Countdown to Calvin: Girls Regional Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 11, 2019
While rematches and revenge will be the minds of many playing in Girls Basketball Regionals beginning tonight, rewards will be the end result for only 32 teams fortunate enough to advance past Wednesday and into the winter’s final week.
All 128 District champions will play Regional Semifinals this evening, with championship games Wednesday and then a long weekend before Quarterfinals roll us toward the Finals at Calvin College.
Below are three Regionals in each division that especially caught my attention, plus some of the District Finals that popped off the page over the weekend.
Countdown to Calvin is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. To offer corrections or fill in scores we’re missing, email me at [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Haslett 44, Williamston 42 – After finishing second in the Capital Area Activities Conference Red to Williamston with losses of 19 and 13 points, Haslett handed the Hornets their first defeat since Dec. 17 to claim a Division 2 District title.
2. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 71, Detroit Country Day 59 – The Fighting Irish remain one game below .500 this season, but following up an upset of Wixom St. Catherine with this Division 2 victory over the reigning Class B champion is what they’ll remember most about this season.
3. Kalamazoo Christian 42, Gobles 38 – Not only was Gobles undefeated entering this Division 3 District Final, but it had played just three single-digit games all season.
4. East Kentwood 57, East Grand Rapids 54 – The Ottawa-Kent Conference Red champion Falcons held on in Division 1 to edge the winners of the O-K Gold.
5. Brown City 41, Sandusky 31 – Three teams tied for first in the Greater Thumb Conference East, but only Brown City remains after winning this Division 3 District Final matchup of two of those champs.
Regionals at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
DIVISION 1
Caledonia
Coldwater (21-1) vs. East Lansing (20-2), Portage Central (16-4) vs. DeWitt (21-2)
This has been a historic season for Interstate 8 Athletic Conference champion Coldwater, as the Cardinals won their first league title since 1992 and are just a four-point loss to another District champ, Ann Arbor Pioneer, from a perfect record. But if Coldwater is to also win its first Regional title since 1991, it will have to break up the anticipated collision of CAAC Blue co-champs East Lansing and DeWitt. The Trojans – last year’s Class A runners-up – won the first meeting between the rivals, lost the second, and their only other defeat was by two points to Saginaw Heritage in a rematch of last year’s title game. DeWitt’s only other defeat came 24 hours after beating East Lansing, by four points to St. Johns. The Panthers, of course, can’t look ahead – Portage Central won the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West, although it may become important to note that the Mustangs fell to Coldwater by 38 in their regular-season finale.
Mount Pleasant
Marquette (20-3) vs. Midland Dow (22-1), Saginaw Heritage (20-2) vs. Flint Carman-Ainsworth (18-5)
Saginaw Valley League Red rivals Midland Dow and Saginaw Heritage may get a rematch, after Dow won their lone regular-season meeting by four on Feb. 1 on Heritage’s home floor. That game ended up deciding the league title. But to get another chance at the Chargers, the Hawks first must defeat another league champion – SVL Blue winner Carman-Ainsworth – after also defeating the Cavaliers by seven on Jan. 9. Dow also has another league champ up first: Marquette won the Great Northern Upper Peninsula Conference, with only a two-point loss to Brighton and defeats to one-loss Ishpeming Westwood and Negaunee helping to make for a strong resume.
Southfield Arts & Technology
Grosse Pointe North (19-3) vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian (21-1), Southfield Arts & Technology (20-1) vs. Warren Cousino (15-8)
Three more league champions highlight this bracket. Macomb Area Conference Red winner Grosse Pointe North and Detroit Catholic League Central and A-B champ Marian face off in a rematch from early December, when the Mustangs won by 13. Marian’s only loss this season was the Division 2 favorite Detroit Edison by six points. Southfield A&T doubled up Detroit Public School League Tournament champion Detroit Mumford in their District Final last week and is a two-point loss to Heritage from a perfect run. This bracket really presents an opportunity for the MAC Red to show again why it’s considered one of the toughest leagues in the state after all six teams finished at least 12-9 this winter. North’s only other losses were to Division 2 powers Harper Woods Chandler Park and Detroit Country Day, and third-place Cousino fell by only three to Marian in both teams’ season opener.
