Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 1
December 5, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Welcome to the second week of the 2016-17 girls basketball season – and this winter’s first renovated “Breslin Bound” report, powered by MI Student Aid.
Over the last few seasons, we’ve weekly posted looks at teams to watch in each class with an eye on the end-of-season MHSAA Tournament. We’re changing things up and expanding a little too to make sure you know about all of the most significant scores from the week that was – like, for example, two of last year’s MHSAA champions suffering losses over the first seven days of this season – plus a few ideas on what games could be especially important in the week to come.
Results and schedules are based on what’s published for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or missing scores, please contact me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Bloomfield Hills Marian 56, Warren Cousino 42 – The Mustangs bounced back from an opening-night loss to hand reigning Class A champion Cousino a double-digit defeat at University of Detroit Mercy.
2. Williamston 37, Marshall 31 – The Hornets were District champs a year ago but can set their sights higher, especially after handing this loss to the reigning Class B champion Redhawks.
3. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 52, Muskegon Mona Shores 39 – The Sailors rightly have Class A title aspirations this winter, but reigning Class C champion Arbor Prep is loaded with future college players as well and should be a contender despite moving into Class B.
4. Manistee 50, Frankfort 34 – One of the few hiccups on Manistee’s run to the Class B Quarterfinals last season was a loss in the regular-season finale to Frankfort, which won 18 games total as the Chippewas finished 21-4.
5. Dearborn 50, Northville 49 – The Mustangs beat Dearborn 49-38 on opening night last season and ended the winter in the Class A Quarterfinals; Dearborn, which won 16 games last season, will be hoping for similar momentum.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Canton (2-0) – The Chiefs are coming off a league title and 17-5 record after ending last season in the District Final; they look poised for more after a week that included handing Detroit Cass Tech a 56-30 defeat and avenging last season’s opening loss to Marian with a 43-40 victory over the Mustangs.
Marquette (2-0) – The Redettes are seeking their third straight 20-win season and finished last week with a 39-38 victory over Brighton, which had opened with two wins.
CLASS B
Edwardsburg (2-0) – The Eddies tied for second last season in the Wolverine Conference South, just a win behind champion Sturgis; they have the upper hand early this time after beating Sturgis 61-38 following a 37-32 opening-night win over Niles.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (3-0) – The Gators are wasting no time making their Class B presence felt after winning Class C a year ago; the win over Mona Shores is proof last winter’s 25-2 record could transfer, especially since Arbor Prep played mostly bigger schools last regular season too.
CLASS C
Charlevoix (2-0) – Much is expected from 6-foot-1 freshman Elise Stuck, and she’s made good by turning last season’s 36-point loss to Petoskey in a 43-39 win this time and last year’s 28-point defeat to Cheboygan into a 60-32 victory for the Rayders.
Michigan Center (1-0) – The Cardinals have played only one game, but hope a 43-40 overtime win over Jonesville proves telling. Last season, Michigan Center fell by nine to Jonesville and went on to finish 6-15 while Jonesville was 19-3.
CLASS D
Portland St. Patrick (2-0) – An up-and-down 2015-16 saw St. Patrick enter the ostseason with a losing record but reach its Regional Final; all signs point to keeping the good times rolling after a first week with wins over Lansing Christian (43-36) and Fulton (55-51).
Wolverine (2-0) – With nine losses over its final 10 games last winter, Wolverine slid to a 6-14 finish. The Wildcats are one-third of the way to equaling their success after beating Northport 39-33 in overtime and then Atlanta.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday: East Lansing (1-0) at DeWitt (2-0) – These two Lansing-area Class A powers regularly meet, with DeWitt claiming a 12-point win last winter before both went on to division championships in the Capital Area Activities Conference.
Tuesday: Muskegon (1-0) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (1-1) – After graduating the Miss Basketball runner-up from a year ago, the Big Reds can continue to see how they might measure up against an annual Class B power.
Tuesday: Reese (1-1) at Millington (1-0) – These two combined to go 32-13 last season, with Reese winning their lone meeting by 18 points; the Rockets are coming off an 11-point win over Frankenmuth, which won Millington’s Tri-Valley Conference East last winter.
Wednesday: Morenci (1-1) at Pittsford (2-0) – The reigning Class D champion Wildcats have increased their winning streak to 29 straight; Morenci won 13 games last season before falling to Pittsford in their District.
Friday: Sault Ste. Marie (1-0) at St. Ignace (0-0) – The Blue Devils’ 15-6 run last season included a split with the Straits Area Conference rival Saints, who as usual ended up in a Class C Quarterfinal.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau 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, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: Flint Carman-Ainsworth (defending) earned its first win of the season Friday, 65-26 over Swartz Creek. (Click for more from Varsity Monthly.)
Breslin Bound: Girls Report Post-Break
January 6, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Welcome to 2020 as we charge full steam ahead into the post-holiday portion of a girls basketball season that has begun with the usual mix of predictability and surprises – and will end with a bit of a twist.
Remembering that this season will see the top two teams in each District seeded for the first time, we’d like to take this week to introduce the Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) on MHSAA.com. Teams are searchable and comparable both by division and District number, and every Monday during the regular season we’ll also pull a top 20 in each division and post them on our Second Half rankings page.
