Class A Champs Repeat in Grand Fashion
March 16, 2013
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
EAST LANSING — With the cameras capturing Grand Haven’s championship celebration, Abby Cole successfully avoided an emotional meltdown.
That changed in the privacy of the Bucs’ locker room deep inside the Breslin Center.
It was there that the 6-foot-5 senior center was struck by the realization that she would never play a meaningful basketball game again. It certainly didn’t help during a postgame tribute to her seniors that coach Katie Kowalczyk-Fulmer uttered the words, “Abby, I love you. I’m going to miss you.”
That’s when the tears flowed. At least Cole held it together for the photographers.
“I promised myself this year if we won that I wouldn’t cry, because I looked awful in all the pictures last year,” Cole said following Grand Haven’s 60-54 overtime victory over Grosse Pointe South in the MHSAA
Class A championship game on Saturday. “The honor of getting this medal put on my neck, holding up the trophy with my team, singing to our student section … then we go in the locker room.”
Cole said she has played basketball since she was 5 or 6 years old. She has known Kowalczyk-Fulmer that entire time. Now Cole will never again play for her long-time mentor, moving on to play volleyball at
the University of Michigan.
“Once she got to me (in the locker room), I couldn’t handle it,” Cole said. “I’m done with basketball. That’s so hard for me. It’s been a huge part of my life, definitely helped shape me as a person. I’m really going to miss it.”
And Grand Haven fans definitely will miss Cole.
The program had reached the MHSAA Semifinals only once (1981) before getting at least that far the last three seasons and winning 51 straight games. The Bucs lost 39-38 to Detroit Renaissance in the 2011
Semifinals, then won a 54-53 thriller over Grosse Pointe South in last year’s Final.
The rematch was as good as advertised, although it took time for the drama to build.
Grand Haven (28-0), which rallied from 18 points down to beat South last season, led 40-29 with 34 seconds left in the third quarter. With Cole on the bench with four fouls, the Blue Devils (25-2) began
cutting into the lead. They went ahead for the first time since early in the first quarter, 49-48, when sophomore Cierra Rice scored with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter.
That would be South’s only lead, as Grand Haven’s Hannah Wilkerson responded with a basket eight seconds later. There was no more scoring in the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer by South’s Gretchen Shirar
tied the game 52-52 with 1:52 left in regulation.
The Blue Devils held for the final shot after getting the ball with 45.9 seconds left. A pass down low went out of bounds with 6.4 seconds left.
South attempted the same play that worked for a back-door bucket by Rice on the Blue Devils’ go-ahead basket three minutes earlier.
“I think they saw it coming,” Rice said. “They had a bunch of defenders there ready to take the ball. It just bobbled everywhere once we tried to run it again.”
Grand Haven scored the first five points of overtime, including four on back-to-back baskets by Cole. The margin was never closer than three points after that. Cole, who finished third in Miss Basketball voting, was only 2 for 5 with seven points during regulation time. She finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and eight blocks.
“Abby can score inside, but they weren’t just going to let us lob it in,” Kowalczyk-Fulmer said. “She wasn’t going to be able to score 30 points or anything. We just had so many contributions from so many
kids.”
Grand Haven shot 75.9 percent from the field to overcome an otherwise bizarre stat sheet. South took 78 field goal attempts to Grand Haven’s 29 and had only five turnovers while forcing the Bucs into 32.
“Having lost for the second straight year to the same team, obviously it hurts,” South coach Kevin Richards said. “But I just love the way our girls competed. Even at halftime, I like how we played hard. We
had the tempo we wanted. Give Grand Haven credit — they made some plays when they needed to.”
Cole was only Grand Haven’s third-leading scorer in the championship game, as senior Wilkerson shot 8 for 8 while scoring 17 points and junior Taylor Craymer shot 5 for 7 in a 14-point effort.
“Last year we had a lot of talent,” Wilkerson said. “This year a lot of girls stepped up. We worked hard for this one.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Haven's Abby Cole blocks a shot during Saturday's Class A Final; she had eight blocks in the game. (Middle) Grosse Pointe South's Cierra Rice (5) attempts to drive past Cole. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Report Post-Break
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 8, 2024
A new year can allow for a fresh start as teams come back from holiday break.
But several of Michigan’s best girls basketball teams will want to remember what they accomplished during this season’s first month – and especially over these last few weeks.
Most have played anywhere from a quarter to nearly half of their regular-season schedules, and 43 teams enter this week still undefeated. Another 82 have only one loss.
A handful are highlighted below as “Breslin Bound” also begins again, 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. Detroit Edison 48, Parma Western 45 (OT) Edison (7-0) has played only three in-state opponents so far, and its scares over the last few seasons from Michigan teams have been fewer still, but the Pioneers handled this one to win the Parma Western Holiday Tournament over the host Panthers (4-5).
2. Goodrich 46, Hemlock 32 The Martians (8-0) haven’t lost since reaching the Division 2 Semifinals last season, and over the last month they’ve followed up avenging that Breslin loss to Frankenmuth on Dec. 19 with this win Dec. 29 over the reigning Division 3 champ Huskies (5-2) at the Michigan Hardwood Classic at Romulus.
