Newaygo Finds Way Past Country Day, Back to Finals
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
April 7, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS – To make a long story short, the Newaygo girls basketball team is headed to the MHSAA Finals for the first time in almost 40 years.
The Lions leaned on the Long sisters to earn their spot after pulling away in the fourth quarter to knock off Detroit Country Day 55-39 in Wednesday’s first Division 2 Semifinal at Van Andel Arena.
Senior Jaylee Long and junior Jaxi Long combined for 23 points, eight assists, seven steals and six rebounds to help lift Newaygo to the victory. The Lions were led by junior Emmerson Goodin, who had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Newaygo (21-1) will play Portland in Friday’s 5:30 p.m. Final at Breslin Center.
“I love playing with my sister, especially because this is my last year, and so playing with her and going to the state championship game is pretty amazing,” said Jaylee Long, who recorded 11 points, five assists and four steals.
“I’m going to miss playing with her, and I will try to convince her to go to Cornerstone with me, but it is definitely going to be fun for our last game.”
Jaylee Long said a majority of the players on the team have played together since third and fourth grade.
“We’ve all played together since we were younger.” she said. “We played together on AYBT teams and just all the way up. It’s been fun.”
Newaygo hasn’t been to the Finals since 1985, when it won the second of back-to-back Class C championships.
“It’s really a cool experience, and it is really a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Jaxi Long, who added 12 points. “It’s not like you get to come here every year, and I really love this team. This is a great team, and we love to hang out with each other.”
Jaylee Long is one of three seniors along with Anna Brummel and Lily Ruehmeier, who both hit shots in the second half.
“This is definitely the way to go out,” Jaylee Long said. “I’m really happy about this opportunity since last year we weren’t able to finish. It’s been kind of crazy, but to see our community come out to support us has been pretty amazing. They love us and want us to do well, and hopefully we can finish it off and get it.”
The Lions needed a fourth-quarter surge to stave off the youthful Yellowjackets (15-3), whose roster was primarily made up of freshmen and sophomores.
Detroit Country Day scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to pull within one (39-38); however, Newaygo went on a 16-0 run and held the Yellowjackets scoreless for more than six minutes.
“It was just a championship moment,” Lions coach Nate Thomasma said. “Someone makes a run on you, and how are you going to respond? They responded, and they tightened up defensively and we hit some big shots.
“That’s what you have to do in this tournament, because there’s always highs and lows. You have to keep playing hard, and we got the job done. Hopefully we can do that one more game, and I’m just really proud of these girls.”
Detroit Country Day was unable to withstand the Lions’ run and struggled to score throughout the fourth quarter.
The Yellowjackets were 0 for 7 from 3-point range in the final quarter and a dismal 4-22 (18 percent) from beyond the arc for the game.
“They took us out of what we wanted to do,” first-year Country Day coach Jerica Williams said. “We are a three-point shooting team and we didn’t get off that many in the first half, and they took us out of our identity. They are a tough team top to bottom.”
Freshman Emma Arico led Country Day with a team-high 18 points. Chelsea Abulu, the Yellowjackets’ lone senior, grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and finished with 18 total. She also had four blocked shots.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Country Day's Victoria Miller (0) works to wall off Newaygo's attack during Thursday's Division 2 Semifinal at Van Andel Arena. (Middle) Newaygo's Jaylee Long pushes the pace during Thursday's win. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Lutheran Northwest Capitalizes on 2024 Semifinal Experience, Takes Next Step
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 20, 2025
EAST LANSING – A basketball circle of life will be completed Saturday for Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest head girls basketball coach Jimmy Mehlberg.
Back in 1992 as a 10-year-old, Mehlberg sat on the bench as his father, Ed, coached Auburn Hills Oakland Christian to the Class D championship.
On Saturday, Jimmy will have Ed (now a Lutheran Northwest assistant) and also a third generation of Mehlbergs on the bench when Lutheran Northwest goes for its first Finals title following a 43-38 win over Calumet in a Division 3 Semifinal on Thursday.
“I definitely remember it,” Jimmy Mehlberg said of Oakland Christian’s 1992 crown. “I was on the bench with him just about every game. I had my kids on the bench with me (today) and had my Dad on the bench. It’s pretty cool.”
After making its first Semifinal trip last year and falling in that game, Lutheran Northwest (21-6) took the next step this time by jumping out to a big lead and then holding off a late Calumet rally.
Trailing 42-30 with 2:59 remaining, the Copper Kings fought back with an 8-0 run to cut the Lutheran Northwest lead to 42-38 with 38.9 seconds remaining after a 3-pointer by sophomore Millie Loukus.
But Lutheran Northwest held firm, going up 43-38 with 22 seconds left on a free throw by senior Morgan Griswold and then forcing a Calumet turnover during the waning seconds before running out the clock.
Junior Paige Macavage scored 14 points, and Griswold added 12 for Lutheran Northwest (21-6).
“I think having the experience from last year, we knew what to expect,” Crusaders junior Charlotte Gramzow said. “We know how the day was going to go and coming out for warmups, we were trying to build our own energy with one another and build confidence within one another. Just keep it relaxed, and I think we did that really well.”
Lutheran Northwest jumped to a 30-16 lead by halftime thanks to a dominant rebounding performance. The Crusaders held a 26-12 rebounding advantage at the break, with 13 offensive rebounds – one more than Calumet’s total for the first half.
Calumet managed to turn that around and finished the game with only three fewer rebounds (37-34), which helped the Copper Kings climb back after trailing by 18 points early in the third quarter. But too big of a hole had been dug.
“I thought early on, their length gave us some trouble,” Calumet head coach Charlie Kemppainen said. “We adjusted a little bit too late to that. I think the fourth quarter was probably a better indicator of who we were all season long. But that’s a credit to them for taking us out of that.”
Sophomore Jess Anderson scored 10 points and Loukas, sophomore Bailey Strom and senior Jackie Kiilunen each added eight points for Calumet (22-6), which stayed in Mackinaw City after its Quarterfinal win Tuesday over Sanford Meridian in Manistique before driving down to East Lansing.
This was Calumet’s second Semifinal appearance over the last five years.
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest players celebrate their Semifinal win Thursday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Crusaders’ Scarlet Brown (1) considers her options as a second Calumet defender closes in.