North Central Nearing Regional Opportunity
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
March 8, 2019
POWERS – A group of female athletes at North Central High School hopes to accomplish something no other girls basketball team at its school has done since 1980.
Bring home a Regional championship trophy.
The Jets (16-6) took the first step toward their goal Monday night in a 65-25 victory over Republic-Michigamme (3-16) in a Division 4 District opener on their home floor.
"We just wanted to set the tone for the rest of the District," said sophomore Andie Arsenault, who averages nearly 13 points a game. "We wanted to gain some confidence. This is a very important step."
The Jets followed with a 54-42 triumph at Felch North Dickinson (9-12) Wednesday night, earning the right to host Stephenson (10-9) in tonight’s championship game.
"I was pretty excited to be playing our first District game at home," said senior Jadie Linder, who averages slightly more than 9.5 ppg. "I never played against (Republic-Michigamme) before. It was just business as usual. We weren't looking past anyone. We got off to a good start, which helped me relax. I'm usually super nervous at first."
North Central is shooting for its first District title in six years.
A victory tonight would send the Jets to next week's Regional tournament at Kingsford, knowing there's a strong possibility if they win that round that they could face top-ranked St. Ignace (22-0) in a Quarterfinal game at Marquette.
"Our goal is to win the Regional and get a shot at St. Ignace," said senior Chloe Wells, who averages 12.5 ppg. "It was real important for us to win the first District game. I think it shows other teams we mean business. Our press is pretty intense. It can get other teams frustrated and intimidated. We've all become more comfortable with our shot, and balanced scoring has helped. Everybody has shared in the success."
Junior Bree Arsenault, who averages nearly 11 points, said she enjoys the camaraderie she shares with her teammates.
"We're all real close," she added. "It's easy to play well when you're surrounded by people you get along with. I think we're in a good mold. We're all ready to score and play defense. I think this just shows we're capable of getting things done. It's real exciting to go through this with people who are your best friends."
Coach Lee Vincent likes the way the Jets play defense and share the ball.
"Our team defense and being unselfish with the ball has been key," he said. "If someone's open, they're going to get the ball. Alex Neville has been playing tough, and Hailey Pavlat is coming on. We talk to the girls about taking one game at a time. Their attitude has been great. They all can score. Different girls have taken their turn being the leading scorer."
North Central, like other teams, has lost practice time due to the weather.
"I know all the schools are affected by it," said Vincent. "You get on a roll, then you lose a week. Kids tend to lay around when they're not in school. When they're in school, they're together going to class and talking about the game."
Among the team's highlights this winter was a 45-37 triumph at neighboring Bark River-Harris on Jan. 28.
The Jets also have learned some lessons along the way.
"When we beat them (BR-H) it really got us pumped up," said Wells. "After our loss at Carney-Nadeau (50-46 on Feb. 9) we learned we just have to play better defense and become more confident in our shot."
The Jets are well aware other factors also can come into play.
"We definitely have to stay out of foul trouble and stay healthy," said Vincent. "We want to peak at the right time."
PHOTOS: (top) Powers North Central’s Delaney Smith, left, shuts down a drive against Republic-Michigamme on Monday. (Middle) Jadie Linder puts up a jumper during the District win. (Photos courtesy of the Escanaba Daily Press.)
Unranked Eaton Rapids Ends on Top in B
March 15, 2014
By Tom Kendra
Special to Second Half
EAST LANSING - Dittmer was the difference.
Grand Rapids South Christian came into Saturday's MHSAA Class B championship game ranked No. 1 and with a 26-game winning streak. But the Sailors had never faced an inside force like 6-foot-1 senior post player Allie Dittmer of Eaton Rapids.
"We tried our best to stop her," said South Christian coach Jim De Bruyn, "but she was just a horse in there."
Dittmer dominated the interior, scoring 26 points on 9 of 15 shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds to lead unheralded Eaton Rapids to its first-ever MHSAA girls basketball title in a convincing 51-38 upset of South Christian in Saturday's finale at the Breslin Center.
The Greyhounds (23-5) came into the MHSAA tournament as an honorable mention in the final Associated Press regular-season poll, but relied on five senior starters to knock off No. 6 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the Quarterfinals, No. 8 Flint Powers in Friday's Semifinal and then top-ranked South Christian in Saturday's Final.