DIVISION 2
Adrian
Carlton Airport (21-1) vs. Dearborn Divine Child (13-9), Chelsea (22-1) vs. River Rouge (12-6)
Airport has won 20 straight games since falling to 2018 Class D champ Adrian Lenawee Christian on Dec. 13, and is playing for its first Regional title. But Divine Child is a dangerous opponent with wins in seven of its last nine games and both losses during that string to Marian. Similarly, Chelsea is playing for its first Regional title as well, and with just a two-point loss to Pioneer on Feb. 28 keeping it from perfection so far. But the Bulldogs first face another league champion in River Rouge, which prepped for the Michigan Metro Athletic Conference Blue schedule by taking on a number of the state’s best from Division 1. The Panthers opened this winter 2-5 against that strong competition, but its only loss since Jan. 8 came nonleague to Carman-Ainsworth.
Coloma
Benton Harbor (4-15) vs. Plainwell (15-6), Hamilton (22-0) vs. Edwardsburg (23-0)
Of course the Hamilton/Edwardsburg matchup tonight is one of the state’s biggest regardless of division. Hamilton won its first Regional title in girls basketball last season, and Edwardsburg is hoping to accomplish the same for its program this week. The Ottawa-Kent Conference Green-winning Hawkeyes haven’t had a single-digit game since Jan. 11. While Edwardsburg won the Wolverine Conference South, Plainwell was second in the North and defeated a league champion in Comstock on Friday to move on to this week. Benton Harbor was one of the statewide surprises of the District round. The Tigers didn’t earn their second win this season until Feb. 19, but have now won three of their last five games and clinched the District title with two victories by a combined six points.
Mount Morris
Freeland (20-2) vs. Corunna (20-2), Stanton Central Montcalm (22-0) vs. Frankenmuth (14-7)
Three more league champs help fill this Regional. Freeland from the Tri-Valley Conference Central and Corunna from the Genesee Area Conference Red both are returnees to Regionals, Freeland making it to the Class B Quarterfinals a year ago. The Falcons’ only losses this winter were to Division 1 contenders Dow and Heritage, while Corunna has bounced back from mid-winter defeats to Fowlerville and Division 3 power Flint Hamady. Central Montcalm is coming off its second straight perfect regular season and Central State Activities Association Gold title, and is seeking its first Regional title. Frankenmuth is the lone non-league champ in this bracket, having finished third in the TVC East. But the Eagles have won nine of their last 12.
DIVISION 3
McBain
Houghton Lake (21-0) vs. Hart (12-10), Oscoda (22-0) vs. Lake City (19-2)
The winner of this bracket will be celebrating something not accomplished in a long time – or ever. A pair of undefeated teams might seem destined to meet in the Regional Final – Oscoda, from the North Star League Big Dipper, is seeking its first Regional title and Jack Pine Conference champ Houghton Lake its first since 1992. But Lake City is only a pair of three-point losses to Highland Conference champion Manton from also being perfect, and the Trojans are seeking their first Regional title since 1976. Hart is also seeking its first since 1992 and on a roll after navigating a number of much larger and successful opponents in the West Michigan Conference.
Michigan Center
Springport (18-3) vs. Michigan Center (19-3), Adrian Madison (21-1) vs. Laingsburg (19-4)
Michigan Center is riding high after avenging losses to Manchester on Wednesday and then Cascades Conference champion Grass Lake with a 49-44 overtime win Friday to clinch last week’s District. The Cardinals made the Class B Semifinals a year ago and can continue to put that tournament experience to work against Big 8 Conference champ Springport, although the Spartans have won 17 of their last 18 since starting 0-2. Adrian Madison slipped up against Manchester two weeks ago but otherwise won the Tri-County Conference by four games and has nearly doubled up last season’s 11 wins. Laingsburg provides an interesting wild card to this bracket – the Wolfpack don’t get much attention coming from the same Central Michigan Athletic Conference as Division 3 favorite Pewamo-Westphalia. But aside from two losses to the Pirates, Laingsburg hasn’t fallen since the first week of this season.
