Still #1: Heritage Lands 2nd Straight Title
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 23, 2019
GRAND RAPIDS – Not often is the reigning champion the hunter and not the hunted. But that’s how the Saginaw Heritage girls basketball approached this season.
With the graduation of some key members from the 2018 Class A title team, the Hawks felt they were being overlooked.
On Saturday, they re-established themselves as the top team among the state’s largest schools, now classified as Division 1.
Behind a stifling defense, Heritage earned a second straight MHSAA title by defeating top-ranked Southfield Arts & Technology 55-40 at Van Noord Arena on the campus of Calvin College.
“If anything, we kind of felt underestimated, like a lot of people didn’t think we were going to get right back,” Heritage senior Shine Strickland-Gills said. “We lost two players, and they scored a lot … and it didn’t look like we had much coming in through the tunnel after them, so they didn’t really think we were going to go back again. But we wanted to prove them all wrong, and our whole thing was to stick together. Our end goal, everybody’s end goal, was to play in the last game and win. We just knew what we had to do, and we made sure that got done.”
It was the third MHSAA championship for the Hawks (25-2), and it seemed fitting it was this senior class that spearheaded these last two. Strickland-Gills and classmates Moira Joiner and Mallory McCartney have been playing together for more than a decade, and had predicted they could accomplish this before they got into high school.
“They were eighth graders the last time we were in a Final Four, and they all cut school and came down to the Breslin Center and watched Heritage,” Hawks coach Vonnie DeLong said. “We lost that day, and they told me that day, ‘We’re getting back here and we’re winning it, Coach.’ They made good on their promise to me.”
Heritage looked like a team that knew it was supposed to be playing in Saturday’s moment, taking control early and remaining calm and composed while clinically finishing it off.
The Hawks were hitting 50 percent of their 3-pointers at one point in the third quarter, and finished the game with 19 assists on 20 made baskets. Joiner led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, nearly matching the triple double she had in Friday’s Semifinal against Wayne Memorial. Strickland-Gills added 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and six blocks, while junior Keyonie Champion had 12 points. McCartney added seven points, five rebounds and five assists.
“Having them be seniors, not just seniors, but having been in this game before – having been in these big games is huge,” DeLong said. “Today they just knew. I talked to them this morning and told them, ‘This is it, last time you’re ever going to play together – you're going to keep playing, but not together – and this is the last chance you got. I’m going to tell you right now, last game senior year, if you can go out a winner, that’s absolutely the way you want to go.’”
While Heritage didn’t have much trouble settling in, the Hawks made it hard for the Warriors (24-2) to do so, especially on the offensive end. They played zone and closed down on everything in the paint, forcing Southfield A&T into its worst offensive performance of the season.
It was only the second time all year the Warriors – who shot 16 of 47 (34 percent) from the field – were held below 50 points. The other time was a 45-43 loss to Heritage in the second game of the season.
“They were in a zone, and the zone packed it in a little bit, and we were struggling to find some gaps to attack,” Southfield A&T coach Michele Marshall said. “We play inside-out, and it just appeared the gaps were not there. If they were, when we tried to attack, we were just a little bit hesitant.”
Zone isn’t the typical defensive setup for Heritage, but DeLong said possible fatigue from the previous night’s Semifinal and the importance of keeping Strickland-Gills out of foul trouble pushed her to make the change.
“I don’t think we’ve played a full game of zone all year this year,” DeLong said. “We played it a couple times last year, and it worked in the Final. We talked about it last night, watched some film today and did some walkthrough at a gym this morning. Most of them have played our zone enough, so they know what to do, but a couple of our kids are a little shaky. But we got them through, and it worked.”
The Warriors shot 6 of 21 (28.6 percent) in the first half, and just 2 of 8 (25 percent) in the second quarter. They played more than six minutes of the second quarter without star forward Alexis Johnson, who was sidelined with three fouls.
Heritage was able to take advantage during that span, stretching its lead to 11 points by halftime and never looking back.
