Breslin Bound: Girls District Preview
March 2, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first games of the MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament tip off Monday evening, a restart for every team after three months of grinding toward these final three weeks of the season.
To kick off Districts, this week's Breslin Bound report looks at five teams in each class that have made some of the biggest waves throughout this winter.
Click to “track the tournament,” with results as we receive them and interactive brackets.
CLASS A
Bloomfield Hills Marian (19-1) – The reigning Class A champion remains undefeated against Michigan competition; its lone loss was Jan. 17 to Chicago Whitney Young, which finished its season 27-2. The Mustangs handed Detroit Martin Luther King its only loss, 50-49 in Thursday’s Operation Friendship game, and also own wins over Farmington Hills Mercy, Flint Powers Catholic, Benton Harbor and Class C contender Ypsilanti Arbor Prep.
Detroit Martin Luther King (19-1) – As noted above, King didn’t fall this season until Thursday against Marian, and then by only one point – giving the Crusaders only two regular-season losses total over the last three winters. King earned a 25-point win during holiday break over Port Huron Northern, now 17-3, and continued to build strength through a perfect Detroit Public School League run.
Flushing (20-0) – The Raiders opened strong with wins over eventual league champions Flint Powers Catholic and Midland Dow and kept on cruising to improve significantly on last season’s 13-9 finish. Flushing added another big victory last week – 50-48 in overtime over Saginaw Heritage, which is 17-3 – and should enjoy that momentum heading into the tournament.
Marquette (20-0) – The Redettes built on a great 19-3 finish a year ago to end up even better this regular season. In addition to again winning the Great Northern Upper Peninsula Conference title, Marquette shined against strong competition from downstate, beating Brighton (16-4) and Traverse City West (17-3) during the first month.
Southfield Lathrup (19-1) – Only a two-point loss to Toledo Rogers (Ohio) on Dec. 13 has kept the Chargers from a perfect record. Lathrup sandwiched that loss with impressive wins over the PSL’s Detroit Cass Tech and Renaissance during the first two weeks and have since added impressive victories over Arbor Prep (17-3), Southfield (18-2) and Grosse Pointe South (16-4).
CLASS B
Midland Bullock Creek (20-0) – The Lancers have added to their two straight MHSAA Semifinals runs with a perfect regular season keyed by a trio of 1,000-point scoring seniors in Halee Nieman, Ellie Juengel and Hannah Heldt (read more from the Midland Daily News). Bullock Creek dominated a Tri-Valley Conference Central with six teams that have at least 10 wins, plus won its crossovers against Frankenmuth and Ithaca – both are 18-2.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (18-2) – The Cougars earned a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference title on Feb. 20 with a 22-point win over Wayland that avenged an earlier double-overtime loss to their league rival. The only other loss was to Arbor Prep – which came at the end of a two-week run that featured impressive wins over Sparta (18-2) and Class A Grand Rapids Christian (16-4) by 37 points.
Plainwell (20-0) – The Trojans’ perfect run has included three wins over Class A opponents and a Wolverine Conference East championship after they tied for second in the league last season. Plainwell has won six straight by double digits including over Paw Paw and Otsego – the two teams that each beat the Trojans twice during last season’s 18-4 finish.
Spring Lake (20-0) – The Lakers jumped from 13-8 last season to win the Lakes 8 Activities Conference title outright and 17 games by double figures. Spring Lake was 7-15 only two seasons ago, but this winter won 10 games against teams that sit .500 or better.
Wayland (19-1) – The Wildcats split the O-K Gold with Grand Rapids Catholic Central (see above). But Wayland bounced back with two big wins last week and still should carry some confidence from an early slate of victories over Class A Grand Rapids Christian (16-4), Caledonia (14-6) and Wyoming (16-4) and then a one-point win over GRCC on Jan. 23.
CLASS C
Blissfield (19-1): The Royals closed the regular season with a 47-41 win last week over Tri-County Conference runner-up Britton Deerfield, also tonight’s District opponent. Blissfield split the Lenawee County Activities Association championship with Class B Brooklyn Columbia Central, which also gave Blissfield its only loss this season. It may been two months ago, but the Royals also picked up a nice win over Class D contender St. Ignace, 46-33.
Gobles (20-0) – The Tigers, MHSAA semifinalists last season – cruised through their second straight perfect regular season. Gobles won the Southwestern Athletic Conference South title, then beat North champion Decatur 51-35 in their crossover game. Gobles also added a nice one-point victory last week over Class B Otsego, runner-up in the Wolverine Conference East.
Laingsburg (20-0) – The Wolfpack have improved from 13 to 15 to 20 wins over the last three seasons, winning a Central Michigan Athletic Conference with another strong Class C contender in Pewamo-Westphalia (17-3) and a Class D hopeful in Portland St. Patrick (14-6). Laingsburg also added a nice pair of wins over Class B Durand (13-7) in the season opener and Perry (15-5) near the midpoint.
