Many Gators Chip In As Arbor Prep Earns Championship Game Return
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 17, 2022
EAST LANSING – Mya Petticord finished as the leading scorer for top-ranked Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in Thursday's Division 3 Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
But key contributions from her teammates also helped pave the way in a 57-44 victory over Maple City Glen Lake.
Arbor Prep (24-2) handed the Lakers (25-1) their lone loss of the season, and will play Kent City in Saturday’s Division 2 Final at 4 p.m.
“One of the TV reporters asked me before the game what one player did I need to score for us to win the game, and I didn’t have an answer,” Gators coach Scott Stine said. “Mya can score 12 and we can still win this game, because every night somebody steps up. We’re really tough to guard because any of the girls in the rotation can score.”
Petticord, a Miss Basketball Award finalist who will play next season at Texas A&M, scored a game-high 20 points, only three below her average, despite shooting an uncharacteristic 5-of-18 from the field – entering this week she was connecting on 52 percent of her shots.
Senior Karianne Woods, a Bethune-Cookman commit, added 10 points and six assists.
“I didn’t feel like I had to score for us to win, not at all,” Petticord said. “I feel like all my teammates have scoring abilities.”
Stephanie and Stacy Utomi combined for 14 points and 17 rebounds, while sophomore Taylor Wallace pitched in with eight points and two steals.
“Stacy from the tip rebounded for us and brought energy,” said Stine, whose team was making its first appearance in the Semifinals since 2019. “Her and her sister are tough, and they live in the gym.”
The Gators’ defense forced 11 first-half turnovers as they led 26-21 at the half before pulling away in the third quarter with an inspired 12-0 run sparked by defense and 3-point shooting.
Wallace drained a pair of 3-pointers from the corner to make it 34-24. Ensuing layups by Jazmin Chupp and Woods pushed the lead to 38-24.
“We were a little bit nervous and rattled to begin the game,” Stine said. “We were fumbling the ball and missing defensive assignments, and our shooting was uncharacteristically terrible in the first half. But we weathered through it and played a little more like Arbor Prep is supposed to play.”
Glen Lake cut the deficit to 51-41 with less than three minutes remaining, but Petticord went 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal it.
This was Glen Lake’s third trip to the Semifinals over the last six years, but first since 2018.
Senior all-state guard Grace Bradford led the Lakers with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Junior Ruby Hogan added 10 points.
“We knew it was going to be physical coming out, and the biggest thing was if we could get past that trap then we would be fine, but we had a hiccup there not being able to get through and take care of the ball,” Glen Lake coach Jason Bradford said. “We struggled setting up our offense due to their pressure.”
The loss was only the second for Glen Lake over the last two seasons.
“Every one of these girls have been together since the third grade, and that’s a special thing,” Bradford said. “They step on the floor and they know what the meaning of winning is, and this team leaned on each other.”
PHOTOS (Top) Arbor Prep's Mya Petticord (1) makes a move toward the basket with Glen Lake's Jessica Robbins defending. (Middle) The Lakers' Maddie Bradford (10) gets up a shot over Petticord's outstretched arm. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Blissfield Edges Bishop Foley to Earn Long-Awaited Title Game Return
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 16, 2023
EAST LANSING – The Blissfield girls basketball program from this point on hopes it’s a lot sooner than 2073 before it returns to a state championship game.
But for the time being, the Royals will enjoy returning after a 50-year absence.
For the first time since finishing as Class C runner-up in 1973, Blissfield will play for a Finals championship after defeating Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 45-41, in a Division 3 Semifinal on Thursday.
“It was a typical game for us,” Blissfield head coach Ryan Gilbert said. “A gritty win. We gutted it out. I thought we made plays when we had to and played our best when we needed to play our best.”
The difference in the game was Blissfield’s frontcourt, where seniors Sarah Bettis and Julia White proved too much for Bishop Foley to overcome.
White finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Bettis had eight rebounds to help Blissfield earn a 34-21 advantage on the boards.
The Royals (27-1) had 14 offensive rebounds to just three for Bishop Foley.
“That was our thought going in,” Gilbert said. “We wanted to get it inside early and try to get them in foul trouble. We finished some, we missed some. But we got a lot of rebounds. We did a great job on the glass.”
Junior Avery Collins scored 10 points, and freshman Leigh Wyman had nine to flank White for Blissfield.
Collins said many community members have been telling her for years that this season was the time for the team to get to East Lansing, given the nucleus of the team and what grades they were going to be in.
Now, that vision has been fulfilled. Blissfield will face Hemlock in Saturday's Division 3 Final at 4 p.m.
“I believed in us as soon as it started,” Collins said. “I believed in us.”
Junior Ryan Moorer scored 11 points, senior Abby Pasinos had 10 and senior Alyssa Samartino added nine points for Bishop Foley (21-7), which advanced to the Semifinals for a second-straight year.
“To make it two years in a row is tough,” Bishop Foley head coach Colleen Szakacs said. “These girls battle day in and day out, especially in this game. We battled back no matter what and made it a down-to-the-wire, exciting game. Unfortunately, there were a couple of plays we could have done better here and there. But hats off to Blissfield and how well they performed.”
Blissfield entered giving up 26.8 points per game, while Bishop Foley had given up 33 points a contest while playing a scheduled filled with Division 1 and Division 2 schools.
But before the fourth quarter was two minutes old, each team had given up more points than their average.
Blissfield held a 44-38 lead with 27.9 seconds remaining, but Bishop Foley cut the deficit to 44-41 with 17.2 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Pasinos.
The Ventures then got the ball back on a turnover, but after a timeout, missed a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining that was rebounded by Wyman.
Following a foul with 8.1 seconds left, Wyman hit a free throw to give Blissfield a 45-41 lead.
A last-second 3-point attempt by Bishop Foley missed, essentially ending the game.
Trailing 30-25 going into the fourth quarter, Bishop Foley cut the Blissfield lead to two points on three occasions during the first four minutes of the period.
However, Bishop Foley couldn’t get over the hump and tie the game, and Blissfield took a 41-35 lead with 1:47 remaining after a putback by sophomore Peyton Tennant.
Bishop Foley cut its deficit to 41-38 with 1:32 remaining after a 3-point play by Samartino.
Blissfield had an answer, taking a 43-38 lead with 51.3 seconds remaining on a layup by Wyman and then going up 44-38 with 27.9 seconds to go on a free throw by Collins.
PHOTOS (Top) Blissfield's Abrie Louden (3) gets a hand up on a Madison Heights Bishop Foley shot during Thursday's first Semifinal at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Royals' Avery Collins (4) looks for an open teammate.