West Bloomfield Hangs On to Edge Rockford, Reach 1st Final since 1989
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 18, 2022
EAST LANSING – West Bloomfield girls basketball coach Darrin McAllister said his team has played all sorts of opponents and their varying styles this season, but he admitted he hadn’t seen a team like Rockford.
And that included Detroit Edison, a squad that hadn’t lost to a Michigan school since 2017-18 before West Bloomfield won their February matchup.
“We have not faced a team that shoots that amount of threes and has the ability to make them,” McAllister said of Rockford.
Indeed, in Friday’s first Division 1 Semifinal at Michigan State’s Breslin Center, West Bloomfield saw Rockford attempt a whopping 37 shots from 3-point range against the Lakers’ zone, making 13 of them.
In contrast, West Bloomfield made only three shots from behind the 3-point line.
“I do play a lot of different zones, but I was definitely searching for something,” McAllister said.
Despite the barrage of 3-pointers and 30-point disadvantage from behind the 3-point line, McAllister saw his young team overcome and find a way, as West Bloomfield made the winning plays at the end to earn a 66-63 win over Rockford.
The Lakers (24-1) advanced to the championship game for the first time since 1989, when it finished runner-up to Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills.
“I’m happy that we won, but if I had hair I’d probably have pulled it out by now,” McAllister joked.
The big reason why West Bloomfield was able to survive was its sophomore forward duo, Indya Davis and Summer Davis. Indya Davis had 24 points and eight rebounds, while Summer Davis had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Senior Myonna Hooper added 14 points, and junior Sydney Hendrix had 10 points and 10 rebounds as well for the Lakers.
“I didn’t take it upon myself,” Indya Davis said of her performance. “I took it upon the whole team and doing it for the team.”
With the game tied at 58-58 with 1:02 remaining, West Bloomfield took a 60-58 lead after two free throws by Hooper.
Following a turnover by Rockford, West Bloomfield extended the lead to 61-58 when sophomore Destiny Washington hit the first of two free throws with 40 seconds to go.
Washington missed the second free throw, but Summer Davis got the offensive rebound and passed the ball back to Hooper, who was fouled and drained both free throws to give West Bloomfield a 63-58 advantage with 36.6 seconds remaining.
On Rockford’s next possession, a 3-point attempt by Gabrielle Irwin rimmed out and was rebounded by Indya Davis, who got the ball up to Washington.
After being fouled, Washington split a pair of free throws with 14.1 seconds remaining to give West Bloomfield a 64-58 lead and all but seal the game.
The teams then traded two free throws each before Rockford hit a 3-pointer right at the buzzer to account for the final score.
Rockford saw six different players connect on 3-pointers, led by sophomore Grace Lyons, who drilled five en route to a team-high 21 points.
Rockford coach Brad Wilson admitted his team usually doesn’t shoot that many 3-pointers in a game.
“That’s more than normal, but we are fully capable of doing that,” Wilson said. “Sometimes, you take what the defense gives you. We believe in our kids. It’s a little bit unusual, but all five players on the court have the green light at all times. We just believe in them. We attack gaps and pass where the help comes from. We rep that out all year, so we have confidence that it’s going to go in.”
Rockford was making its first appearance as a program in a Semifinal, and the community certainly followed with a good portion of Breslin Center covered in orange.
“I am so proud of our community and the support they gave,” Wilson said. “Just to be a part of something like that, a sea of orange, was just so much fun.”
Rockford held a 31-26 lead at halftime and was up 36-30 in the third quarter before West Bloomfield went on a 9-0 run to take a 39-36 lead with 5:52 left in the period.
Rockford then got hot from the perimeter again, hitting three more 3-pointers before the quarter ended to take a 49-48 lead into the fourth.
PHOTOS (Top) West Bloomfield celebrates its Division 1 Semifinal win over Rockford on Friday. (Middle) The Lakers’ Sydney Hendrix (5) gets a shot up over a pair of Rams defenders. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2025
Nearly 700 Michigan girls basketball teams will begin their quests this week to finish as one of four holding up championship trophies three weeks from now at Michigan State University.
We always switch up our “Breslin Bound” format once the MHSAA Tournament starts, as last week’s most intriguing results below are followed this time by glances at three District brackets of note in each division. Host sites are bolded, and teams playing in those brackets are listed by seed as determined by Michigan Power Ratings (MPR).
Everything you could want to know this week about tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Girls Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid 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. Farmington Hills Mercy 61, Detroit Edison 58 This win over the reigning Division 2 champion Pioneers (14-6) combined with a Thursday win over Detroit University Prep sent Mercy (17-4) from No. 15 to No. 6 in final Division 1 MPR.
2. Negaunee 58, Gladstone 44 The Miners (21-0) completed a perfect regular season, and Gladstone finished 20-2 with its only losses to Negaunee.
3. Jackson Lumen Christi 59, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 53 The Titans (15-6) handed the Kestrels (21-1) their lone defeat of the regular season.
