Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 8
January 27, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Just more than a month remains in the MHSAA girls basketball regular season.
After a brief midseason break, Breslin Bound is back with a look at four teams in each class to pay attention to after they served notice again over the last week.
Class A
Allen Park (9-2) – The Jaguars have raced to the top of the Downriver League at 6-0 in-conference heading into tonight’s matchup with second-place Brownstown Woodhaven to finish the first half of the league season. Allen Park finished third in the league in 2013-14.
Grand Ledge (9-2) – The Capital Area Activities Conference Blue leader graduated its two top scorers after making last season’s Class A Semifinals and took a bad loss to DeWitt during this season’s first week. But the Comets have won five straight and are 7-0 in league play after the first run through the schedule.
Kalamazoo Central (10-1) – The Maroon Giants took their first loss Saturday, 71-57 to Chicago Simeon, but remain undefeated in Michigan and atop the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East standings. Central opened last week by handing Class C Niles Brandywine its first loss, 68-65 in overtime.
Traverse City West (9-2) – The Titans' only losses came to Marquette and Midland Dow in their hometown over holiday break. They’ve won six straight to start 2015, handing Manistee its lone loss and Gaylord its only loss in league play to move to the top of the Big North Conference after finishing third a year ago.
Class B
Clare (9-3) – The Pioneers are playing from a slight deficit over the second half of the Jack Pine Conference season after losing to first and second-place Beaverton and Gladwin, respectively, by a combined three points. But they beat Central State Activities Association Gold leader Big Rapids 40-36 on Monday.
Marshall (10-1) – The Redhawks own a half-win lead on Jackson Northwest in the first-year Interstate 8 Athletic Conference, having beaten the Mounties by 11 on Jan. 16. Marshall’s only loss came to Williamston during the first week.
Perry (9-2) – The Ramblers also are surging in a first-year league, the Greater Lansing Activities Conference, going 7-0 in league play so far to move a win ahead of Olivet. Perry finished runner-up to powerhouse Goodrich last season in the Genesee Area Conference Red.
Plainwell (12-0) – The Trojans have won 18 games each of the last two seasons, but appear poised for more with a one-win lead on Otsego in the Wolverine Conference East and a defensive effort that hasn’t given up more than 35 points since Jan. 6.
Class C
Flint Hamady (9-0) – The Hawks haven’t lost a GAC Blue game in nearly two calendar years and show no sign of breaking that streak, although second-place Morrice hosts Hamady tonight. The Hawks have won all of their games by double digits, including against nonleague local rivals Flint Southwestern and Flint Northwestern.
Gobles (10-0) – Last season’s Class C semifinalist hasn’t lost a step as it has cruised back to the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference North. The Tigers have scored more than 60 points eight times and hit 70 once; they’ve held all but one opponent to 24 or fewer points.
Kent City (11-2) – The Eagles took over first place alone in the CSAA Silver with a 58-46 win over second-place Morley Stanwood on Friday and are 7-0 in 2015. The lone losses came to Class A DeWitt during holiday break and Class B Coopersville in early December.
Saginaw Nouvel (8-3) – The Panthers’ schedule is packed with much larger opponents, with Mid-State Activities Conference leader Carson City-Crystal last week one of the few also from Class C. Nouvel beat the Eagles 48-41 and travel to reigning Class D champion Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart tonight.
Class D
Bay City All Saints (8-3) – The Michigan Summit League leader has rebounded from a 1-3 start and hasn’t lost since Dec. 11. The Cougars held on to the top spot with a 34-23 win over second-place Saginaw Arts & Sciences two weeks ago and have doubled last season’s win total of four.
Kingston (11-2) – The Cardinals sitting atop league standings is nothing new, and they’re leading the North Central Thumb League by two wins over Deckerville after beating the Eagles 44-30 on Friday. Among conference opponents, only Deckerville, in their first meeting on Dec. 9, has come within single digits of knocking Kingston from its perch.
Morrice (11-1) – Regardless of what happens against Hamady tonight, Morrice can continue to boast as a strong Class D team in a league filled mostly with Class C. The Orioles did lose to co-second-place New Lothrop by three points two weeks ago, but also beat New Lothrop by a bucket in overtime on Dec. 9.
