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 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 16, 2024
The girls basketball season is barely two weeks old, and the showcase portion that always highlights the first month not even half over – but Division 2 especially is giving us a lot to follow already this winter.
Tecumseh’s double-overtime win over reigning champion Detroit Edison this weekend, combined with Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard’s scorching start, are enough to get the conversation going. Add in a big win from Chelsea, and notable starts from several others, and there’s plenty to talk about.
“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. Tecumseh 70, Detroit Edison 65 (2 OT) This Best of Michigan matchup at Belleville saw Tecumseh (3-0), a Division 2 quarterfinalist last season, outlast the reigning champion Pioneers (2-1).
2. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 55, Rockford 43 The Fighting Irish (4-0) finished up a three-win week with this one over the returning Division 1 semifinalist Rams (2-1), also at Best of Michigan.
3. Chelsea 61, Grand Blanc 58 Chelsea (4-0) is off to another great starter, with this win over the reigning Division 1 runner-up Bobcats (2-2) adding an exclamation mark.
4. Belleville 84, West Bloomfield 49 The Tigers (3-0) made a big early statement against the reigning Division 1 champion Lakers (0-3), which admittedly has had a tough start as they replace four starters from last season.
5. Grandville 48, Midland Dow 42 The Bulldogs (5-0) also are establishing themselves early, with this win over the Chargers (3-2) to open the Petoskey Invitational before Grandville defeated Bay City Western as well the following day.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Hartland (4-0) After finishing a solid 15-9 last season, Hartland might be ready to make a move after a pair of dominating wins last week over Rochester Adams and Linden coming off a 40-26 victory over Holt and 38-36 win over Clarkston during the first week this winter – Holt made the Division 1 Quarterfinals last year and Clarkston was a Regional finalist. Hartland tied for fourth in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West last season and will start that schedule Thursday at Salem.
Saline (4-0) The Hornets have dealt the lone losses this season to three of the four teams on their early schedule – Birmingham Seaholm, Livonia Stevenson and Monroe. Saline won all of those games by 14 points or more, with its closest victory by six over South Lyon East. The Hornets are prepping for a tough road ahead, as they finished second in the Southeastern Conference Red last winter to a Temperance Bedford team that reached the Division 1 Quarterfinals and lost in their District to a Belleville team that played in the Semifinals at Breslin Center.
DIVISION 2
Chelsea (4-0) As noted above, Friday’s win over Grand Blanc stands out most during this fast start for the Bulldogs – but there’s more to tell. Chelsea navigated a first week that included a 54-51 win over Grass Lake and a 50-43 victory over Sault Ste. Marie at Aquinas College – those opponents won 19 and 14 games, respectively last season – and the Bulldogs defeated another returning 19-game winner in Trenton by 32 last week. The win over the Sault the Blue Devils’ only loss so far.
Spring Lake (3-0) The Lakers jumped from 11-11 two seasons ago to 18-7 last winter, and they are prepped for another move coming off a 70-38 win over Fruitport after much closer victories over Fremont (41-37) and Big Rapids (34-32) to start this campaign – Fremont won 20 games and Big Rapids 13 last season. Nemesis Grand Rapids West Catholic – which defeated Spring Lake twice in league play last season and then in a Regional Final – is in a different league this winter, but the Lakers will get another chance to avenge a 2023-24 loss Friday at Grand Haven.
DIVISION 3
Calumet (3-0) The Copper Kings became the second team this season to deal reigning Division 4 champion Ishpeming a loss, downing the Hematites 52-32 on Thursday after losing to them by 26 a year ago. Calumet is hoping for that kind of turnaround overall this winter coming off an 11-12 finish, and wins over West Iron County and Hancock also are nice signs of what may be to come – Calumet swept West Iron during the 2023-24 regular season but lost to the Wykons by 10 in their District opener, and Calumet also split with Hancock last winter but won their matchup last week by 20.
Leslie (3-0) The Blackhawks are coming off a 19-7 run and tie for second place in what was their first season playing in a powerful Cascades Conference East last winter. Leslie this season already has a 51-43 win over Brooklyn Columbia Central, avenging one of those losses from a year ago, to go with double-digit victories over Laingsburg and East Jackson. Leslie will have nearly a half-season of prep before seeing the other Cascades East contenders, taking on Grass Lake for the first time Jan. 16 and Michigan Center for the first time Jan. 29.
DIVISION 4
Ewen-Trout Creek (4-0) Ewen-Trout Creek has won two straight District titles and reached the Regional Final last winter before falling to Ishpeming, ending that run at 20-6. The Panthers have plowed through the first two weeks with all of their wins by at least 19 points, including 58-35 over Ironwood after splitting with the Red Devils last season. E-TC will get a nice test moving into the new year Dec. 27, when it faces host Negaunee at the Irontown Holiday Bash.
Morenci (4-0) The Bulldogs also are coming off a successful 21-4 run last season as they sprinted through the Tri-County Conference and reached the Division 4 Quarterfinals. They opened this season with big wins over Division 2 Adrian and Division 3 Onsted before settling in last week with a 43-41 win over Concord and 62-46 victory over Reading. Concord also was a 20-game winner last season.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Saginaw Heritage (5-0) at Freeland (3-0) – These two annually have aspirations not only in league play but statewide in Divisions 1 and 2, respectively, and Heritage won last year’s matchup 44-42.
Friday – Rockford (2-1) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (4-0) at Cornerstone University – This is among premier matchups of the Cornerstone Holiday Classic, with both also playing next Monday as well.
Saturday – Detroit Edison (2-1) at Detroit Renaissance (4-0) – This rematch highlights the Lady Phoenix Shootout, as Edison won last season’s meeting 46-38.
Saturday – Belleville (3-0) vs. Parma Western (3-0) at Detroit Renaissance – This undefeated pair will meet up as part of the Lady Phoenix Shootout as well.
Jan. 4 – Goodrich (3-1) at Grand Blanc (2-2) – As noted above, Grand Blanc is the reigning Division 1 runner-up, and Goodrich finished 26-1 a year ago with coach Jason Gray earning his 500th win in his team’s season opener this month.
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) Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary's Charli Alcorn (12) prepares to pass during her team's 56-37 win over Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central on Friday. (Middle) Perry's Abigail Cochrane (21) and Bath's Jordyn Lira (23) chase after a loose ball during the Bees' 54-24 win Thursday. (MLS/Nouvel photo by Kolleth Photo. Bath/Perry photo by Click by Christine McCallister.)