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.
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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.)
Miller's Stunning 'Victory' Earns Father Gabriel Richard Chance at History
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 22, 2024
EAST LANSING – The name given to the final play in Friday’s Division 2 Semifinal was fitting.
It was called “Victory” – and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard ran it to perfection to stun Grand Rapids West Catholic.
Junior Charlotte Miller buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Irish a thrilling 35-33 win at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
“We put it in last year; the play is called ‘Victory,’” Father Gabriel Richard coach Tim Cain said. “We practice it a lot, and we ran that same play last year against Renaissance when they were undefeated and she hit that shot too to send it into overtime.
“We have confidence in it, we have confidence in everything we do at practice and it worked out.”
With the Irish trailing 33-32 with 5.9 seconds left, Miller raced down the floor and received the pass from teammate Veronica Fredericks.
She made one move to the right, stepped to her left and launched the uncontested shot.
“I felt confident that I could make it,” Miller said. “I made it last year and I trusted my teammates that they would make the right pass, and I trusted all the work that we've put in for months and I believed in myself and I knew I could make it.”
Father Gabriel Richard trailed by four points with 10 seconds left when Vanessa Rodriguez was fouled attempting a 3-point shot.
She made all three free throws to cut the deficit to one point.
“We’ve been there before,” Cain said. “And their heads never go down. There is a no-quit mentality.”
The Irish will meet Detroit Edison in Saturday’s Division 2 championship game at 6:15 p.m. It’s an opportunity to both win a Final for the first time since 1993, when FGR won Class D, and finish the season undefeated.
“We put a lot of work in during the offseason, and we've been preparing for this moment,” said Rodriguez, who led the Irish with 13 points and added four assists.
“That was one of our goals as a team, and it's actually an unbelievable thought to even be in this position.”
The Irish (28-0) held West Catholic to its lowest scoring output of the season.
“We take a lot of pride in our defense, and when we’re cold, as long as we defend we have a chance,” Cain said.
During a tightly-contested first half that saw neither team lead by more than five points, Father Gabriel Richard edged ahead 11-10 to finish the first quarter and West Catholic had the advantage in the second, 10-9, to forge a 20-20 tie at the half.
West Catholic (26-2), which advanced to the Breslin for the third straight season, only had one made field goal over the last five minutes of the game and missed five consecutive free throws during the last 38 seconds.
“That was a tough one, obviously, because we felt like we had control of the game,” Falcons coach Jill VanderEnde said. “Obviously, we were trying to execute down the stretch like we have done 26 other times this season, and things just didn’t fall into place the way we had hoped.
“Kudos to number 13’s incredible shot at the end, and we will probably relive that last two minutes in our heads for a little while. But I know these seniors, and the girls gave it everything they had tonight and should be really proud that they got us to this point in the season. It was not easy getting back to the Breslin.”
Junior Elisha Dykstra scored a team-high nine points for West Catholic, while senior Reese Polega had five points, seven rebounds and three steals.
PHOTOS (Top) Teammates topple Charlotte Miller after her game-winning shot for Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard on Friday at Breslin Center. (Middle) Miller, 13, pulls up for the clinching 3-pointer. (Below) Miller makes a move across the arc earlier in the game. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)