Breslin Bound: Girls Report Post-Break
January 3, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We’ve returned for the start of 2017 – and with plenty to review from the holiday break that featured top teams facing off in multi-day tournaments or one-day showcases especially in the Detroit and Grand Rapids areas.
But our highlights this week powered by MI Student Aid aren’t reserved for teams from Michigan’s largest cities; high-performing squads from the southern border to Lake Superior’s shore gave us reasons to watch as we turned the calendar over to the new year.
Week in Review
The countdown of the holiday break's five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Country Day 55, Detroit Martin Luther King 46 – The Detroit area’s best-known powers hadn’t played each other in at least six seasons; the Class B Yellowjackets moved to 7-0 in downing the reigning Class A runner-up Crusaders (7-1).
2. Northville 62, Warren Cousino 51 – After a one-point loss to Dearborn on opening night, Northville has dominated, most recently winning its holiday invitational with this victory over the reigning Class A champion.
3. Holland Christian 43, Hudsonville 33 – The Maroons improved to 6-0 and won their holiday tournament with this victory over Hudsonville, previously undefeated and a Class A semifinalist last season. CORRECTION: Hudsonville actually won this game 61-43 to win the tournament and move to 7-0.
4. Detroit Martin Luther King 48, Muskegon Mona Shores 45 – The day after falling to Country Day, King came back with this close win over the Sailors, who are also expected to contend in Class A this season.
5. Dearborn Divine Child 54, Farmington Hills Mercy 39 – Mercy looks to be among the state’s best in Class A again, which is great news for a Divine Child program that also boasts plenty of tradition but is coming off a six-win season.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Clarkston (8-0) – The Wolves boys get a lot of attention, but the girls have won at least 15 games four of the last five seasons (going 15-6 last winter) and are more than halfway there after Motor City Roundball Classic victories over River Rouge (66-41) and Detroit Cass Tech (63-54).
Detroit East English (7-1) – The Bulldogs have dominated for the most part and already are closing in on equaling last season’s win total; their only loss was by four to one-loss Detroit Collegiate Prep, and they’ve won all over their other games by at least 20.
CLASS B
Manistee (6-2) – A Class B quarterfinalist last season, Manistee took losses to neighbors Big Rapids and Cadillac over the first two weeks but came back with a six-point win over Traverse City West and a two-pointer over Shelby during the break.
Olivet (5-1) – Save for an 84-80 shootout loss to Battle Creek Pennfield, the Eagles are again riding high after falling off just a bit to 13-9 last season. They dealt Galesburg-Augusta its only loss, 67-40, on Dec. 20.
CLASS C
Carson City-Crystal (4-2) – These Eagles might have one of the strongest two-loss records in the state, with those defeats by two to one-loss Merrill and six to undefeated and reigning Class D runner-up Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart; they kicked off the break with a 51-29 win over Saginaw Nouvel.
Ishpeming (5-0) – The Hematites, 10-9 a season ago, have opened with five double-digit wins including 61-49 over Calumet, the 2015 Class C champion, and 43-33 over rival Westwood last week.
CLASS D
Athens (4-1) – Regardless of a one-point overtime loss to Centreville on Dec. 12, Athens is more than on pace to equal its back-to-back 16-win seasons and most recently handed a 41-22 loss to Mendon – winner of 17 games a year ago.
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (4-2) – The Defenders are another girls team often in the shadow of a boys program that has had statewide success, but coming off a Quarterfinal appearance last season they’re looking to make their name again and beat Class B Montague 48-42 to finish 2016.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Charlevoix (4-0) at St. Ignace (3-1) – Charlevoix is taking major strides led by a freshman standout, and will get a good gauge of that progress against the Class C-contending Saints in a preview of a possible postseason matchup.
Wednesday – Warren Cousino (4-2) at Port Huron Northern (7-0) – The Macomb Area Conference Red is loaded, with six teams including these two starting at least 4-2.
Thursday – Warren Cousino (4-2) at Grosse Pointe North (5-1) – See above; reigning Class A champion Cousino will take on strong league rivals on back-to-back nights.
Thursday – Ishpeming (5-0) at Norway (6-0) – First place in the Mid-Peninsula Conference as well as two perfect records will be on the line in the first of two matchups between these two this winter.
Friday – Merrill (6-1) at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (5-0) – These two look to be the best of a strong Mid-State Activities Conference, won last season by the Irish while Merrill played in the Tri-Valley Conference West.
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart pushes the ball upcourt during a 62-17 win over Beal City on Dec. 19. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Girls District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 28, 2022
As February ends and March begins this week, so does the most “Breslin Bound” portion of our girls basketball season.
