Countdown to Calvin: Girls Report Week 2
December 17, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Calendar year 2018 is drawing to a close, but anticipation is just starting to ramp up as girls basketball teams head into the holidays.
For many, there won’t be much of a break as they prep to play in a number of showcase events around the state.
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. Detroit Renaissance 61, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 38 – The Phoenix bounced back from an opening loss to Harper Woods Chandler Park to down Division 3 contender Ypsilanti Arbor Prep at the Best of Michigan Classic at Detroit Edison.
2. Columbus Africentric Early College (Ohio) 65, Detroit Edison 60 – We don’t usually highlight a Michigan team’s out-of-state loss, but falling by only five to an Ohio power with a University of Tennessee recruit featured by Sports Illustrated last month is still quite a showing.
3. East Lansing 45, DeWitt 41 – With the first of two regular-season meetings this close, it’s a good bet these two will determine a league champion and possibly more again this winter.
4. Southfield Arts & Technology 68, Flint Carman-Ainsworth 55 – A&T is a two-point loss to Saginaw Heritage from a 4-0 start, and Carman-Ainsworth is another well-respected team from Division 1.
5. Corunna 54, Goodrich 53 – Last week was an early indication this could be a special season for the 4-0 Cavaliers. In addition to beating the always-contending Martians, Corunna finished with an overtime win over Flint Hamady.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
• Brighton (3-0) – After three straight 14-win seasons, the Bulldogs could be candidates to take another step and enter Kensington Lakes Activities Association West play as one of three unbeaten teams. Brighton opened with a two-point win over Marquette at Petoskey and has followed with two double-digit wins including a 23-pointer over Okemos last week.
• Wayne Memorial (2-0) – The Zebras graduated a Miss Basketball finalist from last season’s Class A semifinalist team but haven’t missed a beat. They opened last week nearly doubling up Division 2 hopeful Williamston and then beat Illinois power Chicago Whitney Young 71-56 at the Best of Michigan Classic.
DIVISION 2
• Comstock (3-0) – The Colts have one of the state’s sharpest shooters in 1,000-point scorer Daisy Ansel and should have high aspirations after last season’s 19-2 run. Comstock is looking to first three-peat in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red and finished its week with a 58-31 win over reigning league runner-up Niles Brandywine.
• Edwardsburg (4-0) – The Eddies haven’t lost a league game the last two seasons and earned their first Wolverine Conference South win this winter against Three Rivers on Friday. Edwardsburg, coming off a 22-2 run, has three wins by 20 or more points so far – with the fourth victory a three-pointer over Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West co-leader Portage Central.
DIVISION 3
• Adrian Madison (4-0) – Last season saw the end of Madison’s six-season hold on the Tri-County Conference title; the Trojans finished second. But they bounced back into league play last week with a big win over Sand Creek coming off solid nonconference showings versus Blissfield and Hudson.
• Ishpeming Westwood (5-0) – The Patriots opened with an overtime win over Menominee and have just kept rolling. Last week’s 66-40 win over rival Ishpeming avenged last season’s District loss, and at this rate Westwood soon should be circling Jan. 18 and Feb. 15 dates with also-unbeaten Negaunee.
DIVISION 4
• Martin (3-0) – The Clippers improved five wins last season to 13-11 and tied for fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore. Over this season’s first two weeks, Martin has beaten Saugatuck – the other fourth-place team from last winter – and avenged two losses to last season’s runner-up Coloma with a 46-40 victory.
• Onaway (3-0) – The Cardinals are making their move early after finishing 10-10 last season. They beat Posen by 10 in their opener after losing twice to the Vikings last winter, and last week’s 40-26 win over Central Lake further avenged an early 2017-18 defeat.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Thursday – Plymouth (3-0) at Brighton (3-0) – These two look early like possible favorites in the KLAA West; Plymouth was second in the former Black and Brighton third in the Gold last season.
Thursday – Macomb Dakota (4-0) at Grosse Pointe North (3-1) – These two shared the Macomb Area Red title last season before North won their Regional meeting by two on the way to making the Class A Semifinals.
Friday – Freeland (3-1) at Saginaw Heritage (3-0) – Heritage is, of course, the reigning Class A champion, and Freeland is always one of the best from the Saginaw area as well.
Saturday – Detroit Edison (3-1) vs. Detroit Country Day (1-2) at Lawrence Tech – Country Day won Class B last season, and Edison won C and could be the Yellowjackets’ biggest obstacle in the new Division 2.
Saturday – Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (4-1) at Muskegon Oakridge (3-0) – The Gators’ tour of the state’s best heads west, where Oakridge is yet to have a game closer than 17 after going 22-4 a year ago.
Second Half’s weekly “Countdown to Calvin” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: Ishpeming Westwood's Madelyn Koski (10) drives to the basket last week with Ishpeming's Emma Poirier (2) defending. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Zeinstra Finishing 4-Year Byron Center Run Among School's All-Time Greats
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
February 15, 2024
BYRON CENTER – As an incoming freshman four years ago, Lily Zeinstra was immediately thrust into a starting role on the Byron Center varsity girls basketball team.
