Divine Child Family Grows with New Season
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
December 11, 2015
DEARBORN – Last April, Dearborn Divine Child assistant girls basketball coach Julie Kaniewski received some news for which she was not prepared.
Kaniewski and head coach Mary Laney have been close friends most of their lives. They played basketball together at Divine Child, graduated the same year and played on two Class B championship teams (in 1993 and ’94). Kaniewski and Laney were putting a close on the season when Laney made a stunning announcement.
“We were working with the returning players,” Kaniewski said. “We were going over some stuff for the summer, and as we were ending things Mary said, ‘By the way, I’m pregnant.’ Being a math teacher, I put it all together. That put her due date near the start of the season. She said she’d be there for tryouts. I said, can you guarantee that?”
On Nov. 24, Laney gave birth to an 8-pound, 8-ounce boy, Owen Michael Laney. He’s the third child for Mary and her husband Chris Laney.
But Owen Michael was the first to be born during the basketball season. Their first child, Ellen, was born on Oct. 26, 2010, and their second, and first boy, Niall, was born Sept. 18, 2012.
The birth of Owen Michael added a little excitement for the Laneys on Thanksgiving, and a bit of consternation for Kaniewski.
“Some things are just out of my control,” Mary Laney said. “It made for a nice Thanksgiving. It was the best Thanksgiving ever. Things will be better when (Owen Michael) gets his days straightened out from his nights.”
Things are already better for Kaniewski. Her best friend is back on the bench and coaching. In fact – and to the relief of Kaniewski – Laney was back coaching Dec. 2, two days before the Falcons’ opener at Chelsea.
No question, it was stressful for both coaches. What helped alleviate some of the pressure is their friendship. There’s nothing Kaniewski wouldn’t do for Laney, and vice versa.
And laughter helped.
“I was a little nervous,” Kaniewski said. “I can joke with her. I told her you’ll be on epidural and I’ll be coaching.”
Their bond extends to their immediate families as well. Kaniewski has two children approximately the same age as Laney’s first two. Kaniewski’s oldest is Elizabeth, who will be 5 years old in May. Thomas will turn 3 in April. Elizabeth and Ellen Laney attend dance class together, and in late October the coaches came to pick up their children when Laney sounded an alarm.
“She said she was having contractions,” Kaniewski said. “I said, no, no, no. That can’t happen.”
It was a false alarm.
Laney did miss nine days with her team, including scrimmages. The preparation would have been a challenge even without the pregnancy. Divine Child was 20-6 last season but all five starters graduated. Add that two players suffered injuries, one a torn knee ligament, the other a concussion.
Formulating tryouts and making cuts tested Kaniewski’s resolve. Both Laney and Kaniewski had ideas on who their starters would be for some time, but things change. Players get better. Some don’t progress as quickly as others.
“That’s been the hard part,” Kaniewski said. “Then there was the parent meetings. I told Mary, no, no. I don’t want to do that alone.”
Laney, for the sake of both, moved the parent meeting up so they could tackle that together.
Then they received some outside help. Mary Lou Jansen, who coached those fine Divine Child teams during the early 1990s, offered her assistance. Kaniewski was grateful.
“She spent a few days with me,” Kaniewski said. “The kids were responsive. It’s just a different set of eyes.”
The lack of experience has forced the two to concentrate on the basics and not over-complicate things. Divine Child had opened 0-3 heading into Saturday night’s game against Saginaw Nouvel.
“Not many teams come back with no starters,” Laney said. “This group has been receptive. We’ve had five of six Division I players over the past several years. We don’t have that. We’re not worried about wins and losses. We want them to play hard and communicate.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Chris and Mary Laney hold their newborn, Owen. (Middle) The Laney children, Ellen, Niall and Owen, smile while wearing their Divine Child hats. (Photos courtesy of the Laney family.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 2, 2026
The final month of the girls basketball regular season has begun, and the whirlwind is underway as teams will spend the next four weeks finishing off league schedules, filling in previously-postponed matchups, and all the while readying for MHSAA Tournament play that begins March 2.
Our Michigan Power Ratings page will be among the most popular on this website over the next month; check it out for rankings both statewide but especially within individual Districts, updated as games are played. This season’s District brackets will be posted Feb. 22, and there are plenty of details on the process for drawing them on the MPR FAQ page.
“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. Rockford 64, Grand Haven 48 The Rams (10-1) moved into first place alone in another competitive Ottawa-Kent Conference Red race, sending Grand Haven (11-1) into second with its first defeat.
2. Negaunee 30, Gladstone 19 This matchup of arguably the two best in the Upper Peninsula turned into a low-scoring battle, as Negaunee (14-0) held an opponent below 20 points for the sixth time – but Gladstone (11-3) also caused the Miners to tie their season low.
3. Ludington 49, Fremont 48 (2OT) Fremont (8-3) had won 29 straight West Michigan Conference Lakes games, including defeating new league leader Ludington (9-5) by 12 when they faced off Dec. 11.
4. Shelby 40, Ravenna 39 This was for first place in the WMC Rivers, and Shelby (11-1) has a narrow lead after winning by this narrowest of margins, with Ravenna (12-3) getting another chance Feb. 16.
