Despite Torn ACL, Lapeer's Erla Drives On
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 26, 2020
Hannah Erla was so devastated by the diagnosis, she basically stopped listening.
The Lapeer senior point guard had torn her ACL, which in her mind meant her final high school season was over after just four games. She wouldn’t be able to lead the Lightning to their first District title since her freshman year. She was done playing for coach Andrew Roberts. She would end her career about 100 points shy of 1,000.
As all this was swirling through Erla’s head, the good news came: she could still play.
“There was maybe a pause, then he said it after,” Erla said. “I was so upset, I wasn’t comprehending what he was saying.”
After Erla processed the news, her next decision was a simple one. She wouldn’t have surgery on her knee until after the season. She would wear a brace, and she would finish her high school career on the court. After talking with more doctors, getting the proper clearances and missing just two games, Erla was back in uniform leading the Lightning.
“What drives me to play is that it’s my last year of high school, and I’ll never be able to play with my friends again, or have Roberts coach me,” she said. “I just want to win a District with my team. … It was immediate. I decided right then that I was going to finish out the season and reach my goals to get 1,000 and try and win a District.”
Erla reached 1,000 points in the waning seconds of Lapeer’s game Feb. 7 against Grand Blanc. The District title is yet to be decided, and Erla still has some work to do to ensure she’s on the court to make that happen.
She has missed the Lightning’s past three games because the swelling in her knee has increased. She plans to be on the court, however, for the regular-season finale Friday at home against Bay City John Glenn, and the postseason which begins March 4 for Lapeer.
Betting against her seems unwise considering what Erla already has overcome. But either way, she’s already provided a shining example for the program.
“Hannah always wants to get into the gym,” Roberts said. “Hannah plays and works hard in the offseason. We ran a summer camp for kids, and I made sure that I stressed that she’s a four-year player because of her, because she has put this extra time in. When you have a walking, living example of that, it holds so much more water than just saying it.”
Roberts took over the Lapeer girls basketball program at the same time Erla was entering it. As a freshman, she wasn’t a starter, but she still managed to earn honorable mention all-Saginaw Valley League recognition. As a sophomore and junior, she earned first-team honors.
Lapeer, which was 5-13 entering Tuesday’s game against Midland Dow, started this season 3-0, with all three wins coming by double digits. It was early in the fourth game, a 41-39 loss to Davison on Dec. 13, when the Lightning lost its leader. Erla ran toward a Davison player who was bobbling the ball, but as she planted her foot and tried to turn, her knee gave out. Erla said she didn’t hear the pop that players so often recall when tearing their ACL, and she was able to walk on it. The trainer told her she couldn’t return, however.
“Our trainer went out there and knew she was done for that game,” Roberts said. “When they say they’re done, and it’s a knee issue, you tend to think the worst.”
Erla’s tear was described as straight across, and not jagged, which allowed her to get the green light to play with a brace. She returned to action Jan. 7.
“I’m happy, selfishly, to have her,” Roberts said. “But I’ve never seen it done before, so I was pretty apprehensive, because the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. I was excited to have her, but at the same time very, very nervous. When you start talking to people, there were other situations out there, which kind of eases your mind a little bit. You have to go by what the expert says, not what I think.”
Erla had to adjust to playing with her injury, as she had lost some of her signature explosiveness. Roberts said her strength as a shooter became more prominent.
“I just let things come more naturally rather than before when I tried to do most of the work,” she said. “This time, I just waited for my shot. At first, it was (frustrating) because I wasn’t expecting it. I was expecting to play how it used to be, but then I adjusted and I wasn’t frustrated anymore.”
In 14 games this season, Erla is averaging 12.6 points, three rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. She is also shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
One of those free throws earned Erla her 1,000th point one month after she returned to action. She said the moment was made more special because of what she had to endure to get there.
“It was a lot of pressure; I was all worked up over it,” Erla said. “After I hit it, I was overwhelmed with emotion and so thankful to reach that goal. I was just beyond happy and overwhelmed with emotion. I didn’t know what to think. I was crying and hugging my teammates.”
After the season ends, and after spring break, Erla said she will have her surgery in early spring. She is still hoping to play basketball at the next level, and Roberts said she has been in contact with several NAIA programs. The most important quality Erla, who holds a 4.1 GPA, said she is looking for is a good engineering program.
Roberts says that whoever signs Erla will be bringing in a great asset.
“I would sign her because right now, she needs to score in high school for us to be successful,” he said. “It might take a year or so, but when you develop her into more of a point guard, you’re going to have a guard who can break a defender down and get into the paint – that's what she does. A healthy Hannah can get into the key at will.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Lapeer’s Hannah Erla lines up for a free throw against Bay City Western this season. (Middle) Erla prepares to make her move against Grand Blanc. (Photos by Ross Carithers, courtesy of Hannah Erla.)
Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Girls Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 24, 2022
With just less than half of this girls basketball regular season remaining, 25 teams (out of 700 teams statewide) are chasing perfection, including 16 that have achieved at least 10-0 records.
Ten of those undefeated teams are mentioned in this week’s “Breslin Bound” report – as are two which recently suffered their first defeat of the winter.
“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. Frankenmuth 63, Midland Dow 60 (OT) The Eagles (9-1), even without a top player on this night, continued to assert themselves as Division 2 contenders by handing Division 1 Dow (9-1) its only loss.
2. Calumet 66, Houghton 49 The Copper Kings (9-0) stand alone as the only undefeated team in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference after delivering a first loss to the Gremlins (11-1).
