Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 7
January 15, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We're officially midway through the MHSAA girls basketball season. And the contenders are starting to break away from the pack.
Those on this week's list of high performers look like strong possibilities to keep rolling into their District tournaments that begin in only six weeks.
Records and scores below are based on those submitted to the MHSAA.com Score Center.
1. Clarkston (8-1) – The Wolves have cruised since their only loss, to Macomb Dakota a month ago, and handed outstanding Southfield-Lathrup its only loss this season (37-35) on Friday.
2. Crystal Falls Forest Park (11-0) – Unless you made it for an early Class D Semifinal last season, or are a Division I college coach, you may not know much about Lexi Gussert. But get ready to hear more.
3, Posen (10-0) – Halfway through its regular season, Posen still hasn’t experienced a game closer than 19 points.
4. Battle Creek St. Philip (7-0) – The volleyball power continues to show plenty hoops ability as well, scoring at least 50 points in every game this season.
5. Holly (9-1) – The Bronchos haven’t fallen again after losing to Hartland by five on opening night, and are only six wins from equaling last season’s total.
6. Davison (8-2) – After starting 0-2, Davison has run off eight straight wins including a strong 62-28 victory over Saginaw Arthur Hill on Friday.
7. Oxford (8-1) – The Wildcats have won six straight since losing to White Lake Lakeland (and added a seventh-straight win tonight by beating Troy by three to go to 9-1).
8. Walled Lake Western (7-2) – The Warriors need only five more wins to already equal last season’s total, and handed solid Waterford Kettering its only loss, 43-42, a week ago.
9. Gladwin (7-1) – The Flying Gs’ only loss was by two to Roscommon, and they no doubt are looking forward to that rematch on Jan. 29.
10. Sterling Heights Stevenson (7-1) -- Stevenson knows how to win the close ones, with two one-point victories plus a 60-55 overtime win over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on Thursday.
PHOTO: Davison won its eighth-straight game last week by defeating Saginaw Arthur Hill. (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.)