Eaton Rapids Adds to History-Making Run
March 14, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Bailey Baker plans to graduate from Eaton Rapids this spring with 16 varsity letters won in four sports. Like others on her basketball team, she’s had plenty of success on others as well.
But there’s something special about what the Greyhounds have accomplished this week during the longest run in school hoops history.
Eaton Rapids played in its first Class B Semifinal on Friday, and will try for its first MHSAA championship Saturday night after downing reigning runner-up and No. 9-ranked Flint Powers Catholic 46-36 at the Breslin Center.
The Greyhounds – an honorable mention in the final Associated Press Class B poll – have eliminated three top-10 teams during the tournament, including also No. 6 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the Quarterfinal and No. 9 Olivet in the District Final. And they continued another impressive postseason streak as well – they’ve beaten all of their playoff opponents by at least 10 points.
“We all have side sports, but this is the one we’re all together,” said Baker, who also next weekend will receive an MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award. “We’ve wanted this forever, and to finally have this opportunity is amazing.
“Win or lose, it’s going to be my favorite high school memory.”
Eaton Rapids can make this historical run even sweeter by getting past top-ranked and undefeated Grand Rapids South Christian in the Final at 6 p.m. Saturday.
It’s unwise to count the Greyhounds (22-5) out.
They’ve had strong teams during coach Willis Whitmyer’s 15 seasons, but the best usually ran into frequent championship contenders DeWitt, Portland or others down the road.
Eaton Rapids also is playing with some emotional edge. All five starters are seniors, and there are eight total. Whitmyer said longtime assistant Richard Stoken will be leaving the program after 13 seasons, and Whitmyer said he’s also not sure if he’ll be back next winter.
“We’ve had five teams I thought could’ve gotten here in my tenure, but we found some way to screw it up or the other team took it from us,” Whitmyer said. “This is huge for us. It’s huge for the community. They’re wrapped up in it, and they should be. They’re a huge part of it.”
The latest stunning performance began with a 14-2 run during Friday’s first five minutes. The Greyhounds carried an eight-point lead into the final three minutes of the first half.
But Powers was not to go that quietly, especially with a lineup filled with contributors from last season’s championship game run. The Chargers (23-3) gained a one-point lead heading into the final minute of the third quarter.
It was short-lived. Eaton Rapids senior center Allie Ditmer scored at the buzzer to give the Greyhounds back the advantage, and they never trailed again.
“We battled back, but I think we started to run out of gas a little bit. I think battling back took a toll on us,” Powers coach Thom Staudacher said.
“It definitely hurts. We’re usually on the other end of the stick.”
Eaton Rapids kept Powers’ trio of senior leading scorers to 19 points, down from their combined average of 33 per game. The Greyhounds also outrebounded the Chargers 38-22, thanks in large part to Dittmer’s 14 boards to go with a game-high 15 points.
Baker provided another little surprise as well. A 54-percent free-throw shooter, she connected on 11 of 12 attempts for the majority of her 13 total points.
“Just being a senior, and with how much we wanted it this year, rather than getting me more nervous it made me more calm,” Baker said of going to the line. “I should be taking those free throws. I’m a senior now. I need to have that leadership.”
Powers will graduate six seniors who helped return the program to the state’s elite. Sara Ruhstorfer and sophomore Francesca Coury led Friday with eight points, while senior Michela Coury had 10 rebounds.
Click for a full box score and video from the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Eaton Rapids’ Bailey Baker pushes past Powers’ Michela Coury during Friday’s Semifinal. (Middle) Coury makes her way to the basket despite being defended closely.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Flint Powers trailed Eaton Rapids from the beginning of the game until Ally Haran makes a midcourt steal and converts it into a basket to tie the score at 26-26. (2) After her team fell behind in the final minute of the third quarter, Eaton Rapids' Allie Dittmer scores at the buzzer to put the Greyhounds on top to stay against Flint Powers.
Class A: GPS Points to Finals
March 16, 2012
EAST LANSING – This month has been filled with firsts for Grosse Pointe South – first Regional Title, first Quarterfinal win, first Semifinal appearance.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils can cap their historical run with a first-ever MHSAA girls basketball championship.
They didn’t secure that opportunity until junior Claire DeBoer grabbed the game’s final rebound with three seconds to play in Friday's Semifinal. But she knocked down two free throws, and Grosse Pointe South outlasted Ann Arbor Huron to win 44-41.
“I was so excited when they fouled me, because I felt like I could knock the shots down,” DeBoer said. “And I was really excited when both of them went through and there were four seconds left.
“It just felt amazing.”
Grosse Pointe South (23-3), an honorable mention in the final Associated Press Class poll, will take on top-ranked Grand Haven (26-1) at noon Saturday. Both are playing for their first MHSAA championship.
But first, the Devils had to survive the most even game of this weekend so far. Both teams shot 35.7 percent from the floor. Both scored 20 points in the post. Huron had a few more assists, as South had a tough time holding onto the ball at times. South had a few more steals, as Huron had a tough time engaging its press because of its struggles offensively. Both teams had only one scorer in double figures.
And both had a chance until the end.
Grosse Pointe South led for the final 16 minutes, but by only a point after Huron freshman Ariel Bethea’s basket with 32 seconds to play. The teams traded possessions until Huron launched a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining. It looked good from the release, maybe to go in off the glass. But it missed, and DeBoer came down with the rebound and was fouled.
“Our game plan was to pressure them and wear them down. I think for the most part it worked,” Huron coach Steve Vinson said. “We just dug ourselves too deep of a hole, and could never get back up.”
Huron junior guard Bianca Williams led her team with 14 points and four steals. Senior center Logan Sims had nine points and six rebounds.
The Devils have no one to match the height of Grand Haven’t 6-foot-5 center Abby Cole – DeBoer is the team’s tallest player at 6-1. But she’s formidable in the post as well – she had game highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds Friday. And Grosse Pointe South is plenty confident it can utilize a few more strengths, including abilities to run the floor and apply defensive pressure.
“They’ve got a big team, they’re the number one team in the state, and they were expected to be here. We’re the so-called Cinderella,” Grosse Pointe South coach Kevin Richards said. “But I do like some of our matchups.
“We're excited, but we're definitely not settling for a runner-up.”
Click for the box score. Watch the game and both teams' postgame press conferences at MHSAA.tv.
PHOTO: Grosse Pointe South senior guard Caitlin Moore pulls up for a shot Friday. She finished with six points, four rebounds and four steals. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.)