Pittsford Plays to Paint Breslin Blue Again
By
Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
December 10, 2015
By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
PITTSFORD – Pittsford High School girls basketball coach Chris Hodos made a bold prediction prior to the 2013-14 season: He told athletic director Mike Burger that their Wildcats were going to go 20-0.
Pittsford, coming off a 15-5 finish, went on to complete the regular season unbeaten before losing in the Final of the District tournament.
After watching the 2014 MHSAA Class D Final, Hodos made another bold prediction to Burger. He called the athletic director and said, “I’m at the Breslin Center, and I’m telling you right now we can make it.”
Hodos is 2 for 2. Pittsford took a 26-0 record into last season’s championship game and built a 20-point lead on St. Ignace before losing 64-60 in overtime.
Hodos is making no predictions this year. But with the majority of that team back and a sly grin on his face, it is obvious he expects another great season from the Wildcats.
Small-town girls, big-time players
Pittsford is a civil township in Hillsdale County, and the 2000 census listed the population as 1,600. It certainly does not jump off a map when searching for it. The high school has 211 students this year.
Therefore, when someone says he or she is from Pittsford, it could cause confusion. Pittsburgh is a likely misunderstanding.
“I played football at Adrian College, and my buddies would say, ‘I saw your hometown in Detroit,’” Hodos said. “I’d tell them, ‘No, that’s Pittsfield. That’s not it.’ That’s just one of the things I hear.”
Pittsford might be a small dot on the map, but in Class D girls basketball, it is a major player.
The Wildcats have not lost a regular-season game since Jan. 24, 2013, when they fell to Bellevue. Since then, Pittsford has won 50 consecutive regular-season games and is 60-3 overall.
Two all-staters are back from last year: juniors Jaycie Burger and Maddie Clark. Burger is a slick point guard who averaged 19 points per game last year and set the school record with 170 assists (with just 51 turnovers). Clark, an athletic player who can do it all, averaged 20 points last year and recently became the first Pittsford athlete to receive all-state honors in volleyball.
Laura Smith, one of two seniors on the team, also averaged in double figures in scoring last year, and center Madison Ayers returns after missing all of last season. She was on varsity as a freshman and started as a sophomore. The other starter is junior guard Madison Dominique.
As such in a small town, most of the girls have known each other since grade school and played sports together most of their lives, and Jaycie Burger believes that has been an asset.
“What sticks out the most is how well our team chemistry is,” she said. “We all get along really well, and when you have a team that gets along as well as we do – we all work really hard in practice and we never let any one of us take a play off – we all really care about each other, and that transfers into everyone working hard on the court.”
The Wildcats aren’t extremely tall, but their quickness and athleticism overwhelm most of their opponents, and they have won many more games by lopsided scores than nail-biters. Burger makes it sound simple.
“We like to play fast, get up in the passing lanes and play good defense, beat their defense down the floor and get a fast break,” she said.
Winners from the beginning
When the girls were in grade school, observers noticed they were good. But nobody would have predicted the sort of success they would have in high school. Not even Jaycie Burger’s father, Mike, the athletic director.
“We knew they were really good, and we knew they loved the game and loved each other, so we thought they had the opportunity to be really good high school players,” he said, “but we never expected that they would do this stuff.”
It also presented him with a dilemma. Burger, the football coach, could have coached the girls team but opted for the boys, and he encouraged Hodos, his boys basketball assistant, to apply for the girls job.
“I thought it was not in my best interest to coach the girls,” Burger said. “My son plays basketball, too, he plays for me, but Jaycie needs to be where she can do her thing. She doesn’t need her dad looking over her shoulder. Dad can go sit with the rest of the parents and enjoy the game.”
Jaycie Burger, who plans to play basketball at Hillsdale College after graduation, and Clark, who likely will play basketball or volleyball in college, are in the same grade and attended the same church at a young age.
“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Clark said of Burger. “I’ve played with Jaycee my whole life, and Laura recently, too. I think we started playing in the second or third grade.
