Renaissance Rises Again in Detroit PSL
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
February 16, 2017
DETROIT – Detroit Renaissance has had one of the top girls basketball programs in the Detroit Public School League for some time.
The Phoenix reached an MHSAA Final (Class B) for the first time in 1996. In 2005, Renaissance won its only title (also in Class B) with Diane Jones serving as head coach and current head coach Kiwan Ward a member of her staff. Renaissance reached the Class A Final in 2010 and 2011, also with Ward as an assistant coach.
The Phoenix are 14-3 this winter, having lost to Detroit Martin Luther King in a PSL semifinal 56-47 on Feb. 8. They are enjoying another successful season even after graduating one of the top players in the state in 2015-16, now-Penn State freshman Siyeh Frazier, and despite the challenges of a changing landscape in PSL girls hoops.
While Ward believes the distance between the PSL’s most and least successful programs has grown in recent years, Renaissance remains stable. In her sixth season as head coach, Ward has 11 varsity players and continues to field a competitive junior varsity while others in the league are having a tough time doing the same.
“We have good chemistry,” senior Victoria Wright said of this year’s team. “It’s our defense that helps us win. The bond we have on and off the court is special. We always have a good time together.”
All eight of the Phoenix's league wins this winter were by double figures, and in six of those wins they held opponents to 25 or fewer points.
Renaissance’s only other losses this season were twice to Detroit Mumford, which will play King for the PSL title Saturday. (Renaissance and Mumford both finished 8-2 in league play to tie for first in the PSL West Division 1, but Mumford because of its sweep of the Phoenix earned the league title and a top seed in the PSL Big D Tournament.)
Despite graduating Frazier, the Phoenix returned three starters from last season’s 14-5 team and are more balanced this winter. They are led by seniors Wright and Nina Reynolds; Wright is averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game, and Reynolds is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds.
In addition to its PSL success, Renaissance also owns a 15-point win from December over Southfield Arts & Technology, the leader in the Oakland Activities Association Red and another expected Class A contender.
A game of that caliber has helped the Phoenix as the degree of parity in girls basketball in the PSL has shifted of late, creating challenges for some of the strongest programs.
It’s the drop-off in many others that has hurt teams like Renaissance, Detroit Cass Tech, Detroit King and Detroit Mumford that remain the most competitive. There are just four PSL programs that sponsor a junior varsity, which leads to scheduling difficulties, as Ward has seen players leave for schools outside the city.
Ward said she doesn’t blame parents for sending their children to other Wayne County schools with open enrollment. Ward said uncertainty within the Detroit Public Schools as to which schools will remain open and which will close has parents on edge.
It’s reported that as many as 24 schools in DPS will close this year. Rumors abound which schools will close, but at this time they are just that: rumors.
“Look at it from a broader point of view,” Ward said. “The talent is watered down (in the PSL). I remember when I (played) at Detroit Benedictine. We looked forward to playing PSL teams. Every game was competitive. No disrespect to anyone, but it’s hard for the girls to get geeked-up when you beat someone 74-11.”
That was the score when Renaissance won in the first round of the PSL playoffs, defeating a former league power now in the midst of a tough run.
It’s different for the boys, where competition remains high. Sure, there aren’t powerhouse teams like Detroit Southwestern and Detroit Cooley of the late 1980s and early 1990s (although Detroit Western and Henry Ford both won their first MHSAA boys titles over the last two seasons), but there aren’t nearly the number of one-sided games in league play as there are for the girls.
“There are eight to 10 teams on the boys side that are good,” Ward said. “With Cass Tech being down this year, we have like three good teams.”
Wright said she hopes to continue playing at the next level, possibly at Coastal Carolina. She said playing teams like King, Mumford and Southfield Arts & Technology brings out the best in her and her teammates.
Last season King defeated Renaissance in the PSL final, 68-66, to win its fifth consecutive league title.
“When you win by so much, it’s tough to play those games,” she said. “The competitive nature just isn’t there. It’s not that we’re not trying hard.
"It makes a big difference when you play those tougher teams."
Still, the top of the PSL remains strong – Renaissance included. King is expected to contend for its sixth Class A title under coach William Winfield and after finishing runner-up a year ago. Mumford also could make noise again in Class B.
Ward isn’t concerned about her program. It’s the others she’s worried about.
The Phoenix will finish their regular season next week against Detroit Country Day and Romulus before starting District play.
“The future in the PSL is uncertain,” Ward said. “For us, we’ll continue to get better.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Renaissance starters are introduced during a game this season. (Middle) Nina Reynolds (left) and Victoria Wright. (Below) The Phoenix set up their defense. (Photos courtesy of the Detroit Renaissance girls basketball program.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 5
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 12, 2026
As we start this sixth week of the 2025-26 girls basketball season, 37 teams across Michigan remain undefeated.
The list is guaranteed to be at least a little shorter as quickly as Tuesday night.
Several high-profile matchups headline the schedule as league play continues to ramp up. We take a look at a few below – but with several more candidates to be included in the “Review” portion of next week’s report.
“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. Grand Rapids South Christian 73, Grand Rapids West Catholic 62 South Christian (8-0) avenged last season’s Quarterfinal loss to the Falcons (7-2), but they’ll meet again Feb. 3 and also split the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title last season.
