Renaissance, Davis Show Earn Encore Performance
By
Jason Schmitt
Special for MHSAA.com
April 7, 2021
EAST LANSING – For those who may have had something else going on Wednesday afternoon, don’t worry, there will be one more chance to catch the “Kailee Davis Show.”
The Detroit Renaissance senior put her talents on display at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, scoring seven points in a span of 21 seconds late in the game to help her team defeat Wayne Memorial,75-72, in a Division 1 Semifinal.
“It was just about not giving up,” said Davis, who finished with a game-high 33 points in her team’s victory. “I believe in my teammates, and they believe in me. Once they told me to go, I just wanted to win this for them.”
With her team trailing 69-64 with just over two minutes to play, Davis calmly hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two points. She then picked up a steal and converted a layup to tie the game at 69-69. Davis topped it off with another steal of the ensuing in-bounds pass and was fouled, converting a pair of free throws to give her team its first lead since early in the third period.
“(Kailee) challenged me on something, when I said ‘She hasn’t been getting to that steal like she did last year,’” Renaissance head coach Shane Lawal said. “I felt like she stepped up today. She told me to shut up. She went out and got two or three of those at the end of the game. That’s all I ever want to do, is challenge my kids, to be the best that they can be.”
Davis finished with 19 points in the fourth quarter alone. She scored 10 of her team’s 12 points during an early stretch of the fourth which cut Wayne Memorial’s 11-point lead down to three. The Zebras (17-3) would stretch the lead back to seven points before Davis and her teammates made the late push to earn a spot in Friday’s Division 1 championship game.
“(Davis) is an absolutely amazing player,” Wayne Memorial head coach Jarvis Mitchell said. “She absolutely willed them to win. She made some tough shots. We tried to make her work as much as possible, but at the end of the day, when a kid is resilient and they want to win … it wasn’t that my kids didn’t want to win, I just think she wanted to win a little bit more.”
Davis’s performance overshadowed what was a tremendous game by Wayne Memorial seniors Alanna Micheaux and LaChelle Austin. Micheaux, who will be playing basketball for the University of Minnesota next year, finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds. Austin had 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Zebras. They combined for 29 points in the second and third quarters, when their team turned a 13-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
“Alanna Micheaux, I’m a huge fan of hers,” Lawal said after the game. “Her ceiling is only (going) up. And Austin is going to have a great career in the MAC (at Eastern Michigan). Shout out to those two great seniors.”
Renaissance got off to a hot start against the Zebras. The Phoenix opened the game by scoring nine of the first 12 points, fueled by a corner 3-pointer and steal and drive to the basket by senior Mikyah Finley. The Phoenix finished the quarter on a 10-0 run, thanks to three 3-pointers, two by Finley and one by Davis, in the final two minutes to take a 21-8 lead.
Finley finished the game with 18 points. Senior Shannon Wheeler added 10 points for Renaissance (13-4).
“They played an absolutely amazing game,” Mitchell said of the Phoenix. “They have some absolutely tough kids. They deserved to win. It’s hard to stop a team with resilience. Renaissance never gave in to emotion. They just continued to go fight. And when we thought we had them, they just kept plugging and plugging. And that was the basketball game.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Renaissance's Kailee Davis launches a shot while leading her team to a Division 1 Semifinal win Wednesday. (Middle) Wayne Memorial's LaChelle Austin gets to the basket. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Girls Report Post-Break
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 9, 2023
School’s back in session, snow has mostly stayed away as of late, and basketball barely took a breather during another holiday break that saw several of the state’s best girls teams test themselves in preparation for the grind to come over the next two months.
Our post-break report below highlights some of the most intriguing action over the last three weeks – including a new record holder for career coaching wins – and previews games to keep an eye on this week as we get rolling into calendar year 2023.
“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. Chelsea 59, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 50 (OT) Just as most schools were getting out or preparing to do so Dec. 21, Chelsea (8-1) handed Arbor Prep (5-2) its first in-state loss since Feb. 18.
2. Sandusky 42, Unionville-Sebewaing 28 Sandusky improved to 8-2 as coach Al DeMott became the all-time winningest in MHSAA girls basketball history with 798 victories.
3. West Bloomfield 86, Chicago Kenwood Academy (Ill.) The Lakers (7-2) held on in overtime at the Motor City Roundball Classic against a top team from Illinois.
4. Northville 42, Traverse City Central 22 The Mustangs (8-1) highlighted their holiday showcase by handing the Trojans (7-1) their only loss this season.
