Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 7
January 21, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Girls basketball teams are facing the final month of their regular seasons and for most a second run through a familiar slate of opponents.
Teams on this week's list are among those that took big steps last week toward finishing that slate strong as the tournament awaits at the end of February.
1. Frankfort (9-0, Class D) – The Panthers have returned to the elite in Class D and are on their way to besting last season’s 13-10 finish by the end of this month.
2. Pewamo-Westphalia (9-0, Class C) – The Pirates defeated rival Laingsburg on Friday to take over first place alone in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference.
3. Southgate Anderson (9-1, Class A) – The Titans are tops in the Downriver League, with their lone loss to solid Class B Eaton Rapids last month.
4. Wyoming (8-2, Class A) – The Wolves handed Coopersville its first league loss this season to take hold of the top spot alone in the O-K Blue.
5. McBain (8-2, Class C) – The Ramblers have stormed back with four straight wins after losing twice at the Motor City Roundball Classic and lead the Highland Conference by half a win.
6. Kingsley (8-3, Class B) – The Stags did fall to Frankfort on Friday, but should keep pace and could get another chance to play for a piece of the title.
7. Frankenmuth (7-3, Class B) – The Eagles absorbed a loss as well at the Roundball Classic, but have won six of their last seven and lead the Tri-Valley Conference East.
8. Manistee (8-0, Class B) – Playing as an independent is allowing the Chippewas to take on – and this season defeat – schools of various sizes from multiple conferences.
9. Waterford Kettering (8-1, Class A) – Kettering has won six straight and took the lead in the KLAA North with a four-point win over Waterford Mott last week.
10. Pickford (6-3, Class D) – The Panthers have rebounded from a 1-3 start to move into a tie for first in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference.
PHOTO: Waterford Kettering, here against Freeland last month, has won six straight to improve to 8-1 this winter. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.)