'Downtown' Heats Up as Saints Advance
March 19, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – It just happens sometimes, Margo Brown said after she landed her name among the most accomplished long-range shooters in MHSAA Finals history.
And Thursday was just about the best time for another of the hot streaks that have earned the St. Ignace senior a reputation as one of the top bombers in the state.
Brown drilled seven straight 3-pointers to drive the Saints on a 19-point swing and into their third straight MHSAA Final with a 59-50 comeback win over top-ranked Frankfort in the late Class D Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
"Downtown Margo Brown," as her coach called her after, made her first 3-pointer with St. Ignace trailing midway through the second quarter, and her seventh put the Saints up six points with 6:14 to play. Total, she made 7 of 9 from behind the arc to contribute to team percentages that generally defy logic. For the game, St. Ignace shot a respectable 49 percent from the field – but 64 percent from 3-point range.
“It was just a huge momentum change. It got everyone pumped up, the crowd and team especially,” Brown said. “The first half only a couple of us stepped up, and the second half I knew I had to bring it. It was now or never, we’ve gotta get there Saturday. Let’s make some shots, make some plays.
“I just get pumped up. I have a lot of intensity.”
And an incredible shooting touch. She’ll surely be St. Ignace’s most marked player when she and the No. 6 Saints (21-5) face No. 2 Pittsford (26-0) in the Class D Final at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Brown made 11 3-pointers in a game earlier this season, which will tie for third-most in MHSAA girls basketball history when added to the record book this spring. She had made 51 coming into this week, and should push to make the MHSAA record book list for single-season 3-pointers as well, depending on how many she adds in the championship game.
She played the biggest part in earning that opportunity – but one of a number of parts needed in the comeback effort.
Making a pair of 3-pointers as well, Frankfort (24-2) built an eight-point lead six minutes into the game. The Panthers pushed the advantage to 13 with 5:46 left in the first half. Junior Mackenna Kelly did most of the damage, scoring 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting to that point.
Enter Saints junior forward Shakir Smith, who took over defending Kelly and helped hold the Central Michigan University recruit to 2 of 13 shooting the rest of the game.
Junior guard Abbey Ostman and senior center Sarah Smith joined Brown on St. Ignace’s 2013 Class D championship team, and they had roles to play Thursday as well. Brown had 23 points and four assists, and Ostman added 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting from the floor. Smith had seven points plus game highs of eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Basically, I said it’s going to have be an all-out team effort. You’re going to have to dive on the floor and show how bad you want it,” St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls said of her halftime time pep talk, given with the Saints trailing 28-20.
“We weren’t just going to get an 8-point basket. We had to go one play at a time. And when Margo can shoot from halfcourt, it helps.”
Frankfort cut its late deficit to five on senior Shayla Soto’s bucket with 54 seconds to play. But the Saints made 7 of 8 free throw shots down the stretch – including the final two by Brown.
“When Margo came out nuclear – that was beyond hot – that was something else,” Frankfort coach Tim Reznich said. “She’s been a great player for quite a while. And we had our best player chasing her."
Kelly finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead Frankfort, which played in its first Semifinal since winning back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006. Sophomore guard Cecilia Schmitt added 15 points, five rebounds and three steals.
Frankfort is a combined 47-4 over the last two seasons.
Click for the full box score.
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Ignace’s Margo Brown (24) drives to the basket Thursday against Frankfort. (Middle) The Panthers’ Mackenna Kelly works for space with the Saints’ Jade Edelman defending.
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.)