Flushing Downs Champ to Reach 1st Final
March 17, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Warren Cousino girls basketball coach Mike Lee saw a lot of his 2016 team in watching Flushing move past his current contender during Friday’s first Class A Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
The Patriots had stormed to their first MHSAA championship a year ago seemingly out of nowhere with an awe-inspiring run that remained the talk into this season.
Just as unheralded entering these playoffs, Flushing is one win way from accomplishing a similar feat after getting past Cousino and Miss Basketball finalist Kierra Fletcher 52-36.
The Semifinal was the Raiders’ first since 1976, and Saturday’s noon championship game against East Kentwood will be the program’s first appearance on the season’s final day.
“I felt that at the beginning we knew we were going to have to get respect,” Flushing senior forward Bre Perry said. “After we got out of the District, people were doubting us, but I felt that if we just stuck together, we’d be just fine. Because we know each other well, we play together as a team really well, we always have each other’s backs … (and) I knew if we stuck together, we’d be able to get very far.”
The Raiders really have been together for a while. They’ve played on the same teams since middle school, and Perry and seniors Kamryn Chappell and Lauren Newman are four-year varsity starters. Senior Carson Wilson joined them as a sophomore, and over the last three seasons the team is 66-7 with three league and two District titles plus the Regional championship won last week.
Flushing (23-3) didn’t lose a game during the Flint Metro League season, and its losses were to Class A top-five teams Saginaw Heritage and Midland Dow early and Class B No. 1 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep at the end of the regular season. The Raiders avenged that loss over Dow in the Regional Final and have broken opponents with a balanced offense and stifling defense that has given up 40 points in a game only three times.
“When you’ve never been here you’re certainly never overconfident in your ability to get here,” Flushing coach Larry Ford said of Breslin. “But watching these guys prior to seventh and eighth grade, and in middle school and then when they got into high school, this is the most athletic team I’ve ever coached in my 13 years as head coach at Flushing. Then they’ve got basketball skills to go with it, and they work so well together.”
Ford thought last year’s team was capable of making this run, but Perry – who will play next season at Temple University – tore a knee ligament and was lost for the end of the season.
And besides, 2015-16 belonged to Cousino and Fletcher, who enjoyed a similar under-the-radar status on the way to Breslin – but didn’t surprise anyone this winter.
Cousino entered the postseason ranked No. 2, and Fletcher – who will play at Georgia Tech – averaged 22.7 points, 13 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 2.1 blocks per game entering this week. She put up 30 points in Friday’s Semifinal despite being taken to the floor by a painful cramp just more than a minute into the second half.
But by then, Flushing already had set the tone.
The Raiders rode a 9-1 run over the end of the first quarter and start of the second and led by 13 at halftime. They scored one fewer point in the first quarter than Cousino did over the first two – and locked down the Patriots aside from Fletcher’s heroic run.
She scored all but one of Cousino’s 12 field goals. Minus Fletcher, Cousino made only one of 29 shots from the field as Wilson in particular led the suffocating effort.
Flushing doesn’t have a player averaging more than 12 points per game, but Perry led in this one with 16 points and seven rebounds, with Newman scoring 14 points and junior Shelby Morrow adding 13.
Cousino admittedly knew this year’s run would be tougher, and the Patriots were up to the challenge winning a strong Macomb Area Conference Red before extending their MHSAA Tournament run to 14 straight wins.
“What this group was able to do over two years, from everyone pronouncing our name wrong … to this point, it was about remembering our name. No matter if the team was 1-19 we were facing that night or 20-0, we were going to get everyone’s best effort,” Lee said. “And (our players) knew that.”
“I feel a lot of pride. We didn’t end the season exactly the way we wanted to, but I wouldn’t have written this any other way,” Fletcher added. “Last year what we did was amazing. I think this year it’s even more amazing that we got back because people thought last year was a fluke. We used that as motivation to help us get back to Breslin. … Most people don’t get here once, so getting here twice is even better.”
The only championship banner hanging in Flushing’s gym celebrates the 1977 girls golf title. Every practice Newman noticed it, and figured there should be a basketball team up there as well.
These Raiders have their chance to become the first.
“It would be really special to be able to look back and say we went from seventh grade, to eighth grade, ninth, 10th, 11th, and we’ve been together this long and get to win this all together after all that time,” Perry said. “It would be amazing, after college, when we get back in touch (and say), ‘Remember when we got that ring?’”
PHOTOS: (Top) Flushing's Kamryn Chappell works to get past Warren Cousino’s Aubrey Fetzer (5) on Friday. (Middle) Cousino’s Kierra Fletcher looks for an open teammate.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 6
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 19, 2026
The MHSAA girls basketball regular season has reached its halfway point, with six weeks done and six more until the start of District play March 2.
That makes it a good time for a quick review on Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) – and how they’re used to seed that first round of the MHSAA playoffs.
MPR is determined by considering a team’s success (total wins) and strength of schedule based on games against opponents also playing in the MHSAA Tournament. You can follow how teams rank all season long on the MPR page, where you can search not only by Division and school, but District grouping as well.
“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. Belleville 77, Wayne Memorial 49 The Tigers (9-0) handed two Kensington Lakes Activities Association East rivals their first losses this season last week, first Livonia Stevenson and then the Zebras (8-1).
2. Grass Lake 61, Michigan 55 Grass Lake (9-1) moved into first place alone and Michigan Center (8-2) into second in the Cascades Conference East as the top two finishers from the last two seasons met for the first time this season.
