Pittsford Sets Pace to Reach 1st Final
March 19, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Pittsford coach Chris Hodos said he’s never lied to his team about its chances in a game, and sophomore Jaycie Burger backs up that claim.
This season, he’s told his Wildcats they should win every one. And so far, he’s been right – with the most important result left to predict.
Hodos said win big Thursday, and undefeated Pittsford responded, advancing to its first MHSAA championship game with a 57-26 Semifinal win over Waterford Our Lady in a Class D Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
The Wildcats – who had never advanced past Regionals before this season – will face St. Ignace in Saturday’s 10 a.m. championship game.
“I think for me, it’s going to feel like, I don’t want to say the same as every game. It’s going to be more intense, more straightforward,” Burger said. “(But) we all need to play the same way we’ve been playing all year.”
And that’s been at a record-setting pace.
Pittsford (26-0) has been the only undefeated team left in Class D since midseason, and Thursday it became easy rather quickly to see why. The Wildcats led by 11 at the end of the first quarter – and by the end of the fourth added a 19th game in 26 in which they’d held the opponent to fewer than 30 points.
Sophomore Maddie Clark also announced herself loudly on the statewide stage. The nearly 5-foot-10 forward dominated, with 26 points – including 18 of her team’s first 24 – and 15 rebounds.
“She’s strong. Nothing bothers her,” Hodos said. “She takes all the contact, and she works hard in the weight room for me, just like every other girl on my team.”
Pittsford had an edge statistically in a variety of areas, but did outrebound Our Lady 59-35. Senior 5-5 guard Emily Poling grabbed eight rebounds, and Burger added seven to go with 10 points.
The Lakers as a program have much more experience at this stage of the tournament, with three championships and a runner-up finish from 2010-13. But this team also was gaining Finals weekend experience with a number of younger players, and was far less expected to reach Breslin – Our Lady finished 12-13 this winter and didn’t have a senior starter.
“The experience was still great. It’s always exciting any time you get the chance to get here,” Our Lady coach Steve Robak said. “I’m very proud of everything we did to get here this year. Most schools would never get an opportunity to get this.
“We were hoping to keep our little run going, one more game at least, but the experience was wonderful. I know they’re going to have great memories about getting to this point.”
Freshman guard Tiffany Senerius had 10 points and three steals for the Lakers, and junior guard Alex Troy added six points and 10 rebounds.
Seven of eight players who saw the floor most Thursday should return next season. And the Lakers finished 2014-15 on a 9-4 run.
“We’re returning all five starters, and I think we can do really good things next year,” Troy said, “now that we’ve gotten into our groove at the end of the season.”
Click for the full box score.
PHOTOS: (Top) Pittsford’s Morgan Dominique wins a loose ball during Thursday’s first Class D Semifinal. (Middle) Maddie Clark (10) and Our Lady’s Alex Troy contend for possession below the Wildcats’ basket.
Senior Stars Bring Ishpeming Back to Breslin, Earn One More Game Together
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 19, 2026
EAST LANSING – Ishpeming coach Ryan Reichel wanted 32 more minutes with his two standout seniors.
Those seniors – Jenessa Eagle and Mya Hemmer – helped grant him his wish.
The Hematites overcame poor shooting and a double-digit deficit to outlast Morenci 37-34 in the first Division 4 Semifinal on Thursday at Breslin Center.
“We talked about playing 32 minutes since yesterday, especially with having seniors, and right now they have 32 minutes left in their career with one extra game,” Reichel said. “Us trying to complete that 32 minutes was huge, just with the mental toughness these girls brought.
“I’m pretty emotional about this because having these two girls and knowing it's the finale of their careers and seeing what they did tonight trying to carry us and will their team to the win was remarkable.”
Eagle and Hemmer combined for 35 points as Ishpeming (24-3) advanced to the Final for the second time over the last three years. The Hematites won the Division 4 title in 2024.
Eagle, who’s headed to Michigan Tech, scored a game-high 20 points, while Hemmer, who will play volleyball at Baylor, recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Ishpeming was playing its second game in as many days due to the winter storm in the Upper Peninsula. The Hematites had defeated Indian River Inland Lakes in a one-day delayed Quarterfinal on Wednesday.
“When we got up at the hotel this morning and saw the green grass we rolled in it like we were in Florida,” Hemmer joked. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen green grass. This season has really shown how much of a family we are and how much we trust each other, especially Coach.”
If dealing with adversity related to weather and travel wasn’t enough, the Hematites had to persevere through a game where points were hard to come by.
Ishpeming trailed throughout the first half, including 16-6 in the second quarter, but rallied during the second half with a stifling defense that created multiple turnovers.
“We’ve faced adversity here two years ago, so we knew that getting the lead was doable,” Eagle said. “I think today we proved we can do that at a higher level. We are going to need that energy and focus on Saturday.”
Morenci – playing in its first Semifinal since 2011 – led 20-18 at the half and 27-25 after three quarters, but the final eight minutes saw the lead change multiple times.
Ahead by a single point late, sophomore Camby Gauthier scooped in a lay-up with 34 second left to give the Hematites a three-point edge.
Their defense did the rest and prevented the Bulldogs from tying it before the buzzer.
“That’s a great Morenci team, and they had us rattled in the first half,” Reichel said. “We settled down, and we persevered, and we lifted each other up.”
Ishpeming failed to make a 3-point shot for the first time this season, going 0-for-22. “I didn’t know that,” Eagle said. “I thought one of us hit a 3. I’m shocked by that.”
The Bulldogs also struggled from the field, shooting 27 percent (12-44) and missing all five of their 3-point attempts. They also committed a season-high 31 turnovers.
Morenci did outrebound Ishpeming 51-27, with 20 offensive rebounds.
“Not how we wanted it to go, but they battled all season and they battled tonight,” Morenci coach Ashley Joughin said. “Some of our shots didn’t fall when we needed them to, but hats off to that team because they got after it in the second half and we gave up a couple offensive boards that were costly. We fought all season to be here, and nothing can take that away from them.”
Junior Colbi Ekins scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way for the Bulldogs, while senior Emmersyn Bachelder tallied a double-double with 14 points, and 13 rebounds.
PHOTOS (Top) Ishpeming players celebrate their Semifinal win Thursday at Breslin Center. (Middle) Morenci’s Emersyn Bachelder (33) and Ishpeming’s Mya Hemmer (14) contend for a loose ball. (Photos by Lilanie Karunanayake/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)