5. Lowell 54, Redford Westfield Prep 50 The Red Arrows are 8-0 with a pair of four-point wins mixed in, including this one on Westfield Prep’s home court during the Motor City.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance (7-0) The Phoenix already have piled up notable wins under first-year coach Dashaun Wood, including 41-39 over Wayne Memorial early and more recently 66-54 over Detroit Country Day and 67-46 over East Kentwood. The Phoenix’s remaining schedule includes more intriguing nonleague matchups against Grand Blanc, Muskegon and East Grand Rapids plus a league meeting with Detroit Cass Tech.
Rockford (7-1) After reaching the Division 1 Semifinals and falling by just three points to eventual champion West Bloomfield last season, Rockford is off and running with its only loss to reigning Division 2 runner-up Grand Rapids West Catholic. The Rams opened this winter by handing Ada Forest Hills Eastern what remains its lone loss, and Rockford also has solid victories over Holland Christian, Byron Center and Detroit Country Day.
DIVISION 2
Frankenmuth (6-1) Only an opening-night loss to Lake Fenton (see below) has kept the Eagles from a perfect start, and wins over Grand Blanc and Imlay City have highlighted the ensuing run. Frankenmuth also kicked off Tri-Valley Conference 8 play Friday with a key 42-39 victory over Saginaw Swan Valley, which tied with Freeland for second behind the Eagles last season. The first Freeland matchup is this Friday.
Lake Fenton (8-0) Beginning with the 46-36 season-opening win over Frankenmuth, Lake Fenton has rolled to eight double-digit victories including also handing the only loss so far to Grosse Pointe North, 51-33 – and after GPN was one of just four teams to defeat Lake Fenton a year ago. Wins over Detroit Public School League contenders Mumford and Cass Tech also are impressive, and the Blue Devils can make another massive statement tonight hosting Arbor Prep.
DIVISION 3
Evart (8-1) The Wildcats also are undefeated since a season-opening loss, to Sanford Meridian, with the best wins 61-44 over McBain and 42-40 over Lake City after losing to them a combined five times last season including to McBain in their District Final. Evart is pacing the Highland Conference after finishing fourth a year ago, with its first matchup Wednesday against McBain Northern Michigan Christian – the only other team to defeat the Wildcats in 2021-22.
Sanford Meridian (8-1) The Mustangs are early co-leaders in the Jack Pine Conference, with a first matchup against the other first-place team Farwell coming up Friday. The early work has been exceptional; following the 60-52 win over Evart, Meridian took all of their next five games by at least 39 points and earned a rare win over Freeland 46-40. The only loss was 40-38 in overtime to Marysville at the SC4 Holiday Showcase.
DIVISION 4
Baraga (7-1) After reaching the Division 4 Semifinals last season, Baraga has been flawless aside from Friday’s 66-52 loss to highly-regarded Division 2 Houghton. The Vikings escaped their season opener against Ontonagon 42-38, but hadn’t won by fewer than 21 points since until that first defeat. That 21-point win was over Lake Linden-Hubbell, another Copper Mountain Conference team otherwise making some early noise in Division 4. Baraga hosts one-loss Calumet on Tuesday.
Mackinaw City (8-0) It’s even better than business as usual for the Comets, who are coming off an 18-4 season and already this winter have avenged two of those losses in downing Indian River Inland Lakes by 19 and Pickford by 32. The Inland Lakes win clinched Mackinaw City’s Christmas Tournament title, and the Comets also won an impressive early showdown with Cedarville and finished last week by handing the second defeat this winter to Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (5-2) at Lake Fenton (8-0) – Arbor Prep is No. 1 in Division 3 Michigan Power Rating (MPR) among teams with at least six games played, while Lake Fenton is No. 3 in Division 2.
Tuesday – Hudsonville (6-2) at Holland West Ottawa (9-0) – West Ottawa won its first 10 games last season before ending 15-8 after rolling through the tough Ottawa-Kent Conference Red. Reigning league champion Hudsonville may give the Panthers their best test yet.
Tuesday – Jackson Northwest (7-1) at Coldwater (8-0) – Coming off a 34-29 win over reigning Interstate 8 Athletic Conference champion Parma Western, Coldwater takes on another annual contender while enjoying its most impressive run since 2018-19.
Thursday – Maple City Glen Lake (5-0) at Traverse City Central (7-1) – This could be a major statement win for either, as Glen Lake made the Division 3 Semifinals last season and Central lost 49-28 in their regular-season matchup.
Friday – Hancock (8-0) at Escanaba (8-0) – The Eskymos have tough Great Northern Conference matchups Tuesday and Thursday but then end the week with a meeting of undefeated opponents. Escanaba defeated the Bulldogs 58-53 last season.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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.
PHOTO Marquette's Cora Anderson (32) is surrounded by Charlevoix's Abby Wright (5), Bayani Collins (21) and Karlee Easton (13) as she heads to the basket during Marquette’s 42-28 win Dec. 29. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)