“We were beating people all along, but as we got older we just started beating them more and more. We hoped that we would be good, and it has paid off. Being able to play together for that long, we know each other’s abilities and our strengths.”
Road to Breslin
There really were not too many scares along the way last season as the Wildcats regularly beat teams by 30 or 40 points. But a visit to Breslin was never a certainty, except maybe to Hodos.
“At the beginning of the year, I did not think about playing at Breslin,” Clark said. “As we got farther in the tournament, I could see that it was definitely possible and we could go far, and we did. At times I felt a little pressure that we could be perfect, but in the end I focused more on the game and brushed it off.”
Hodos, who had made the bold prediction of getting to Breslin a year earlier, said the moment that became a reality was something he will never forget.
“When the buzzer rang at Battle Creek Harper Creek in the quarters, and I knew we were going to the Breslin Center, I just remember looking at the scoreboard,” he said. “It was an amazing feeling.”
When the time came for the Semifinals and Final, the team arrived so early for the game that it beat the Fox Sports Detroit television crew, which had hoped to film the girls getting off the bus.
With a 20-point lead in the third quarter, the Class D title felt so close. But as things often happen, it slipped away. Smith said she spent a lot of time re-watching the game on a DVD purchased by her parents.
“Sometimes I just sit in my room and watch it,” she said. “I look at it, and I usually look at myself and see what I could have done better. But as a team we played great, and I wouldn’t really have changed much.
“Last year was probably for me a dream come true because my whole high school career I’ve always wanted to go to the Breslin Center, and last year we made it.”
Smith also said that breezing through the schedule last year might not have been a good thing for the team when it came to the MHSAA Finals.
“We weren’t used to playing close games and handling the pressure that comes with it,” she said, “so that’s why Coach has scheduled a lot of teams that will give us more competition. If we get in that situation down the road, we’ll know how to handle it.”
For the athletic director/father Burger, the memory of the excitement and little bit of apprehension prior to the championship game is still emotional. He knew St. Ignace would use an intense defense directed at the play of the point guard – his daughter Jaycie.
“It was amazing when she walked on the court,” he said. “To know all the sacrifice and hours and hours and hours of work she put in made it special. But I knew what St. Ignace was going to do, and I knew what she was going to be up against. I knew they were going to double and trap her and run people at her because I know what they do. I knew all that, and then to see her flourish. She played remarkable.
“It was an incredible experience. We didn’t win, but it didn’t matter.”
One thing that helped make it such an incredible experience was the community support received by the Wildcats. As more than one person said, “they turned the Breslin blue.” Blue is the primary color of Pittsford athletics.
“When we got to the Breslin and saw everyone there – everyone wearing blue – we actually did turn the Breslin blue,” Smith said. “It was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people from Pittsford in one spot before, and it was great.”
But it wasn’t just people from Pittsford. The Wildcats touched much of Hillsdale County.
“It was fun for the community, and it wasn’t just the Pittsford community; it was everybody,” Hodos said. “Hudson, North Adams, Jonesville people, Hillsdale people, it was really amazing everybody who was there and wearing blue for the Semifinals and Finals.”
New season
A year ago, Pittsford was still Pittsburgh, or Pittsfield, or something else to some people. But now Pittsford wears a big target on its back in girls basketball. The players know that they will get the ‘A’ game of their opponent every night.
“And we will bring ours as well,” Clark said.
The schedule has been beefed up, just like Smith indicated. One of the new teams to the schedule was Grass Lake, which Pittsford defeated Tuesday night 71-62 to bump its record to 2-0. Grass Lake was coming off an 87-point performance in its previous game against Concord.
“We’re always looking for good games,” Hodos said. “We picked up Grass Lake, we’re playing Class A Belleville over Christmas break at the Airport Holiday Showcase. They have 1,800 kids in their school. It will be a big stage for the girls. We also will scrimmage Marshall over Christmas break.
“It’s not about winning every game in the regular season; it’s about winning that last one.”
