Highlight Reel: Girls Basketball Finals
March 19, 2016
The 2015-16 girls basketball season came to a close Saturday night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, where four first-time champions were crowned.
Here are some highlights from the Finals. Click on the score to watch the game in its entirety and order DVDs:
Class A – Warren Cousino 67, Detroit Martin Luther King 65
Kelly In Transition - Micaela Kelly of Detroit Martin Luther King led all scorers in the Class A Final with 34 points, including this basket in transition after a Warren Cousino miss.
Class B – Marshall 51, Grand Rapids South Christian 42
Vander Last-Second Hoop - Markayla Vander of Grand Rapids South Christian led all scorers in the Class B Final against Marshall with 16 points, including this last-second basket to end the first half.
Transition Hoop For Tucker - Marshall built a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter on this fastbreak basket by Nicole Tucker, who had eight points.
Class C – Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 53, Traverse City St. Francis 37
Steal & Score - Ypsilanti Arbor Prep led all the way in the Class C Final against Traverse City St. Francis. Here's a steal to start the second half that turns into a basket for Cydney Williams.
Lyman Leads Glads - Annie Lyman of Traverse City St. Francis led all scorers in the Class C Final with 15 points, two coming on this layup in the third quarter.
Class D – Pittsford 48, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart 30
Clark Steals & Scores - Late in the first half of the Class D Final, Pittsford's Maddie Clark makes the steal and takes it in for a basket. Clark had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the game.
Eagle-Eyed Scout - Keeping Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart in the game early with her 3-point shooting was freshman guard Scout Nelson, who led the Irish with nine points.
PHOTO: Grand Rapids South Christian and Marshall played in front of one of the weekend's largest crowds during Saturday's Class B Final. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Reaching Higher Returns for 7th Year
July 9, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The annual Reaching Higher showcases of Michigan’s top high school basketball players will return for the seventh year beginning Wednesday, July 15, with the boys event and followed by the state’s top girls prospects taking the floor July 23. Both again will be hosted by Milford High School in Highland Township.
More than 200 athletes with aspirations to play at the college level will train and scrimmage under the tutelage of high school coaches from across the state and in front of college coaches expected to represent all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and junior college levels. Coaches from 33 college basketball programs, including nine from Division I schools, attended the 2014 Reaching Higher events.
An educational effort by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, the Reaching Higher experience includes classroom sessions for student-athletes and their parents as well as on-court drills and scrimmaging. The events aim to give athletes a vision of what it takes to become a college basketball player and also succeed in college life.
Participants in the program were selected by a committee of BCAM members. The process began in December when local high school coaches submitted nominations to the selection committee. Participants were chosen in February.
Click for a complete list of expected attendees. The boys event begins at 3 p.m. on July 15, with scrimmages running from 5:45 to 8 p.m. The girls event begins at noon on July 23, with scrimmages from 2 to 4:25 p.m.
Speakers for the boys session include Willie Green, a graduate of Detroit Cooley who recently finished his first season with the Orlando Magic and 12th season overall in the NBA. Former Grosse Pointe North and University of Notre Dame standout Ariel Braker will be among speakers for the girls session; she led Grosse Pointe North to the Class A title in 2008 and started her final two seasons at Notre Dame while serving as captain as a senior during 2013-14 as the Fighting Irish finished NCAA runner-up.
PHOTO: A player prepares to shoot a free throw during a scrimmage at last year's Reaching Higher girls event.