Breslin Bound: 2022-23 Girls Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 5, 2022
Another girls basketball season began last week – and took off in a hurry for several teams anticipating great things this winter.
Two themes generally dominate the start of a hoops season – contenders facing off in intriguing nonleague matchups, and teams that didn’t enjoy the greatest success last winter eclipsing it quickly this time around. We have plenty to tell of both as we begin another series of “Breslin Bound” reports.
“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. Grand Rapids West Catholic 55, Hudsonville 50 – Last season’s Division 2 runner-up opened with this win over the 2020 Division 1 champion Eagles, who are coming off a 21-3 finish from a year ago.
2. Lowell 66, Kent City 39 – The Red Arrows handed Kent City – a Division 3 semifinalist last season – its first regular-season defeat since Jan. 14, 2020.
3. Hart 43, Ludington 42 – The Pirates opened the season by edging the Orioles, who are coming off a Division 2 Semifinals appearance in March.
4. Grosse Pointe North 56, Detroit Country Day 45 – The Norsemen capped the season’s first week with a double-digit win over the Yellowjackets, who have made the Division 2 Semifinals two straight seasons.
5. Lake Fenton 46, Frankenmuth 36 – Lake Fenton, a Division 2 Regional finalist last season, opened with this win over one of last season’s quarterfinalists.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Flint Carman-Ainsworth (2-0) Despite starting 0-2 last season, Carman-Ainsworth rebounded to finish 18-5 and win a District title. Those early defeats came to Williamston by three and Brighton by 19, and those teams both went on to win 17 games. Last week, Carman-Ainsworth opened with a 61-50 win over Williamston and then defeated Brighton 59-43.
Taylor (3-0) The Griffins closed 5-2 over their final seven games last winter to get to 11-11 for the season, and they’re well ahead of that pace with three first-week wins – including a 38-33 victory over Dearborn Heights Crestwood, which is coming off a 12-7 finish. This week should be telling as Taylor faces Gibraltar Carlson and Allen Park after going a combined 1-3 against them last season.
DIVISION 2
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (3-0) The Irish also opened with three first-week wins, the exclamation mark coming with a 73-50 victory over Redford Westfield Prep at Saturday’s Arbor Prep Ice Breaker Invitational – Westfield was 21-2 last season. Gabriel Richard is coming off a 15-7 run last winter and also last week defeated reigning Division 4 runner-up Plymouth Christian Academy 61-44.
Kingsford (2-0) A 5-5 start last season turned into a 7-13 finish, but Kingsford looks to be on stronger footing early with wins last week over Felch North Dickinson 48-37 and Ishpeming Westwood 42-38. Those two handed the Flivvers losses of six and 29, respectively, to start last winter. Kingsford is seeking its first winning season since 2018-19.
DIVISION 3
Dansville (2-0) The Aggies are coming off a solid 17-8 season, especially considering they play in a league with statewide powers Portland St. Patrick, Fowler and Pewamo-Westphalia among others. Dansville lost to the two-time reigning Division 4 champion Eagles by six and 27 last season, but finished last week by handing them a 36-22 defeat.
Gwinn (2-0) The Modeltowners didn’t win a game last season until Feb. 9, and that was their lone victory. Their 19 losses included a pair to Gladstone, and Gwinn avenged those with a 41-38 win Tuesday – and then doubled last year’s win total with a 41-31 victory over Brimley on Saturday.
DIVISION 4
Manistee Catholic Central (2-0) The Sabers opened with double-digit wins over Big Rapids Crossroads Academy and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, the latter after losing 43-30 last season as Hackett went on to finish 13-9. MCC continued to finish 14-6 and share the West Michigan D League title, and will see the first of the other two co-champions, Mesick, for the first time Friday.
Morenci (2-0) The Bulldogs generally see Adrian Lenawee Christian once during the regular season and then frequently a second time during the MHSAA Tournament. Last week’s 47-39 win over Lenawee Christian was Morenci’s first since Dec. 4, 2015, and the Bulldogs also defeated Addison 49-17 to avenge an opening-night loss from last year.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Bloomfield Hills Marian (1-1) at Imlay City (2-0) – The Spartans were 19-4 last season and loaded up a strong nonleague opponent for an early test.
Tuesday – Clarkston (2-0) at Macomb Dakota (1-0) – Both are coming off 17-win seasons and will play (other opponents) in the weekend’s Best of Michigan Holiday Classic.
Friday – Fowler (1-1) at Portland St. Patrick (1-1) – Fowler may have won last season’s Division 4 championship thanks in part to a District Final win over the Shamrocks, but St. Pat won both regular-season meetings and the league title.
Friday – Detroit Edison (1-0) vs. Bolingbrook, Ill. (8-0) – The reigning Division 2 champion Pioneers start a weekend facing Illinois powerhouses with Bolingbrook at Belleville, then take on Chicago Whitney Young on Saturday.