There’s a full explanation of how MPR is calculated, and for the rankings teams were considered this week that had played at least four games against opponents that also are eligible for the MHSAA Tournament, since MPR includes only those opponents in its calculation. So you won’t see undefeated Detroit Edison or Menominee in this week’s Second Half rankings – but those teams are sure to join the list over the next week or two as they play more MHSAA opponents.
Below is a look at some of what you may have missed in holiday hoops during the break. “Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grass Lake 43, Pewamo-Westphalia 40 – The Warriors continued building what’s shaping up as a special season by edging the reigning Division 3 champion at the Grand Valley State Holiday Classic.
2. East Grand Rapids 42, Southfield Arts & Technology 41 – The Pioneers should be dangerous contenders in league play and more after finishing their 2019 part of the schedule with a win over last season’s Division 1 runner-up.
3. Detroit Edison 68, Columbus Africentric Early College 59 – The reigning Division 2 champion avenged its lone loss of 2018-19 to move to 6-0 this winter.
4. St. Ignace 65, Ann Arbor Huron 52 – Even with a loss two days later to Ann Arbor Pioneer, Division 4 St. Ignace had to be happy heading home having dealt Division 1 Huron its only defeat.
5. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 53, Southfield Arts & Technology 50 (2 OT) –Arbor Prep finished a tough couple of days for A&T. But although the Gators also lost two days later by two to Division 1 Brighton, in both games they showed they’ll again be tough against the teams in their Division 3.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Midland (6-0) Dow has most recently ruled the Midland area in girls basketball. In fact, Midland High went only 5-16 last season. But the Chemics have bounced all the way back, with double-digit wins in all but one game – their 38-31 victory over Dow on Dec. 19. Also impressive was a 15-point win over another Division 1 team on the rise, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, at the Motor City Roundball Classic.
Temperance Bedford (6-0) The Kicking Mules’ Southeastern Conference Red is loaded, with Saline also unbeaten and Ann Arbor Huron and Pioneer with just one loss apiece. But after opening with a seven-point win over Flat Rock, Bedford has won its next five by an average of 29.4 ppg – a big return after last season’s Quarterfinal run.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids Christian (7-0) After 13-9 and 11-11 finishes the last two seasons, respectively, this one could see the Eagles take a step back into the elite. They earned a Cornerstone Holiday Tournament title with wins over Forest Hills Central and Zeeland East and have only one other single-digit win among their first five – a 54-46 overtime avenging of last season’s loss to Holland Christian.
Menominee (7-0) The Maroons followed up two straight .500 finishes by going 15-9 with a District title last winter, and the surge has continued. A 52-47 win over otherwise-unbeaten Ishpeming Westwood on Dec. 18 was impressive, and Menominee spent part of its holiday break winning a tournament in Gillett, Wis., with a pair of double-digit victories.
DIVISION 3
Manton (6-0) Manton is one of two Highland Conference teams entering 2020 unbeaten – rival Lake City being the other – and the reigning league champion Rangers have won six straight by double digits after opening with a 52-49 win over Charlevoix. Along the way, they also handed the lone losses to Kingsley and McBain Northern Michigan Christian – and get another major test Wednesday against Maple City Glen Lake.
Niles Brandywine (6-0) Solid wins over Berrien Springs and Kalamazoo Christian highlight Brandywine’s perfect start as it looks to build on last season’s Quarterfinal run. The Bobcats headed into the break with a 71-23 win over last season’s Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red champion Comstock, and they’ll see co-leader Buchanan for the first time Jan. 16.
DIVISION 4
Fruitport Calvary Christian (5-2) The Eagles’ season has been book-ended so far by a pair of losses to Division 3 teams, the most recent to one-loss Hart on Saturday. But a 50-46 win over Division 2 Central Montcalm the day before can’t be overlooked – the Hornets are 4-2 but hadn’t lost a regular-season game for two straight heading into this winter. Senior Kelsey Richards’ scoring gives Calvary a shot to make a run at any time.
Pickford (7-0) The Panthers closed the 2018-19 regular season with seven straight wins and 13 over their final 14 games to claim the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference title by a victory ahead of Cedarville and Rudyard. They don’t see either of those teams until later this month, but they’ve set the standard so far with all double-digit wins and four by 30 points or more. A 62-46 win over Gaylord St. Mary on Dec. 4 remains the Snowbirds’ only defeat.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Southfield Arts & Technology (4-3) at West Bloomfield (5-1) – This will surely affect the Oakland Activities Association Red race; both are perfect in league play, and both teams’ losses have come against some of the state’s best.
Tuesday – Detroit Edison (6-0) at East Lansing (5-0) – Contenders in Divisions 2 and 1, respectively, face off with one accepting its first defeat of this season.
Tuesday – Bloomfield Hills Marian (5-0) at Farmington Hills Mercy (6-0) – These Detroit Catholic League Central rivals could set the conference pace again after Marian finished first and Mercy second last season.
Wednesday – Manton (6-0) at Maple City Glen Lake (4-1) – These two sit No. 5 and No. 4, respectively, in Division 3 MPR as of Monday afternoon.
Thursday – Calumet (5-1) at Ishpeming Westwood (4-1) – These two are looking early like two of the Upper Peninsula’s best in any division, and that means they could see each other in the Division 3 postseason as well.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports 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: Midland earned a 38-31 win over rival Midland Dow on Dec. 19 to help spark a perfect start this season. (Photo courtesy of the Midland girls basketball program.)