Sault Ste. Marie
Iron River West Iron County (19-2) vs. Ishpeming Westwood (22-1), Charlevoix (18-2) vs. Elk Rapids (17-5)
The Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper and Iron champs, respectively, face off on the Upper Peninsula side of this bracket. Westwood has been making good on high aspirations all season and is now playing for its first Regional title since 2008. The Patriots’ only loss came to Negaunee, and they then avenged it twice on the way to league and District titles. Westwood beat West Iron by 15 all the back on Dec. 11, and the Wykons haven’t lost since on the way to also winning a league title. They’re seeking their first regional title since 1986. From the other side of the Bridge, Charlevoix is playing for its first Regional title since 2004 after also winning its league and seeing junior Elise Stuck become the program’s all-time leading scorer. Charlevoix beat Elk Rapids twice on the way to winning their Lake Michigan Conference. But the Elks upset Manton on the way to winning last week’s District and would love to add a first Regional title since 1993.
DIVISION 4
Lansing Christian
Hillsdale Academy (14-8) vs. Portland St. Patrick (17-6), Athens (18-4) vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian (21-2)
The reigning Class D champ Cougars, led by sophomore standout Bree Salenbien, are a comfortable favorite this week with losses to only Division 3 powers Grass Lake and Michigan Center this winter. But Athens is surging. The Indians began last week’s District by avenging an opening night loss to Battle Creek Calhoun Christian, and then got past rival Bellevue in their District Final after losing twice to the Broncos during the regular season. On the other side, Hillsdale Academy has flipped last season’s 7-14 finish and won 10 of its last 13 games. And quite quietly, Portland St. Patrick followed up Division 3 District winners P-W and Laingsburg in the CMAC to tie for third in that league under six-time Class D champion coach Al Schrauben.
Mendon
Mendon (17-3) vs. Martin (18-3), Fruitport Calvary Christian (18-5) vs. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (18-2)
Calvary Christian is seeking its first Regional title and Martin its first since 1995 in what could be one of the most unpredictable brackets in any division. Martin and Mendon both finished second in their leagues to Division 3 teams, and all six of their combined losses were to Division 3 opponents. Calvary Christian’s losses all were to Division 3 teams as well as the Eagles went undefeated in the Alliance League. Mendon last won a Regional title in 2014, but Michigan Lutheran has the most postseason experience of the quartet making the Quarterfinals in 2017 and the Regional Semifinals a year ago. The Titans enter as Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph White champs and coming off avenging one of their two defeats by beating Three Oaks River Valley in the District Final.
Pellston
St. Ignace (23-0) vs. Hillman (12-11), Newberry (12-10) vs. Mackinaw City (22-1)
The Saints are a Division 4 favorite with wins over Detroit Mumford, Goodrich and Reese augmenting the usual run through league and area opponents. But on the other side of Mackinac Bridge is a hopeful Comets team seeking its first Regional title and with only a Dec. 10 loss to Brimley keeping them from perfection so far. St. Ignace and Mackinaw City wouldn’t meet until Wednesday, though, and their Regional Semifinal opponents have the needed momentum to make tonight challenging. Hillman opened this season with six straight losses and nine in its first 12 games, but the Tigers bounced back to go 9-2 over their last 11 games. Newberry survived a string of seven losses in nine games through January and February to win its last five and get past Brimley by a point in last week’s District Final.
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PHOTO: Marquette's Kaeleigh Talbacka drives to the basket as Traverse City West's Tacey Looze (22) stands her ground. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
1st Miss Basketball Recalls Marvelous Rise
January 31, 2018
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
In the eyes of Julie Swanson, she lived an idyllic childhood.
She grew up in Leland. Her family lived on a small lake, a mere half mile from Lake Michigan. “I was a tomboy,” said Swanson recently from her home in Charlottesville, Va.
Today, the mother of three, Swanson excitedly reminisced about those early days when she was known as Julie Polakowski. As a kid, she saw herself without borders. She could become an artist, or a writer, or a woodworker. As time passed and her interests grew, she thought she might become an engineer or a teacher.
Then basketball arrived in her life, and life changed. She added coach to the list of possibilities.
