Gladstone Senior Standout Sharp from Start This Season
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
December 29, 2021
GLADSTONE — They say practice makes perfect.
Gladstone’s Claire van Ginhoven is very close to that from the free throw line, where she’s cashed in on 40-of-42 shots through her first six games this season.
The senior guard had sank her first 28 before missing her last one in a 53-42 victory over Kingsford on Dec. 14.
“I definitely work on that a lot and improved a lot from last year, although I’m more of a 3-point shooter,” said van Ginhoven, who has qualified for the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan free throw competition at this winter’s MHSAA Finals. The top 10 free throw shooters in the state are invited to be part of the field.
She also was connecting on more than 40 percent of her 3-point attempts through the team’s first five games.
“I’m able to drive more to the hoop this season. Running our offense is giving me and my teammates more opportunities to score,” she said. “We run a weave, and I think our rotation works well.”
Coach Andy Cretens is impressed with van Ginhoven’s play this season. She opened with 38 points against Gwinn and is averaging 19.8 ppg.
“Claire has ability to score from anywhere on the floor,” he said. “She changes the dynamics of our offense and forces opposing teams to change their game plan. Last year was the first time Claire was asked to be a leader. That was a great learning experience for her, but she became a stronger player by having to handle adversity.
“Claire is a late bloomer. She’s nowhere near her peak yet. She has a lot more development to go.”
The 5-foot-9 standout played at Bark River-Harris as a freshman before transferring to Gladstone as a sophomore.
She plans to continue her basketball career at Finlandia University in Hancock next winter. Cretens believes college ball will be a good experience for van Ginhoven.
“That helps keep players motivated because they have something to look forward to after high school,” he said.
“I think Claire raises the level of competition for us and motivates the other girls to put more time into their game. She’s a good role model for our younger girls.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Gladstone’s Claire van Ginhoven gets to the basket last season against Ishpeming. (Middle) Van Ginhoven puts up a shot against Kingsford last winter. (Photos courtesy of the Escanaba Daily Press.)
Tecumseh Caps Winter Season with 'Day We Will Remember Forever'
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 22, 2025
EAST LANSING — Before Saturday’s Division 2 championship game against Grand Rapids West Catholic, the Tecumseh girls basketball team had two people for whom it was playing.
One was Bart Bartels, a beloved longtime coach in the community who died during the fall, weeks before practice started. Tecumseh has been honoring his memory all season.
The team also was playing for a fallen teammate. Junior Maddy VanBlack suffered a leg injury during Friday's Semifinal win over Frankenmuth and couldn’t play Saturday, which shortened the bench significantly.
“It was super hard and super emotional,” Tecumseh head coach Kristy Zajac said. “They fought through, and they battled through with six players tonight.”
Indeed they did, as Tecumseh captured its first Finals championship since 1974 with a 54-44 win over West Catholic.
Tecumseh finished the season 27-1, in the process making Bartels’ widow (who was in attendance), VanBlack and everyone else in the community it was playing for beyond proud.
“It’s going to be a day we will remember forever,” Zajac said.
Tecumseh built an early 14-point lead, but ultimately had to hang on for dear life against a hard-charging West Catholic team.
The Falcons whittled their deficit down all the way to 39-38 going into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get over the hump and take the lead or tie the game.
Leading 41-40, Tecumseh then took a 45-40 lead with 5:26 remaining after a layup by Addi Zajac.
She hit another big layup with 1:54 left to make it 49-44, and then Tecumseh got a stop and a rebound.
Following a couple of West Catholic fouls, senior Ashlyn Moorehead made a free throw to give Tecumseh a 50-44 lead with 1:10 remaining.
Tecumseh got another stop, and then junior Chloe Bullinger sank two free throws with just over 47 seconds remaining to give her team a 52-44 lead.
After a missed 3-pointer, Alli Zajac hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to seal the win.
Alli Zajac scored 14 points, and senior Makayla Schlorf and Bullinger both had 11 for Tecumseh. Addi Zajac had nine points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
“It’s amazing that we got it done,” said Alli Zajac, who has signed to play for Eastern Michigan. “Ashlyn and I have been working towards this since we were little freshmen starting. It’s amazing at the end of my career I get to accomplish something like this.”
Senior Anna Ignatoski had 12 points, and senior Elisha Dykstra added 10 points and four assists to lead West Catholic (24-4), which was making its fourth-straight final-four appearance. Freshman Kenley Slanger added eight points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Alexis Asekomeh had nine points and three blocks.
The Falcons also were Division 2 runners-up in 2022.
“They’ve been here four years in a row, and that’s unheard of,” first-year West Catholic head coach Derek Paiz said. “I know they don’t feel it right now. But their legacy is going to last forever here at West Catholic.”
Not helping West Catholic’s cause was that it couldn’t buy a basket from 3-point range, going 2 of 21 from beyond the arc.
“They just hit a couple more shots,” Paiz said. “They shot 8 to 10 more free throws than us. They got to the rim a little more than us, and they won the rebound battle (38-33). Credit to them.”
This year’s Tecumseh’s team also will forever be etched in community lore, just like the 1974 championship squad.
“It was sad that this was our last game,” said Moorehead, who also had nine points and a team-high five assists. “But it’s nice to leave a legacy off with a state championship.”
PHOTOS (Top) Tecumseh’s Makayla Schlorf (3) gets a quick five from teammate Ashlyn Moorehead during Saturday’s Division 2 championship game. (Middle) West Catholic’s Katelyn Adams (13) works to get to the basket with Schlorf and Alli Zajac (1) defending. (Below) The Falcons’ Anna Ignatoski (3) defends against Tecumseh’s Ashlyn Moorehead. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)