Oscoda Teams Rise From Past to Perfection
February 8, 2019
By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half
OSCODA — The tide has turned in Oscoda.
After struggling year after year in boys and girls basketball, the Owls are enjoying quite a turnaround on the hardcourt this winter as both teams enter the final month of the regular season undefeated — just one of two schools in the state to be collectively unbeaten in boys and girls hoops.
The boys team boasts a record of 15-0 and is 9-0 in the North Star League Big Dipper division, while the girls squad has cruised to a 12-0 mark, including going 5-0 in league play.
It hasn’t always been that way, however.
“There’s a lot of years where we really struggled,” said Oscoda varsity boys basketball coach Seth Alda, a 2003 graduate of the school who is in his seventh year at the helm. “It wasn’t that long ago. There were a lot of years where we not only struggled but a lot of teams beat us by quite a bit.”
The boys team has reached a stretch where it has failed to win a league championship in 27 years or District title in 18 straight seasons, while the girls program became infamous for having lost 89 consecutive games at one point.
“We went almost four and a half years without winning a game,” said Oscoda varsity girls basketball coach Mark Toppi, who took over the girls program four years ago. “They had only had a couple wins in the past three years before I took the job.”
The Owls had been caught in a rut for most of the last few decades, partly due to a precipitous decline in the school’s enrollment after Wurtsmith Air Force Base was decommissioned in 1993. As families left the area, Oscoda became a shell of itself. At one time Class B playing within the North East Michigan Conference, the school was unable to remain competitive with its league rivals as its student population was slashed in half. It eventually made sense to leave the NEMC, and Oscoda toiled as an independent before finding a landing spot in the Huron Shores Conference, which eventually morphed into a reconfigured North Star League in 2014.
Things began to trend in the Owls’ favor last season as a group of talented and ambitious athletes started making their mark. It’s a core of players who have gotten better by working hard, dedicating themselves, including honing their games and picking up additional competition on local travel teams.
“We kind of saw it coming,” said Alda. “Last year we were 14-8, which was our first winning season in 15 years. We returned a lot of players off that team. Last year we were young, and this year we’re still young. We have a lot coming back next year too.”
The Owls’ main core consists of juniors Brayden Mallak, Gabe Kellstrom, Devin Thomas and Chance Kruse, as well as sophomores Owen Franklin and Gavin Lueck.
“We’re guard-oriented,” said Alda. “We like to get up and down the court. We press. We shoot a lot of threes. Typically, we go four out and one in — four guards and one post player. We like to push the tempo. We like to increase possessions. We’ve got three kids (Mallak, Kellstrom and Franklin) who are shooting over 35 percent — a couple of them over 40 — from the 3-point line.”
The girls team managed to come up with 13 wins a year ago despite not having a senior on the roster. That was part of the ascent from three victories in Toppi’s first season, to seven wins two years ago. The 13-9 record in 2017-18 earned Toppi the Associated Press’ Class C Coach of the Year Award.
With all that returning experience from the best girls team Oscoda had seen in years, the Owls were primed for an even better season.
“I could tell we were going to have a good year, just because of all the work they put in over the summer,” said Toppi. “We had a lot of success (last summer). We play up all the time whenever we go to team camps. We always try to play Class B or Class A schools. We take a lot of beatings in the summer. This year was the first year that we were winning against some of those schools. That was a nice sign. I try to tell them, ‘If we’re losing by 15 to a Class A school, that’s not bad.’ This year we were beating some of them.”
The Oscoda girls team has a bit more experience than the boys, with senior Katelyn Etherton in her fourth year as a starting guard. She reached the 1,000-point mark in her career earlier this year. Junior post player Lauren Langley is another key veteran who teams with Etherton, and each average close to 17 points per game. Sophomore Macy Kellstrom leads the team in steals and assists as the point guard, and classmate Izzy Hulverson is averaging a double-double in points and rebounds.
The problem the girls team has discovered is it isn’t getting pushed by the teams on its schedule. The Owls are winning by an average of 34 points per game. A 41-25 win over Tawas was the closest to date. Toppi hopes not having a close game during the regular season won’t hurt the Owls when they get to the postseason. For now, he’s just focused on getting the Owls ready for a tournament run.
“I’m just trying to get them to play hard and practice hard,” he said. “I don’t want them to look at the schedule. We’re still trying to get competition in practice and get better every day.”
