Unranked Eaton Rapids Ends on Top in B
March 15, 2014
By Tom Kendra
Special to Second Half
EAST LANSING - Dittmer was the difference.
Grand Rapids South Christian came into Saturday's MHSAA Class B championship game ranked No. 1 and with a 26-game winning streak. But the Sailors had never faced an inside force like 6-foot-1 senior post player Allie Dittmer of Eaton Rapids.
"We tried our best to stop her," said South Christian coach Jim De Bruyn, "but she was just a horse in there."
Dittmer dominated the interior, scoring 26 points on 9 of 15 shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds to lead unheralded Eaton Rapids to its first-ever MHSAA girls basketball title in a convincing 51-38 upset of South Christian in Saturday's finale at the Breslin Center.
The Greyhounds (23-5) came into the MHSAA tournament as an honorable mention in the final Associated Press regular-season poll, but relied on five senior starters to knock off No. 6 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the Quarterfinals, No. 8 Flint Powers in Friday's Semifinal and then top-ranked South Christian in Saturday's Final.
"I told the girls before the game that we don't need to be perfect, we just need to be us," said 15th-year Eaton Rapids coach Willis Whitmyer. "I'm not the smartest guy here, but I'm smart enough to know when I have a good inside player. Everyone on this team has heard it 1,000 times from me: 'Get the ball inside to Allie.'"
Dittmer, who will play next year at Hillsdale College, scored two points in the first quarter as both teams struggled out of the gate. The quarter ended in a 7-7 tie.
But Dittmer came alive with nine points in the second quarter as the Greyhounds inched ahead to a 19-16 halftime lead, and it appeared that the second half would be a down-to-the-wire fight.
However, buoyed by a raucous, maroon-clad crowd chanting "We are, E.R.!," Eaton Rapids used its zone defense to stymie the Sailors' comeback attempt.
While the defense was doing its part, Dittmer got back to work on the block, scoring five points in the third quarter and then tallying 10 in the fourth (despite picking up her fourth foul with 4:35 remaining and having to sit for stretches) as the Greyhounds pulled away.
"I’ve got to give credit to my teammates; they worked it around and made it easy on me," said Dittmer, who garnered honorable mention status on the Associated Press Class B all-state team announced this week. "This win means so much to all of us.”
As Dittmer began to demand more and more attention from the Sailors, it began to open up shooting opportunities and driving lanes for the Eaton Rapids guards.
The Greyhounds were 18 of 26 from the free-throw line, compared to just 3 of 6 for South Christian. Senior guard Kathryn Mills was the only other Eaton Rapids player in double figures scoring with 11 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer right in front of her school's delirious student section with 1:35 remaining that gave the Greyhounds an insurmountable 48-37 lead.
"It was about time, was the way I looked at it," said Mills, one of those five senior starters. "I had a rough start, but that's the way a lot of our games went this year. We got more open looks at the end because the other team is focused on stopping Allie."
South Christian 5-11 senior Renee Broekhuizen, who battled Dittmer inside all night, was the lone Sailors player in double figures, with 13 points. Broekhuizen buried back-to-back 3-pointers to pull her team to within 37-33 with 5:15 remaining in the game, but the Sailors were outscored 14-5 the rest of the way.
Dittmer scored four points during the final run, and senior guard Meghan Dassance scored five of her six during that stretch.
"She's a great player, and she has a strong body," Broekhuizen said of Dittmer. "We never gave up, we were relentless and we refused to lose. But it just wasn't our night."
South Christian (26-1) lost for the first time since last year's Semifinals at the Breslin. It was the Sailors' third appearance in a girls basketball title game, as they won the 1988 Class B championship and finished as the 1980 Class C runners-up.
Cassidy Vredevoogd blocked five shots and added six points and five rebounds for South Christian. Morgan Torres had a team-high six rebounds, and Broekhuizen added three steals.
"It's not what we planned on, but here we are," said De Bruyn, who has won 441 games in 25 years as South Christian's coach. "We struggled against their zone and couldn't seem to get many good, open shots."
