Patient Muskegon Perseveres, Comes Back Twice to Claim 1st Finals Championship
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 21, 2026
EAST LANSING – There was no panic Saturday on the Muskegon bench.
Not when the Big Reds trailed Detroit Renaissance 15-2 early in the second quarter of the Division 1 Girls Basketball Final. Not when their comeback was beat back and they fell behind by six midway through the fourth.
There was only belief that what they were doing would work, and they’d make plays when it was needed.
That belief was rewarded, as the Big Reds came through with those plays down the stretch, defeating Renaissance 34-29 at the Breslin Center.
“We never stopped playing and believing in each other, and playing hard-nosed defense,” Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill said. “We had to get some more stops and get some more conversions on the offensive end. It was still just one possession at a time.”
Loudermill’s quiet confidence was in stark contrast to the raucous Muskegon crowd that watched the team win the first Finals title in program history.
“This championship means everything,” Big Reds senior Mariah Sain said. “We just made history. We made history yesterday (by winning a Semifinal for the first time), but we really just left our legacy at Muskegon High School. A lot of our community was out today from all areas of Muskegon, so it’s a really big moment for us and I’m truly blessed that I got to enjoy it with my team. I’m just going to enjoy it.”
Sain had 14 points and eight rebounds for Muskegon (26-2), capping off her career with one last victory and a parting lesson for the kids in the crowd who have looked up to her for years.
“To keep working, to fight through adversity,” Sain said. “I feel like that game we fought through a lot of adversity. There was a lot of highs in that game, but there were a lot of lows. I love the kids. A lot of kids look up to me, and I try to give them as much knowledge as I can and try to be in the community as much as I can.”
Muskegon didn’t score for the first 5½ minutes of the game, and trailed 15-2 early in the second quarter, but then went on a 10-0 run capped by a Sain 3-pointer to bring itself back.
“That was probably like the second time we’ve had a deficit like that,” Loudermill said. “We know with the types of players we have, we knew we had the ability to come back, but it still had to be one stop at a time. You can’t get it all back at once, so we had to be really patient, continue to believe in each other, and do more execution-wise on the offensive end.”
Muskegon did not lead in the game until junior center Dy’nasti Bell hit a layup with 58 seconds remaining in the game to make it 29-27.
The Big Reds wouldn’t trail again, as a defensive stop was followed by a three-point possession, courtesy in large part to Bell. While it was Sain making one free throw and senior Camiyah Bonner hitting the other two, it was a hustle play by Bell in between that kept Muskegon in possession and helped swell a three-point lead to five.
“I think I tried to push myself beyond my limits,” Bell said. “This was potentially the last time I would ever get to do that, so I just went at everything hard. When you give it your all, I think it pays off.”
Bell finished the night with seven points and 12 rebounds, including the final rebound on a desperation 3-point attempt from Renaissance with the clock winding down.
The Phoenix (23-3) were led by senior Jaebri’an Autry, who scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
It was Autry who stretched the Renaissance lead when Muskegon had first tied the game at 21 in the fourth quarter, finishing off back-to-back possessions to once again give her team control.
The second Big Reds comeback could not be fought off, however.
“I feel like we should have won that game,” Autry said. “We’ve been doubted all year, and this was the game to prove to everybody that we are capable. I love these girls. I love these girls. This is the best team that I’ve ever been on at this school. I’m just proud of how far we’ve come.”
Autry was the leader on what was an incredibly young Renaissance team, as underclassmen out-numbered upperclassmen 8-4.
That was mostly from a strong sophomore class, which Autry called the best in the state. Those teammates had plenty of good things to say about her, too.
“She’s just, (in) life, off the court, on the court, she’s taught me everything,” sophomore guard Kassidy Cain said. “That’s really my sister. Obviously I plan to keep up what she’s built and done here.”
PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon’s Mariah Sain (10) drives hard to the basket Saturday with Renaissance’s Maria Walker (1) keeping in step. (Middle) Jaebri’an Autry (22) works to get a shot up over the Big Reds’ Dy’nasti Bell (24). (Photos by Keionna Banks and Lilanie Karunanayake/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Lyons Delivers Forever Shot to Clinch Unforgettable Rockford Finish
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 18, 2023
EAST LANSING – Brad Wilson had preached to his Rockford girls basketball team the importance of focusing on the next play. Not worrying about what had just happened, but moving forward and making the next play to help your team.
Apparently, he did a good job of drilling it home.
After hitting the biggest shot in program history and giving the Rams a final-minute lead in the MHSAA Division 1 Final against West Bloomfield, junior guard Grace Lyons’ mind immediately went to heeding her coaches instructions.
