Girls Bowling: Great Expectations Met

March 2, 2012

BATTLE CREEK – Davison was the favorite all season to win the MHSAA Division 1 championship at M-66 Bowl.

On Friday, the Cardinals made good on that high expectation.

After being ranked No. 1 in every state poll this winter, Davison ended it with a 1,292-1,129 win over reigning champion New Baltimore Anchor Bay in the Final.

"We had big expectations. We knew we had to work for it, but we did it,” Davison senior Erin Brown said. “And even though we had that expectation, we worked for it, and we accomplished it. And that's exactly what we wanted."

Davison finished second in qualifying. But the Cardinals then beat Northville by 199 pins and Walled Lake Central by 134 in the two matches leading into the Final.

Brooklyn Greene led Davison with a 181 in the championship match, while Kelsey Fader rolled a game-high 184 for Anchor Bay.

The Cardinals previously finished Division 1 runners-up in 2010, but had never won an MHSAA team title.

Click for full Division 1 results.

Division 2 at Century Lanes

WATERFORD – Father and daughter sounded a lot alike celebrating the Division 2 championship Friday.

But Rob and Lindsey Ploof hit the winning strategy right on the head pin.

One strong individual – like reigning Division 2 individual champion Lindsey – can make a team strong. But a line-up stacked with solid bowlers can make a team impossible to beat.

Lindsey, a senior, was one of three Kearsley bowlers who topped 200 on Friday as her team won its first MHSAA team championship with a 1,408-1,247 win over Tecumseh in the Final. Tecumseh entered the postseason ranked No. 1, and Kearsley entered No. 2.

“As a team, it feels just amazing to win. But I get to share it with my best friends,” Lindsey Ploof said. “The main point of high school bowling, as (former University of Michigan football coach) Bo Schembechler said: ‘The team, the team, the team. No one person is bigger than the team.’”

Ploof did lead her team with a 224 in the Final, but Jessica Dawes added a 212 and Kayla Emmendorfer rolled a 205. Kearsley rolled a 212 and 223 in the Baker games. Tecumseh was led by Haley Richard’s 215.

Kearsley previously finished Division 2 runner-up in 2010, but had never won an MHSAA team title.

“This is what I’ve been preaching to the girls for years,” Kearsley coach Rob Ploof said. “I don’t care what any individual does. It’s all about the team. This is sweet. … To have our four seniors get to experience this is a dream come true.”

Click for full Division 2 results.

Division 3 at Airport Lanes

JACKSON – It was easy to pick a favorite for the Division 3 championship Friday. All four semifinalists from 2011 were back for another try.

It’s fair to say few expected unranked Flat Rock to finish ahead of them all.

The Rams defeated also-unranked Corunna and Ovid-Elsie before knocking off No. 4 Richmond 1,274-1,168 in the Final.

“This was an amazing team win. Every single girl worked hard all season to get this far,” Flat Rock coach Kristi Hill said. “As a coach, I could not have asked for more. They are an amazing group of girls, and I am proud to be a part of this team.”

Emily Alexander led Flat Rock with a 211 in the Final, while Noelle Schever rolled a 196 for Richmond.

It was the first time the Rams finished among the top two at an MHSAA Bowling Final.

Click for full Division 3 results.

Division 4 at Sunnybrook Lanes

STERLING HEIGHTS – Although nine of the top 10 teams in Division 4 advanced to Friday’s Final, the title came down to the two at the top who also bowled for last season’s championship – Sandusky and Vandercook Lake.

This time, it was Sandusky’s turn to finish No. 1.

Reigning champion Vandercook Lake was top-ranked and Sandusky No. 2 entering this postseason. But the Redskins held on for a 1,256-1,223 win in the Final, their second championship to go with two runner-up finishes.

Melissa Sleda rolled a 236 to lead Sandusky in the Final, while Kelsea Reichard had a team-high 198 for Vandercook Lake.

Click for full Division 4 results.

Did you see that?

February 27, 2012

Check out our must-know scores and news from Feb. 20-25.

(Click on links for coverage.)

Wrestling

We are the Champions: MHSAA powerhouses in all four divisions continued their recent successes at Saturday’s Team Finals at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena. Hudson became the third program to win four straight MHSAA team titles by outlasting Shelby in Division 4. Richmond in Division 3 and St. Johns in Division 2 both won third-straight championships. Detroit Catholic Central avenged last season’s Division 1 Final loss to Oxford by beating the Wildcats 47-9 – the Shamrocks' second championship in three seasons. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2) (Second Half D3) (Second Half D4)

Competitive Cheer

Stoney Creek goes 10 to 1: Rochester Hills Stoney made the biggest move up among teams that qualified Saturday for this weekend’s Finals at the Grand Rapids Delta Plex. Stoney Creek entered the postseason ranked No. 10 in Division 1 – but won its Regional by just more than a point, and in doing so finished ahead of No. 3 Rochester, No. 5 Southgate Anderson and No. 9 Lake Orion. Stoney Creek, the 2010 Division 1 Final champion, will try to make it two titles in three seasons beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.(Rochester.Patch.com)

Girls Bowling

Oxford stuns: The Wildcats won the closest and arguably most competitive girls or boys Regional on Friday, finishing 14 pins ahead of Fair Haven Anchor Bay and Macomb Dakota at Sterling Heights’ Star Lanes. Oxford rolled four Baker games of 180 or more, and a 918 team game to tie for the highest of those three rounds. The kicker: Oxford entered the postseason unranked; Dakota was No. 10, and No. 9-ranked Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, No. 2 Sterling Heights Stevenson and No. 7 Macomb L’Anse Creuse North all finished outside the top three and failed to qualify for this week’s Division 1 Final. (MHSAA.com)

Boys Basketball

No. 1 in Lansing: Occasionally, the No. 1-ranked teams in Class A and B play each other. Rarely does that happen with both from the same city and located only a few miles apart. Top-ranked Class B team Lansing Sexton’s only loss this season was by a point last month to Detroit Pershing – No. 1 in Class A until losing to Detroit Martin Luther King two weeks ago and falling from the top spot. The Doughboys were replaced by Lansing Eastern, which like Sexton is in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue. They met Friday – with the Big Reds winning 75-58 to finish a season sweep of the Quakers. (Lansing State Journal)

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