3. Dearborn Divine Child 47, Bloomfield Hills Marian 43 Divine Child (11-0) completed the first half of the Detroit Catholic League Central schedule undefeated with this win over the reigning champ Mustangs (7-3).
4. Harbor Springs 49, Elk Rapids 48 The Lake Michigan Conference ended the week with a three-way tie atop the standings after Elk Rapids (7-2) defeated Traverse City St. Francis (8-3) on Tuesday, and Harbor Springs (10-1) then edged the Elks on Friday.
5. Paw Paw 46, Otsego 43 The Red Wolves (8-2) moved to the top of the competitive Wolverine Conference North and sent Otsego (10-2) into second.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Grosse Pointe North (9-1) Three Macomb Area Conference Red teams have won nine games, and Grosse Pointe North and Macomb Dakota are both undefeated in league play heading into Tuesday’s matchup. North is the reigning Red champ and went 13-4 overall a year ago, losing twice to rival Grosse Pointe South – with the Norsemen winning their first matchup this season 56-41 on Jan. 11. North handed Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (11-1) its only defeat and also has wins over Port Huron (9-4), Utica Ford (9-3) and St. Clair Shores Lakeview (8-3) and an impressive loss to Farmington Hills Mercy (9-2).
Hudsonville (9-2) After winning the Division 1 championship last April with only one senior starter, the Eagles are gathering steam as expected with their only losses to Midland Dow (see above) and Division 2 power Detroit Edison. Hudsonville handed Rockford its lone loss, 62-48, on Jan. 14, and will face Holland West Ottawa on Friday potentially for the lead in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red (although Rockford could change the narrative facing West Ottawa on Tuesday, while Hudsonville must hold off Jenison). The Eagles also own a 79-51 win over reigning Division 3 champ Grass Lake and edged O-K White leader Byron Center 59-56 in overtime.
Division 2
Grand Rapids West Catholic (10-1) The Falcons are a combined 49-3 over the last three seasons and on the move again after suffering their only loss last season in a Regional Final to eventual Finals runner-up Newaygo. West Catholic is one game ahead of the field as it pursues a third-straight O-K Blue championship, with that lone defeat 50-46 to Rockford (10-1). West Catholic delivered O-K Silver co-leader Sparta its only defeat, on Dec. 10.
Lake Fenton (9-0) The Blue Devils are seeking to repeat as league champions in the Flint Metro League Stars and are tied for first with Goodrich. The first meeting between the two finishes off the first half of the league schedule tonight. No other opponent, league or non, has gotten closer than 17 points to catching Lake Fenton, which is giving up only 26 points per game.
Division 3
Blissfield (9-3) The Royals are playing for a first league championship since 2016-17, and they made the Lenawee County Athletic Association a three-team race with Friday’s 42-36 win over Onsted (8-4). Those two and Brooklyn Columbia Central are tied at the top of the standings with the second round of league games to play. Columbia Central (8-2) defeated Blissfield 41-21 on Dec. 10; the rematch is Tuesday. The Royals’ other losses were similarly strong, to Erie Mason (9-3) and Tecumseh (11-0).
Hart (9-1) The Pirates control their destiny in the West Michigan Conference as they pursue their first league title in at least a decade. After finishing second to Montague the last two seasons, Hart sits a game ahead heading into the second half of the league schedule thanks in part to a 37-36 win over the Wildcats on Jan. 11. The Pirates’ lone loss came to Division 2 contender Redford Westfield Prep on Dec. 4; Montague is the only other opponent to get closer than 12 points.
Division 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-3) The Cougars’ cast is different after graduating significant standouts over the last few seasons, but the results have remained similar. Lenawee Christian has six wins over teams with winning records, having handed Athens what remains the opening-night opponent’s lone defeat. The Cougars also defeated Division 2 Onsted (8-4) last week, and their losses are to Division 4 undefeated Portland St. Patrick, Division 1 Temperance Bedford and Division 2 Chelsea.
Mackinaw City (11-0) The Comets have won between 18-23 games the last three seasons, so success is nothing new. But they are lining up well for an opportunity to take the next step. Mackinaw City is again leading the Northern Lakes Conference as it pursues what would be a fourth-straight championship, and the Comets already have avenged one of their two defeats during last season’s 18-2 run in downing Cedarville 73-46 last week. The other team to defeat Mackinaw City last season, St. Ignace, crosses the Bridge on Saturday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Saline (10-0) at Dexter (7-2) – These two are tied for first in the Southeastern Conference Red, with the rest of the league’s teams all with two or more defeats.
Tuesday – Detroit Edison (4-1) at Parma Western (11-0) – The Pioneers have had nearly as many games canceled as played, but bring a win over East Lansing from last week into this challenge.
Tuesday – Rockford (10-1) at Holland West Ottawa (10-0) – Before the Panthers can think about Hudsonville (see above), they’ll need to avenge two 2021 losses to the Rams.
Wednesday – Hartford (9-0) at Watervliet (8-0) – A pair of league leaders face off in what could be a Regional preview.
Friday – Dearborn Divine Child (11-0) at Farmington Hills Mercy (9-2) – Divine Child also must get past Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard on Tuesday, but could be playing Mercy to all but clinch the Central title.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Mesick’s Kayla McCoy brings the ball upcourt this season. Mesick is 8-2, having already eclipsed last season’s seven victories. (Photo courtesy of the Mesick girls basketball program.)