Countdown to Calvin: Girls Report Week 3
December 18, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
It’s easy at this time of year, at least from a basketball point of view, to look past these next few weeks toward January, the start of league play and the most intense part of every regular season.
But not so fast. Doing so would mean missing out on more great early matchups that took place last week and some big-time contests coming up over the next two, some of which are mentioned below.
For many teams, there is little break over the end of December – and we’ll catch up again with the most notable news and notes from the last half of this month during the first week of January. These reports are based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com – to offer corrections, email me at [email protected]. Countdown to Calvin is powered by MI Student Aid.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Country Day 70, Detroit Martin Luther King 58 – The reigning Class B champion Yellowjackets have won in back-to-back seasons over the Class A power Crusaders.
2. Bloomfield Hills Marian 53, Farmington Hills Mercy 46 – Round one of this annual rivalry series went to Marian, which finished second to Mercy last season in the Detroit Catholic League Central and lost to the Marlins three times by a combined 13 points.
3. Flint Carman-Ainsworth 63, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 59 – The Cavaliers moved to 5-0 by downing the reigning Class B runner-up Gators, who are in Class C this winter.
4. Williamston 62, Wayne Memorial 52 – The undefeated Hornets continue to look like one of Class B’s best after handing Class A Wayne its first defeat, and after the Zebras previously downed Country Day.
5. River Rouge 52, Southfield Arts & Technology 49 – The Panthers could be making a jump this season, and last week bounced back from a loss to Ann Arbor Huron to hand 2017 Class A semifinalist Southfield A&T this defeat.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks:
CLASS A
Grand Blanc (4-2) – The Bobcats added a 42-36 win over Hartland and 41-40 victory over Flint Powers last week to a strong start after they went 9-12 last winter. Hartland last season won the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West, while Grand Blanc finished fifth; both now are in the KLAA Gold.
Romeo (4-1) – The Bulldogs actually started 7-0 in 2016-17 before a loss to Port Huron Northern (17-4 last winter) ended the streak and began a 7-9 finish. Romeo has taken a loss early this time, but beat Port Huron Northern last week after falling to the Huskies by 17 and 16 a season ago.
CLASS B
Battle Creek Pennfield (4-0) – As noted last week, Coldwater ended Marshall’s Interstate 8 Athletic Conference winning streak at 42. Pennfield could be one of the teams on the rise in the league after defeating the Redhawks 49-40 on Friday. The Panthers tied for third in the I8AC last season.
Fowlerville (5-1) – After an opening loss to Okemos, Fowlerville has come on strong as it looks to take another step. The Gladiators have improved from four, to 13, to 15 wins the last three seasons and were one of three teams that tied for second in the Capital Area Activities Conference White last winter.
CLASS C
Byron (5-0) – The Eagles have won all of their games by nine or more points as they also are looking to take another step after going 16-5 last season. They beat Class B Perry by 10 last week and get Class B Chesaning this week before the break.
Schoolcraft (6-0) – Handing Bronson its first loss last week 62-61 was the initial attention getter on Schoolcraft’s schedule, but more are the come. The Eagles made the Quarterfinals last season but finished second in their league to Galesburg-Augusta – the second opponent on the schedule when things get rolling again in January.
CLASS D
Adrian Lenawee Christian (4-0) – The Cougars’ run so far has included a 13-point win over a reigning league co-champ in Morrice and victories over Class B Ida and most recently Class B Tecumseh. Lenawee Christian finished 15-8 last season.
Athens (6-0) – Athens had been in the mix annually as the smallest school in the otherwise Class C Big 8 Conference, and this year the Indians moved to a Southern Central Athletic Association West made up of five Class D schools. They have the upper hand early after last week’s 50-48 win over reigning league champion Bellevue.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – East Kentwood (6-0) at East Grand Rapids (4-0) – The reigning Class A runner-up Falcons have looked unstoppable, but should get their toughest challenge yet from an EGR team that went 17-4 last season.
Wednesday – Ishpeming (5-0) at Negaunee (4-0) – These two look like the best out of the gate in the Mid-Peninsula Conference and among the best in Class C in the Upper Peninsula.
Wednesday – Saginaw Heritage (4-0) at Freeland (4-1) – The only loss between the two this season was Freeland’s two-pointer to Bay City Western, and all of Heritage’s wins have been by at least 20 points.
Friday – Detroit County Day (2-1) at Midland Dow (3-0) – The Chargers have to contend with rival Midland first on Tuesday but then can see how they measure up against the reigning Class B champ.
Dec. 29 – Ann Arbor Huron (5-1) vs. Grand Haven (5-0) at Detroit Northwestern – This Motor City Roundball Classic game pits two teams that could be ranked in Class A in January.
