Breslin Bound: Girls District Preview
February 29, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The girls basketball season starts over for every MHSAA team today as 128 Districts tip off all over the state.
Below is a look at four teams from each class that look good to be in the hunt when the final 16 converge on East Lansing in three weeks. Follow all of the scores and brackets in real time at MHSAA.com, and click for a glance at every team with three or fewer losses heading into the postseason.
Class A
Detroit Martin Luther King (17-1) – The Crusaders are annually in this conversation and defeated reigning champion Bloomfield Hills Marian last week to add a little more to the momentum. The only loss was in December to Detroit Renaissance, and King came back to beat Renaissance 68-66 in the Detroit Public School League Tournament championship game. King made the Class A Semifinals last season before falling the Marian.
Flushing (18-2) – It’s been a strong follow-up to last season’s 24-1 finish. After opening this season with losses to Saginaw Heritage and Midland Dow, Flushing hasn’t experienced defeat again – but has celebrated some significant victories including over Renaissance, Flint Carman-Ainsworth (15-5) and Class C Flint Hamady (18-1).
Saginaw Heritage (19-1) – The Hawks looked like strong favorites before losing sophomore forward Jaela Richardson to a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago, and then taking their only loss to Midland Dow right after. But Heritage has bounced back with four straight wins including over Carman-Ainsworth last week and still has plenty of talent and the experience of beating Flushing, Country Day, Dow (17-3) and making last season’s run to the Class A Semifinals.
Southfield Lathrup (17-3) – A loss or two more than the other favorites doesn’t mean much, considering the defeats came to Bay City John Glenn, Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Detroit Country Day, all mentioned among Class B favorites below. The Chargers have 10 wins against teams with at least 13 victories, and finished 21-2 last season losing to Marian during the Regional.
Class B
Bay City John Glenn (19-1) – Aside from a three-point loss to Ypsilanti Arbor Prep on Feb. 6, John Glenn has been unstoppable with only two more games in single digits (wins over Southfield Lathrup and Class C Saginaw Nouvel). Most of the Bobcats' toughest games came nonleague at the beginning of the year, but they finished up last week with Class A Saginaw Arthur Hill and a 13-point win over Nouvel (after beating the Panthers by only four Dec. 16).
Detroit Country Day (18-1) – The Yellowjackets have beaten their usual slate of strong teams including Arbor Prep, Haslett, Detroit Renaissance, Midland Dow and Marysville. The only loss was to Saginaw Heritage on Dec. 29, and the reigning Class B champions bounced back for a perfect 2016 so far.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (17-2) – The Cougars closed the regular season by avenging an earlier loss to Grand Rapids South Christian, earning a shared Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold championship with the Sailors. GRCC also fell to Class A Grand Rapids Christian, but has 10 wins over Class A schools, including 69-62 over Southfield-Lathrup on Dec. 12.
Marshall (19-1) – One more win would give Marshall its second straight and third in four seasons with at least 20 victories, and the slate was anything but easy. After falling to Williamston (17-3) in their opener, the Redhawks rattled off 11 wins against teams with 10 or more victories, including Otsego (17-3), Battle Creek Harper Creek (15-5) twice and Class A Jackson Northwest (18-2) also twice to win a strong Interstate 8 Athletic Conference.
Class C
Calumet (20-0) – The reigning Class C champion has done two better, at least during the regular season, finishing undefeated by sweeping Class B Houghton – which beat Calumet twice a year ago. Total, the Copper Kings have 12 wins against teams with at least 10 victories, and only Houghton and Hancock (16-4) have come within single digits of catching them. Calumet starts District play tonight against Hancock on Hancock’s home floor.
Gobles (20-0) – The Tigers haven’t lost a regular-season game since Feb. 21, 2013, and made the Class C Semifinals in 2014 thanks in part to a strong group of now-seniors looking to return next month in their final try. Among the most impressive wins this fall were a sweep of Saugatuck (16-4) and a 10-point win over Class B Otsego.
Napoleon (20-0) – The Pirates took another step after last season’s 13-win and District title season by running through a Cascades Conference that had three more teams win at least 12 games. Napoleon hasn’t had a single-digit game since beating Manchester in overtime Dec. 15, and also picked up a nice win last week over Class B Brooklyn Columbia Central (17-3).
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (18-2) – Arbor Prep gets the slight edge on Traverse City St. Francis as the only team not undefeated to be mentioned here because of a slightly tougher schedule (although the Gladiators’ was quite strong as well). Arbor Prep’s only losses were to Class A Ann Arbor Huron (15-4) and Country Day (18-1). And the Gators have six wins over Class A teams including Marian, plus beat Bay City John Glenn 50-47 on Feb. 6.
Class D
Bark River-Harris (19-1) – The Broncos have followed up last season’s 18-2 regular-season finish by going one win better, and now hope to build on that District title from a year ago. The only loss came to Munising – the team that eliminated Bark River-Harris in last season’s Regional Semifinal – and only two weeks ago. But the Broncos do have seven wins over teams with at least 11 victories, including beating Stephenson (18-2) in their only meeting and Crystal Falls Forest Park (16-4) twice.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (18-1) – The Irish are seeking their second Class D championship in three seasons and have one of the top post players regardless of class in Averi Gamble. Sacred Heart plays Big Rapids Crossroads Academy (18-1) on Wednesday, but beat Crossroads 54-24 on Jan. 4 and owns impressive wins over Class C Beaverton, Morley Stanwood and Carson City-Crystal with the only loss to Saginaw Nouvel.
Newberry (19-1) – The Indians already are six wins better than last season, when they went out of the tournament in their first District game. Newberry also is on one of the strongest surges in the state thanks in large part to a 54-50 win over Class C contender St. Ignace on Feb. 18 that gave the Indians the Straits Area Conference title to go with an outright championship in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference. Newberry also swept Class B Sault Ste. Marie (15-5).
Pittsford (20-0) – After suffering its only loss last season, and in overtime, to St. Ignace in the Class D Final, Pittsford is the likely favorite after another dominating run. While the Wildcats played mostly Class D teams over a 16-game league schedule in the Southern Central Athletic Association, they also posted solid wins over Class A Belleville and Class C Manchester – and had only one game in single digits, a 71-62 win over Class C Grass Lake on Dec. 8.
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Averi Gamble, here attempting a free throw, will lead one of the top teams in Class D into the tournament for the final time. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.)