Tradition-Rich Kingston Adding to Legacy
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
January 31, 2018
Camryn MacGuire remembers watching Kingston varsity basketball games and dreaming about the day she could be on the court.
Evan Neff enjoyed going to games so much as a kid, he kept coming back even after his family moved away for a few years while he was in middle school.
Now both are leading the way for the Cardinals on the court as the Kingston girls and boys basketball teams are inspiring another group of youngsters in their small town.
“I know a lot of little kids come to our games and are huge fans,” said Neff, a sophomore on the boys team. “I know I’ve talked to a couple eighth graders, and they say they can’t wait to play on varsity with me their sophomore year. I think a lot of the littler kids can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Basketball is king in Kingston, and this winter, Cardinals fans have plenty to cheer about. The girls team was 12-0 heading into Wednesday night’s game against Croswell-Lexington, and ranked No. 1 in Class D by the Detroit Free Press and No. 2 by The Associated Press.
The boys started the season on a nine-game winning streak, and are 11-2.
“I think it’s the same thing wherever you’re going to: if you’re winning, if you’re putting a good product out there, you’re going to see a lot of people there,” boys coach Dave Lester said. “In our little town, it seems like everybody is there for the girls games and guys games. We’ve got a great, great student body. Our home games are electric. It’s a fun atmosphere. It’s fun to coach, and it’s gotta be fun to play.
“It’s what high school sports are all about. I think that atmosphere attracts your younger athletes to want to be a part of it. If they’re there and seeing us win, that’s contagious.”
Lester and girls coach Jay Green have been part of it for the better part of the past three decades, first as players for Kingston and now as coaches.
They played together in the late 1980s, and in Green’s senior year, he helped the boys team reach the MHSAA Quarterfinals.
Green returned to coach the girls team and win four District titles in four years – along with his brother, Dave – during the late 90s. Lester took over the girls program in 2003 and coached the team to the Quarterfinal. The Greens came back to the program in 2011, and Lester took over the boys team midway through the 2013-14 season.
“I think there’s probably a little more passion toward what you do, and what you’re trying to instill into the girls and the boys because you are an alumni,” Jay Green said. “I think both of us could say we were successful alumni in the past. And we both learned under coach Leon Westover when we played, then developed our own ideas, and we have that pride of seeing both the boys and girls doing well.”
Green credits his team’s current success, in part, to the parents in the program, who have taken the time to get their girls to the gym for years and been supportive throughout.
MacGuire agreed.
“My parents, and a bunch of the girls on my team’s parents were always pushing us, and always getting us to play as much as we could,” the point guard said. “They were always telling us that big things were coming. Our starting five is all juniors, and we’ve been playing together since the fourth grade or third grade.”
Kingston’s girls aren’t focused too much on the rankings, or the record, but more on preparing themselves for the postseason. They’ve already scored a win against Class C power Sandusky, and the game against Cros-Lex will provide a test against a strong Class B program. A game against another Class B school, Yale, was postponed because of weather this past Monday.
“I love playing bigger schools,” MacGuire said. “It gives you more competition, and you get to push yourself even more; then it’s even better if you come out with the win. It’s going to benefit us in the tournament.”
Their classmates are providing plenty of support to both teams. MacGuire said there’s been a buzz in the hallways all season, and both she and Neff said their teams make sure to cheer each other on whenever their schedules allow.
“I never really watched girls basketball until seventh or eighth grade when we moved back to Kingston,” Neff said. “I remember watching those teams, and I was really impressed. My eighth grade year, they had like four or five freshmen on varsity, and I knew they were going to be outstanding. Those girls work really hard, and they’re great athletes.”
“We try to make it to as many (boys) games as we can, even the road games,” MacGuire said. “We support each other both ways. It’s a good atmosphere.”
No Kingston team has ever been beyond the Quarterfinals, but the conference and District championships have piled up through the years. And as dedicated players keep walking into the program, it could just be a matter of time before a group of them breaks through.