Pittsford (12-0) – The Wildcats are the last in Class D without a loss and handed the second this season to Cascade Conference co-leader and Class C Manchester, 47-39, on Monday. That was only the second game Pittsford has won by fewer than 26 points – the other close win came against Pioneer North Central of Ohio.
PHOTO: Saginaw Nouvel earned a key win against another Class C team, Carson City-Crystal, and sits 8-3 with five weeks until the start of the MHSAA tournament. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 19, 2024
Premium matchups over the last week further amped up the playoff frenzy in Michigan high school girls basketball – and the beginning of the MHSAA Tournament is still two weeks away.
But expect the excitement to just keep building – especially with Sunday’s announcement of this season’s District bracket pairings.
The formula for those brackets has been released, making this a week full of forecasting as teams and fans figure out how their teams fit based on the still-shifting Michigan Power Ratings. Several more big matchups are coming up, so more movement could be on the way – stay tuned.
“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. Rockford 62, East Kentwood 54 The reigning Division 1 champion Rams (19-1) moved back into first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red by avenging their 60-54 loss to East Kentwood (15-3) from Jan. 19.
2. Chelsea 51, Tecumseh 35 Two weeks after Tecumseh (14-4) made headlines with its first win over Chelsea (15-4) since 2016, the Bulldogs won the rematch to create a tie atop the Southeastern Conference White with one league game left for both.
3. Portland 51, Lansing Catholic 44 The Raiders (16-1) avenged their lone loss of the season, 62-34 to reigning Division 2 champion Lansing Catholic (13-4) on Jan. 9, to move within one more league win of clinching a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference White.
4. Detroit Renaissance 66, Detroit Cass Tech 27 The Phoenix (18-1) added to their Detroit Public School League Blue title with the PSL Tournament championship, as Cass Tech (12-9) finished runner-up in both.
5. Ishpeming 70, Baraga 43 These are two of the top small-school teams statewide, with Ishpeming (17-1) attempting to earn a share of the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East title and Baraga (15-4) the reigning Division 4 runner-up and current overall leader in the Copper Mountain Conference.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
DeWitt (17-2) The Panthers clinched a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title by downing East Lansing 54-42 and can finish an outright championship run Tuesday against second-place Holt. They’ve won nine straight since a one-point loss to Haslett (13-7) on Jan. 17; the only other defeat was to Byron Center (15-4). All but one victory, an eight-pointer over Williamston (14-4), came by 12 or more points. DeWitt also owns a 58-44 win over Saline (see below).
Saline (15-3) The Hornets will need help to catch Temperance Bedford (15-2) in the Southeastern Conference Red, with one more league loss and two league games to play. But they won Friday’s rematch with the Kicking Mules 38-32 and are tracking to match and potentially surpass last season’s 21-4 overall finish. Six wins total have come over opponents with double-digit victories, with others against Grass Lake (15-4), Riverview (15-3) and Dexter (14-5) and the losses to Bedford, Dexter and DeWitt.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (13-6) Despite a 2-4 start, Grand Rapids Catholic Central has shown itself more than capable of hanging with the contenders in Division 2. Few teams have losses to a more impressive group – Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (20-0), East Kentwood (15-3), Chelsea (15-4), Grand Rapids West Catholic (17-1), Detroit Edison (15-2) and Kenowa Hills (12-6) – and that no doubt is expected to pay off in a District that includes West Catholic. The Cougars lead the O-K Gold and can clinch a share of the title Tuesday against Ottawa Hills before taking on second-place Wayland (13-6) on Friday for a possible outright championship. GRCC won the first game against Wayland 51-50 and also has handed Cedar Springs (15-3) two of its defeats.
Portland (16-1) As noted above, Portland is closing in on a potential CAAC White title share, made even more impressive became Lansing Catholic also is a solid contender to repeat as Division 2 champion next month and four of eight teams in the league have won at least 10 games. Portland definitely is in the Division 2 title conversation as well, and actually would host the District Final matchup with the Cougars in three weeks if the bracket works out that way. The Raiders have just the one loss, plus nine wins against opponents with 11 victories or more, including 46-40 over Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (14-4). A few more interesting challenges are ahead, notably Friday against Division 1 Flint Carman-Ainsworth and next week at Williamston.