Niles Brandywine (19-1) – The Bobcats' only loss this season was to 17-win Class A Kalamazoo Central, and that came in double overtime. Brandywine won seven games over teams with at least 13 wins this winter and went 7-1 against Class A and Class B opponents.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (17-3) – Arbor Prep’s list of wins this winter provide plenty of confidence the team will eclipse last season’s Quarterfinal run: 59-55 over Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 52-39 over Flint Powers Catholic, 54-39 over Detroit Country Day, to name a few. The losses were to Class A Southfield Lathrup, Marian (both mentioned above) and Ann Arbor Huron (18-2).
CLASS D
Bellaire (19-1) – The Eagles won the Ski Valley Conference despite splitting with rival Johannesburg-Lewiston, a Class C team that's 18-2. One win this week will give Bellaire more than 20 for the second straight season, with 10 this winter coming against teams above .500.
Frankfort (18-1) – An MHSAA quarterfinalist a year ago, Frankfort has continued its stellar play with five wins over Class B teams and four over Class C this winter – the only loss was to Class B Portland during holiday break. The Panthers finished perfect in the Northwest Conference, sweeping runner-up Maple City Glen Lake, a Class C team that sits 14-6.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (16-4) – The Irish, last season’s Class D champion, should be more than prepared for another run featuring some of last season’s heroes – center Averi Gamble and guard Riley Terwilliger among them – and after playing only three Class D opponents during the regular season. The losses were to Class C Carson City-Crystal (18-2) twice, Morley Stanwood (16-4) and Saginaw Nouvel (14-6) – and two Class D wins were over Gaylord St. Mary (16-4) and Big Rapids Crossroads Academy (19-1).
Pittsford (20-0) – The Wildcats finished their second straight perfect regular season as the only undefeated team in Class D. In addition to winning the Southern Central Athletic Association East title for the second straight season, Pittsford added wins against solid Class C teams Sand Creek (14-6), Manchester (17-3) and Britton Deerfield (16-4) and held opponents to fewer than 20 points in 10 victories.
St. Ignace (15-5) – The Saints are another team with a few more losses but expectations of being around at the end of the Class D tournament after winning Class D in 2013 and finishing runner-up in Class C last winter. They opened with a loss to Class A Brighton and all of their losses were to larger schools with between 12-16 wins this winter. All but four of St. Ignace’s games were against teams that finished with at least 11 wins.
PHOTO: Class A contenders Bloomfield Hills Marian and Detroit Martin Luther King met last week in a regular-season finale; Marian prevailed 50-49. (Photo courtesy of the Detroit Public School League.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Report Week 9
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 5, 2024
No fewer than 12 girls basketball league championships could be decided on the spot or eventually by what takes place on courts across the state this week.
With just under a month remaining this regular season, title time has begun. And even then, arguably the two most intriguing matchups over the next seven days from a statewide standpioint have nothing to do with league titles – but do involve one MHSAA Finals contender playing in both.
“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. Macomb Dakota 53, Grosse Pointe North 43 The Cougars (14-2) set themselves up to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red title, which they’ve now won outright, and avenged their only league loss of the season after previously falling 50-41 to the Norsemen (11-3).
2. Tecumseh 60, Chelsea 57 Tecumseh (10-3) broke a 17-game losing streak against the Bulldogs (11-4) to take over first place alone in the Southeastern Conference White.
3. Belleville 61, Wayne Memorial 50 The Tigers (13-1) stand alone atop the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East after sending Wayne (10-4) into second place.
4. Byron Center 49, East Grand Rapids 42 Byron Center (11-4) emerged from a jam at the top of the Ottawa-Kent Conference White standings to move a game ahead of East Grand Rapids (9-6) and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.
5. Portland St. Patrick 45, Fowler 30 The Shamrocks (12-2) have a one-game lead on Fowler (11-3) and Dansville and avenged a Dec. 14 69-63 loss to the rival Eagles, who made the Division 4 Semifinals last season.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Belleville (13-1) As noted above, Belleville is in first in the KLAA East thanks to its win last week over Wayne and also after finishing second in the league to Wayne the last three seasons. The Tigers are undefeated in Michigan this winter, with their only loss to Mason (Ohio) on Mason’s homecourt last month. Belleville led into the Wayne win with a 64-44 victory over Detroit Country Day the week before, and has solid victories over Dearborn (10-7) and Romulus (11-3) as well – with a Feb. 23 matchup with Detroit Edison (11-1) one to keep an eye on.
Grand Haven (14-2) The Ottawa-Kent Conference Red has gotten plenty of type this season with Rockford and East Kentwood at the top. But Grand Haven leads another set of contenders (with Holland West Ottawa and Hudsonville) that likely would win several leagues across the state. The Buccaneers have lost only to Rockford and East Kentwood, and have the rematch with Rockford on Tuesday and East Kentwood in the regular-season finale Feb. 23. Victories over West Ottawa (10-4), Spring Lake (11-3) and Traverse City Central (10-3) arguably have been the most notable – but Grand Haven has to be careful Friday with West Ottawa, which is coming off a win over East Kentwood.