While it was an overwhelming experience, Zeinstra embraced the opportunity, and believes the early demands placed on her helped pave the way for what has become an outstanding high school career – and spot among the best in school history.
“My freshman year was scary,” she said. “Just coming in and starting on varsity. And in our first game, I had to guard Jillian Brown from East Grand Rapids, who was a really good player. I feel I was pushed into a big role on our team at a really early age, but I think that has helped me over the last four years to develop into the player I am today.”
Now a senior standout, the 5-foot-11 Zeinstra has been a mainstay in the Bulldogs’ starting line-up throughout while helping lead the program to four years of success.
She recently became the school’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing 1,500 points for her career.
“I have to give credit to my teammates,” Zeinstra said. “Through the years I've been in different scoring positions, but I've always been on a team that has trusted me with the ball in tight game scenarios.
“I’ve been told by my coaches since I was younger that I'm a scorer and they need me to score, and that's been my role so I feel like scoring all those points is what I needed to do to help our team win. That’s the most important part.”
Zeinstra, who committed to Division I Butler University last spring, has been the focal point every season and has enjoyed her role as a team leader. Byron Center (14-4) is a combined 68-14 over her four seasons.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot about being a leader and having different roles that I can have on teams,” she said. “Coming in freshman year, my job was to work hard and I was one of the top defenders, so I was guarding the other teams’ best players.
“As years went on, our team lacked numbers so I became more of a scorer, especially last year. I worked on posting up down low and scoring all around the basket, and this year even more trying to further my game and score better. I'm playing college basketball next year, and that’s what they need me to do.”
Zeinstra also had the opportunity to play two years at Byron Center with her older sister, Avery, who plays now at Grand Valley State.
“I feel like I didn’t enjoy it enough when I was in it with her,” Zeinstra said. “But I loved her class so much. There were two other seniors who she played with all four years, and they were big leaders and taught me about the culture here at Byron Center. I really enjoyed playing with them.”
Zeinstra is averaging 25 points per game this season and had a career-high 39 points against Grandville in late December.
First-year Byron Center coach Cam Burns, who replaced longtime program leader Jen Slot, knew all about Zeinstra before being hired.
“I saw her on the AAU circuit and I watched her play for a couple years, and I have friends who spoke highly of her,” Burns said. “When I got the job I wanted to check her out, and I saw her pace and how she plays the game was very special.”
Burns said Zeinstra possesses unwavering confidence and the ability to score several ways.
That mentality has come from countless hours in the gym and a strong work ethic.
“She’s one of the hardest working kids in practice, and she just wants it,” he said. “And she’s a sponge, always looking at different skills and movements to try and get a better look at the rim.
“And it’s about the time and effort she puts into the little details. She makes plays, and I’m not surprised when I see something from her on the court when others are taken back by it. She continues to show why she is so good.”
The adjustment period for Zeinstra was difficult at the onset of this season.
She was getting accustomed to a new coach, as well as a new group of varsity players after the loss of several seniors.
“It was hard at the beginning because I had been running Coach Slot’s plays and offense for three years, and I knew what to expect going into every game and every practice,” Zeinstra said. “When Coach Burns came in, he brought a different vibe and a different culture, and it was the first year I had to get used to playing with new players and a new coach. I was learning things all over again.”
Zeinstra has adapted well to her new surroundings.
“It’s been going pretty good, and we had a couple big wins last week and we are in first place in our conference,” she said. “We should be able to pull another conference championship out – fingers crossed.”
The Bulldogs are chasing their fourth straight conference championship and have a one-game lead entering Friday’s Ottawa-Kent Conference White game against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. Their only conference loss was against Forest Hills Northern.
“It would be such a great accomplishment to win another one,” Zeinstra said. “We have had this winning culture in our program for so long, and with getting a new coach I was worried we were going to lose some of that. But I really feel like this team is buying into everything that Coach is saying and we are finally putting the pieces together and starting to win some big games.”
After a rocky start, Byron Center has adjusted well to its new coach and made giant strides. The Bulldogs dropped their first two games of the season to East Kentwood and reigning Division 1 champion Rockford, but since have won 13 of their last 15 games.
“We started out 0-2 against two of the top teams in the state, and it was just learning a new system and a new process and feeling each other out,” Burns said. “As weeks have gone by, they are starting to trust in each other and trust me. They’ve started to trust in the process.
“After that first win we got to celebrate that, and it was special. From then on we started rolling, and we’re getting better day by day, continuing to trust in one another.”
The Bulldogs also will seek a third consecutive District crown when the postseason begins in a few weeks. Zeinstra is looking forward to a potential rematch with East Kentwood.
“I want another stab at them, and we like challenges,” Zeinstra said. “We feed off that, so I feel like we have a shot to win (Districts) again.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Byron Center’s Lily Zienstra considers her options during a game against Rockford. (Middle) Zienstra, left, puts up a shot against Muskegon. (Photos courtesy of the Byron Center girls basketball program.)