“Our school was little, and we had a really small class,” remembered Swanson. “In seventh grade, school sports were offered for the first time; basketball for the boys, and cheerleading for the girls. I was shy and unassertive and didn't want to have to make waves to be allowed to play on the boys' team, but being a cheerleader just wasn’t me. And luckily I didn't have to make waves.”
The 1977 Leland yearbook lists 15 students in Polakowski’s seventh grade class – seven boys and eight girls.
“Not all of the boys wanted to play basketball. But I wanted to be on the team,” she said. “So I went out with my classmate, Cindy Moore. I think everyone was aware of Title IX. I don’t recall really any resistance. Besides, they kind of needed us. What would happen if someone got sick, or couldn’t play? Everyone wanted sixth and seventh team members.
“You could see it was more of a weird thing for the other team,” she continued, describing the restlessness in the opponents’ huddle as the game was about to begin. “No one wanted to be the one who had to guard the girl. Sometimes they would be afraid of contact. Sometimes, they would play harder, because they were afraid that they might have a girl score on them. Either way, it made you a better player.”
Simultaneously, changes occurred at Leland that would alter the path of a number of girls from the little town in Leelanau County.
***
Larry Glass grew up in Beavercreek, Ohio, and graduated from the local high school in 1953. A four-sport star, he excelled in baseball and helped pitch the Beavers to the Class B state baseball championship as a junior and senior.
Glass earned a baseball scholarship to Miami of Ohio University, an hour from home. There he also played basketball, where he was a dependable sixth man. In 1956, he gave up a year of college eligibility to sign with the Cleveland Indians, and kicked around their minor league affiliates for a couple seasons before an arm injury ended his playing days.
Following college and baseball, he taught a half year at Beavercreek, then taught English and coached a variety of sports for two years at Columbus Grove High School in Ohio.
In 1957, his old college basketball coach, William Rohr, became head basketball coach at Northwestern University. In 1960, Glass was asked to join the staff at the Big Ten school, first as freshman basketball coach, then as a varsity assistant. When Rohr left to become athletic director at Ohio University, the 28-year-old Glass was named Northwestern’s new varsity coach. He remained at the helm for six campaigns. In 1967, Glass earned National Coach of the Year votes, departing from the college coaching ranks following the 1968-69 season.
“There are people who are motivated by an intolerance to losing,” Glass told the Chicago Tribune. “It`s not so much they have to win, it`s that they can`t stand to lose. I don`t say that with any pride. It`s the way I operate. I hate to lose. When I got my big break, I got it at a place where you kind of have to get used to it. I couldn’t, and couldn’t see any way out of it. Ultimately, it got to the point where I didn`t have fun going to practice. The game simply wasn’t any fun anymore.”
He moved his family to northern Michigan, purchased the former Stier Motel on the west shore of upper Lake Leelanau, renamed it the “Glass House Motel” and then returned to the classroom, teaching seventh grade English at Leland. Life again changed when he was asked by his youngest daughters, Laurie and Rebecca, to take over the girls basketball program in 1977.
Traverse City Record-Eagle sports editor Dennis Chase recalled the story in 2012: “When the girls coach, Nancy Boynton Fisher, became pregnant, Glass felt some serious pressure to take over.” Larry and Dee Glass had three daughters and a son. When Dee asked her husband what he would do if his son had made the request for him to coach the boys team, Larry Glass, still running the motel, conceded, and took control of the girls team.
“OK,” he told his bride, “but I want you to understand, if I'm going to try to do this thing right, I'm not going to be home a lot." Glass would hook Polakowski and a host of girls at Leland on the game.
“Credit (for what came next) goes to our amazing coach, Mr. Glass,” said Swanson, admiringly. “He was our inspiration. “
The feeling, you could say, was mutual.
“I find in my experiences that when you explain something to girls they listen,” said Glass to Detroit Free Press sports writer Mick McCabe in 1981. “There were always a few boys who were like Ford – they had a better idea. I guess some day it may get like that for girls, too.”
Girls basketball was played in the fall in Michigan at the time. Leland’s Comets went 13-6 in 1977 under Glass’ direction, then 18-3 in daughter Laurie’s senior year, falling in the District tournament to Maple City Glen Lake. The team finished with a 19-2 record the following year, also falling to Glen Lake in the postseason.