"I told the girls before the game that we don't need to be perfect, we just need to be us," said 15th-year Eaton Rapids coach Willis Whitmyer. "I'm not the smartest guy here, but I'm smart enough to know when I have a good inside player. Everyone on this team has heard it 1,000 times from me: 'Get the ball inside to Allie.'"
Dittmer, who will play next year at Hillsdale College, scored two points in the first quarter as both teams struggled out of the gate. The quarter ended in a 7-7 tie.
But Dittmer came alive with nine points in the second quarter as the Greyhounds inched ahead to a 19-16 halftime lead, and it appeared that the second half would be a down-to-the-wire fight.
However, buoyed by a raucous, maroon-clad crowd chanting "We are, E.R.!," Eaton Rapids used its zone defense to stymie the Sailors' comeback attempt.
While the defense was doing its part, Dittmer got back to work on the block, scoring five points in the third quarter and then tallying 10 in the fourth (despite picking up her fourth foul with 4:35 remaining and having to sit for stretches) as the Greyhounds pulled away.
"I’ve got to give credit to my teammates; they worked it around and made it easy on me," said Dittmer, who garnered honorable mention status on the Associated Press Class B all-state team announced this week. "This win means so much to all of us.”
As Dittmer began to demand more and more attention from the Sailors, it began to open up shooting opportunities and driving lanes for the Eaton Rapids guards.
The Greyhounds were 18 of 26 from the free-throw line, compared to just 3 of 6 for South Christian. Senior guard Kathryn Mills was the only other Eaton Rapids player in double figures scoring with 11 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer right in front of her school's delirious student section with 1:35 remaining that gave the Greyhounds an insurmountable 48-37 lead.
"It was about time, was the way I looked at it," said Mills, one of those five senior starters. "I had a rough start, but that's the way a lot of our games went this year. We got more open looks at the end because the other team is focused on stopping Allie."
South Christian 5-11 senior Renee Broekhuizen, who battled Dittmer inside all night, was the lone Sailors player in double figures, with 13 points. Broekhuizen buried back-to-back 3-pointers to pull her team to within 37-33 with 5:15 remaining in the game, but the Sailors were outscored 14-5 the rest of the way.
Dittmer scored four points during the final run, and senior guard Meghan Dassance scored five of her six during that stretch.
"She's a great player, and she has a strong body," Broekhuizen said of Dittmer. "We never gave up, we were relentless and we refused to lose. But it just wasn't our night."
South Christian (26-1) lost for the first time since last year's Semifinals at the Breslin. It was the Sailors' third appearance in a girls basketball title game, as they won the 1988 Class B championship and finished as the 1980 Class C runners-up.
Cassidy Vredevoogd blocked five shots and added six points and five rebounds for South Christian. Morgan Torres had a team-high six rebounds, and Broekhuizen added three steals.
"It's not what we planned on, but here we are," said De Bruyn, who has won 441 games in 25 years as South Christian's coach. "We struggled against their zone and couldn't seem to get many good, open shots."
The Sailors connected on just 15 of 46 shots (32.6 percent), were not able to get to the free-throw line much and were out rebounded 34-24.
Five points from Emily Reinecke and six rebounds and five assists from Bailey Baker also boosted Eaton Rapids, which placed second in the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold.
But Whitmyer felt another force during Saturday's game, especially in the second half, which he felt made a big difference in turning things in his team's favor.
"I thought our fans were unbelievable," said Whitmyer, whose team won all eight of its tournament games by at least 10 points. "I looked out there, and I thought we owned the Breslin. Our support system throughout the school and the community was really something else, and that makes this even more special."
Click for the full box score and video from the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Eaton Rapids' Meghan Dassance works to get past South Christian's Renee Broekhuizen in the Class B Final. (Middle) Greyhounds guard Kathryn Mills launches a shot in front of her team's bench Saturday.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Allie Dittmer led all scorers with 26 points and all rebounders with 13. Here she scores on a putback just before halftime to give Eaton Rapids a 19-16 lead. (2) Renee Broekhuizen led South Christian in scoring with 13. Here's a 3-pointer she hit early in the game.