PHOTO: A Byron player goes hard to the basket during a win over Durand. (Click to see more from Varsity Monthly.)
Playoff Poise Gives Heritage Final Edge
March 22, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
GRAND RAPIDS – Seniors Moira Joiner, Shine Strickland-Gills and Mallory McCartney have helped Saginaw Heritage to a 93-7 record over their four seasons on varsity.
They earned one more opportunity to take the court together Thursday by tapping into what’s made them one the most successful senior classes in Michigan girls basketball history.
After leading Wayne Memorial most of the first three quarters of the day’s first Division 1 Semifinal, the Hawks found themselves behind by a basket with 5:47 to play.
But the lessons of nearly 100 wins – and last year’s Class A title run – came through at the end as Heritage held on for a 58-55 win to earn the opportunity to repeat as an MHSAA champion.
Wayne also was a semifinalist last season, and provided plenty of trouble with senior Jeanae Terry scoring a game-high 26 points. But Heritage got through some rough patches – like 21 turnovers – and made 4 of 5 shots from the floor and all five free-throw attempts after trailing for 23 seconds during the final period.
“We always said that even if our shots aren’t falling, or we’re turning it over, as long as we stick together we’ll be fine,” McCartney said. “There’s no one who can beat us if we all just stick together.”
Heritage (24-2) will play for the Division 1 championship against Southfield Arts & Technology at 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Van Noord Arena. The Hawks defeated Southfield A&T by two points in early December, and Southfield A&T hasn't lost again.
Strickland-Gills, one of the stars of last year’s Finals weekend at Calvin College, started quickly in her return Thursday, scoring 11 of her team-high 15 points during the first quarter as Heritage jumped out to a 16-8 lead.
Joiner hit stride during the third quarter with six points and three assists as the Hawks carried a 40-37 edge into the fourth. She also had six points over the final five minutes of the game, starting with a 3-pointer at 4:52 that briefly gave Heritage back a three-point lead.
Terry did her best to match, tying things back up with a 3-pointer at 3:58 and sinking another with six seconds to play.
But of those 21 Heritage turnovers, only three came after Wayne took its fourth-quarter lead. The Hawks also outrebounded the Zebras 9-4 during that final stretch.
“Due to our experience, we were like, ‘We have to value our possessions, we have to execute, we have to do what needs to be done’ – which was keep the ball in our hands and withstand the pressure,” Strickland-Gills said. “And we did that. Down the stretch we put in buckets that needed to be put in, and we took care of the ball and didn’t turn it over. We hit free throws we were supposed to, and that really secured the game for us.”
“This game, you’re playing against a very experienced team. If you don’t … capitalize when you have your chance, it’s going to be a long night for you,” Wayne coach Jarvis Mitchell concurred. “That’s a championship-caliber team. They answered the call.”
Freshman guard Lauren Gunn had four of her nine points and an assist as well during the closing stretch. Joiner – a Miss Basketball Award finalist this winter – finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. McCartney added 10 points and three steals, and Strickland-Gills also grabbed 12 rebounds despite being limited a bit with foul trouble.
“We’ve been talking about that for four years with Mo, and the versatility and the fact that she plays every position on the floor,” Heritage coach Vonnie DeLong said. “She guards the best player, she rebounds, she gets assists. I did not realize she had a triple double, and that’s what’s neat about it – it’s so quiet. She’s not flashy, but she’s extremely good and very talented and has such a high basketball IQ, it enables her to do everything she does.”
Terry connected on five 3-pointers on the way to her game-high scoring total and had five rebounds, three assists and six steals. Senior forward Jayah Hicks added 14 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore forward Alanna Micheaux grabbed eight rebounds.
The Zebras started off cold, making just 3 of 17 shots in the first quarter – but improved their shooting percentage every quarter after that to get back on the verge of the Final.
The Semifinal appearance was the second straight for Wayne, which finished 24-3 after going winless only five seasons ago in Mitchell’s first running the program.
“I thought we were really close this year,” Mitchell said of taking another step as a championship contender. “The thing is, is basketball, you can’t control it. You can’t control sometimes the ball falling in. All you can control is how hard you play. And that’s always been my goal in talking to the kids and telling them, ‘I’m just proud of how hard you’re playing.’ Some shots are going to go in, turnovers are going to happen, but the most important thing is we play to get better – whether it’s the state championship or the first game of the year.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Heritage’s Keyonie Champion gets up a shot during Friday’s first Division 1 Semifinal at Van Noord Arena. (Middle) The Hawks’ Shine Strickland-Gills (32) and teammates defend the post.