3. Rockford 71, Grand Rapids West Catholic 57 This win to open the Cornerstone University Holiday Tournament Gold bracket over another 2023 Division 2 semifinalist in the Falcons (6-1) was sandwiched between wins over Frankenmuth and then Chelsea in the Gold championship game.
4. Niles Brandywine 45, Blissfield 43 The Bobcats (5-0) handed reigning Division 3 runner-up Blissfield (5-1) its lone loss of the season, also at the Hardwood Classic.
5. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 51, Lowell 46 Arbor Prep (7-2) finished a successful holiday break run by handing Lowell (6-1) its lone loss, at the West Michigan Hoop Summit at Aquinas College.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Canton (7-0) Canton finished 11-13 a year ago, but that record may not have told the entire story; the team plays in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and finished sixth behind five teams that all won at least 14 games. Six losses by six or fewer points seem to be going the other way, as Canton has close wins over Macomb Dakota and Bloomfield Hills, the former Dakota’s only loss. A 49-41 win over Plymouth on Friday sent the Wildcats to 7-2.
Rockford (7-0) The reigning Division 1 champion has been nothing short of excellent during its encore with wins over Frankenmuth, West Catholic and Chelsea – see above – plus notable victories of more than 20 points over Byron Center and Muskegon. The West Catholic victory avenged last season’s lone loss, as Rockford now has won 30 straight games.
DIVISION 2
Goodrich (8-0) The Martians are rivaling Rockford’s impressiveness with the wins noted above against Frankenmuth and Hemlock plus a 10-pointer over Kingston – the Cardinals’ only loss – and wins on back-to-back nights last week by 20 over Farmington Hills Mercy and two over Grand Blanc. Lake Fenton dealt Goodrich three of its four losses last season, and they meet for the first time Jan. 19.
Negaunee (9-0) The Miners have hovered between Divisions 2 and 3 the last few seasons and moved back into Division 2 after reaching the Division 3 Regional Finals a year ago. Negaunee already has defeated all four opponents it lost to last season – Escanaba, Houghton, Hancock and Calumet – and the Miners won their Christmas Tournament by handing the only loss this season to Manton and then defeating reigning Division 4 runner-up Baraga 63-48.
DIVISION 3
Manton (8-1) As noted above, Manton’s only loss came at Negaunee 57-50 – and among its eight wins, four have come against teams that defeated Manton last season as the Rangers finished 7-14. They’ve also stormed out to a 5-0 start in the Highland Conference and play Roscommon on Friday for the league lead.
Sanford Meridian (5-0) After going 20-2 last season, but running into Hemlock in the District Final, Meridian is picking up where it left off. The Mustangs have won by an average margin of 36.2 points per game, including impressively over Jack Pine Conference opponents Clare and Beaverton (both 5-2). Meridian won the league last season, and reigning runner-up Farwell comes to Sanford on Thursday.
DIVISION 4
Fowler (6-1) The Eagles opened with a 55-47 loss to Division 1 Midland Dow, but haven’t lost since despite facing two of their biggest Central Michigan Athletic Conference rivals and a New Lothrop team expected to contend in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference. Fowler reached the Division 4 Semifinals and has played at Breslin the last three seasons but is seeking its first league title since 2021; its first game with reigning CMAC champ Dansville is Jan. 24.
Martin (6-1) Handing Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep a 40-35 loss Dec. 12 no doubt was a plus; the Irish ended Martin’s 2022-23 in a District Final. But the best win so far arguably came 10 days later, 32-27 over Saugatuck, which is perhaps the biggest threat as Martin seeks to repeat in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Central.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Portland (7-0) at Lansing Catholic (3-3) – The eventual Division 2 champion Cougars were first and Portland second in the Capital Area Activities Conference White last season, with Lansing Catholic winning both meetings by more than 20 points.
Thursday – Michigan Center (8-0) at Grass Lake (6-2) – These two and Leslie look like early favorites in the Cascades Conference East. Grass Lake’s two losses are by a combined three points to Division 1 Saline and Division 2 Parma Western.
Friday – Salem (6-1) at Canton (7-0) – Salem won all three matchups with its neighbor last season, first earning the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West championship and with the last to claim a District title.
Friday – Lowell (6-1) at Byron Center (7-2) – Byron Center won 22 games and the Ottawa-Kent Conference White title last season, sweeping third-place Lowell – which still went on to win 18 games and a District title.
Friday – Ishpeming (5-0) at Negaunee (9-0) – Negaunee claimed last season’s meetings by nine and then one point on the way to finishing just ahead of the Hematites in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 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.
PHOTOS (Top) Negaunee's Keira Waterman goes up for a shot while being defended by Ishpeming Westwood's Makayla Fisher (1) and Kaylin Doney (30) during a Dec. 21 win. (Middle) Marysville’s Avery Wolters passes to a teammate on the perimeter during her team’s loss to Davison at the Skippers Holiday Showcase on Dec. 28 at St. Clair County Community College. (Photos by Cara Kamps and Terry Lyons, respectively.)