No matter how it turns out, it seems another special season is in store for Pittsford girls basketball and the school of 211 students
“When I look at this team, I see a team that probably will not happen around here again,” Mike Burger said. “They’re the best girls basketball team I’ve seen in this area in my whole life.
“You very rarely get two or three girls of that caliber – it’s usually one really good player. It’s the perfect storm, the perfect time. The kids work really hard. We never thought about getting to the Breslin Center, that was never the goal. It was about playing the game with a passion to play the game and a passion to represent the school and the community.
“Everything just came together. I don’t know how it did, it just did. The parents just let the kids play and let them be kids. It’s the perfect storm. I don’t think I will ever see this again in Pittsford in my lifetime.”
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Pittsford players huddle in front of their bench and a large cheering section during the 2015 Class D Final at the Breslin Center. (Middle) Jaycie Burger pushes the ball upcourt with two St. Ignace players trailing. (Below) Maddie Clark defends the rim against a Saints shooter.
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Quarterfinal Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 18, 2024
The home stretch of this Michigan high school girls basketball season – and the MHSAA winter season as a whole – begins tonight with Quarterfinals across the state.
We glance at all 16 matchups below. Games tip off at 7 p.m. unless noted. Details on tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Girls Basketball page. To watch all 16 games online, visit the NFHS Network.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. (Abbreviations below denote ppg - points per game, rpg - rebounds per game, apg - assists per game, spg - steals per game, and bpg - blocks per game.)
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
2. Tecumseh 56, Lansing Catholic 52 Tecumseh (22-4) advanced to this week by ending the season for last year’s Division 2 champion Cougars (20-6).
2. Lake City 54, Sanford Meridian 41 Lake City (24-2) still hasn’t taken a defeat since the first week of the season and downed a Meridian team in a Division 3 Regional Final that had lost only to Division 2 Freeland in finishing 23-2.
3. Flint Powers Catholic 62, Freeland 59 The Chargers (23-3) took on a Falcons team that finished 22-4 and was coming off its biggest win of the season over 2023 Division 2 runner-up Frankenmuth.
4. Holland West Ottawa 40, Byron Center 38 The Panthers (20-6) defeated a league champion in the Bulldogs (21-5) to earn a Division 1 rematch with Rockford.
5. West Bloomfield 61, Detroit Renaissance 48 This was a Division 1 Regional Semifinal but matched up two teams that reached the 2023 Semifinals in the Lakers (24-1) and Phoenix (21-4).
Quarterfinals at a Glance
DIVISION 1
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (20-5) vs. Grand Blanc (21-4) at University of Detroit Mercy, 5:30 p.m.
Stoney Creek is playing in its first Quarterfinal and Grand Blanc its first since 1977. The Bobcats also won the Saginaw Valley League this season for the first time, and are led by senior guard Chelsea Bishop (17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.2 spg). Stoney Creek has steadily built to this run and has broken through this season with just one senior in the starting lineup, guard Sarah Laprairie, and two total on the roster.
Holt (18-8) vs. Belleville (23-2) at Jackson Lumen Christi
Belleville has made good on its contender status all season, with freshman Sydney Savoury (25 ppg, 7.0 rpg) leading four Tigers scoring at least 10 points per game. Their only in-state loss was to Division 2 contender Detroit Edison. Holt has emerged during a tough tournament run that’s included handing the third losses all season to DeWitt and Portage Central. Senior guard Rhema Dozier has set the pace with 12.9 points per game and 57 3-pointers.
Rockford (25-1) vs. Holland West Ottawa (20-6) at Grandville
Reigning Division 1 champion Rockford defeated West Ottawa 61-42 and 70-54 on the way to winning the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, while the Panthers finished third. Junior guard Anna Wypych averages 16 points per game and is joined by Grace Lyons (10 ppg), who became the Rams’ all-time leading scorer this season. West Ottawa counters with newly-selected Miss Basketball Award winner Gabby Reynolds. The senior guard is averaging 29.4 points and four assists per game.