DIVISION 3
Lake City (17-2) Last season’s 24-2 run ended with an overtime Regional Final loss to eventual Division 3 champion Hemlock, and this season began with losses to 2023 Division 2 runner-up Frankenmuth (16-2) and Evart (14-3). Lake City hasn’t lost again, taking the rematch with Evart and defeating Manton (16-4) twice to take the lead in the Highland Conference, while also downing Elk Rapids (17-2) and Morley Stanwood (15-2) along the way. In fact, the 44-40 win over Elk Rapids on Dec. 20 was the team’s only single-digit victory until defeating Manton 37-29 on Friday. Wednesday’s trip to Division 2 Hart (13-4) is another matchup to watch.
St. Charles (17-1) The Bulldogs have clinched the outright championship in the Mid-State Activities Conference, making them 4-for-4 on league titles since joining the MSAC, with three of those outright. Last season’s 24-3 run ended in a Division 4 Quarterfinal defeat to eventual champion Glen Lake, and St. Charles is in Division 3 this time – with its lone loss 53-35 in the season opener to reigning Division 3 title winner Hemlock. The 17-game winning streak has included victories over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (16-3) twice, including 54-43 on Friday, plus pairs over Breckenridge (13-5) and Fulton (12-7).
DIVISION 4
Kinross Maplewood Baptist (15-3) The Black Bears have won 17 and 16 games the last two seasons, and they may be taking another step if Friday’s 55-29 win over Mackinaw City (18-1) is an indication. Mackinaw City is the Northern Lakes Conference champion, and Maplewood’s losses were twice to Big Bay de Noc (15-2) in finishing second in the Northern Lights League and once to Beaver Island. The Black Bears also have twice doubled up Engadine, which ended Maplewood’s season a year ago. They are leading the race for the top seed in the District at Rudyard and finish up the regular season this weekend at the NLL Tournament.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary (14-2) The Eagles may be coming off a loss Saturday to Division 1 Bedford (15-2), but they have plenty of wins to boost their candidacy as contenders next month. St. Mary won 11 straight before the Bedford loss, including over reigning Division 4 champion Glen Lake (14-5), St. Ignace (12-6) and Gaylord St. Mary (12-6). The other loss was Dec. 12, to Division 3 Benzie Central, and the Eagles will get one more big test next week against Division 2 Sault Ste. Marie (11-4) before jumping into the District at Leland. They currently would get the second seed after Glen Lake, which ended St. Mary’s run a year ago.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Holland West Ottawa (14-4) at Rockford (19-1) – West Ottawa’s biggest fans this week are probably at East Kentwood, as Rockford can clinch a share of the O-K Red title with a win but the Falcons will still have a title hope if West Ottawa avenges an earlier loss to the Rams.
Thursday – Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (20-0) at Detroit Renaissance (18-1) – The Operation Friendship matchup is a rematch of last season’s meeting of league champions that ended in a 53-52 overtime win for FGR, Renaissance’s only loss of the 2022-23 regular season.
Thursday – Portage Central (16-0) at Stevensville Lakeshore (15-2) – Central brings a one-game lead into this Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West finale after winning the first meeting with Lakeshore 53-44 on Jan. 18.
Friday – Belleville (17-1) at Detroit Edison (15-2) – Belleville is undefeated in Michigan and only one of Edison’s losses was in-state as these two both have high aspirations for next month in Divisions 1 and 2, respectively.
Friday – Munising (14-3) at Bark River-Harris (17-1) – These two are undefeated in the Skyline Central Conference Large schools division as Bark River-Harris seeks to claim a fifth-straight league title.
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PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Renaissance and Cass Tech face off during Sunday's Detroit Public School League Tournament Final at Wayne State; Renaissance won 66-27. (Middle) Saginaw United brought a large Dow Center crowd a 48-43 win over Flint Carman-Ainsworth. (Top photo by Olivia B. Photography; middle photo by Kolleth Photo.)