Nouvel Books Return to C Final
March 13, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Just about every team that reaches an MHSAA championship game and leaves with a runner-up trophy makes plans, rather immediately, to return the following season and finish the title run.
Easier said than done, obviously. But Saginaw Nouvel gave itself no other option.
After falling by just five points in last season’s Class C Final to Manchester, the Panthers will get another chance Saturday to finish with a win for the first time since 2008.
Nouvel defeated Gobles in Thursday’s first Semifinal at the Breslin Center, 47-35, to earn an opportunity to face St. Ignace for the championship at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“It was hard. We almost expected it of ourselves. It was implied,” said Nouvel senior center Rachel McInerney of making another Breslin run. “We came into every game knowing we were going to win, and not leaving until we had won.”
The Panthers have made good on that aspiration more times than not this season, moving to 21-4 Thursday after chipping away quarter by quarter to finish ahead by a comfortable margin and hand Gobles (26-1) its lone loss.
Nouvel’s four-point advantage during the fourth quarter was its largest of any period. Neither team set Breslin aflame from an offensive standpoint – Nouvel shot only 25 percent from the floor and Gobles just 29.
But the Panthers managed a 48-37 rebounding edge, and with three seniors, maybe a slight edge in comfort with the big stage as Gobles was making its first trip to the Semifinals in program history.
First-half performance hasn’t been a strength this season – but Nouvel gutted out a 21-15 halftime lead and never trailed over the final 27 minutes of the game.
Sophomore guard Laurel Jacqmain led the Panthers with 20 points, and three teammates scored at least seven. But McInerney – who averages nearly 12 per game – had just three points although she did grab a team-high eight rebounds.
“Our team depth is so incredible. When Rachel isn’t scoring, we have other people who can step up,” Nouvel first-year coach Mary Jo Skiendziel said. “I’m so proud of how they play and come together, and pick her up until hopefully she can start scoring again.”
Gobles senior Michaela DeKilder just about hit her averages with 15 points and eight rebounds to finish a career that included leading her team to a combined 46-4 record over the last two seasons.
Coach John Curtis mentioned after that this was the group the Gobles community expected to make the school's first trip to the Semifinals, and the Tigers came through after also winning their second Regional title ever a week ago.
“Going through the other teams I’ve been on, this was completely different,” DeKilder said. “Yeah, we all liked each other (before), but this team all loved each other, and that was completely different. It wasn’t just for yourself, it was for everyone on the team.
“Making it to Breslin was the biggest accomplishment we’ve ever made. For me, when I walked into the gym, it hit me hard.”
She’s one of only two seniors graduating from a team that also had seven sophomores.
“We told the girls, our big thing is we want to be a regular here,” Curtis said. “We see St. Ignace here, see Nouvel, and I told (DeKilder) in the lockerroom they laid the foundation.
“We return nine girls next year, and hopefully next year we’ll be in a situation that’s not just, ‘Oh, we’re here.” We might play a little bit better, and we might just handle this situation a little bit better.”
Click for a full box score and video from the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Saginaw Nouvel's Laurel Jacqmain (44) tries to get around a Gobles defender Thursday. (Middle) Nouvel's Lindsay Stroebel blocks the way for Gobles' Sharyena Hunt.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Jacqmain drives the lane for two of her game-high 20 points for Saginaw Nouvel in its 47-35 Class C Semifinal win over Gobles. (2) Michaela DeKilder led Gobles with 15 points. Here she gets two first-quarter points on a nice feed from Haley Rock.
Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 8
January 23, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A total of 15 girls basketball teams remain undefeated through what was the midpoint of this season for most across Michigan last week.
But four teams also lost for the first time as league standings began to take shape and contenders began the juggling that will continue over the next month.
Check out the “Rankings” tab above for a list of those with the best records across all four classes, to be updated every Monday during the rest of this winter. Meanwhile, here’s a look at some of what stuck out most for this Breslin Bound report, powered by MI Student Aid.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Saginaw Heritage 50, Midland Dow 47 (OT) – The undefeated Hawks have the upper hand again in the Saginaw Valley League North after Midland took a share of the league title last season by winning their second meeting; the rematch this time is Feb. 10.