Temperance Bedford (24-2) vs. West Bloomfield (24-1) at University of Detroit Mercy
West Bloomfield is playing for a third-straight trip to Breslin Center after winning Division 1 in 2022 and finishing runner-up a year ago. Standout twins Summer Davis (17.9 ppg, 68 3-pointers, 4.0 apg, 4.4 spg) and Indya Davis (15.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) have helped key both runs and will be playing their final high school games this week. Bedford’s only in-state loss was to Saline, and the Kicking Mules still finished a game ahead of the Hornets to win the Southeastern Conference Red. Junior 6-foot-2 forward Victoria Gray leads with 13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and two blocked shots per game.
DIVISION 2
Negaunee (25-1) vs. Flint Powers Catholic (23-3) at Sault Ste. Marie
Negaunee moved from Division 3 to Division 2 this season and has reached the Quarterfinals for the first time since 1998. Guard Ella Mason (19.7 ppg, 50 3-pointers) is one of three senior starters for the Miners. Powers also is recapturing previous glory with its first trip to the final week since 2014. Senior guard Amaya Smith requires attention beyond the arc as she’s made 65 3-pointers to go with an 11.4 ppg average.
Detroit Edison (20-3) vs. Goodrich (26-0) at West Bloomfield
Both are regulars in the annual championship conversation, Edison seeking to reach the Finals again after winning Division 2 in 2022 and Goodrich undefeated since playing in last season’s Semifinals at Breslin. Junior guard Isis Johnson-Musah (16.9 ppg) is the lead scorer and one of the Pioneers’ top shooters from the field and line, while sophomore guard Kayla Hairston (12.2 ppg) helps pace the Martians, who have four players including Hairston averaging between 2-3 assists per game.
Grand Rapids West Catholic (25-1) vs. Vicksburg (23-2) at Battle Creek Harper Creek
West Catholic’s only loss a year ago was in the Division 2 Semifinals to eventual champion Lansing Catholic, and its only defeat this season was to Division 1 Rockford in December. Senior Reese Polega (11.2 ppg) and junior Elisha Dykstra (11.4) are returning starters from last year’s run and the lead scorers this time. Vicksburg is making its first trip into the final week, with senior Maddison Diekman (12.4 ppg) and junior Makayla Allen (12.3) leading a similarly-balanced lineup.
Tecumseh (22-4) vs. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (26-0) at Ypsilanti Lincoln
Tecumseh is coming off its first Regional title since 1975 after defeating Lansing Catholic 56-52 to advance. Five players average at least 8.5 ppg, with 6-2 junior forward Alli Zajac topping the list with 17.6 points per with a team-high 51 3-pointers. FGR made the Quarterfinals just three years ago but is seeking its first Semifinals appearance since 1993 with a lineup bolstered by five players averaging at least 7.7 ppg and led by sophomore guard Vanessa Rodriguez (13.5, 50 3-pointers) and junior guard Charlotte Miller (11.2/49).
DIVISION 3
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (19-5) vs. Niles Brandywine (24-1) at Fennville
Brandywine’s girls are attempting to follow up the school’s boys team’s Division 3 championship this past weekend as they return to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2019. Senior guard Ellie Knapp runs the show with 14 points and 4.6 assists per game. Brandywine’s only defeat was to Vicksburg, and Covenant Christian’s losses all came to Division 1 and 2 opponents on the way to its first Regional title since 2016. Senior guards Lindsay Minderhoud (14.3 ppg) and Sophia Meulenberg (12.6) form a talented backcourt.
Elk Rapids (24-2) vs. Lake City (24-2) at Houghton Lake
Elk Rapids is a return quarterfinalist after being eliminated last season this round by eventual champion Hemlock, and the Elks will take on a somewhat familiar opponent – Lake City, which won their Dec. 20 matchup 44-40 and made the Quarterfinals most recently in 2022. Lake City senior guard MacKenzie Bisballe (22.3 ppg) vs. Elk Rapids senior guard Kendall Standfest (19.3 ppg) could be an interesting matchup if they lock up.
