'Underdog' Sailors Sink Reigning Champ
March 18, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Grand Rapids South Christian rarely plays a girls basketball game it’s not expected to win.
So labeling the Sailors "underdogs" probably was an exaggerated assessment heading into Friday’s Class B Semifinal again reigning champion Detroit Country Day.
True, the Yellowjackets were ranked No. 1 heading into the postseason and had lost only once this winter. But South Christian was No. 3, had lost only twice, and brought back three seniors who had come 17 minutes from an MHSAA championship only two seasons ago.
And now they’ll have the chance to bring back the Sailors’ first title since 1988. South Christian dominated nearly from start to finish to down Country Day 57-46.
“Being the underdog, it was kinda fun, because no one really expected us to come out how we did, especially in the first half when I think we were up by 10 at halftime,” South Christian senior guard Jenn DeBoer said. “But we knew they were going to keep pushing and keep coming back, and we had to keep our poise and keep our control. But being the underdog and getting this win, it’s such an amazing feeling because no one really knew that we had it in us.”
The Sailors (25-2) will face Marshall at 6 p.m. in Saturday’s final championship game.
DeBoer, forward Markayla Vander and guard Sydney DeYoung were sophomores two seasons ago when South Christian reached the Final but fell 51-38 to Eaton Rapids. Coach Kim Legge – in her first season as head coach – was on the bench and has been part of the program for two decades.
All of that experience no doubt has led to people outside the program to notice and tell Legge how even-keel her team seems to play – a trait that pays off at this time of year when one swing can end a season.
“People have said, ‘Wow, you look so poised all the time,’” Legge said. “Even when teams make runs at us, we stay even-keeled and keep our heads above water and keep pushing. And that’s just how we’ve operated all season long.”
South Christian led by as many as 16 during the second quarter and 10 at halftime, but did have to hold strong after Destiny Pitts’ 3-pointer with 4:42 left pulled Country Day within 41-37. The Sailors came back with a 16-9 run to finish, with DeBoer scoring six of her game-high 18 points down the stretch.
“They played very good defense; give them credit for that. We, just for some unknown reason, we were hurrying,” Country Day coach Frank Orlando said. “We shot 17 percent from the field in the first half, and that wasn’t us all year. I kept telling the girls that in these kind of games you have to be better, have to be much better, and you have to understand you can’t take away what you’ve done all year.
“We’ve come back against the best teams in the state. … (We) played hard. (We) almost came back. It was that breaking line we just couldn’t get across.”
Staying with the unexpected, South Christian maintained its lead without making a 3-pointer. The Sailors averaged nearly six per game entering the week, but missed all 10 of their attempts Friday.
But in addition to DeBoer’s 18 points, Vander had 14 on nearly 50 percent shooting from the floor, and DeYoung had six but 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Mariel Bruxvoort came off the bench to score 10 points while making half her shots and all four of her free-throw attempts.
Pitts – one of the state’s top juniors – had 14 points, only two below her average but while putting up with tight defense by Vander and getting only four shots off from 3-point range (and making one). Sophomore forward Maxine Moore had 13 points and guard Kaela Webb added 11 points and six rebounds for the Yellowjackets (24-2).
“I never second-guessed our team’s ability. I knew that coming into it, if we played our game, we could do it,” DeBoer said. “We could shut them down defensively, and if we worked the ball on offense we could get open looks because that’s what we’ve been doing against good defensive teams all season.
So I never really second-guessed them during the game and thought they’re not as good. I just knew we had to keep pushing and we had to stay in control, because we definitely had control most of the game.”
The Girls Basketball Finals are presented by Sparrow Health System.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids South Christian players celebrate Friday’s Class B Semifinal win. (Middle) Country Day’s Kaela Webb drives to the hoop.
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.)