4. Belleville 70, Northville 48 Bellville (21-1) repeated as overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association champion, following up on its shared title in the East by downing West winner Northville (14-8).
5. Freeland 51, Midland 49 (OT) The co-champion of the Tri-Valley Conference Red, Freeland (19-3) earned another boost into the postseason by downing Saginaw Valley League winner Midland (18-3).
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold, and teams are listed by seed:
DIVISION 1
Hartland
1. Howell (16-6), 2. Hartland (17-5), 3. Brighton (12-10), 4. Milford (13-9), 5. Fenton (12-10).
It wouldn’t be a stretch to see any of these teams shake up the bracket. Howell finished second in the KLAA West and Hartland third, and Brighton fifth, and Hartland actually moved past Howell in MPR after seeding with wins last week over White Lake Lakeland and Livonia Stevenson. Howell did sweep Hartland during the regular season; Hartland split with Brighton, and Howell swept Brighton. Milford finished fifth in the Lakes Valley Conference but defeated Midland Dow early, LVC co-champion Lakeland in their second meeting and lost a pair to the other co-champ South Lyon by a combined seven points. Fenton finished third in the Flint Metro League Stripes.
Midland Dow
1. Midland (18-3), 2. Midland Dow (14-8), 3. Mount Pleasant (15-6), 4. Cadillac (15-6), 5. Bay City Western (11-11).
SVL champion Midland tops a bracket that also includes league rivals Mount Pleasant (tied for third), Dow (tied for fifth) and Western (tied for seventh) – and the Chemics defeated possible Friday opponents Dow by three and 15 and the Oilers by eight during the regular season. Cadillac was the runner-up in the Big North Conference and had won nine straight – including a 43-40 victory last week over Mount Pleasant – before falling to Bay City Western 37-26 on Thursday. Those two open against each other tonight.
West Bloomfield
1. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (17-4), 2. West Bloomfield (14-8), 3. White Lake Lakeland (16-6), 4. Walled Lake Northern (14-8), 5. Walled Lake Central (1-21).
Reigning Division 1 champion West Bloomfield fell off the radar a bit early with a 1-4 start, but is 11-3 over the last seven weeks and finished second in the Oakland Activities Association Red – and defeated champion Clarkston 44-43 last week to avenge an earlier 48-41 loss. All of the Lakers’ losses came against opponents that have won at least 14 games. St. Mary’s shared the Catholic High School League Central West title with Mercy, and its four losses were to opponents that have all won at least 16 games. Lakeland was co-champion in the LVC and Northern finished fourth, and Lakeland’s losses also came against a tough slate as well, as all of those opponents were at least 12-game winners.
DIVISION 2
Chelsea
1. Chelsea (16-4), 2. Parma Western (20-2), 3. Michigan Center (19-2), 4. Brooklyn Columbia Central (11-10), 5. Pinckney (14-8).
Western and Columbia Central are league champions, Chelsea and Michigan Center league runners-up, and Pinckney third from a strong Southeastern Conference White that included Chelsea and one of the overall Division 2 favorites in Tecumseh. Western actually moved past Chelsea in MPR after seeding, with its only losses to league champions Belleville and Grass Lake and a win over another title winner Haslett last week plus Edison on Jan. 23. Chelsea’s losses were to Edison on Thursday, Tecumseh twice and another overall favorite in Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard. Michigan Center’s only defeats were twice to Grass Lake.
Escanaba or Higher Seed (non-traditional)
1. Negaunee (21-0), 2. Gladstone (20-2), 3. Houghton (13-9), 4. Escanaba (9-12), 5. Kingsford (10-11).
The Miners reached the Division 2 Semifinals last season and have won District titles the last three seasons. And as noted above, Negaunee defeated Gladstone last week for the second time, and both of Gladstone’s losses were to Negaunee. There’s a strong argument they are the best teams in the Upper Peninsula this season, and they could meet for a third time Friday. But don’t forget Houghton, which had a bumpy February but started this season 12-3 and lost to Gladstone only 39-36 on Dec. 19. Those two will meet again in a District Semifinal.
Fremont
1. Big Rapids (19-2), 2. Fremont (20-2), 3. Newaygo (18-4), 4. Ludington (16-5), 5. Reed City (9-12).
This bracket includes two teams that have reached Breslin over the last four years – 2021 Division 2 runner-up Newaygo and 2022 semifinalist Ludington among an overall strong group. Big Rapids was the undefeated champion in the Central State Activities Association Red, with pairs of double-digit wins over second-place Newaygo and third-place Reed City. Fremont was first and Ludington second in the West Michigan Conference Lakes, with Fremont taking both of their matchups also by double digits. The Packers have won 12 straight games to reach 20 for the second-straight season, while Big Rapids can reach 20 victories for the second time in three seasons with a win Wednesday.
DIVISION 3
Blissfield
1. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (21-1), 2. Blissfield (19-2), 3. Ottawa Lake Whiteford (14-8), 4. Erie Mason (7-15), 5. Sand Creek (3-19).