The boys games have been a little less one-sided, particularly two clashes against league rival Mio. Oscoda beat the Thunderbolts both times, but one was a seven-point win in a back-and-forth game a week ago and the other was a 35-33 nail-biter earlier this season that wasn’t decided until Mallak drove the length of the court and scored on a buzzer beater.
The buzz has caught up to the Owls as the wins have continued to pile up for both teams.
“Around the school I feel like everybody’s wearing Oscoda across their chest a lot more proudly than what it was a while ago,” said Franklin. “Wherever you go, people know who you are now.
“Every practice Mr. Alda talks to us about how we could be the first in so many years to do this (or that). Early in the year we were 8-0 and he was like, ‘You’ve got a chance to go 9-0. That hasn’t happened in 30 years. He talks to us a lot about making history.”
The struggles the school endured in basketball are not forgotten, but both teams are doing their part to make better memories on the court. The girls already snapped a 48-game losing streak to nearby rival Tawas, and the boys swept the Braves for the first time in 20 years. The boys team is also close to ending that elusive conference championship drought, and both teams have their eyes on earning some District tournament hardware.
“I keep talking about how exciting it is when you get to tournament time, if you can make a run,” said Alda, who was a freshman on Oscoda’s last basketball Regional champion in 2000. “This is just a really cool thing to be a part of.”
Chris Dobrowolski has covered northern Lower Peninsula sports since 1999 at the Ogemaw County Herald, Alpena News, Traverse City Record-Eagle and currently as sports editor at the Antrim Kalkaska Review since 2016. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Lauren Langley, left, and Brayden Mallak have been key to Oscoda’s perfect starts; Mallak here hits the game-winning shot against Mio. (Middle) Katelyn Etherton beats everyone to the basket during a win over Lincoln Alcona. (Below) The Owls celebrate that Mio victory Dec. 13. (Photos courtesy of the Oscoda girls and boys basketball programs.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 6
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 13, 2025
January signals the start of a two-month trek for basketball teams as they push through the heart of winter toward March, the playoffs, and hopefully a trip to East Lansing to finish the season.
It’s also when we start pointing toward our Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) and the data we’re calculating on every MHSAA team in the state to seed our District brackets, which will begin play March 3.
This season, for the first time, those brackets will be seeded in their entirety (not just the top two teams) – making every result that much more important. We detail several of last week’s below, and more matchups coming up as girls hoops teams approach the season’s midpoint.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grass Lake 53, Detroit Renaissance 49 (OT) Earlier games against tough larger opponents no doubt prepped Division 3 Grass Lake (5-3) to hand the Division 1 Phoenix (10-1) their first defeat, as part of the Rocket Hoop Classic at Westland John Glenn.
2. Rockford 51, Tecumseh 45 The Division 1 Rams’ impressive weekend run of Saturdays continued as they improved to 10-1 by downing a previously-undefeated Division 2 contender in Tecumseh (7-1) at The Platform in Grand Rapids.
3. Tecumseh 53, Chelsea 41 Although it did lose its first game to finish the week, Tecumseh (7-1) earlier earned a significant win to open Southeastern Conference White play by handing Chelsea (6-1) its lone loss.
4. Paw Paw 71, Kalamazoo Christian 61 Paw Paw (7-1) is a one-point defeat from a perfect start and ended the same for Kalamazoo Christian (7-1).
5. Ewen-Trout Creek 56, Lake Linden-Hubbell 41 This could end up a decider in the Copper Mountain Conference as E-TC (9-1) took an important step by handing the Lakes (7-2) their first league loss.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Dexter (6-4) The Dreadnaughts’ four defeats came to teams that are a combined 34-3, and that may have made their record a bit deceptive before handing Saline its first loss of the season last week 55-30. Doing so kept Dexter in a first-place tie with Temperance Bedford in the SEC Red heading into Tuesday’s first of two meetings this season with the Kicking Mules. Dexter also handed Mio its lone defeat, 56-48 on Dec. 28, as it builds off last season’s 17-8 run that included a District title.
Grand Haven (7-1) Coming off a four-place league finish but 18-6 overall record last season, Grand Haven could be poised to make a move in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red. A 60-48 loss to league-leader Rockford on Jan. 3 is a good barometer early, and the Buccaneers bounced right back by downing Hudsonville 57-36 last week. They also handed Midland what remains its only defeat, 50-35 on Dec. 14, and earned a notable 55-22 victory over Ludington – a Division 2 Regional finalist last year.