Saturday – Detroit Country Day (1-1) at Belleville (0-0) – The most intriguing matchup of instate opponents at the Best of Michigan Holiday Classic pits the host Tigers – who have upped their win total three straight seasons – against a Country Day team with high aspirations.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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.
PHOTO Davison and Flushing tip off last week; the Raiders won their season opener 50-41. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Moore Leading Caro's Current Rise, While Helping Build Program's Future
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
December 7, 2022
Adelyn Moore had done enough, even before the start of her senior year, to leave an indelible mark on the Caro girls basketball program.
But Moore isn’t satisfied now with simply winning games and rewriting the Tigers’ record books. She also wants to make sure girls who come through the program in the future have the chance to do the same thing.
“Definitely to build it up,” Moore said of her role in the program. “I know that it kind of sounds cliche, but I really like working with the little kids. This year, I’m coaching a sixth-grade girls travel team. … It’s so much fun.
“The program at Caro had never been a winning program, and I think this is me almost setting an example that it can happen at Caro. I love coaching the kids, and I can see the difference in them and how my class used to be. They want to win. They want to play sports, and play basketball.”
Moore is Caro’s all-time leading scorer, with 1,238 career points following the Tigers’ win Tuesday night against Memphis. She has nearly 750 career rebounds, which coach Jay Riley said is likely a school record, but hasn’t been tracked. If she can average 15 rebounds per game this season, she would certainly become the program’s first player to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
And that’s not that far-fetched. For her career, Moore has averaged 12.7 rebounds per game, including 14 per game as a sophomore.
She’s a three-time Thumb Player of the Year. She’s also been named first-team all-state in Division 3 by The Associated Press twice.
Most importantly for Moore, she’s been part of winning teams at Caro. Her freshman season, the Tigers were 18-3 and won the Greater Thumb Conference West – their first league title in 35 years. Both of the next two seasons were winning ones for the Tigers, and they’re 3-0 to start her senior year.
“Caro girls basketball had won 10 games twice in 20-some years, and she’s been part of teams that have done that in two of the last three,” Riley said. “The only other one was (the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season). I’m confident we’re going to eclipse that this year, too. When she came in, we had a good senior group, but they all knew how special she was and that she was our best player, so they accepted different roles. She’s been part of one of the winningest stretches of Caro girls basketball in a long time.”
It’s winning that drives Moore the most. She said that she couldn’t fully celebrate breaking the school’s record for points, as it came in a loss against Kingston.
Thankfully, the school was able to bring in Lynette Coon, who had set the previous mark in the early 1980s, for the next game to present Moore with a commemorative basketball. That helped create a celebration, as did a win that night against Bad Axe.
“It felt really good to kind of feel like the hard work had paid off,” Moore said. “Then again, a better accomplishment for me would just be to get the win. It was super cool that (Coon) was there. She didn’t even know she had the record. That’s how not big women’s basketball was here. She only knew she had the record for like a week.”
Moore – a three-sport athlete who was also all-state in the shot put and discus as a junior – is committed to play next season at the University of Chicago. While she raved about the coaching staff, Moore was first attracted to the school because of its high academic standing. Moore is on track to be the valedictorian of Caro’s Class of 2023.
“It’s a very rigorous school, and I think that’s where I can get the best education,” Moore said. “Academics are huge for me. Right when I got there, the coaches were so cool. We really connected, and I fell in love with the program.”
Moore said she figures to play the 3 or 4 at Chicago, which she considers her natural positions. At 5-foot-9, she’s played everywhere for Caro, as Riley uses her to create mismatches whenever possible.
“She’s got the ball in her hands a lot – she’s primarily a guard,” Riley said. “If we get any mismatches, we’ll put her down in the post and let her take advantage. Not only can she shoot, but she has great post moves. She’s a mismatch nightmare for anybody.”
Riley said about half of Caro’s games a year ago featured opponents playing a box-and-1 defense to try and stop Moore. One team even played a triangle-and-2, with a pair of players constantly following her.
She still averaged 23.5 points per game to go along with 13.5 rebounds and 4.9 steals. She eclipsed 30 points in both of the Tigers’ first two games this season.
Moore thinks this year’s team can reach the heights her freshman team did, as many of them have been playing together since her sophomore season.
It’s a final chance for Moore to inspire the younger group of Caro girls basketball players with her play on the court, although she’s already done more than enough. Much like she has off it with her dedication to coaching a youth team, which includes multiple practices per week and Saturday games. She’s also a counselor at the Bayshore Basketball Camp during summer.
“She’s been a huge part of our success in turning this program around,” Riley said. “Which I think has sparked some of the younger girls to be more involved in basketball.”
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) Caro’s Adelyn Moore brings the ball up court last season against Unionville-Sebewaing. (Middle) Moore (3) drives to the basket Friday against Otisville-LakeVille. (Photos by Kaitlin’s Klicks.)