District tournaments tip off all over the state tonight. Check out “Tracking the Tournament” on MHSAA.com for every matchup from all of them, and see below for some of last week’s most eye-catching scores and three Districts in each division that could make the biggest impacts this week on the overall postseason pictures.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Bloomfield Hills Marian 53, Detroit Renaissance 34 The Mustangs (14-6) continued their late-season surge with a win over the Phoenix (14-6) in the Operation Friendship matchup of Detroit Catholic League and Public School League champions.
2. Midland Dow 56, Flint Carman-Ainsworth 45 The Chargers (19-1) clinched a share of what turned into the outright Saginaw Valley League title, with this the only SVL defeat for Carman-Ainsworth (16-4).
3. Hartland 63, Howell 48 The Eagles (19-1) won the third meeting this winter with the Highlanders (15-5) to take a 2-1 season lead and clinch the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament championship.
4. Bloomingdale 30, Hartford 29 The Cardinals (19-1) clinched a share of the eventually outright Southwest 10 Conference title by avenging an earlier six-point loss to Hartford (17-3).
5. Detroit Edison 67, Farmington Hills Mercy 44 The Pioneers (12-3) rolled into the Division 2 postseason with three wins over strong Division 1 teams, this against Mercy (16-4) the first of the final week’s run.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
DIVISION 1
Dexter
1. Dexter (18-2), 2. South Lyon East (18-2), Brighton (13-7), South Lyon (9-10), Ann Arbor Skyline (4-14).
The Dreadnaughts bring an 11-game winning streak and undefeated run through the Southeastern Conference Red into this week, with 15 of their wins by double digits. Dexter is No. 7 overall in Division 1 MPR, and South Lyon East slotted No. 18 after a perfect run through the Lakes Valley Conference and 12 straight victories – with no win of their 18 total by fewer than 13 points. Brighton finished fourth in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West dominated by Hartland and Howell (see below), a combined four losses to those two and also four of their defeats total by only five points or fewer.
Howell
1. Hartland (19-1), 2. Howell (15-5), Linden (15-5), Fenton (10-10), Holly (0-18).
Hartland finished No. 4 overall in Division 1 MPR, and Howell at No. 10. They split the KLAA West title, and Hartland won the regular-season series 2-1, capped with a 63-48 win in last week’s KLAA overall championship game (also noted above). The Highlanders’ 37-31 win in their first meeting Jan. 11 was the Eagles’ only loss of this season. All of that said, Linden will try to break into the conversation coming out of finishing second in the Flint Metro League Stripes and with four of its five losses to teams that finished 16-4 or better.
West Bloomfield
1. West Bloomfield (18-1), 2. Bloomfield Hills Marian (14-6), North Farmington (11-8), Birmingham Seaholm (14-4), Birmingham Groves (9-10), Bloomfield Hills (3-16).
West Bloomfield reaffirmed itself as a Division 1 championship favorite two weeks ago in handing Detroit Edison its first in-state loss in four years. The Lakers slotted No. 6 in the final Division 1 MPR with their only defeat in their season opener to Dexter. But Marian’s profile has risen significantly over the last two weeks as the Mustangs have come from finishing fourth in a strong Detroit Catholic League Central to defeating the first and second-place teams in claiming the Bishop Tournament championship and then downing Renaissance (see above) to cap the regular season. Birmingham Seaholm also is a league champion, from the Oakland Activities Association Blue, and Groves defeated Seaholm in December.
DIVISION 2
Adrian
1. Chelsea (17-3), 2. Tecumseh (18-2), Onsted (14-6), Milan (6-12), Hillsdale (3-17), Adrian (2-16).
Chelsea was undefeated in winning the SEC White, with Tecumseh’s only losses to the Bulldogs – 64-40 and 69-48. Chelsea did close with a 52-36 loss to Dexter last week, but that defeat ended a 12-game winning streak that had included wins over Battle Creek Lakeview (18-1) and Grass Lake (14-5). As noted, Tecumseh otherwise was undefeated this regular season – including with a 67-34 win over Onsted on Jan. 6. Onsted tied for second in the Lenawee County Athletic Association, and all of its defeats this winter were to teams that finished 14-6 or better.
Essexville Garber
1. Saginaw Swan Valley (16-4), 2. Freeland (15-5), Midland Bullock Creek (13-7), Essexville Garber (13-7), Bay City John Glenn (5-15), Saginaw Arthur Hill (4-13), Carrollton (2-18).
Swan Valley and Freeland tied for second in the Tri-Valley Conference 8, splitting their regular-season meetings with Freeland winning 45-25 in last week’s rematch. Garber finished fourth in the TVC-8 with a combined six of its losses to those two and league champion Frankenmuth. Bullock Creek also has a chance to shake things up a bit; in addition to finishing fourth in the TVC-10, the Lancers fell by only four in overtime to Freeland in last season’s District (which the Falcons went on to win by also defeating Swan Valley and John Glenn).
