Highlight Reel: Class A-B Semifinals

March 19, 2016

The second day of the MHSAA Girls Basketball Semifinals, presented by Sparrow Health System, produced one of the most dramatic finishes in a long time, as the field is now set for Saturday’s championship games.

Click the final score to watch the entire game and order DVDs.

Class A Semifinal – Detroit Martin Luther King 56, St. Johns 48

It’s Raining Threes! - Detroit Martin Luther King started the Class A Semifinal against St. Johns hitting three 3-pointers, two by Micaela Kelly, who finished with a game-high 18 points.

Maddie On The Run - Maddie Maloney led St. Johns with 12 points, getting two here in transition.

Class A Semifinal – Warren Cousino 60, Hudsonville 45

Fantastic Fletcher - Kierra Fletcher of Warren Cousino totaled 37 points – 12 in the first quarter.

Hard-Working Eagle - Chloe Guingrich scored a double-double for Hudsonville with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Class B Semifinal – Grand Rapids South Christian 57, Detroit Country Day 46

DeBoer Putback - Jennifer DeBoer of Grand Rapids South Christian led all scorers in the Class B Semifinal game against Detroit Country Day with 18 points, including two on this putback.

Pitts Takes It Down The Lane - Destiny Pitts paced Detroit Country Day with 14 points.

Class B Semifinal – Marshall 43, Bay City John Glenn 42 

Boensch For Two - Cassidy Boensch had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Bay City John Glenn in its Class B Semifinal against Marshall. Boensch later made two free throws to give her team the lead with 14 seconds to go, but Marshall scored late to prevail, 43-42.

Here’s Your Winner - With 1.4 seconds left on the clock, Marshall's Nicole Tucker hit two free throws to give her team the 43-42 win.

PHOTO: Warren Cousino's Kierra Fletcher attempts a free throw during Friday's Class A Semifinal win over Hudsonville.

Title IX at 50: Basketball Season Ready to Add to Rich Tradition

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 30, 2021

The 49th girls basketball season with MHSAA sponsorship began with a handful of games Monday evening, and more than 700 varsity teams are scheduled to get their seasons underway over the next few weeks.

The sport’s rich history has seen 188 champions awarded – four per season for 48 years, with 2020’s Finals canceled because of COVID-19 – with 101 schools winning at least one MHSAA title.

Detroit Country Day owns the MHSAA record with most appearances in a girls basketball championship game – 17 – and also has won a record 13 championships, its most recent in 2018. Detroit Martin Luther King and Portland St. Patrick are next on the Finals appearances list – with 12 apiece – and St. Patrick, Bloomfield Hills Marian and now-closed Flint Northern all are tied for second with six championships won.

Northern, which shuts its doors as a high school at the end of the 2012-13 school year, still is the only program to win four straight championships – doing so in Class A from 1978-81.

The first MHSAA girls basketball champions in 1973 were Detroit Dominican in Class A, Hudsonville Unity Christian in B, Hamtramck St. Ladislaus in Class C and Ewen-Trout Creek in Class D. All were coached by women; in fact, the first five Class D champions, the first three in Class C, the first three in Class B and the first four in Class A all had women coaches.

Awarding four championships each year has been a constant of the first half-century of girls basketball as part of the MHSAA championship series. But of course, many things have changed over that time. Among those 101 schools with at least one Finals championship, 14 no longer exist – including Dominican and St. Ladislaus.  

Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard.

Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights

Nov. 23: Marysville Builds Winning Streak Yet to be Challenged - Read
Nov. 16: Wroubel Has Championed Girls School Sports from Their Start - Read
Nov. 9: Pioneer's Joyce Legendary in Michigan, National Swim History - Read
Nov. 2: Royal Oak's Finch Leading Way on Football Field - Read
Oct. 26: Coach Clegg Sets Championship Standard at Grand Blanc - Read
Oct. 19: Rockford Girls Set Pace, Hundreds After Have Continued to Chase - Read
Oct. 12: 
Bedford Volleyball Pioneer Continues Blazing Record-Setting Trail - Read
Oct. 5: 
Warner Paved Way to Legend Status with Record Rounds - Read
Sept. 28: Taylor Kennedy Gymnasts Earn Fame as 1st Champions - Read
Sept. 21: 
Portage Northern Star Byington Becomes Play-by-Play Pioneer - Read
Sept. 14: 
Guerra/Groat Legacy Continues to Serve St. Philip Well - Read
Sept. 7: 
Best-Ever Conversation Must Include Leland's Glass - Read
Aug. 31: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way - Read

(MHSAA file photo.)