DIVISION 2
Detroit Country Day (10-0) Country Day just missed eliminating Division 2 champion Detroit Edison in a Regional Semifinal last season, falling 59-57, and the Yellowjackets have stormed through the first half of this winter with wins over Grass Lake, Dexter (both noted above) and last week previously-undefeated Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 49-39 and reigning Division 1 champion West Bloomfield 66-59. Country Day travels to Frankenmuth tonight for what should be a telling matchup, and a Feb. 21 meeting with Renaissance should provide another solid test with the postseason approaching.
Grand Rapids West Catholic (8-1) The Falcons enjoyed a big weekend, first downing O-K Gold rival Grand Rapids South Christian 62-49 on Friday and then 2024 Division 1 quarterfinalist Holt 56-46 on Saturday at The Platform. Expectations were high again this season after West Catholic missed making the Division 2 Final last year with a two-point Semifinal loss. The Falcons’ lone defeat this winter was to Parma Western during the first week, and no other opponent has come within single digits.
DIVISION 3
Lawton (6-1) The Blue Devils have climbed from three to nine to 13 to 16 wins over the last four seasons, respectively, and might be lining up to take another step with their only loss so far to Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep. Lawton bounced back last week to hand Saugatuck its only defeat, 50-43, and will have a chance to move into the lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley on Friday when it sees leader Kalamazoo Christian for the first of two meetings.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (9-0) The Kestrels have a one-game league in the Huron League as they seek to repeat as champions. An early 64-40 win over Riverview was key to that start, and they’ll see one-loss New Boston Huron tonight for the first of two meetings this season. Only Flat Rock, falling 38-30, has come within single digits of catching SMCC, which finished 19-5 overall a year ago. One of those losses came in a split with Carleton Airport, and St. Mary already has defeated the Jets 65-48.
DIVISION 4
Fowler (7-1) The Eagles are a 46-43 loss to undefeated Pewamo-Westphalia from being unbeaten instead, and they’re surely looking forward to that rematch Feb. 5. In the meantime, they’ve kept in contention in the always-tough Central Michigan Athletic Conference with wins over Laingsburg and Portland St. Patrick, and defeats of Alma and last week Lansing Christian also were notable. Circle a Jan. 21 matchup with Division 1 Holt as another that could be telling as Fowler attempts to return to Breslin for the sixth-straight season (not counting 2020, which ended prematurely due to COVID-19).
St. Ignace (8-1) The Saints already have rebounded from their lone loss this season, defeating Sault St. Marie 57-46 on Friday after losing the first meeting 50-49 on Dec. 3 – with Friday’s victory also ending a five-game losing streak against the rival Blue Devils. St. Ignace – 18-8 last season – also owns a solid 56-40 win over Harbor Springs and is tied for first in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference with Brimley with their first of two meetings scheduled for Jan. 23.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Detroit Renaissance (10-1) at Detroit Cass Tech (8-2) – Renaissance leads the Detroit Public School League Blue and Cass Tech is second and a game back after the Phoenix won the first meeting 57-48 on Dec. 9.
Tuesday – DeWitt (8-1) at Haslett (7-1) – Picking which game this week was bigger for the Vikings was tough, as they will come off this matchup with their longtime rival to take on St. Johns (8-1) in a key Capital Area Activities Conference Red clash Friday.
Friday – Berrien Springs (7-0) at Niles Brandywine (9-0) – These two are tied for first in the Lakeland Conference as the first round of league games comes to close, and they’ll meet in the league finale next month as well.
Friday – Temperance Bedford (6-1) at Saline (8-1) – The Hornets may be coming off their first loss, but they will have plenty of opportunities to make noise in the SEC Red starting with this matchup against the league’s co-leader.
Saturday – Mio (5-1) vs. TBD at St. Ignace – The Thunderbolts remains one of the most intriguing teams in the state regardless of division, and a matchup with the host Saints (8-1) at the B.C. Pizza Classic no doubt would draw a few eyes.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) East Lansing’s Sydney Black (11) winds up to send a pass to teammate Navaeh Vasquez while Holt’s Breanna Cornelius attempts to deflect it during the Rams 65-52 win Friday. (Middle) Birmingham Seaholm’s Addy Flynn (24) works to get past Davison’s Gracie Wright during the Maples’ 36-34 overtime victory Thursday. (Holt/East Lansing photo by John Johnson. Seaholm/Davison photo by Terry Lyons.)