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (17-9) vs. Sandusky (25-1) at St. Clair County Community College
MHSAA coaching wins leader Al DeMott just missed taking Sandusky to the Semifinals last season as his team fell by two points to Madison Heights Bishop Foley in this round. Freshman guard Caroline Reinke is filling the stat sheet at 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 4.4 steals per game. The Wolves take on first-time quarterfinalist Lutheran Northwest, which avenged a regular-season loss to Bishop Foley to start this postseason. The Crusaders also feature a notable freshman in Keaira Spiehs, who’s averaging 7.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.
New Lothrop (20-7) vs. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (22-4) at Dansville
New Lothrop has navigated a postseason path that’s seen its last four opponents finish a combined 81-17 this winter. The Hornets avenged a pair of regular-season defeats to Ovid-Elsie with a 43-26 win in their District Semifinal and have continued to charge with freshman Katelyn Wendling (15.6 ppg) among reasons the future looks bright. Arbor Prep was the Division 3 champion as recently as 2022 and has playoff wins this time over three league champions. Senior forwards Stephanie and Stacy Utomi also started on that title-winning team as sophomores.
DIVISION 4
Ishpeming (25-1) vs. St. Ignace (18-7) at Gladstone
This Quarterfinal features a rising Upper Peninsula power against the most established on the north side of Mackinac Bridge. Ishpeming won its first Regional title since 1985 and has lost only to Negaunee, splitting the season series with the Miners. Sophomore Jenessa Eagle (16 ppg) and senior Jenna Maki (15.6) provide a one-two backcourt punch. St. Ignace is making its first Quarterfinal appearance since finishing Division 4 runner-up in 2019, led by an impressive pair of juniors in Addison Cullen (16 ppg) and Jillian Fraser (17.4).
Fowler (23-3) vs. Mendon (23-3) at Gobles
Fowler is playing in a Quarterfinal for the fifth straight season (not counting COVID-canceled 2020) and has advanced to the Semifinals the last four, winning back-to-back Division 4 titles in 2021 and 2022. Junior guard Katie Spicer leads a balanced group at 11.7 points and 3.4 assists per game. Mendon is making its first Quarterfinal appearance since 2014 and has gone a combined 60-13 over the last three seasons. Senior center Makennah Mullin also leads a balanced bunch at 10.4 points and eight rebounds per game.
Frankfort (21-5) vs. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (23-3) at McBain Northern Michigan Christian
Frankfort is making its first Quarterfinal appearance since 2017, and its last three matchups in this round have been against Sacred Heart. The Panthers have won 10 straight this winter and own a victory over St. Ignace, and are led by three players averaging at least 10 points a game topped by senior center Evelyn VanTol (14.9). This will be Sacred Heart’s first Quarterfinal since 2018, and the Irish have won all four of their playoff games by at least 13 points. Freshman guard Karis Terwilliger sets the pace at 14.3 ppg.
Morenci (21-3) vs. Kingston (25-1) at West Bloomfield, 5 p.m.
Morenci has reached its first Quarterfinal since 2011 with three losses this season by a combined eight points, all to larger opponents. The Bulldogs have five players averaging between 5.5 and 10.2 ppg, sophomore guard Emersyn Bachelder at the top of that list. Kingston’s lone loss came to Division 2 Goodrich on Dec. 13, and the Cardinals have had one single-digit game since in returning to the Quarterfinals for the second year in a row and after finishing last season 25-2. Delaney St. George (16.2 ppg, 84 3-pointers) leads the lineup.
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 Ewen-Trout Creek's Irelynd McGeshick (44) guards Ishpeming's Addison Morton (2) as she drives to the basket during the Hematites' 70-42 Division 4 Regional Final win last week. (Middle) Flint Powers' Grace Cameron (5) attempts to steer a pass around a Davison defender during the regular season. (Top photo by Cara Kamps; middle photo by Terry Lyons.)