5. Holland Christian 46, Spring Lake 35 Holland Christian (9-3) put itself in strong position to repeat as O-K Black champion, opening the second half of the league schedule with a second win over second-place Spring Lake (8-3).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Midland (10-4) Although the Chemics did fall last week to Haslett, a highly-regarded team in Division 2, they finished the week with a 46-41 win over Saginaw Heritage that avenged their eight-point loss to the Hawks from December and created a tie between the two for first in the Saginaw Valley League North. The only other losses this winter were to reigning Division 2 champion Tecumseh and Division 1 runner-up Rockford, and there are more challenges immediately ahead this week with Flint Powers Catholic (14-1) and Grand Haven (11-1).
Sturgis (11-2) The Trojans won three games just four seasons ago, improving to nine the following winter and 12 a year ago. With one win this week they’ll equal last season’s total, and they’ve moved up to second place in the Wolverine Conference with their only losses both to league leader Otsego – and by a combined six points. Sturgis also has handed Plainwell two of its three losses, gave Mendon one of its two defeats and Kalamazoo Christian one of its three this winter. The Trojans should end on a roll as only two of Sturgis’ final eight opponents have winning records.
DIVISION 2
Carleton Airport (12-2) The Jets completed the first half of the Huron League schedule undefeated as they seek to move up from second place last season. They lead second-place Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central by a game and face the Kestrels on Thursday. Airport also entered this winter seeking a third-straight District title and has defeated four teams in that bracket during this regular season. The only in-state loss was to 14-win Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, and four days later the Jets jumped back into nonleague play with a solid victory over 11-win Milford.
Flint Powers Catholic (14-1) The Chargers have almost entirely dominated this season, claiming all but one of their 14 wins by double digits and with the only loss to Detroit Renaissance. Powers bounced back from that defeat to down Pewamo-Westphalia, Midland Dow, Davison and Clarkston over their next four games, and the Chargers have a one-game lead over Davison in the SVL South with their rematch set for Feb. 10. Only four opponents have reached 40 points, and none over Powers’ last eight games.
DIVISION 3
Blissfield (11-2) The Royals have won at least 22 games the last three seasons, claimed three straight league championships and four straight District titles. They’re on the right track to do all three again, sitting atop the Lenawee County Athletic Association standings with a multiple-game lead and wins as well over two of the teams in their upcoming District bracket – although Blissfield also has a Dec. 12 loss to Brooklyn Columbia Central, a possible opponent during the first round of the postseason. The Royals’ only other loss came to Tecumseh.
Niles Brandywine (13-0) The Bobcats are stacking wins again coming off last year’s run to the Division 3 Semifinals, and Kent City with an 18-point margin has come the closest to catching them. Kent City also is the only opponent to reach 40 points, and five have scored 20 or fewer. Brandywine leads the Lakeland Conference as well, but there are a few intriguing challenges ahead – most notably this weekend when the Bobcats face second-place Berrien Springs on Friday for the second time and then Wolverine Conference leader Otsego the next afternoon.
DIVISION 4
Gaylord St. Mary (12-1) The Snowbirds are leading the Ski Valley Conference thanks to a 58-35 win over second-place Indian River Inland Lakes on Jan. 21, and the lone loss – 42-38 to Division 2 Petoskey – keeps looking better and better as the Northmen are tied for the lead in the Big North Conference. A league title would be the second straight for St. Mary, but the Snowbirds do see Inland Lakes again in the regular-season finale Feb. 26 and will take on third-place Bellaire to start this week.
Newberry (9-1) A 48-42 win over St. Ignace on Thursday has Newberry undefeated in Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference play through the first half of the league schedule, and after finishing second to the Saints last season – when it also lost to St. Ignace in a Regional Semifinal. Newberry’s only loss this season was Jan. 16 to Munising, by three points, and after defeating Munising by four in their first meeting nine days earlier. Circle the St. Ignace rematch on Feb. 9 as the big one the rest of the way, and the pair against Cedarville should be key as well.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Beaverton (11-0) at McBain (12-0) – There are 10 undefeated teams left in Michigan, and these are two of them.
Tuesday – South Lyon East (14-0) at Milford (11-3) – East owns first place in the Lakes Valley Conference thanks to a 52-47 win when these teams met Jan. 13 for the first time this season.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids South Christian (13-0) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (11-2) – South Christian leads an O-K Gold with four contenders, and West Catholic could shake things up if it avenges its 73-62 loss to the Sailors from Jan. 6.
Friday – Negaunee (14-0) at Ishpeming (11-1) – Negaunee has a slim lead over Ishpeming in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East after winning their Jan. 9 matchup 54-44.
Friday – Belleville (13-0) at Livonia Stevenson (12-2) – The reigning Division 1 champion Tigers have played one 10-point game and won most of the rest by many more, but Stevenson surely will be looking forward to the challenge.
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PHOTOS (Top) Negaunee's Liliana Saunders (14), Paige O'Donnell (4), and Clare O'Donnell (44) defend Gladstone's Malia Quigley as she seeks an open teammate during the Miners’ 30-19 win last week. (Middle) Freeland’s Joz Begick drives to the basket during the fourth quarter of her team’s December victory over Essexville Garber. (Negaunee/Gladstone photo by Cara Kamps. Freeland/Garber photo by Kolleth Photo.)