St. Mary’s only loss, discussed above, came last week to Lumen Christi, and the Kestrels finished first in a Huron league that included five teams (of eight) with winning records overall. Among early victories was a 28-pointer over Ottawa Lake Whiteford, which tied for second in the Tri-County Conference. Those two could meet again, but only if Whiteford gets through Blissfield, which won the Lenawee County Athletic Association title with losses only to TCC champ Morenci on Thursday and Tecumseh on Dec. 18. Blissfield has defeated SMCC in District play the last three seasons, including in District Finals the last two.
Galesburg-Augusta
1. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (19-3), 2. Kalamazoo Christian (18-4), 3. Lawton (15-5), 4. Galesburg-Augusta (14-7), 5. Comstock (1-20).
Hackett and Christian played to one of the most intriguing splits this season, Christian winning the first game 52-35, Hackett the rematch 56-55, but Christian winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title by two games ahead of the Irish. Hackett’s loss to Parchment on Feb. 21 was its only defeat since Dec. 13, and Christian sharpened for the postseason with losses to Edison, Saugatuck and Paw Paw as well and a nice win last week over Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver champ Grandville Calvin Christian. Lawton finished third in the Valley, but its only non-Hackett/Christian defeat came to reigning Division 3 champion Niles Brandywine. Galesburg-Augusta was the runner-up in the SAC Central and will play on its homecourt.
Grass Lake
1. Grass Lake (18-3), 2. Jackson Lumen Christi (15-6), 3. Hanover-Horton (12-9), 4. East Jackson (14-8), 5. Napoleon (8-14).
Lumen’s win last week over Monroe St. Mary made a bracket full of surging teams even more interesting. Cascades Conference East champion Grass Lake has won 15 straight games since it’s most recent loss – Jan. 4 to Lumen Christi, 66-56. The Warriors rebounded with wins over Michigan Center and Detroit Renaissance and have rolled since. The Titans are riding an impressive five-game stretch that included a win as well over Columbia Central and with that loss to Tecumseh. Hanover-Horton was second in the Cascades West and has seven wins over its last nine games, and East Jackson – 5-17 just a season ago – has won six of its last seven with only a loss to Grass Lake during that string.
DIVISION 4
Dryden
1. Clarkston Everest Collegiate (17-2), 2. Genesee Christian (19-2), 3. Dryden (12-10), 4. Burton St. Thomas More Academy (9-9).
Everest won the CHSL Intersectional 1 and St. Anne’s Tournament championships, with its only losses to Division 2 Warren Regina and Wixom St. Catherine. But Genesee will provide a high-powered challenge, as the Soldiers are capable of putting up big numbers and have lost only to Division 2 Flint Hamady and Adrian Lenawee Christian. Dryden emerges from the Big Thumb Conference Blue, where it finished third and didn’t lose a game all season to an opponent that finished with fewer than 12 wins, taking on Sandusky and Brown City over the last two weeks.
Frankfort
1. Frankfort (14-6), 2. Leland (16-5), 3. Lake Leelanau St. Mary (14-6), 4. Grand Traverse Academy (14-7), 5. Suttons Bay (2-19), 6. Traverse City Christian (4-13).
Frankfort enters the postseason with two losses over its last three games, but got one that counted big-time as last week’s 18-11 win over Leland solidified an outright championship in the Northwest Conference. Frankfort also won their first meeting 33-26 on Jan. 29, but the Comets emerged from a tough run over the last three weeks to still finish third in the league. Lake Leelanau St. Mary could break up a potential third meeting between those two, having defeated Leland 31-26 on Jan. 14 and tested itself in losses to 20-game winners Evart and St. Ignace over the last two weeks. Grand Traverse has bounced back from a rough February stretch with three straight wins.
L’Anse or Higher Seed (non-traditional)
1. L’Anse (17-5), 2. Baraga (16-6), 3. Hancock (14-8), 4. Lake Linden-Hubbell (16-6), 5. Dollar Bay (8-14), 6. Chassell (4-18).
The second, third and fourth-place teams from the Copper Mountain Conference will contend in this bracket, and Hancock was the runner-up in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference West. L’Anse finished fourth in the CMC but has the top seed and a recent 14-point win over Hancock but also lost to Lake Linden-Hubbell last week 54-50. LL-H has jumped past CMC runner-up Baraga and Hancock in MPR since seeding but took an 11-point loss to Hancock on Feb. 13 to go with a split with Baraga and a sweep of L’Anse. Baraga was the Division 4 runner-up just two seasons ago and fell to eventual champion Ishpeming during last year’s District. The Vikings have won 10 of their last 12 games, with the pair of losses during that run by a combined six points.
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PHOTOS (Top) West Bloomfield defenders close in on Tecumseh’s Lauren Kilbarger (12) during her team’s win over the Lakers in December. (Middle) Houghton's Eva Gerard gets a hand up as Ishpeming Peyton Kakkuri take a shot during the Hematites’ 61-49 win Thursday. (West Bloomfield/Tecumseh photo by Team Arreguin Photos. Houghton/Ishpeming photo by Cara Kamps.