“They were our rival” recalled Swanson. “You know rivalries. You hate them. They’re the enemy.”
“In Polakowski’s first two years, Leland didn’t do much in the state tournament,” wrote McCabe, “mostly because of (Glen Lake’s) Laura Wiesen.” Another thorn was Kim Kaiser.
“We couldn't beat Glen Lake for three years,” Glass told Chase. “We finally beat them the fourth year when we started our run. We felt back then that the winner of the Leelanau District would be the state champion. We felt we were basically playing championship games at the District level. Glen Lake won one (state) title and should have won a second in that three-year span (1977-79).”
The Leland girls won the first of three consecutive MHSAA Class D titles in December of 1980 when Glass’ daughter Rebecca, his youngest, was a senior. It was Polakowski’s junior year.
In September of 1981, Coach Glass discussed the team’s success with McCabe, and explained why he returned to coach the girls after Rebecca had graduated.
“… I don’t feel I ought to leave the girls we have back for this team,” he said. “Julie averaged three hours a day practicing basketball this summer, and I like that kind of dedication.”
Leland's 1981 team posted a 28-0 record en route to the second consecutive MHSAA Class D title.
Polakowski finished her senior season with 812 points, a new single-season scoring mark, topping the 804 points scored by Evelyn Johnson of Lansing Everett in the fall of 1978. Polakowski’s career total of 2,109 points ranked second in Michigan history behind the 2,227 scored by Jackson’s Regina Pierce.
In late December, Polakowski and 19 others were named by the Detroit Free Press as first-team all-state selections. Glass, who would guide Leland to a third consecutive title in 1982, was honored as the state’s Coach of the Year. “Perhaps the best player in the state can be found among the Class D All Staters,” wrote McCabe alluding to the presence of both Polakowski and Wiesen on the honor team.
***
In the spring of 1981, the Michigan High School Basketball Coaches Association had presented Sam Vincent of Lansing Eastern with the first Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award.
Similar honors were tradition in Indiana, California and other states. Now Michigan had one, to be presented to the state’s top senior male high school basketball player. Sponsored by the Detroit Free Press, the award was named after the highly-respected sports writer who had covered interscholastic athletics for the paper since 1945.
In February 1982, two months after the announcement of the girls all-state teams, the Coaches Association announced the creation of a Miss Basketball Award to be presented to the state’s top senior female high school basketball player from the recently completed season.
Sponsored by the Lansing State Journal, it was styled after the Schram award. The winner of the honor would be announced in early April. Presentation of the award would come at the Coaches Association’s third annual All-Star Festival, hosted at Michigan State University’s Jenison Fieldhouse in late June.
Besides Polakowski, five other players from around the state were nominated for the honor. It was a talented bunch. Each would play in the first Girls East-West All-Star game, hosted by the Coaches Association.
• Lori Vettes of Addison, a 5-foot-7 guard named Class C first team all-state by the Free Press.
• Allison Geatches, an all-around sports star at Harper Woods Regina. A fourth team Parade All-American, she later played college ball at the University of Detroit before heading overseas to play a year of professional basketball in Belgium. Later, she spent a season with the Colorado Silver Bullets, an all-female baseball team that barnstormed the United States during the mid-1990s, squaring off against male counterparts. She went on to coach softball at Macomb Community College.
• Sal DeGraw, a four-year starter, three-time team Most Valuable Player and a Class B all-state selection at Marshall. DeGraw later starred as a softball player at Alma College. Marshall fell short of an MHSAA basketball title in DeGraw’s senior year, but in 2000, now as Sal Konkle, she took the reins of the girls basketball program at her old high school. In 2016, Konkle guided Marshall to an MHSAA championship game for the first time since 1981. This time, with her daughter on the team, Marshall emerged victorious.
• Denise Basford, a 5-foot-9 guard from Farmington Our Lady of Mercy, and honorary captain of the Free Press Class A all-state squad. She would go on to play at Notre Dame. A leader on the court, today she’s a lawyer and the mother of two college volleyball players.