2. Negaunee 54, Ishpeming 44 The Miners (9-0) took a significant step in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East with this win over the rival Hematites (6-1), who they’ll see again Feb. 6.
3. Flint Powers Catholic 54, Pewamo-Westphalia 43 The Chargers (8-1) started off a three-win week by handing the Pirates (6-1) their lone defeat of the winter.
4. Freeland 46, Frankenmuth 42 The latest chapter in this rivalry saw the Falcons (5-2) avenge last season’s Regional Semifinal loss to the Eagles (3-4) after they also had split regular-season meetings and the Tri-Valley Conference Red title.
5. McBain 56, Evart 32 The Ramblers (6-0) moved a key step ahead of their Highland Conference rival after Evart (6-1) edged them for the league championship a year ago.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
New Baltimore Anchor Bay (6-0) The Tars have started their encore well after improving four wins to 17-5 last season while winning the Macomb Area Conference White title. Friday’s 59-53 victory over Macomb Dakota was their first by fewer than 15 points, and that next-closest victory came 47-32 as they handed St. Clair its only loss this season. Five of the six wins have come against opponents currently .500 or better.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (7-1) A 47-43 win over Warren Regina last week sent St. Mary’s into first place alone in the Catholic High School League Central West, a lead they also own thanks to a 45-33 win over Farmington Hills Mercy on Jan. 2; St. Mary’s and Mercy shared the league championship last season. A 24-point win over Clarkston also jumps out, and the only loss came to Saginaw Heritage over the break.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (7-0) The Chargers already have equaled last season’s 7-15 finish, avenging last-winter losses to Lowell, Big Rapids and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian and navigating three victories by six points or fewer. A 34-30 nail-biter over Kent City was arguably the most notable of the impressive opening run, and there are plenty of opportunities to shine in the near-future as they jump into the second half of an eight-game road trip.
Haslett (6-0) The Vikings have enjoyed plenty of success over the first half of this decade, finishing 22-4 a year ago, and they’re on the right track again despite playing four of their first six games on the road. A 62-56 win at Frankenmuth made a nice statement, as did a 57-36 victory over Williamston in Capital Area Activities Conference Red play Friday. They’ll hope to roll that momentum into Tuesday’s matchup against DeWitt, one of the few to down the Vikings a year ago.
DIVISION 3
New Lothrop (5-0) The Hornets also finished 22-4 a year ago and are back on the same track with all five of their victories this winter by 11 or more points – including one apiece over St. Charles and Ovid-Elsie, which have both begun 6-2. New Lothrop has reached 20 wins two seasons in a row and made the Regional Finals last winter, and the Hornets will prep for another run in part with games at Division 2 Freeland and Division 1 Midland.
Shelby (5-0) The Tigers went from 8-17 two seasons ago to 19-5 last winter, and they’re on the move again with five double-digit wins – including 49-38 over Hart, which defeated Shelby three times in 2024-25 including in their District matchup. Shelby’s first game this s season against Ravenna, scheduled for Dec. 19, was postponed, but they’ll meet twice and are the only two teams without a loss in the West Michigan Conference Rivers.
DIVISION 4
Concord (7-1) The Yellowjackets reached the Division 4 Semifinals last season at Breslin Center and finished 22-5, and they’re dominating once again. They actually opened with a loss to Morenci, but haven’t fallen since – and all but one of those victories have come by 16 or more points. The lone single-digit win came as Concord handed Adrian Lenawee Christian its only defeat, 64-55.
Morenci (6-0) As noted above, Morenci started this season in a big way by downing Concord 58-25, and they closed last week by handing Petersburg Summerfield its only loss as well, 44-20. The Bulldogs have reached the Division 4 Quarterfinals the last two seasons and will face several Division 3 opponents this winter as they prep for another run – with a 38-30 win already as well over Division 1 Temperance Bedford.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Haslett (6-0) at DeWitt (7-1) These longtime rivals are again among mid-Michigan’s elite and have split their last four games, with DeWitt winning last year’s 62-50.
Tuesday – Baraga (9-0) at Ewen-Trout Creek (5-1) – E-TC finished first and Baraga second in the overall Copper Mountain Conference standings last season with the Panthers winning their lone meeting.
Tuesday – McBain (6-0) at Roscommon (7-0) – For the second-straight week, McBain will take on another undefeated Highland Conference contender.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids South Christian (8-0) at Wayland (7-0) – The Wildcats could make a move in the O-K Gold after finishing third a year ago, and that might start against one of the reigning co-champions.
Friday – Belleville (7-0) at Wayne Memorial (7-0) – Belleville has a big week ahead as it pursues another Kensington Lakes Activities Association East title, taking on undefeated Livonia Stevenson on Tuesday before this first matchup with the reigning co-champion Zebras.
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PHOTOS (Top) Gwinn's Alayna Soyring passes the ball around Ishpeming' Jenessa Eagle (left) and Ava Jo Hares (right) during their teams’ matchup Jan. 6 at Northern Michigan University. (Middle) Hemlock senior guard Victoria Hauffe (21) drives through the Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central defense during the first quarter Friday. (Gwinn/Ishpeming photo by Cara Kamps. Hemlock/Nouvel photo by Kolleth Photo.)