East Kentwood Holds On, Earns Title Shot
March 17, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Few opponents this season had played East Kentwood as close as Southfield Arts & Technology did during Friday’s Class A Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
But Falcons coach Jimmy Carter wasn’t worried. And his players were only a little bit cautious as they set themselves up to play for the school’s first MHSAA basketball title.
East Kentwood led by as many as 20 and by 11 into the final quarter. But although Southfield A&T cut the deficit all the way to two points with 4:45 to play, the Falcons held on for a 55-51 win to earn their first championship game berth.
They’ve claimed 22 of their 26 wins this season by 12 or more points, so their experience in close games is limited.
“Basically, I think we pulled through because I thought we were better than they were, and the kids believed they were better than they were, and everyone else we’ve played we thought we were better than,” Carter said. “That’s not confidence; it’s just a little bit of a fact.
“It may sound a little conceited, but I thought we were underrated all year. We weren’t even ranked in our own area, so we had something to prove that we’re better than what people think. I really like being the underdog, and I think my kids do too.”
East Kentwood, ranked No. 9 in Class A heading into the postseason, will face unranked Flushing in Saturday’s noon championship game. Neither has won an MHSAA championship or played for one.
But the Falcons have been building to this point. East Kentwood won one game in 2012-13, but since have increased that victory total to seven, 11, then 14, and this season sit 26-1 with that only loss in its second game to Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Moving on Friday seemed all but a done deal after the Falcons’ lead reached 20 with 3:47 to go in the third quarter. But No. 6 Southfield A&T – which beat top-ranked Detroit Martin Luther King on the way to the Semifinals – wasn’t about to go that quietly.
The Warriors – a product of the merger between the former Southfield High and Southfield-Lathrup in the fall – launched a 15-0 run with Miss Basketball finalist Deja Church scoring 10 of her game-high 26 points to lead the way. A Church basket with 4:45 to play pulled A&T to within 44-42.
“In the locker room (at halftime), we went in there, and basically I just started (saying) the game isn’t over. We were down 15 points. That’s nothing,” Church said. “So we just tried to shake off the first half, and the third quarter we came out playing really hard, cut the lead down to four or two, and at that point I felt like we could get it.”
A 3-pointer by junior D’Layna Holliman put the Warriors behind only 52-49 with 1:03 to play. After East Kentwood senior Amari Brown made one of two free throw attempts, A&T had two chances to get within two. A foul put Falcons sophomore guard Mauriya Barnes on the line for two free throws with 25 seconds left – and she connected on both, pushing the lead back to six and the game out of reach.
Carter noted after that his team missed a number of layups and connected on only 9 of 24 free throws. But Barnes showed some necessary poise knocking down her pair at crunch time.
“We were confident, but we couldn’t get too cocky. We can’t ever underestimate a team, because when we do, what happens happened,” Barnes said. “We get overconfident, they make a run, and we have to really humble ourselves and we have to play our game no matter what.”
Barnes scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds for East Kentwood, and junior center Corinne Jemison also shined in the clutch with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Church added 12 rebounds, four assists and five steals for A&T (22-5). Sophomore forward Alexis Johnson added 13 points and 17 rebounds and freshman guard Cheyenne McEvans grabbed 10 boards.
Even with the loss Friday, Southfield A&T turned what could have been an awkward situation this season into an overall win. Church (Lathrup) and Holliman (Southfield High) recalled after how they didn’t care for each other much before becoming classmates and then teammates this school year. Coach Michele Marshall – who led Lathrup for 21 seasons and to the Class A title in 2005 before taking over this new program – offered lasting praise.
“D’Layna spoke about the fact that a lot of people think this is an upset that we even got here. But the thing I love about the kids I inherited from Southfield High is they play with a chip on their shoulder and they believe anything is possible,” Marshall said. “And so after we started to blend together, and we understood that we were going to be one as a team, my coaching staff and I felt we could get to Breslin.
“We fell short of the state championship, but make no mistake about it: I’m more proud of this team than probably any team I’ve coached.”
PHOTOS: (Top) East Kentwood’s Mauriya Barnes cuts through traffic during Friday’s Class A Semifinal. (Middle) The Warriors’ Deja Church glides in for a shot.
Performance: Midland Dow's Molly Davis
February 8, 2019
Molly Davis
Midland Dow senior – Basketball
The Chargers’ 5-foot-7 shooting guard seemingly couldn’t miss Friday, making 9 of 11 shots from the floor including 6 of 8 from 3-point range for 29 points as Dow “upset” reigning Class A champion and previously undefeated Saginaw Heritage 52-48 on the Hawks’ home floor. Davis also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals in the victory in earning the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
The upset, if any, was slim, as Dow now sits 13-1 and first in the Saginaw Valley League Red coming off Wednesday’s one-point win over Bay City John Glenn – which Davis clinched by draining a 30-footer at the buzzer. Those big-game heroics have become Davis’ norm over her four-year varsity career. This winter she’s averaging 18.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game, making 64 percent of her shots from the floor including 42 percent of her 3-point attempts. She’s upped her scoring average nearly two points from a season ago, and for her career Davis has scored 1,096 points – good for fifth all-time for an annually strong Chargers program. Dow is 70-14 since she joined the team, with two shared league titles and a District championship.