• Kelly Belanger, a 5-foot-10 guard and forward at East Kentwood who earned Class A all-state honors. Following graduation, she would join Polakowski on the basketball court at Michigan State University. Today, she’s a professor of English at Valparaiso University and the author of Invisible Seasons – Title IX and the Fight for Equity in College Sports.
At least today, the absence of Wiesen from the ballot was surprising.
“Really?” said Swanson, 35 years later. “Laura was their best player. She was a better athlete than me. I thought she was great.
“Every year, Glen Lake’s boys coach Don Miller would host the Leelanau County basketball clinic,” remembered Swanson. “It had always been hosted at Glen Lake, but one year he had it come over to Leland, and then it alternated. Anyway, there we got to know each other, we got to befriend them. I got to know her, and I really liked her.”
“She was a very good player,” recalled Belanger. Wiesen went on to play at Northwestern, and then returned to Glen Lake, serving as assistant to her high school coach, Ted Swierad.
In early April, Polakowski was named the winner of the first Miss Basketball honor, but, unlike today, no vote totals were announced.
“It was a nice surprise for me,” she recalled.
In June 1982, a team of all-stars separated into squads representing the East and West sides of the state. For the first time, the All-Star Festival included a game for the girls. Before the contest, Polakowski was honored with the Miss Basketball Award.
“My jersey number was 1,” remembered Swanson. “It was kind of embarrassing.”
The West, made up of primarily Class C and D players, won 81-62, with Polakowski and Wiesen sharing the backcourt. The girls also shared top scoring honors with 17 points each. Wiesen was awarded the MVP award for the game.
Marveling at the list of candidates and recalling the all-star game, former Grand Rapids West Catholic and Aquinas College girls basketball coach – and spokesperson for the Coaches Association at the time of the first award – Patti Tibaldi spoke glowingly about the era and the efforts to honor the girls.
“I’m nostalgic for the time. Wow. It was a time of all kinds of change – wonderful, challenging times,” Tibaldi said. “These girls (from the era) were so grateful for the chance to play, so passionate. They would have run through a wall for their coaches.”
“I think I learned I was nominated from my high school coach at Regina, Diane Laffey,” said Geatches, who now lives in Florida. “I remember the (all-star) game at the fieldhouse at MSU and being in awe. We were treated very well. My mom was there. I can’t tell you how I did in the game, but I recall being really happy about getting a new pair of tennis shoes for the game. I came from a family of seven, so that was kind of a big deal.”
“I guess I learned of the award, but I don’t recall when,” said Belanger, trying to remember the event. “I did play in the all-star game. I remember we stayed in the dorms at MSU. It was a different time. Girls basketball wasn’t as celebrated as it is today, but it was fun. I remember wishing there was more. At least, I wanted more. I don’t think there was as much year-around play. There were some camps for those who could afford them.”
“The girls today have no idea what these women went through,” added Tibaldi. “And that’s a good thing. They shouldn’t have to think about being given the same opportunities. Do you know what I mean?”
Swanson graduated from MSU, then taught math and coached girls varsity basketball in Iowa. These were the days when high school teams in Iowa began the switch from 6-on-6 basketball, once the norm across the nation for girls, to the five-player game. Following her marriage to husband Steve, who has served as head coach of the University of Virginia women’s soccer team for the past 17 years, and the birth of their first child, Swanson became a stay-at-home mom and pursued life as a writer.
Today she is the author of middle grade and young adult novels, including Going for the Record.
“I might not have been the most athletic,” added Swanson, “or the best player in the state. But basketball was everything to me.
“I doubt anyone could have been more obsessed with, maybe even unbalanced by, the game than I was.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Julie Polakowski (left with Miss Basketball plaque) and Laura Wiesen (right with her MVP trophy) following the Coaches Association All-Star game. (Top middle) Larry Glass, who coached the Northwestern University men’s basketball team and later the Leland girls basketball team. (Middle) The Glass House Motel, purchased and renamed by the Glass family after its move to northern Michigan. (Bottom middle) Leland’s 1981 team finished 28-0 in winning a second straight Class D title. (Below) Polakowski, with the Miss Basketball trophy. (Photos provided by Ron Pesch.)