same things we’ve been doing in the past.”
DeBoer’s early commitment to the Lakers has allowed her to enjoy a stress-free final two seasons. It’s allowed her to focus strictly on helping her team succeed instead of lamenting over which college to choose.
“The pressure has been off, and I’ve been able to focus on my last basketball season at South,” DeBoer said. “The last four years have gone by pretty fast, and it doesn’t feel like I’m a senior until I think about it and look at old pictures. In a couple months I will be graduating, but I’m trying to enjoy high school while I’m still here.”
DeBoer is anticipating the jump to college, but is committed to ending her career on a high note.
“I’m definitely looking forward to playing in college next year, but I would really like to have a good ending to this season,” DeBoer said. “If we keep working hard, then I think we will do pretty well in the postseason.”
Legge isn’t one to look ahead, but with a starting line-up consisting of all seniors, expectations are high for the remainder of the season.
“We have a hard road ahead of us the last week of conference (play) and I don’t feel like we have peaked,” she said. “I really focus on what my team needs to do to grow on a day-to-day basis. Every coach in the state hopes their team makes a tournament run, and at this point of the season, it’s a goal of ours.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids South Christian's Jenn DeBoer defends against Grand Rapids Catholic Central earlier this season. (Middle) DeBoer, 4, is one of a cast of experienced teammates hoping to finish with another Finals run; she takes the floor with Markayla Vander (24) and Sydney DeYoung (22). (Photos by Tracy DeYoung.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Post-Break
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 5, 2026
Holiday break is over, and school is back in session – and the great majority of Michigan’s high school girls basketball teams will be through the first quarter of their seasons by the end of this week.
There’s plenty to catch up on from the last two, so we’ll jump right in with our first “Breslin Bound” report of the 2026 calendar year.
“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. Grand Rapids West Catholic 54, Tecumseh 52 The Falcons (6-1) avenged their 54-44 loss to Tecumseh (6-1) in last season’s Division 2 championship game.
2. Rockford 52, Howell 36 The Rams (5-1) handed the Highlanders (6-1) their lone loss this season in a semifinal of their Cornerstone University Holiday Classic Gold bracket.
3. Freeland 57, Hemlock 43 The Falcons moved to 3-2 at the Huskie Holiday Classic in handing host Hemlock (6-1) its only defeat.
4. Niles Brandywine 60, Kent City 42 These two were undefeated when they met Dec. 30 at Kalamazoo College, and Brandywine remains 5-0 while Kent City is 4-2.
5. Tecumseh 41, Detroit Edison 28 Although Tecumseh did finish holiday break with a loss, it started with this notable win over Edison (4-3) at the Detroit Renaissance Phoenix Classic.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Belleville (5-0) The reigning Division 1 champion Tigers defeated host Detroit Renaissance at the Phoenix Classic at the start of break and followed that up with their most impressive victory to date – a 65-50 win over Indianapolis Lawrence Central, arguably the top team in Indiana after winning a state championship in 2024 and finishing 22-2 a year ago. Belleville finished 28-1 last season, and will have a chance to avenge that lone loss a second time when it travels to Wayne Memorial on Jan. 16.
Wayne Memorial (5-0) The Zebras also own a win over Renaissance and have allowed only Muskegon to come within double digits, downing the Big Reds 55-48 at the West Michigan Hoop Summit at Aquinas College. Wayne and Belleville both play in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East and will see each other twice, and the Zebras nearly made it a third time last winter falling a win shy as their playoff run ended in the Division 1 Semifinals.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids South Christian (6-0) The Sailors defeated Coopersville and Muskegon Reeths-Puffer in Cornerstone University Holiday Classic games, the latest victories from a start that’s seen every win by double digits and the closest 10-pointers over Hudsonville Unity Christian and Holland Christian. South Christian finished 24-3 a year ago with two losses to Grand Rapids West Catholic – Tuesday’s opponent – including by two points in a season-ending Quarterfinal.
Negaunee (7-0) This team surely entered this winter extra motivated after suffering its only loss last season in a District Final. The highlight of the Miners’ strong start arguably has been a 45-39 win over reigning Division 4 runner-up Ewen-Trout Creek as part of Negaunee’s Irontown Holiday Bash. The Miners had defeated Kingsford the day before, and have won the rest of their games this winter by at least 11 points.
DIVISION 3
Jackson Lumen Christi (5-1) The Titans defeated Detroit Edison 50-49 on Saturday at the Detroit Cass Tech Showcase to add to an impressive start that’s also included double-digit wins over Michigan Center, Salem, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard and Mio. All but Salem currently have winning records, and Salem is 4-4. The only loss under first-year coach Scott Stine – who led Ypsilanti Arbor Prep to last year’s Division 3 title – came against Ohio’s Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, an Ohio state runner-up last season.
Union City (7-0) The Chargers already have surpassed last season’s 6-17 finish, avenging last-winter losses to Napoleon, Homer and a pair to Springport. Last year did provide a sign of improvement – Union City won more than four games for the first time since 2017-18 – and these first four weeks of 2025-26 could be signaling a big jump in process. Five of these first seven wins came by double digits.
DIVISION 4
Baraga (6-0) A pair of 12-point wins over L’Anse and Houghton have been the toughest challenges so far for the Vikings, who are seeking to advance past their District this season for the first time since finishing Division 4 runner-up in 2022-23. On Thursday they’ll face Hancock, which ended Baraga’s season at 16-7 last March. A trip to Ewen-Trout Creek on Jan. 13 could decide the Copper Mountain Conference title, as Baraga finished second and a game back of E-TC a year ago.
Petersburg Summerfield (7-0) Summerfield tied for second in the Tri-County Conference last season and ended its playoff run at 17-7 with a District loss to TCC champion Morenci – but will get its first opportunity to avenge last winter’s three losses to Morenci on Thursday at home. The only single-digit wins so far this winter came against Division 1 Ann Arbor Skyline and Monroe, and the Bulldogs also see Division 1 Allen Park on Tuesday before hosting their league rival.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Pewamo-Westphalia (4-0) at Flint Powers Catholic (5-1) – Powers is coming off its first loss, but can rebound quickly by avenging last year’s 53-50 loss to the Pirates.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids West Catholic (6-1) at Grand Rapids South Christian (6-0) – These two shared the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title last season, and West Catholic won their third meeting in a Division 2 Quarterfinal.
Tuesday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (5-1) at Warren Regina (7-0) – St. Mary’s was a co-champion in the Catholic High School League Central West last season and Regina looks like one of the contenders this winter.
Wednesday – Evart (4-0) at McBain (4-0) – These two are tied early atop the Highland Conference after Evart finished first and McBain tied for second last season.
Friday – Ishpeming (5-0) at Negaunee (7-0) – These two look like the top contenders again in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East after Negaunee won it and Ishpeming was second a year ago.
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) Livonia Stevenson’s Bella Sapia (23) drives into the lane during her team’s win over Berkley on Dec. 23. (Middle) Negaunee's Clare O'Donnell looks for an open teammate during her team’s Dec. 19 win over Ishpeming Westwood. (Stevenson/Berkley photo by Douglas Bargerstock. Negaunee/Westwood photo by Cara Kamps.)