Soleil Barnes led Southfield A&T with 14 points, while Cheyenne McEvans had 13.
PHOTOS: (Top) Heritage’s Mallory McCartney looks for open teammates Saturday during the Division 1 Final. (Middle) A&T’s Cheyenne McEvans directs her team’s offense.
Rockford's Miss Basketball Caps Career Among State's Top Shooters, All-Time Winners
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 19, 2025
Rockford’s Anna Wypych finished her high school career in March with four record book listings earned during her four-year varsity career and Miss Basketball Award-winning senior season.
She made 94 3-pointers last winter, good for fifth all-time, and finished her career with 203. She also made the career games played list with 107 and career wins list helping the Rams to a 99-8 record. Rockford won the Division 1 championship in 2023, finished runner-up last winter and also made the Semifinals when Wypych was a freshman and junior.
She’s continuing her career this season at Butler.
See below for several recently-added listings to the girls basketball record book, and click the heading to see the record book in full. Several more applications have been received and are in the process of being confirmed.
Girls Basketball
Mia McGregor is up to 26 listings in the record book after her first two seasons at Mio. Her 58 points in a game against St. Helen Charlton Heston as a freshman is tied for ninth and one of her 12 games scoring 45 or more points. Her 866 points (41.2 ppg average) that debut season rank second all-time, and she’s already on the career 3-pointers (160) and free throw (345) lists. She also made the single-game assists list with 14 against Atlanta last season.
Jaxi Long’s heroics at the end of a 61-54 win over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian on Jan. 4, 2022, have her second on a record book list. She scored 29 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter, as Newaygo came back from an 11-point deficit that period. She’s playing at Cornerstone.
Baraga senior Kara Roberts made the single-season 3-pointers list as both a sophomore (74) and junior (70). Baraga as a team also made multiple 3-pointer lists over the last few seasons, including with 13 in a game last winter. Roberts has committed to continue at Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Morrice’s Aubrey Rogers totaled 20 steals during a Feb. 2, 2024, win over Burton Bendle, tying for second-most in one game. She was a senior and has continued at Spring Arbor.
Ishpeming’s march to the Division 4 championship in 2024 includes several record-book accomplishments as a team and individually. As a team, Ishpeming tied the single-season record of 28 wins in finishing 28-1, and made lists with 195 3-pointers and 710 attempts from beyond the arc. Then-junior Jenessa Eagle made the record book with 72 of those 3-pointers. She has signed with Michigan Tech.
Evart junior Kyrah Gray made the single-season steals list with 15 in a Dec. 6, 2024, game against Beal City, and finished the season with 188 over 25 games – the season total ranking fifth all-time.
Averie Zinn has entered her senior season at Genesee with 20 record book listings – and a chance to add several more. Zinn’s best from her first three seasons included 851 points scored (32.7 per game) last winter, which rank third all-time; 186 free throws last season, which rank 10th; and 218 steals also from last season that rank third on that list. She has committed to Wayne State.
Charlotte senior Peyton Howarth cemented her name in the record book with nine 3-pointers in a Dec. 7, 2024, game against Quincy. She finished with 29 points.
Vivian Idziak earned Grand Rapids Union’s first record book entry in this sport with 15 blocked shots against Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Jan. 16, 2024, and added a second with 27 rebounds against Wyoming Kelloggsville this past Feb. 25. She graduated this spring and will continue at Grand Rapids Community College, where she will run cross country.
Braxcynn Baker finished her Lowell career in 2024 with several record book listings, including for 183 free throws (in 223 attempts) as a senior and 479 free throws (ranking eighth) in 587 attempts with an .816 percentage for her career. She also made the career 3-pointers list with 180 over 91 games. Her senior-season free throws contributed significantly to Lowell’s MHSAA-record 319 over 25 games that season. She’s continuing her career at Murray State.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s earned its first girls basketball record book listings during the 2023-24 season. As a team, the Eaglets made 171 3-pointers in 487 attempts – both totals making lists – and Allie Crighton made the single-season free-throw shooting list by connecting on 87 percent of her attempts. She’s a junior and has committed to Northwood.