“It’s just a tradition here, and our kids know it,” Lester said. “When you walk into our gym, there’s tons and tons of basketball banners. We really talk about tradition and how it would be great to continue that tradition and put up more banners.
“Obviously, we would like to make a long run. At some point, you want to win a state championship, but it’s a process. We’ve got some kids who were playing a lot of basketball, putting a lot of time into it. They want to win, and they want to be a part of that tradition.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kingston’s Carley Smith, left, pushes the ball upcourt while junior Nathan Cloyd, right, launches a shot. (Middle) Gerilyn Carpenter looks for open teammates during a game this season. (Below) Sophomore Evan Neff works to get around a Bad Axe defender. (Photos by Spot On By Shari.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 29, 2024
February is league championship time on basketball courts all over Michigan, and our first girls basketball title winners could be crowned this week.
As we leave January behind, those potential deciders are among several big-time matchups coming up, and we continue to focus on local title implications below (and keep an eye on Stoney Creek/West Bloomfield, Baraga/Lake Linden-Hubbell and Ishpeming/Munising this week as well).
“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. Rockford 55 Lansing Catholic 48 The reigning Division 1 champion Rams (13-1) finished a three-win week by downing the reigning Division 2 champion Cougars (8-3) at the Calvin University Showcase.
2. Frankenmuth 54, Freeland 49 The Eagles (9-2) firmed up their lead in the Tri-Valley Conference Red by finishing a regular-season sweep of the Falcons (11-2), and remain the only team to defeat Freeland this winter.
3. Fremont 41, Ludington 35 Fremont’s first win over Ludington (7-6) since 2007 put the Packers (10-2) in first place alone in the West Michigan Conference Lakes, a game ahead of the 2022-23 league champ.
4. East Grand Rapids 60, Lowell 49 The Pioneers (8-5) have won five straight and with this victory have a half-game edge atop the Ottawa-Kent Conference White standings, with either Lowell (9-3) or Byron Center set to join them as co-leader with the result of their matchup tonight.
5. Utica Ford 56, Romeo 54 (OT) Ford bounced back from a 41-38 upset by rival Utica to maintain its lead in the Macomb Area Conference White as Romeo (9-4) also entered the evening with just one league defeat.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Kentwood (12-1) The Falcons are continuing an impressive climb from 12-10 two seasons ago to 16-8 last winter and now a near-perfect start to this winter – their only loss was 51-49 on Dec. 21 to Lowell at the Cornerstone Holiday Classic. Eight of East Kentwood’s victories have come against teams with winning records, and the Falcons broke Rockford’s 33-game winning streak two weeks ago and sent Grand Haven to 11-2 with a 58-45 win Friday. The Rockford rematch is Feb. 16.
Temperance Bedford (9-1) The annual contenders are leading the Southeastern Conference Red again, and Bedford sits alone at the top after sharing last season’s championship with Saline. After earning that share by defeating Saline in their second meeting in 2022-23, Bedford won the first meeting this time, 39-30 last week, and followed with a 56-40 victory over Dexter to send the Dreadnaughts into second place. Bedford’s only loss was in its season opener to Sylvania Northview (Ohio), and wins over Tecumseh and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central have also been among the most attention-grabbing of the team’s first half.
DIVISION 2
Detroit Edison (10-0) The Pioneers are among the state’s elite again and impressing across the Midwest with wins over opponents from Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin and two more games coming up in Illinois this weekend. Closer to home, Edison most recently defeated Detroit Cass Tech 54-29 and Grand Rapids Catholic Central 64-57 as it seeks to return to Breslin after ending last season in a Regional Final. Chicago Kenwood (60-49 win) and Columbus Africentric (53-47) are among the top-ranked teams in their divisions in their respective states and surely were valuable prep as Edison readies to take on undefeated West Bloomfield and Detroit Renaissance on Feb. 6 and 8, respectively.