DIVISION 2
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (16-0) The Irish have won all of their games by at least 12 points this season and can finish a perfect run through the Catholic High School League Central on Tuesday against Farmington Hills Mercy – which FGR defeated by 20 last week. The Irish boasted one of the most impressive starts to 2023-24 with wins over Midland Dow (11-2), Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (12-2), Grand Rapids Catholic Central (10-5) and Lansing Catholic (10-3), with the three over Mercy, Arbor Prep and Lansing Catholic avenging losses from last year’s 19-4 campaign.
Freeland (13-2) The Falcons may be one obstacle away from a major run over the next two months. They are a combined 33-8 over the last two seasons, but their last five losses have come to Frankenmuth (11-2) – including both defeats this winter. Freeland did avenge two losses from last season, to Bay City Western and Chelsea, and can avenge another Feb. 12 at Sanford Meridian. The Falcons also have wins over Alma (11-3) and Essexville Garber (11-5), and would see Frankenmuth a third time in a Regional Semifinal.
DIVISION 3
Harbor Springs (12-2) After finishing 18-5 and third in the Lake Michigan Conference last season, Harbor Springs is tied for first in the LMC with last week’s 48-41 win over co-leader Elk Rapids – which also had ended the Rams’ 2022-23 season. Harbor Springs is enjoying an eight-game winning streak since falling to Elk Rapids in their first meeting this winter, 61-51 on Jan. 9, and the Rams’ only other loss came in mid-December to St. Ignace, 60-54. They’ve avenged their other two losses from last season, to Traverse City St. Francis and Boyne City, and have a nice challenge on the way in reigning Division 4 champion Maple City Glen Lake (11-4) on Feb. 27.
Hemlock (12-2) The reigning Division 3 champion took losses to Division 1 Midland Dow (11-2) and Division 2 Goodrich (15-0) to finish off December, but that’s it during an otherwise strong run that’s also included handing St. Charles (12-1) its only defeat and downing St. Louis (12-3), Garber (11-5) and Standish-Sterling (11-4). The Huskies have clinched a share of the Tri-Valley Conference Blue title and can finish an outright championship run next week. They will get further prep for the postseason against Division 2 Frankenmuth (11-2) on Saturday and Freeland (13-2) on Feb. 27.
DIVISION 4
Baraga (12-3) A 49-37 win over Lake Linden-Hubbell last week left Baraga as the only team without a loss in the overall Copper Mountain Conference standings and also avenged a 48-45 loss to LL-H from Dec. 8. The 2023 Division 4 runner-up’s only other defeats this winter were to Division 2 Negaunee on Dec. 29 and Division 3 Calumet, by just four points, on Jan. 9. They’ve won their six games since falling to the Copper Kings and can make major noise over the next month starting with a matchup at Ewen-Trout Creek (11-2) tonight and then a trip to Ishpeming (14-0) next week.
Maple City Glen Lake (11-4) The reigning Division 4 champion has pushed its lead in the Northwest Conference to two games as it plays for a sixth-straight league title. A pair of wins over Frankfort (10-4) and others over Kingsley (11-5) and Brethren (10-3) stick out, but the losses are impressive too – coming to Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (11-4), Elk Rapids (13-2), Mason County Central (11-3) and Lake Leelanau St. Mary (11-1). The Kingsley rematch is Wednesday, and Harbor Springs (12-2) comes to Glen Lake on Feb. 27 – with St. Mary part of the same District bracket at Leland next month.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Detroit Edison (11-1) at West Bloomfield (13-1) – West Bloomfield is the only team to defeat Detroit Edison during the regular season both of the last two, and both teams are coming off Saturday losses to out-of-state opponents but remain unbeaten in Michigan.
Thursday – Detroit Renaissance (14-0) at Detroit Edison (11-1) – Edison is lined up to have one of the most challenging weeks of any team in the state this season, but has prepared for it against top competition all winter.
Friday – Negaunee (15-1) at Ishpeming (14-0) – A 57-53 win by Ishpeming in the first meeting remains Negaunee’s lone defeat as these teams top the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East.
Friday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (15-0) at Jackson Lumen Christi (14-2) – St. Mary’s has a one-game lead on Lumen Christi in the CHSL AA thanks to a 46-18 win in their first meeting.
Friday – Saugatuck (11-1) at Martin (10-2) – The winner will have a one-game lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Central with two league games to play. Saugatuck won the first meeting 32-27.
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PHOTOS (Top) Clare defenders surround a Shepherd player heading toward the basket during last week's 46-21 win over the Bluejays. (Middle) Bath applies defensive pressure during its 61-58 win over Springport. (Top photo by High School Sports Scene; middle photo by Click by Christine McCallister.)