Fallon Behrick launched a quick start on her 32-point night for Otisville-LakeVille Memorial against Mt. Morris on Jan. 23. The senior scored 21 first-quarter points to make the single-quarter scoring list.
Milan’s Emily Bladen scored 39 points on Dec. 10, 2024, against Britton Deerfield, with 27 coming on nine 3-pointers as she made that single-game list. She’s currently a junior.
Parc Liggins also earned a spot on the single-game 3-pointers list with 10 in 14 attempts for Grand Blanc against Lapeer on Jan. 24. She’s a senior this winter.
Parchment’s 61-30 win over Delton Kellogg on Jan. 28 saw the winning team tie for the sixth-most 3-pointers made in one game – 17 – while also making the single-game attempts list with 47.
Adelyn Moore finished her career at Caro in 2023 by making single-season lists with 150 steals and 336 rebounds – and also career lists with 442 steals and 1,047 rebounds over four seasons and 80 games. She played a season at University of Chicago and is now at Denison in Ohio.
Kent City added to its growing list of top 3-point performances when it connected on 16 – on only 37 attempts – in a Feb. 11 game against Howard City Tri County.
White Cloud’s Alexis Strait tied for the fourth-most 3-pointers in a game when she made 11 on the way to scoring 37 points total on Feb. 7, 2020, against Hesperia. She was a junior that season.
Tamerah Peterson capped her Sterling Heights Parkway Christian career last winter with 633 steals – good for second on the career list – over four seasons and 86 games. Her 213 steals as a sophomore rank fourth for a single season. She was joined in the records by now-junior Angelina Marchesi, who made the single-season rebounds list with 312 over 24 games. Peterson is running track at Spring Arbor.
Merrill’s Maddy Desmyter entered her senior season with a record book entry after grabbing 316 rebounds over 23 games last winter. She has committed to Adrian College.
Twice over five days in February, Analeis Ming made the single-season assists list with two of the highest-ranking performances in state history. She had 15 assists in Au Gres-Sims’ game Feb. 13 against Atlanta and 17 steals on Feb. 17 against Fairview. She is a senior and has committed to play soccer at Knox College in Illinois.
Jayna Schwartz capped her Battle Creek Calhoun Christian career last winter with 73 3-pointers over 21 games, making that single-season list. She just missed the single-season list as a junior with 64.
Madeline Pier tied for 13th all-time on the single-game rebounds list when she grabbed 30 in Swartz Creek’s win over Flint Kearsley on Jan. 31. She’s a junior.
Saline’s Keira Roehm drained 100 3-pointers last winter – third-most in MHSAA history – and had 238 entering her senior year to already rank 12th on the career list after 73 games. She contributed significantly to Saline’s team total of 174 over 24 games. She’s committed to Wayne State.
Hanna Vaughn added 46 more 3-pointers as a senior last season to finish her four-year Ironwood career with 201 over 92 games. She’s playing volleyball and basketball at Gogebic Community College.
Nearly 50 years later, the longest overtime game in MHSAA girls basketball history has been uncovered. Michigan Center defeated Grass Lake 57-50 in six overtimes on Oct. 11, 1978. Coincidentally, Michigan Center also played in a five-overtime game that was tied for the record before this result was added to the top of the list.
Niles Brandywine added to its several listings for 3-pointers attempted and made, connecting on 198 of 689 attempts over 28 games last season. Both rank among the top 15 in their respective categories.
Victoria Hauffe has entered her senior season at Hemlock already on the career 3-pointers list with 159 over her first three seasons and after connecting on 69 last winter. Hemlock as a team was added to the records for making 13 3-pointers against Essexville Garber last December and attempting 529 over 25 games.
Dena Droste played four varsity seasons for DeWitt through graduation in 2011, and finished on the career 3-pointers list with 152 in 415 attempts. She went on to play at Kent State and Ferris State.
PHOTO Rockford's Anna Wypych (2) makes a move toward the lane during last season's Division 1 championship game.