2. Sandusky 54, Harbor Beach 35 – The Redskins remained undefeated and took a one-win lead in the Greater Thumb Conference East standings in handing Harbor Beach its first loss in the league and overall.
3. Ithaca 58, Frankenmuth 40 – This is a great sign for Ithaca’s move from Class C to B this season; the Yellowjackets improved to 8-1 while handing the Eagles only their second loss.
4. Farmington Hills Mercy 33, Bloomfield Hills Marian 30 – Mercy added this win to a one-point victory over its Detroit Catholic League Central rival Dec. 9 and cemented itself as the Class A team to watch from that always-strong league.
5. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 57, Muskegon Mona Shores 48 – Mona Shores could still be a contender in Class A and definitely was the favorite in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black this winter, but Reeths-Puffer has to be as much a part of both conversations after this win.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Hudsonville (11-1) – A Class A semifinalist last season, Hudsonville opened the O-K Red schedule with a loss to now-.500 Rockford. But the Eagles are back in the title mix with four straight league wins including an impressive 53-43 victory last week over Caledonia.
Utica Ford (10-1) – The Falcons have found a home after finishing 10-13 overall and last in the Macomb Area Conference Red a year ago. Ford’s loss came on opening night to Romeo, by just four, and it leads the MAC White.
CLASS B
Comstock (9-1) – After finishing fourth in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Red last season, Comstock has nearly equaled its 13 overall wins and last week ended Niles Brandywine’s 83-game home winning streak. Next up is undefeated league leader Buchanan.
Houghton (11-0) – After surging at the end of last season to finish 16-7 and win a District title, Houghton has kept it rolling and last week downed rival Calumet 56-40 and being swept by the Copper Kings in 2015-16. All but one win this season have been by 15 or more points.
CLASS C
Jonesville (9-2) – After opening with a pair of losses to Michigan Center and Springport (which are both 9-1) by a combined five points, Jonesville is surging and trails first-place Springport by just a win in the Big 8 Conference. Last week included a 42-40 overtime edging of Adrian Madison, which also is 9-2.
Burton Bendle (10-1) – The Tigers improved from six to 12 to 16 wins over the last three seasons, respectively, and have their sights set on a Genesee Area Conference White title after avenging its only loss this season, to New Lothrop, with a 39-29 win Friday.
CLASS D
Gaylord St. Mary (9-1) – The Snowbirds also opened with a loss, to Class B Clare, but look more like the team that made the Quarterfinals last season and missed advancing farther by just a point. They took over the Ski Valley Conference lead alone last week with a 15-point win over Bellaire.
Hillman (9-1) – The Tigers have rattled off nine straight wins since falling by three to Cedarville on opening night. A 58-37 defeat of Rogers City not only handed their rival its second loss this winter, but put Hillman in first alone in the North Star League Big Dipper as it looks to repeat as champion.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Freeland (10-0) at Ithaca (8-1) – This Tri-Valley Conference crossover features the leaders of the Central and West, respectively, and two that could meet again in the Class B postseason.
Monday – Comstock (9-1) at Buchanan (9-0) – This is the first of two matchups between the leaders of the BCS Red over the next two weeks; see more on Comstock above.
Tuesday – East Kentwood (10-1) at Hudsonville (11-1) – The Eagles, also discussed above, took only one loss in the O-K Red last season … from East Kentwood, the current league leader.
Tuesday – Manchester (7-3) at Pittsford (12-0) – The reigning Class D champion Wildcats have won 39 straight and will get arguably their toughest test of the regular season in this matchup against the Class C Flying Dutchmen.
Saturday – Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (12-0) at Ann Arbor Huron (8-3) – Arbor Prep, after winning Class C last season, is a favorite in Class B this time and gets one of its two biggest tests so far against Class A Huron.
PHOTO: Houghton's Morgan Colling looks for an open teammate as Baraga's Justice Kinnunen (20) helps trap her near the baseline during their game earlier this season. (Photo by Paul Gerard.)