Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 9

January 30, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Girls basketball teams across Michigan made it especially difficult last week to pull out only the brightest highlights for today's Breslin Bound report – powered by MI Student Aid.

With the start of Districts now just a month away, the shuffling has begun in full force with a number of teams making moves up their respective league standings and into view as possible MHSAA championship contenders.

Below you'll find notes on a number of teams on the move, with plenty more to come as the tournament draws near.

Week in Review

The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:

1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 42, Marshall 34 – GRCC improved to 12-1 by avenging last season’s Quarterfinal loss to the eventual Class B champion Redhawks, who have lost only twice this season.

2. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 53, Ann Arbor Huron 33 – The Gators ran their winning streak to 23 going back to last season’s Class C title run, and also beat Huron for the first time in three years as they pursue the top spot in Class B this winter.

3. Freeland 58, Ithaca 35 – The Falcons' undefeated run enjoyed its most impressive week with a pair of Tri-Valley Conference crossover wins; in this one the Central leaders gave West first-place Ithaca its first defeat since opening night.

4. Rockford 69, East Kentwood 66 – The Rams improved to only .500 with this win, but showed the strength of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red by edging the league-leading Falcons.

5. Sault Ste. Marie 49, St. Ignace 44 – The Blue Devils finished a sweep of their Straits Area Conference rival for the first time in more than a decade to take a comfortable lead in the league standings.

Watch List

With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:

CLASS A

Hartland (11-1) – The Eagles’ 15-5 finish last season included four losses to Howell, including in their lone District game. But Hartland’s only loss this season was to reigning Class A champion Detroit Martin Luther King. The Eagles also beat Howell by 20 two weeks ago to take a one-win lead in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West standings.

East Lansing (12-1) – After a one-point lost to DeWitt at the start of December, East Lansing has won 11 straight and 10 of those by double digits. The Trojans ended Muskegon’s five-game winning streak Saturday with a 52-34 win at the East Grand Rapids Showcase.

CLASS B

Marysville (10-4) – The Vikings have won seven of their last eight and handed Marine City its first loss of the season, 40-30 on Tuesday. Both now have only one loss in the Macomb Area Conference Gold, which Marysville won in going 21-3 overall last season.

Goodrich (9-4) – After falling back just a bit, relatively speaking, to 18-4 last winter, the Martians picked up four defeats in five games over the new year. But they haven’t lost in their last five and moved into first place alone in the Genesee Area Conference Red with a 54-36 win over Flint Hamady on Friday. A five-point loss to Hamady on Dec. 16 had started that brief slide.

CLASS C 

Detroit Edison PSA (10-1) – The Pioneers have taken a giant step after a series of solid finishes. Wins over Chicago Whitney Young and Canton were among the most impressive early, but last week alone included victories over Detroit East English (64-44) and Dearborn Heights Robichaud (71-64) – bigger schools with a combined 17-7 record. The loss came over the weekend to Class A power King.

Watervliet (11-2) – The Panthers opened this season with two losses but haven’t looked back, and with a pair of wins last week surpassed their 10 victories of last winter. They lead reigning champion Gobles in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore thanks to a three-point win over the Tigers on Jan. 6.

CLASS D

Ewen-Trout Creek (8-2) – The Panthers finished 5-18 last season but showed a spark at the end by reaching the District Final. That momentum has carried over to an 8-2 start as they've pushed into first place in the Porcupine Mountain division of the Copper Mountain Conference.

Fruitport Calvary Christian (12-1) – The high-scoring Eagles are at it again with at least 70 points in five games this season including three of their last four. Calvary Christian also has avenged two of last season’s four losses with a 45-point win over Hart and five-pointer over fellow Alliance League contender Wyoming Tri-unity Christian.

Can't-Miss Contests

Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:  

Monday – Detroit East English (10-3) at Detroit Martin Luther King (12-1) – This is the last game before the start of the Detroit Public School League tournament, and East English can show how far it’s come since falling to the Crusaders by 21 on Jan. 12.

Tuesday – Williamston (12-1) at East Lansing (12-1) – Both of these Lansing-area teams have high postseason aspirations, and this one could indicate which might have the best shot in March.