The Sailors connected on just 15 of 46 shots (32.6 percent), were not able to get to the free-throw line much and were out rebounded 34-24.
Five points from Emily Reinecke and six rebounds and five assists from Bailey Baker also boosted Eaton Rapids, which placed second in the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold.
But Whitmyer felt another force during Saturday's game, especially in the second half, which he felt made a big difference in turning things in his team's favor.
"I thought our fans were unbelievable," said Whitmyer, whose team won all eight of its tournament games by at least 10 points. "I looked out there, and I thought we owned the Breslin. Our support system throughout the school and the community was really something else, and that makes this even more special."
Click for the full box score and video from the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Eaton Rapids' Meghan Dassance works to get past South Christian's Renee Broekhuizen in the Class B Final. (Middle) Greyhounds guard Kathryn Mills launches a shot in front of her team's bench Saturday.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Allie Dittmer led all scorers with 26 points and all rebounders with 13. Here she scores on a putback just before halftime to give Eaton Rapids a 19-16 lead. (2) Renee Broekhuizen led South Christian in scoring with 13. Here's a 3-pointer she hit early in the game.
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 27, 2025
Michigan is thawing out after last week’s deep freeze – and just in time.
This week’s schedule is full of top-notch girls basketball matchups – we mention five below, a few more elsewhere in this week’s “Report,” and we’ll be keeping an eye on Armada/Yale, Mio/Oscoda and several more as we continue surging into the regular season’s second half.
“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. Gaylord St. Mary 51, Indian River Inland Lakes 47 (OT) The Ski Valley Conference includes five teams at .500 or better and St. Mary (10-1) sits at the top thanks to this overtime win over the formerly co-leading Bulldogs (9-3).
2. DeWitt 51, Holt 38 The Panthers (12-1) avenged their lone loss, 47-39 on Dec. 6, and took a half-game lead in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue on the second-place Rams (8-4).
3. Stevensville Lakeshore 56, St. Joseph 44 This was another matchup for first place, and Lakeshore (8-1) leads the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West after handing St. Joseph (7-1) its lone loss.
4. Frankenmuth 39, Saginaw Heritage 31 These two met at the Martin Luther King Classic at Saginaw Valley State, the Division 2 Eagles (11-2) earning one of their best wins in downing the Division 1 Hawks (11-2).
5. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 49, St. Charles 40 Sacred Heart (11-0) sits atop the Mid-State Activities Conference and St. Charles (7-3) moved to second with this standings shifter.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance (14-1) The Phoenix have seen their last two seasons end with losses to the eventual Division 1 champions, and this could be their turn with an another impressive run so far including wins over Hartland (11-2), Detroit Cass Tech (10-4) twice and St. Clair Shores South Lake (11-4) among others. The lone loss was to Grass Lake (10-3) on Jan. 11, 53-49 in overtime, and Renaissance is carrying a 22-game winning streak in the Detroit Public School League Blue into this week after already clinching a third-straight league title.
Utica Ford (12-0) After last season’s campaign ended with an unanticipated loss to rival Utica High, Ford has stormed back beginning with a 46-point opening-night win over the Chieftains and continuing with a run that’s seen only one game decided by fewer than 13 points. Ford entered this winter coming off two straight Macomb Area Conference White championships and will face Utica Eisenhower (12-1) on Tuesday for first place in the MAC Red.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (9-2) A solid 62-45 win over Sault Ste. Marie (9-2) on Jan. 18 at the Jeff McDonald Memorial Showcase in Cadillac is their most recent game, but the Falcons will return from a 10-day break Tuesday hoping to pick back up on a five-game winning streak as they no doubt are eyeing a Feb. 7 home date with Frankenmuth (11-2) that could determine if they end up sharing the Tri-Valley Conference Red title. Freeland downed the Eagles in last season’s Regional Semifinal after two regular-season losses, and Frankenmuth won the first meeting this winter by 27. Freeland’s only other loss this winter came to Division 1 Saginaw Heritage (11-2).
