Gladstone Off to Another Strong Start Led by All-Time Leading Scorer Johnson
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
January 15, 2026
GLADSTONE — So far, so good for the Gladstone girls basketball team.
The Braves, who are 8-2 overall, hope to make a deep postseason run after reaching the Division 3 Quarterfinal at Cheboygan a year ago where they dropped a 56-36 decision to Frankenmuth to finish 24-3.
They are led by 6-foot senior forward/center Lillie Johnson, who set the school’s all-time career scoring record during a 51-30 triumph over Ishpeming Westwood Jan. 6.
Johnson, who will play at Wisconsin-Green Bay next season, scored 27 points against the Patriots and added 30 in a 74-27 rout of Manistique on Friday, running her career total to 1,852.
“It was exciting to reach that and see all the support that came out,” she said. “It was definitely a relief to get the nerves out and help our team win.”
Gladstone has since defeated Marquette 64-52 and will host Menominee on Tuesday.
Johnson's total bested that scored by Reece Castor from 2016-19.
“I think personally, we started slow,” she said. “We lost two big players from last year’s team. It took a little time to get used to our roles.”
After winning its first three games, Gladstone dropped a 63-59 decision at Houghton on Dec. 19 despite a 47-point effort by Johnson, then fell at Ishpeming 54-44 three nights later.
“Lillie did everything at Houghton,” coach Andy Cretens said. “The other girls didn’t step up that night. We just need that second and third player to step up and help out with our scoring. (Houghton) had that one circled on their calendar. They wanted it. Those two games were important. Although, that could be a good thing. It could be a blessing in disguise. On defense, our rotation and communication needs to get better and we need to clean things up on offense. We’ve got some tough games coming up.”
Ishpeming is led by Baylor University volleyball recruit Mya Hemmer.
“Mya’s got the height and Houghton is a great team,” Johnson said. “Both teams are well-coached. I think we need to come out faster and get used to playing on the road.”
Junior Eva Pankonien, an outside shooting threat, sank three 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points against Manistique. Senior guard Addy Blowers, who plans to play volleyball at nearby Bay College next fall, often sets up the offense and scoring chances for her teammates.
Both filled roles off the bench earlier in their careers, with those experiences paying off now.
“That gave me confidence,” she added. “I’m sometimes the point guard. I just go out there and do what needs to be done. We really need to work on detailed stuff and taking care of the ball. The coaches are getting on us about leadership. We need to get back to the basics. I’m trying to be more of a defensive player this year. I’m excited for this next month.”
Pankonien also thrived in a similar situation early in her prep career.
“I was forced into a role I wasn’t used to in my freshman year,” she said. “It motivated me to work harder.”
Gladstone visits the Miners on Jan. 27 before hosting Calumet on Jan. 30 and Ishpeming on Feb. 3. Negaunee visits Gladstone for a rematch Feb. 26.
The Braves are entered in the Division 2 District Tournament in which Negaunee is the designated host. Gladstone defeated Negaunee in last season’s District Final after falling twice to the Miners during the regular season.
Johnson is naturally looking forward to her future at UWGB, but in the meantime there are great opportunities ahead for her and her teammates.
“Lillie is one of a kind,” Cretens said . “She can make anything happen. She draws attention from other teams which allows the other girls to be more comfortable.
“It has been a good start. We had some ups and downs. We’re still somewhat of a young team.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top ) Gladstone's Lillie Johnson (21) leads a fastbreak against Kingsford early this season. (Middle) Addy Blowers sets up for a free throw attempt. (Photos courtesy of the Gladstone athletic department.)
Seniors Come Up Big Again as Arbor Prep Clinches 1st Title since 2016
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 19, 2022
EAST LANSING – Kent City never lost hope Saturday that it could come back and knock off Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the Division 3 Girls Basketball Final.
With less than a minute to play, the Eagles’ hope turned into a legitimate chance to do just that, as they had the ball and trailed by just four.
But Kari Woods took it all away.
The Arbor Prep senior guard stole a pass near midcourt and raced for a layup to extend her team’s lead to six points with 30 seconds to play, ending Kent City’s last, best chance, and sealing what ended up a 54-50 win for the Gators.
“I knew the game was tight, and we had been practicing up the line, all day, every day, every practice,” Woods said. “I knew I was there. I saw it and went for it.”
It was the second title for Arbor Prep, which also won in 2016 before finishing as runner-up each of the next two years.
This was the Gators’ first trip back to the season’s final day since 2018, and they made sure to make the most of it.
“It’s difficult to get here,” Arbor Prep coach Scott Stine said. “Six years ago, we won on March 19, 2016, the same day. Six years ago, you would have never told me it was going to take six years to get another one. It is difficult. COVID has played a part in that. For our kids coming back, we just have to keep getting better. They know what it takes.”
That group learned from a small but vital senior class that included Woods, Texas A&M-bound Mya Petticord and forward Jazmin Chupp.
“(Kent City) is a great program,” Stine said. “They’re going to be back here again next year. Our goal for the rest of the girls in that locker room is to get good enough to improve enough that we can play them again next year. But I’m just happy. The seniors, all three of these girls at some point made plays to put us where we’re at. Mya, offensively, did what we know she’s capable of. Jazmin made some plays on both ends of the court. Kari Woods made arguably the most important defensive play of the game when she blew up that handoff and took it for a layup. That was a huge play. That’s what she does. Proud of all three of these girls.”
Petticord led the Gators (25-2) with 27 points. She had 20 points at halftime after connecting on seven of her first nine shots, and each of her first three 3-point attempts.
“It was really all about my focus,” Petticord said. “My nerves didn’t get the best of me today. Knowing this was my last high school basketball game, I just had to end it off with a lot of focus. Knowing it was my state championship game for the team – yeah, I was just focused.”
Woods added nine points and four steals, including the big one at the end. She played airtight defense all game against dangerous Kent City guard Lexie Bowers, who finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Bowers came into the Final averaging 17 points per game. Stine credited Woods, calling her the best perimeter defender in the state.
“I think they play really tight, so (Bowers) had a hard time getting herself open off of that,” Kent City coach Aleah Holcomb said.
Arbor Prep’s tight defense frustrated Kent City (26-1) throughout the game, and the team that averages 26 3-point attempts per game could get off only 11 on Saturday. The Gators also forced 15 turnovers.
“I thought we had a difficult time handling their pressure,” Holcomb said. “They really made it difficult for us to get into our offense.”
Arbor Prep led by as many as 11 points late in the second quarter, and held at least a two-possession lead for nearly the entire second half.
But the Eagles never let the Gators fully get away, and cut the lead to as few as three when Madelyn Geers, who totaled a team-high 27 points, scored with 2:15 to play.
They never got the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead, however.
It was the second-straight runner-up finish for Kent City, which lost 52-50 against Grass Lake in last year’s Final.
“It’s frustrating, but I think we worked our butts off this season,” Kent City senior Taryn Preston said. “Obviously God got us here for a reason. I think he’s gifted every single person on the team, and we worked hard to get the best that we can out of our abilities. That’s just something that’s really, really cool to see as a member of the team. So, yeah, it’s frustrating at times, but I know that we worked our butts off to get here.”
PHOTOS (Top) Arbor Prep’s Karianna Woods (3) drives with Kent City’s Lexie Bowers defending. (Middle) The Gators’ Mya Petticord (1) prepares to make her next move. (Below) Stacy Utomi (24) defends against Bowers. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)