3. Ewen-Trout Creek 40, Baraga 21 The Panthers (7-1) remain among the leaders in the overall Copper Mountain Conference standings after handing Baraga (9-1) its lone defeat.
4. DeWitt 50, Haslett 42 The Panthers (9-1) – No. 10 in Division 1 MPR – won one of the Lansing area’s best nonleague matchups of the regular season, as the Vikings (6-1) are No. 14 in Division 2.
5. Temperance Bedford 36, Saline 32 Reigning Southeastern Conference Red co-champ Bedford (6-3) is in first place alone after this win over the rival Hornets (8-2).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance (8-2) The Phoenix have put together another impressive first half, with their only losses to likewise Division 1 contenders Belleville and Wayne Memorial and both before the new year. Renaissance also edged Saginaw Heritage by a point in overtime and downed Flint Powers Catholic by 10 – the latter that teams’ only loss this winter. The Phoenix are perfect through the first half of the Detroit Public School League Blue schedule, winning those games all by at least 21 points.
Rockford (8-1) The reigning Division 1 runner-up graduated last season’s Miss Basketball but hasn’t lost a step, its only loss this season to one-loss Muskegon. The Rams also are the only team to defeat Howell and Grass Lake, and seven of nine opponents so far this winter currently have winning records. Haslett and Jackson Lumen Christi also are on the nonleague slate coming up, while Rockford will also navigate an Ottawa-Kent Conference Red that has all six teams .500 or better entering this week.
DIVISION 2
Goodrich (11-0) The Martians have won at least 23 games the last three seasons, and strong starts are nothing new. But Saturday’s 45-24 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s put an exclamation point on a first half that’s also included handing Rochester Hills Stoney Creek its only loss and Parma Western one of its two, with no game closer than 17 points. A major reason for that is Goodrich has held seven of its first 11 opponents under 20 points, and two more under 30.
Tecumseh (10-1) The reigning Division 2 champion is a combined 37-2 since the start of the 2024-25 season, its only loss this winter 54-52 to Grand Rapids West Catholic in a rematch of last year’s title game. Tecumseh jumped from No. 11 to No. 1 in statewide Division 2 MPR over the last week thanks to 30+ point wins over Chelsea and Pinckney and the continued success of several opponents from earlier this season. Home games against Saginaw Heritage on Feb. 3 and Dexter on Feb. 26 will be good tests heading into March.
DIVISION 3
McBain (8-0) Over the last two weeks, McBain has handed Roscommon and Evart their lone losses this season, allowing the Ramblers to take over first place alone in the Highland Conference as they seek a first league championship since 2021-22. A matchup this week with Traverse City St. Francis should tell us even more, and the first weeks of February will determine a lot as McBain faces undefeated Beaverton on Feb. 2, then Evart and Roscommon in back-to-back games Feb. 6 and 9, respectively.
Pewamo-Westphalia (8-1) The Pirates are one of four teams in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference with one loss this winter, but the only team undefeated in league play in part because they were the ones who downed Portland St. Patrick in mid-December and Bath 64-41 last week. P-W’s only loss last winter came in its Regional Final; its only loss so far this season came Jan. 5 to Flint Powers Catholic, and in addition to league play the Pirates have nice tests coming against Heritage and Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-1) The Cougars are climbing again after going 10-14 two seasons ago and improving to 12-11 last winter. Three of last season’s losses came to Petersburg Summerfield, which Lenawee Christian defeated 55-40 last week, and LC will face undefeated Morenci on Friday for first place in the Tri-County Conference. The Cougars’ only loss this season came to Big 8 Conference leader Concord, 64-55 to start the new calendar year.
Indian River Inland Lakes (9-0) The Bulldogs could take a big step on improving on last season’s 21-5 finish and run to the Regional Finals, as they face Gaylord St. Mary on Wednesday for the first time after finishing second to the Snowbirds in the Ski Valley Conference last season. Inland Lakes kept its perfect record intact with a 46-44 overtime win over Central Lake on Friday and also has a one-point overtime win over Elk Rapids and another one-pointer in regulation over Bellaire.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – St. Joseph (8-1) at Portage Central (7-1) – These are the only teams without a loss in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference, and Portage Central won their District Semifinal matchup last year after St. Joseph swept the regular-season series.
Wednesday – Gaylord St. Mary (8-1) at Indian River Inland Lakes (9-0) – As noted above, St. Mary won both of last season’s matchups, by four in overtime and seven, to take back the SVC title after Inland Lakes won it in 2023-24.
Thursday – Deckerville (8-1) at Kingston (9-0) – These two are both undefeated in the Big Thumb Conference Blue after Kingston finished first and Deckerville second a year ago.
Friday – Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-1) at Morenci (8-0) – Morenci claimed last year’s meetings by 17 and then only two points in winning the TCC on the way to ending the season in the Division 4 Quarterfinals.
Saturday – Grand Rapids West Catholic (9-2) at Detroit Edison (4-3) – Edison has played its usual schedule featuring several of the state’s best, and this rematch of last season’s Division 2 Semifinal won by West Catholic will finish up a three-game week.
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PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Heritage passes the ball around the perimeter during its 67-43 win at Frankenmuth on Jan. 12. (Middle) Ishpeming Westwood's Addelyn Hallum drives the lane for a layup against Negaunee on Friday during the Miners’ 46-36 win. (Heritage/Frankenmuth photo by Terry Lyons. Negaunee/Westwood photo by Cara Kamps.)