Highlight Reel: Girls Basketball Finals
March 21, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
The 2014-15 girls basketball season came to an end Saturday with four MHSAA Finals at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.
Below are highlight clips from every game plus links to watch them in full.
Class A
Bloomfield Hills Marian 51, DeWitt 37
PANTHERS OVERCOME EARLY DEFICIT - After a slow start, DeWitt pulled even with Bloomfield Hills Marian in the second quarter of the Class A Final. In transition, Lilly George takes a nice pass from Claudia Reid to give their team the lead.
SISTER-SISTER - Bloomfield Hills Marian broke the Class A Final with DeWitt open in the third quarter. Sisters Bailey and Samantha Thomas team up in transition for a layup.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Class B
Detroit Country Day 49, Haslett 41
WEBB ON THE TRIPLE - Kaela Webb led Detroit Country Day with 20 points in the Class B Final against Haslett. Here's a 3-pointer from the side in the third quarter.
DeCOOK KEEPS HASLETT CLOSE - Haslett closed to within two points late in the game when Kenzie DeCook scored on a fastbreak off a nice defensive play.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Class C
Calumet 57, Flint Hamady 49
HAMADY HAWKS PRESSURE - Defensive pressure by Flint Hamady results in a couple of steals and baskets for Jalisha Terry early in the third quarter.
KINGS GET THE BLOCK & THE BASKET - Calumet turns a defensive play into points. First, the block by Abby Bjorn, and then the fastbreak basket by Alexis Loukus.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Class D
St. Ignace 64, Pittsford 60 (OT)
BURGER DOWN THE LANE - Pittsford built a 20-point lead in the third quarter in the Class D Final against St. Ignace. Here Jaycie Burger drives the lane for two.
SAINTS COME ALL THE WAY BACK - St. Ignace came back from that 20-point deficit, the largest in Girls Finals history, to defeat Pittsford for the Class D title. In the first minute of overtime, the Saints finally took the lead with two baskets from Abbey Ostman. Here's the second of those scores on a fastbreak.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
PHOTO: St. Ignace’s Margo Smith drives for two points against Pittsford during the Class D Final.
Flashback 100: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee
January 17, 2025
Caitlin Clark is the most recent No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, joining an elite group that includes Chamique Holdsclaw, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker — all decorated former top picks.
But the very first No. 1 pick in WNBA history was none other than Salem High School’s Dena Head.
Selected first overall in the 1997 WNBA Elite Draft, Head’s career more than lived up to that status.
A standout at Salem, Head led her team to the Class A Semifinals in 1987 before the Rocks fell to eventual champion Detroit Cass Tech. That season, she averaged an impressive 27 points per game, earning Michigan’s Miss Basketball Award from the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. Her 748 total points that year still rank 13th on the state’s all-time single-season scoring list. She remains one of only 33 Michigan high school players to surpass 2,000 career points and one of just 24 to play in more than 100 career games. Over her high school career, she averaged 19.7 points per game.
Head continued her dominance at the collegiate level, winning two national championships at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt. She was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year in 1989 and later earned the SEC Player of the Year honor in 1992. On the international stage, she helped Team USA secure a gold medal at the 1991 World University Games and a bronze at the 1994 World Championships.
Before making WNBA history, Head spent seven seasons playing professionally overseas in Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, and Hungary. In 1997, she was selected first overall by the Utah Starzz in the inaugural WNBA Draft, playing three seasons in the league. She reached the postseason in 2000 with the Phoenix Mercury.
In recognition of her outstanding career, Head was inducted to the Salem Wall of Champions in 2016 — a fitting honor for a true pioneer of women’s basketball.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
(Photos courtesy of Salem athletic department.)