Davis carries a 3.7 unweighted and 4.0 weighted grade-point average. She has signed to continue her basketball and academic careers at Central Michigan University and is considering studying criminal justice – she’d like to eventually become a police officer. But in the immediate future, Davis is focused on leading the Chargers to another league title and then a Division 1 tournament run, which could include a rematch with Heritage in the Regional.
Coach Kyle Theisen said: “Molly has been an impact player for our program since she started her first game as a freshman. She will most likely graduate as our all-time leader in games played. Her role though has changed over the years. In her first two years, she was part of star-heavy teams with future college players and she found her role as a defender and scorer when we needed. But after some graduations of key players and injuries to teammates, her junior year was much different. Our team her junior year consisted of Molly and not one other player with a minute of varsity experience. She carried our team and our program with quiet strength. She worked hard every day to put our team in a good spot to win and allowed our young players to grow and develop. That has paid off huge this season with the improvement of the younger players now able to contribute at a higher level. Molly’s impact on our program is immeasurable. She has been able to bridge our past success with our future success. Molly is such a deserving candidate for Miss Basketball. She can do things on the court no one else can. She is a complete player that cannot be guarded with one player.”
Performance Point: “We came into that game with a grudge, knowing they ended our season last year,” Davis said. “We put in a lot of time and watched a lot of film, knew their tendencies and came out and executed our gameplan. I couldn't be more proud of the team and the way we came out for that game. ... I had a chance to go back and watch the film, and I could just tell that we had a lot more energy, that we kinda wanted that game more. I think we were a little underestimated, and I think we came out with a lot of energy and that really helped us. I don't really call it an upset. I knew coming into that game that we had that ability to win. People are going to say it was an upset, but we don't really look at it like that.”
Sharp shooting: “I saw my second shot go in, my third shot go in, and I really got in my rhythm and my teammates did a good job of driving and kicking out to me. All I really had to do was shoot. They set really good screens to get me open. Once I got in my rhythm, I just kept shooting and my teammates kept getting me the ball. A great point guard like Maizie (Taylor) just feeds me the ball, and once I start hitting and getting in my rhythm, I just keep shooting.”
Time to lead: “One big thing (I’ve improved on) more is my leadership. We have a lot of young kids; I knew I would have to be the one in big situations like that and make sure their heads are always in the game and not focusing on what's going on outside the game. I think my leadership is one of those big things I tend to work on, and just try to become a better teammate. Watching the seniors before me like Ellie (Taylor) and Kaylee (Wasco, both 2017 grads) I just kinda learned from them.”
Clutch and competitive: “I try to do whatever it takes to get the win. If it takes me scoring that many points, then I'll try to do that. If another teammate's on fire, I'm going to try to feed her the ball. … I think it's just the competitive nature (of the sport). I've kinda grown up around basketball. I love competing, and I think that's what makes it a lot more fun for me. No matter what it is, maybe even cards, I'll be probably the most competitive person out there.”
Dreaming big in Division 1: “There's a lot of great teams on that list, and we're coming off two big wins and I like the way we're playing right now. I think we have a bright future ahead. To hit our shots and execute whatever gameplan Coach has for us – I think that's what we've done in the big situations, and that's what gets us those big wins.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2018-19 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard recognizes a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Past 2018-19 honorees
January 31: Chris DeRocher, Alpena basketball - Read
January 24: Imari Blond, Flint Kearsley bowling - Read
January 17: William Dunn, Quincy basketball - Read
November 29: Dequan Finn, Detroit Martin Luther King football - Read
November 22: Paige Briggs, Lake Orion volleyball - Read
November 15: Hunter Nowak, Morrice football - Read
November 8: Jon Dougherty, Detroit Country Day soccer - Read
November 1: Jordan Stump, Camden-Frontier volleyball - Read
October 25: Danielle Staskowski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep golf - Read
October 18: Adam Bruce, Gladstone cross country - Read
October 11: Ericka VanderLende, Rockford cross country - Read
October 4: Kobe Clark, Schoolcraft football - Read
September 27: Jonathan Kliewer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern soccer - Read
September 20: Kiera Lasky, Bronson volleyball - Read
September 13: Judy Rector, Hanover-Horton cross country - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Midland Dow's Molly Davis breaks past Saginaw Heritage defenders to get to the basket during Friday's win. (Middle) Davis pulls up for one of her 11 shots in the game; she connected on nine. (Photos courtesy of the Dow girls basketball program.)