Edison Claims Rematch, Chance to Repeat
March 15, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
GRAND RAPIDS – All nine Detroit Edison players who saw the floor in last season’s Class C championship win over Pewamo-Westphalia were back for Thursday’s Semifinal at Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena.
But there was a clear difference in the rematch after the Pioneers won last year’s meeting by two points.
Edison freshman guard Damiya Hagemann might not have been the only reason her team advanced this time with a 50-39 victory. But there’s no question she brings another dimension to a roster that includes one of the state’s best juniors in Rickea Jackson, a top sophomore in Gabrielle Elliott and a number of other contributors who have helped the Pioneers become known as arguably the best team in the state, regardless of class.
Hagemann had 13 points, three assists, two steals and only two turnovers – providing a noticeable boost to go with Jackson’s 25 points and seven rebounds.
“She adds everything – an ability to attack the rim, she brings the mental toughness, physical toughness,” Jackson said. “Overall, she’s a really great guard. And the chemistry we have together, it makes the game easier.”
Edison (23-1) will face Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in Saturday’s 4 p.m. championship game.
The Pioneers never outscored P-W (25-1) by more than four points in a quarter Thursday. But overall, the Pirates’ 39 points were their second-fewest this season. P-W entered the game outscoring its opponents by nearly 41 points per game.
“It’s tough to lose in the Finals and Semifinals, but what a great story to play a team that’s going to go down with probably one of the best four-year runs in Michigan state basketball (history),” P-W coach Steve Eklund said. “And we’re going to be able to say we battled with them twice. Three of those girls are going to play Big Ten basketball or play in the WNBA someday, and we’ll say we played them one day and we were right there with them.”
Elliott also grabbed 10 rebounds as Edison as a team outrebounded P-W 35-23. Sophomore guard Shaulana Wagner – the player who moved to the bench with Hagemann’s arrival this season – grabbed seven more in 18 minutes as the most active of the team’s subs.
“She’s a wonderful kid. She told me when Damiya came it didn’t mater if she started or not,” Edison coach Monique Brown said. “We talked heavily about starting roles. … Their job and role was to come in and change the magnitude of game, and they accepted that role. Although she’s not starting, she plays starting minutes. She’s out there at the end of the game, every time we have a close game.”
There have been only a few. P-W played the Pioneers closer than all but four opponents this season – especially impressive considering Edison’s schedule included five games against teams playing at Calvin this weekend in Class A, B or C.
But the Pirates had a hard time coming closer, in part because they struggled with usually reliable 3-point shooting. P-W made only 4 of 19 long-range shots Thursday, as opposed to about 40 percent coming into the game.
Emily Spitzley, one of only two seniors on the team, led with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Ellie Droste added 11 points.
After falling in its District opener in 2015, P-W went on to win its District in 2016 before launching the two straight runs to Finals weekend.
“Just thinking back on the four years I’ve had playing with this team, I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Spitzley said. “From where we were freshman year to now, it’s totally flip-flopped. We got so much better and really built a name for ourselves, being a top team in the state and playing with the best teams out there.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Edison's Rickea Jackson applies defensive pressure during Thursday's first Class C Semifinal. (Middle) P-W's Ellie Droste (40) and Edison's Shaulana Wagner get in position for a possible rebound.
Rockford Turns Breslin Orange On Way to Earning Championship Day Debut
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 17, 2023
EAST LANSING – Even on St. Patrick’s Day, seemingly the entire town of Rockford managed to turn the normally green Breslin Center into a sea of orange for Friday’s second Division 1 Semifinal at Breslin Center.
Both coaches admitted that the raucous Rockford crowd – almost all wearing orange T-shirts with a Rams logo on the front and filling about half of the lower bowl – had a huge impact on the game, particularly the start, as the Rams bolted to a 24-7 lead after the first quarter.
“How about those Rockford fans?” said sixth-year Rams coach Brad Wilson, before he even introduced his players at the postgame press conference. “When you look out there and see a sea of orange, it’s unbelievable.”
Buoyed by that crowd and equally unbelievable shooting, Rockford blitzed Detroit Renaissance, 65-42, to advance to the Division 1 championship game for the first time in school history.
Rockford, 27-1 and winners of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, will face reigning champion West Bloomfield in Saturday’s 12:15 p.m. title game.
The game will be a rematch of last year’s epic Semifinal, where West Bloomfield prevailed, 66-63, before knocking off Hartland the next day for the title.
The Rams would love to get off to the type of start they had on Friday.
Rockford made 11-of-13 field goals (84.6 percent) in the first quarter, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, getting the huge crowd involved early.
“We didn’t come out scared at all,” said Rockford junior sharpshooter Grace Lyons, noting it was helpful that her team played at the Breslin last year. “We came out ready to play from the get-go, and now we want to finish this thing.”
Lyons led all scorers with 23 points, making 3-of-6 from 3-point range, while senior Michigan Tech commit Alyssa Wypych scored 13 points with a game-high seven rebounds and her sophomore sister, Anna Wypych, added 12 points.
The Rams cooled off slightly in the second quarter, but still finished the half 15-of-21 from the floor (71.4 percent), and led 39-26.
Renaissance (23-2), which was seeking its first title since capturing the Class B championship in 2005, came out of halftime fired up and used an 8-0 run to trim the lead to just five points.
“We went back to our identity in the third quarter,” said Renaissance junior guard Christian Sanders, who led her team with 17 points. “Had we done that sooner, it may have been a different story.”
The key point of the game occurred right after the Phoenix made their run, and Wilson called a timeout to calm his team down.
Rockford responded with a 9-0 run of its own – using a pair of two-point baskets by Lyons, a bucket by Anna Wypych and a key 3-pointer off the bench from senior Madee Whitford – to push the lead back to 14 points.
The Phoenix, a young team with only three seniors, were never able to threaten the rest of the game.
“You have to give Rockford credit,” said first-year Renaissance coach Dashaun Wood. “They had a big fan base, and I think they fed off of that. We finally got back to who we normally are there in the third quarter, but sometimes when you dig a hole that deep, you burn all your energy just coming back.”
Amyah Espanol, one of two senior starters for the Phoenix, scored 13 points and junior Makayla Johnson added nine.
Rockford finished the game with 54 percent shooting (compared to 29.5 percent for Renaissance) and held a decisive 33-20 rebounding edge.
The Rams will make the one-hour drive home, which is just north of Grand Rapids, and Wilson said he and his assistant coaches will likely stay up all night preparing for West Bloomfield.
“No sleep ’til Breslin, that’s a real thing,” Wilson said with a grin. “We just need to stick to our brand of basketball. West Bloomfield is very good, but we’re really good, too, and I think we’re going to come out and show that we belong to be there.”
PHOTOS (Top) Rockford’s Sienna Wolfe (33) brings the ball upcourt during Friday’s Semifinal win over Renaissance. (Middle) Anna Wypych (2) makes a move toward the basket around a pick from teammate Grace Lyons.