Thursday – Detroit Edison PSA (10-1) at Detroit Country Day (11-0) – Edison, discussed above, is emerging as a Class C contender and can show how significantly against another of Class B's elite.

Friday – Canton (9-3) at Wayne Memorial (9-2) – Wayne holds a one-win lead in the KLAA South standings thanks to a three-point win in these teams’ first meeting three weeks ago; Canton won the league after the teams split last season.

Saturday – Kalkaska (9-0) at St. Ignace (10-2) – Two of the best from northern Michigan face off in an afternoon matchup; the Saints' only losses are those mentioned above to Sault Ste. Marie.

PHOTO: Freeland continued its undefeated run this season with a win over Ithaca in a Tri-Valley Conference crossover of league leaders. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Shutdown Defense Lands Portland in 1st Final

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com

April 7, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS – Defense has been a staple of the Portland girls basketball team all season. 

The Raiders displayed that defensive prowess when it mattered most and are on their way to their first Finals appearance after a 45-38 win over Parma Western in Wednesday’s second Division 2 Semifinal at Van Andel Arena.

Portland held the Panthers scoreless the final 4½ minutes to punch its ticket to Friday’s championship game against Newaygo.

“It’s been like that all year for us,” Raiders coach Jason Haid said. “We spend an awful lot of time on defense, and that’s been key for us all year. We felt like they were getting in the paint too much in the first half, so we really focused on closing the gaps and taking away the paint and getting those tough rebounds.”

Parma Western’s Alyssa Gennety scored on a lay-up with 4:29 remaining to put her team ahead 38-37.

Unfortunately for the Panthers (18-5), those were the last points they would muster.

“We tried to slow the game down a little bit, and then we missed some crucial layups and had to put them on the line,” Parma Western coach Gina Fortress said. “We just couldn’t dig out of that hole.”

Parma Western, which was led by Lilli Luma’s 15 points and nine rebounds, also was searching for its first MHSAA Finals appearance. 

“Our main goal and the focus for this season was to win a Regional championship, and we did that and then we won on Monday so every game we’ve gotten past we’ve been so thankful for,” Fortress said. “And what an experience for these girls to come here and play in the Van Andel and have the experience we had today. We showed up to play, we gave them a good game and that was our plan all along.”

Portland/Parma Western Division 2 Semifinal 2Portland junior guard Ava Guilford made perhaps the biggest shot of the game. Her 3-pointer with 2 minutes left gave the Raiders a lead they would never relinquish.

“I just wanted to help my team any way I could, and my 3-pointer was looking good,” said Guilford, who made four from long range and finished with 12 points.

Portland, which led 25-21 at the half, last made an appearance in the Semifinals 11 years ago. 

That made the journey to get back even more satisfying.

“This was a history-making game,” Haid said. “No other Portland team has done that, and this is a very proud program. There’s been a lot of good teams that have come through Portland.

“It’s been a goal of ours to get here, and they’ve been dreaming about this for a long time. I’m just proud of the way they battled all game, and I’m just really happy for them.”

Junior Ashley Bower paced Portland (19-2) with 17 points, including making 7 of 9 from the free throw line.

“We’ve always dreamed about going to the Breslin, and to play for a state championship is just really exciting,” Bower said. “I’m proud of the way we played.”

Added senior point guard Ava Gruber, who had a team-high six assists: “It means a lot. All of us have played together since we were in third grade, and we’ve looked forward to this. All of our hard work is finally paying off.”

Friday’s Division 2 Final will be a rare rematch.

Portland handed Newaygo its only loss of the season, 38-33.  

“They are just like us,” Haid said. “They play hard-nosed physical man-to-man defense and mix in a little zone. They have great guard play and they are a hungry team, as are we. It’s a great match-up with two smaller schools going at it again, and we will be up for the challenge.”

Click for the full box score

PHOTOS: (Top) Portland defenders swarm a driving Parma Western player Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. (Middle) The Raiders' Ashley Bower (10) and Western's Riley Kubiak battle for a loose ball. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)