Holland Christian (11-1) After two seasons of pushing Grand Rapids West Catholic in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue, Holland Christian is in the O-K Black this season and leading the league by two games after a first run through the schedule. A 53-41 win over second-place Zeeland East (10-4) has been arguably the most notable since the start of the new year, and the Maroons also did solid work with earlier one-basket wins over East Grand Rapids and Zeeland West. The lone loss came 58-44 to Grand Rapids South Christian – a potential District foe after also defeating Holland Christian in double overtime to win their bracket last year.
DIVISION 3
Pewamo-Westphalia (12-0) The Pirates are chasing what would be a first Central Michigan Athletic Conference championship since 2019-20 and lead Fowler (10-1) by a game through the first half of the league schedule thanks to a 46-43 win over the Eagles on Dec. 17. P-W’s three nonleague wins also have been close and notable; the Pirates opened with a 66-63 double-overtime victory over Division 1 East Lansing, edged Division 1 Lowell 47-46 at the end of December at Cornerstone University and followed that with a 53-50 win over Division 2 Flint Powers Catholic. The Fowler rematch is Feb. 5, and a Feb. 19 game at New Lothrop (11-1) also awaits.
Saugatuck (8-1) The Trail Blazers have built a solid lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Central as they seek a repeat championship, and all eight of their wins have come by at least 15 points as they seek to build on last year’s 22-2 run. The lone loss came to SAC Valley contender Lawton, 50-43 on Jan. 7, and the next time those two could meet would be a Division 3 Quarterfinal. In the meantime, a pair of matchups with South Haven (9-1) will be telling, as will later games with Kalamazoo Christian and league rival Gobles, Saugatuck having defeated the latter 50-26 on Jan. 17.
DIVISION 4
Leland (9-1) Keyed in part by a defensive effort giving up just 25.5 points per game, Leland has jumped from 11-13 last season to first place in the Northwest Conference. The only time the Comets have allowed more than 31 points was a double-overtime win over Maple City Glen Lake, 45-40, after Leland had lost by 21, 16 and nine to the Lakers last winter. A 46-36 toppling of Onekama was especially notable, and the Comets will be hoping for a similar result when they face second-place Frankfort for the first time Wednesday. Leland’s lone loss was 31-26 to Lake Leelanau St. Mary on Jan. 14, and they meet again Feb. 17.
Pittsford (13-0) The Wildcats won 18 games every one of the last three seasons, and they are off to another magnificent start this time with the return of coach Chris Hodos – who previously led the program to back-to-back Class D titles in 2016 and 2017 and stepped away after the 2018-19 season. The Wildcats are allowing just 22 points per game and lead the Southern Central Athletic Association East heading into Thursday’s matchup with second-place Hillsdale Academy; Pittsford won the first meeting by 20.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Negaunee (14-0) at Gladstone (11-0) – They are leading their respective leagues and may be the best of another very strong group in the Upper Peninsula this season.
Tuesday – Midland (10-1) at Saginaw Heritage (11-2) – These are two of the three teams in the Saginaw Valley League without a conference loss, and Midland also plays the third, Mount Pleasant, on Friday.
Tuesday – Blissfield (11-1) at Adrian Madison (11-1) – These two are tied atop the Lenawee County Athletic Association and won’t meet again until the league finale Feb. 21.
Friday – Tecumseh (10-1) at Chelsea (10-1) – Tecumseh leads Chelsea by a game in the Southeastern Conference White after winning their first meeting 53-41 on Jan. 9.
Friday – Rockford (14-1) at Grand Haven (11-1) – It’s the same story in the O-K Red as league leader Rockford won the first meeting with the second-place Buccaneers 60-48 on Jan. 3.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 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.
PHOTOS (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia’s Elly Bengel launches a halfcourt shot that gave the Pirates an eight-point lead during their 58-34 win over Laingsburg on Jan. 16. (Middle) An Otsego player gets up a shot in the lane during her team’s win over Three Rivers on Dec. 19. (P-W/Laingsburg photo by Jim Pivarnik. Otsego/Three Rivers photo by Gary Shook.)