Frankenmuth (9-2) The Eagles are hoping to return to Breslin as well after finishing Division 2 runners-up a season ago, and their only losses this winter were to teams that also made the trip to East Lansing – Rockford and 2023 Division 2 semifinalist Goodrich, in back-to-back December games. As noted above, Friday’s win over Freeland highlights a 6-0 start to this calendar year, and the schedule is loaded over the next five weeks with road matchups at reigning Division 3 champion Hemlock and Lansing Catholic followed by Edison coming to Frankenmuth for a regular-season finale Feb. 29.
DIVISION 3
Blissfield (8-2) Last season’s Division 3 runner-up also is finishing off a solid first half, with last week’s 42-35 win over 10-win Adrian Madison keeping the Royals alone atop the Lenawee County Athletic Association standings. The losses were to Division 2 Tecumseh and undefeated Niles Brandywine, the latter just 45-43, and Blissfield is lined up nicely to surge into the postseason again with the Madison rematch and a tough faceoff with Division 2 Carleton Airport lined up for the end of February.
Springport (9-2) The Big 8 Conference co-leader (with Bronson and Concord) handed Colon its only loss this season Saturday, 50-40 at Spring Arbor and after downing Bronson 54-43 two days earlier. Springport finished 20-4 overall but second to Bronson in the Big 8 last season, and the Feb. 20 rematch is a game to circle, as is the Feb. 27 matchup with Concord, which defeated Springport 47-43 two weeks ago. Bath, Reading and Hanover-Horton should give the Spartans a challenging week but with opportunities to move up the Division 3 MPR list.
DIVISION 4
Lake Leelanau St. Mary (10-1) The Eagles might be taking the next step after winning 14 and 15 games the last two seasons, with their only loss this winter 45-42 to Division 3 Benzie Central. Last week’s 52-42 win over reigning Division 4 champion Maple City Glen Lake avenged a pair of losses from last year’s 14-9 run, and St. Mary also has avenged 2022-23 defeats to Gaylord St. Mary, Saginaw Valley Lutheran and Traverse City St. Francis. Upcoming games at Bedford (see above) and Sault Ste. Marie are especially intriguing.
Morenci (10-1) After starting 14-0 last season, this isn’t an unfamiliar situation for the Bulldogs. But they did last week defeat Adrian Lenawee Christian 44-28 after Lenawee ended Morenci’s 2022-23 in a District Final, and before that also avenged last season’s late loss to Petersburg Summerfield by winning 58-53 this time. Morenci tops the Tri-County Conference standings ahead of both, with rematches coming up Feb. 15 (Summerfield) and Feb. 20 (Lenawee). The only loss was 30-27 to Division 2 Adrian Madison.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Belleville (10-1) at Wayne Memorial (8-2) – Previously scheduled for Jan. 16, this matches the co-leaders in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East to finish off the first half of the league schedule.
Monday – Grosse Pointe North (11-1) at Macomb Dakota (12-2) – These two enter their rematch tied atop the MAC Red standings with two more league games to play and GPN having won the first meeting 50-41.
Tuesday – Elk Rapids (12-1) at Harbor Springs (10-2) – Elk Rapids’ 61-51 win in their first meeting Jan. 9 is all that separates these two at the top of the Lake Michigan Conference standings.
Wednesday – Detroit Henry Ford (9-0) at Detroit Communication Media Arts (9-1) – This is likely to clinch the winner at least a share of the Detroit Public School League Gold title, and Ford could win it outright if the Trojans also defeat Detroit Cody tonight.
Friday – Paw Paw (10-1) at Vicksburg (10-1) – This could eventually decide the Wolverine Conference title, as both have one league loss. Paw Paw won their first meeting this winter 60-50.
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) Bath’s Aubrie Schaibly (30) works to wall off Fowler’s Katie Spicer during the Eagles’ 46-41 overtime win Friday. (Middle) Ada Forest Hills Eastern’s Hannah Bhatnagar (5) puts up a shot against Forest Hills Northern earlier this season. (Top photo by Click by Christine McCallister; middle photo by Michigan Sports Photo.)