“It was amazing, but I knew we had to get back on defense and finish it out,” Lyons said.
Lyons and her Rockford teammates did finish it out, making her go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining the deciding bucket in a 40-36 win over West Bloomfield at the Breslin Center to capture the first Finals title in program history.
“Greatness is about the journey – it’s about the effort that gets put in each and every day,” Wilson said. “In my opinion, these girls were great before we even played this game. They were great before there was a single play in this game. But we had an opportunity to be the greatest in our school history today. Our mantra was, ‘Next play.’ (West Bloomfield) had a couple of runs where some teams would have folded, but our girls didn’t flinch. They steadied the storm, and when girls had opportunities to make plays, they did.”
The win avenged a Semifinal loss from a year ago, when the Lakers ended Rockford’s first trip to the Final Four.
“It’s an indescribable feeling,” Rockford senior guard Alyssa Wypych said. “I went light-headed. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is happening.’ It’s something I’ve worked my whole life for. It’s been a dream forever. To finally get it done is just amazing.”
Getting it done took surviving a tight, physical game with the reigning Division 1 champion. Both offenses struggled to get anything going against the other’s stellar defense, and the teams headed into the fourth quarter with West Bloomfield leading 23-22.
Neither team led by more than three points during the fourth quarter until Lyons hit a pair of free throws to ice the game with one-tenth of a second left on the clock.
“They are a really tough team,” Wypych said. “Especially since we had experience playing a majority of their players last year, we knew we were going to have another good game.”
West Bloomfield led 36-35 with under 2 minutes to play, but Lyons came up with a steal with 1:12 remaining to start her game-ending heroics.
Not long after, she found herself open near the top of the 3-point line and didn’t hesitate to let a shot fly, giving Rockford a 38-36 lead with 40 seconds to play. It was her first basket of the day.
“I wasn’t going to stop shooting just because I missed a few,” Lyons said. “I knew I was a good shooter, and at least one of them had to go in. When Anna drove in and just kicked me the ball, there wasn’t anyone around me so I just let it fly and it went in.”
Wilson said it’s a shot that will probably be talked about forever in Rockford.
“It’s a sports town,” he said. “High education, high standards. Our community loves our teams. Anywhere you go, you can’t get away from it. I’d expect the rest of my lifetime – I’m a Rockford Ram forever, raising my family here and I’m a teacher at the school – so I’m assuming we’re going to have conversations about this for the rest of my life. There’s nothing more I’d rather talk about. So, pretty awesome.”
West Bloomfield (26-3) had two chances to tie the game, but turned the ball over on its first, and missed a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining on its second.
The Rams (28-1) still had to avoid a turnover against West Bloomfield’s incredibly effective press, but they managed, with Lyons inbounding the ball and getting a return pass before being fouled.
While Lyons was the hero down the stretch, Rockford was in the game thanks in large part to the efforts of sophomore Anna Wypych. She finished the game with 20 points and eight rebounds.
“She puts in more time than most people on the planet,” Wilson said. “She’s a gym rat. We do so much as a program, and (when) we’re not doing stuff, she’s doing stuff on her own. When she came here, there were some things she had to learn. Over the course of these last two years, just her evolution in her game, whether it be offense, whether it be defense, whether it’s attacking the basket, knocking down 3s and really just being a big player in big moments, it’s astonishing. I couldn’t be more proud of this one here.”
While West Bloomfield’s pressure defense was giving Rockford trouble, the Rams’ defense was doing the same to the Lakers. West Bloomfield was just 14 of 42 from the field, and star twins Summer and Indya Davis were held to 12 points, with Indya scoring eight.
Junior Kendall Hendrix led West Bloomfield with 12 points and seven rebounds, while senior Sydney Hendrix had 10 points.
“They came here for a reason, and they came here to beat us, because they had nothing to lose and we had everything to lose,” Kendall Hendrix said. “So, next year, we have nothing to lose. I think next year gives us more motivation.”
Another rematch isn’t far-fetched, as both teams bring back the majority of their rosters.
When asked if they expected it, Rockford’s players didn’t hesitate to answer in the affirmative.
“That’s the plan,” Wilson said.
PHOTOS (Top) Rockford’s Grace Lyons (11) shoots the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play Saturday in the Division 1 Final. (Middle) The Rams’ Anna Wypych (2) drives to the basket with West Bloomfield’s Sydney Hendrix (5) defending. (Below) Kayla MacLaren (14) is presented the championship trophy while her teammates celebrate.