Ionia
1. Portland (19-1), 2. Lansing Catholic (17-2), Ionia (11-8), Hastings (12-8), Lake Odessa Lakewood (5-14), Lansing Eastern (3-15).
The Raiders are the reigning Division 2 champions, and their only loss came to Lansing Catholic 55-52 on Jan. 14 – which Portland avenged Feb. 18, 53-41. Portland finished No. 3 in the final Division 2 MPR and the Cougars No. 7, as both loaded their regular-season schedules. Portland also had wins over 2021 Division 4 champion Fowler and Division 1 Renaissance, East Lansing and Haslett, plus Chelsea; and Lansing Catholic also owns a win over Haslett plus others against Swan Valley, Detroit Cass Tech and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard. Ionia was fourth behind those co-champs of the Capital Area Activities Conference White, and Hastings finished fourth in another strong league, the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference.
DIVISION 3
Calumet
1. Calumet (17-2), 2. Hancock (16-4), Ishpeming Westwood (13-6) Ishpeming (10-8), Gwinn (1-18).
Calumet sits No. 3 and Hancock No. 9 in final Division 3 MPR, the Copper Kings having swept the Bulldogs in winning the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference West title. One of Hancock’s other two losses came to Westwood, which shared the West-PAC East championship with Negaunee but must open Wednesday against Calumet. Ishpeming is an interesting potential stopper with eight wins over its last 10 games including a 42-37 victory over Westwood in their second meeting of the season Feb. 5.
Montrose
1. Reese (16-4), 2. New Lothrop (15-5), Montrose (9-11), Flint Beecher (13-5), Vassar (6-14), Burton Madison Academy (4-9).
The Rockets have won nine of their last 10, and three of their defeats were to teams highlighted among the larger-school divisions in this report (Dexter, Swan Valley and Freeland). They won a solid Greater Thumb Conference West and are looking to add to a Division 3 volleyball championship won in the fall. New Lothrop finished second only to Division 2 Ovid-Elsie (19-1) in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference, and the Hornets have won eight of their last 10 with three of their defeats to teams that won league titles. Beecher was runner-up in the Genesee Area Conference Red.
Traverse City St. Francis
1. Maple City Glen Lake (20-0), 2. Elk Rapids (18-2), Traverse City St. Francis (14-6), Benzie Central (10-10), Grand Traverse Academy (11-5), Mancelona (6-13).
The Lakers finished their second-straight perfect regular season and are looking to build on last year’s Quarterfinal fun. The Northwest Conference champions have wins over Elk Rapids, St. Francis and Benzie Central, although those over the Elks and Gladiators were in December. Elk Rapids was first and St. Francis third in the Lake Michigan Conference, with the Elks on an 11-game winning streak since its only other defeat, to Harbor Springs (18-2). Grand Traverse Academy has won nine of its last 10 and opens with Benzie Central.
DIVISION 4
Athens
1. Athens (19-1), 2. Colon (16-4), Mendon (17-3), Burr Oak (8-10), Tekonsha (2-17).
Athens is No. 5 in Division 4 MPR and didn’t lose again after falling to No. 4 Adrian Lenawee Christian in its season opener. That 19-game winning streak included a pair over Colon on the way to winning the Southern Central Athletic Association West. The Magi’s other defeats came to Pittsford (17-3) and Division 3 Schoolcraft (19-1) as it finished second in the SCAA West. Mendon will be representing the best from the Southwest 10 Conference after finishing third in that league with losses only to champion Bloomingdale (19-1) and runner-up Hartford (17-3).
Lansing Christian
1. Portland St. Patrick (20-0), 2. Fowler (17-3), Lansing Christian (11-9), Morrice (11-5), Fulton (1-18), Webberville (3-16).
The winner of this District will be a favorite to win it all. Fowler is the reigning Division 4 champion and No. 3 in Division 4 MPR, and Portland St. Patrick is No. 2 and defeated the Eagles 53-49 and 58-51 in overtime during the regular season. St. Pat’s also has wins over Lansing Christian and Morrice, and Fowler defeated top-ranked Plymouth Christian Academy 43-35 on Jan. 10. The Eagles only other loss was to Division 2 reigning champion Portland.
Mackinaw City
1. Pickford (16-2), 2. Mackinaw City (17-3), Cedarville (8-11).
Yes, there are only three teams in this District, but some exciting possibilities from whichever emerges from it. Pickford won the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference with a perfect league record and its only losses to Division 3 St. Ignace (18-2). Two of Mackinaw City’s losses also were to the Saints, as the Comets were perfect in Northern Lakes Conference play with the only other defeat to Indian River Inland Lakes (12-8). Cedarville will be looking to avenge a Jan. 17 loss to Mackinaw City, and all of the Islanders’ defeats were to teams with winning records – including five with records of 16-2 or better.
Second Half’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 Reese, here against Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, is among contenders facing a strong District field this week. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)