St Mary Shows it 'Can Play with Anybody'
March 14, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
GAYLORD – Jim Myler played basketball at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Still a fan of the Irish, his allegiance will be with another Catholic school tonight as Gaylord St. Mary takes on Sacred Heart in an MHSAA Class D girls basketball Quarterfinal. Myler’s daughters, Bekah and Emily, are key contributors on a 22-3 St. Mary team that beat Frankfort and Fairview last week to capture the Regional championship at Buckley.
“I’m all about my daughters, my family,” Myler said. “They mean the world.”
Bekah Myler, a senior center, averaged 16 points in leading St. Mary to its third Regional title in five years – surprising Frankfort along the way. The Panthers, led by Central Michigan-bound Mackenna Kelly, won the Regional the two previous years and advanced to the Semifinals a year ago.
The Snowbirds will be in an underdog role again Tuesday. Sacred Heart (22-1) beat St. Mary by 12 points in an early January nonleague contest.
“We’re going to go into that (Quarterfinal) game with the same mentality we had against Frankfort – that we can play with anybody,” Bekah Myler said. “We definitely have a fire burning in our hearts.”
Sophomore point guard Alex Hunter agreed.
“Frankfort was one of the best games we’ve played all year, hands down,” she said. “Everything clicked. We definitely have to bring it like that (Tuesday). We’ll have that underdog mentality. We feel we have something to prove. We know we can beat them. We just have to go out there and play hard.”
The Snowbirds breezed past Fairview 56-27 in the Regional Final. St. Mary held the Eagles without a field goal for more than nine minutes to open the game. However, it was the 54-41 win over Frankfort that drew attention, leading St. Mary coach Dan Smith to proclaim, “We’re back.”
It’s not that St. Mary had become a non-factor. The Snowbirds were 18-5 a year ago without a senior in the lineup. But District losses to Bellaire the last two years left an empty feeling. The Snowbirds made amends this season, topping Bellaire in the District Final.
“When I said ‘we’re back’ I meant we’re back deep into the tournament,” Smith said. “That’s where we want to be. That’s our goal every year – to compete for a Regional championship. It’s never easy, but we’ve got some kids that can play basketball.”
Young kids, too. The Snowbirds start two seniors, a junior and two sophomores. The two sophomores, guards Hunter and Averi Bebble, started on varsity as freshmen.
“We knew our sophomores had room to grow, but they’re talented kids,” Smith said. “They play a lot of basketball, probably 100 games a year (between high school and offseason teams). Their growing pains were felt last year. They came into this season in a much better position. Their confidence was at a B level at the start of the season. We’re closing in on the A level right now.”
Smith calls Hunter one of the best guards in northern Michigan.
“She’s very quick, plays outstanding on-the-ball defense and has a sweet shot,” he said. “We’re excited about our backcourt.”
Hunter and Bebble stood out in the Regional. It was their ability to handle Frankfort’s defensive pressure that limited the Panthers’ ability to create turnovers and transition scoring opportunities. The two then applied pressure of their own, attacking the basket on the offensive end.
“Bekah’s tough in the post and usually draws a double team, so that leaves cracks for Averi and Alex to penetrate,” Smith said. “They’re both quick, great ballhandlers, and they’ve got a good first step to the basket. If they see daylight, they’re going to get to the rim. If they get shut down, they’ll dish to Bekah.”
The versatile Myler, who has scored nearly 1,200 career points, is the top option offensively. She can score in the post or on the perimeter.
“She does a lot of good things for us,” Smith said. “She allows our guards to do what they do because she draws a lot of attention in the middle.”
St. Mary showed some depth in the Regional, too. Myler netted 14 points, junior Gabby Schultz 11 and Hunter and Bebble nine each in the win over Frankfort. Myler came back with 18 points, senior Giorgi Nowicki 10, freshman Olivea Jeffers nine and Bebble eight in the title game with Fairview. Sophomore Emily Myler pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while Hunter added five assists in the Regional finale.
The play of the underclassmen, especially the sophomores, has not shocked Bekah Myler, who played on the Snowbirds Quarterfinal team in 2013.
“Those girls have put in so much work during the offseason,” she said. “Basketball is a year-round sport for half of our team. I’m not surprised. They put in the work. They deserve a moment like this.”
The Snowbirds finished second in the Ski Valley Conference to Johannesburg-Lewiston (19-2). It was a close second as St. Mary dropped a pair of two-point games to the Cardinals.
“The fact we lost those two games (to Johannesburg-Lewiston) actually helped us keep our edge,” Smith said. “It was a gift in disguise. It gave us the energy to work towards the rest of the season and point to the tournament because that would be our time.”
That’s proven to be the case. Now, though, the stakes get higher with Sacred Heart looming.
“We’ll have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” Smith said. “We’re going to bring everything we’ve got. They’re a great program. I have a lot of respect for (Sacred Heart coach) Damon Brown. He does an excellent job. But our team is far improved. We’re not the same team that we were earlier in the season when we faced them. We’re very excited about the opportunity.”
Bekah Myler will draw a tough defensive assignment, guarding 6-3 Averi Gamble, her AAU teammate during the offseason. Gamble scored 24 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and blocked four shots in Sacred Heart’s Regional championship win over Portland St. Patrick.
The Snowbirds would like to reverse a recent trend. St. Mary narrowly lost its last two Quarterfinal appearances – 42-40 to Climax-Scotts in 2013 and 59-57 to Crystal Falls Forest Park in 2012.
“It’s a pretty big deal for us to be here right now,” Bebble said. “But we want to break through (that barrier) and get to the Breslin.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Gaylord St. Mary celebrates its Regional Final win last week. (Middle) Alex Hunter sets up the offense for the Snowbirds against Frankfort during the Regional Semifinal. (Top photo by Denny Chase; middle photo courtesy of Gaylord St. Mary athletic department.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Report Week 6
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 15, 2024
We’re nearly halfway through this girls basketball season, and with every week that passes the Michigan Power Ratings become a more accurate picture of what the state’s teams have accomplished this season – and a forecaster of which two will be seeded first and second and on opposite sides of District brackets in March.
MPR is based on results against other MHSAA Tournament opponents during the regular season. Several lists, showing all teams together, separately by division or broken down even further by District, can be found on the MPR page. A “snapshot in time” look of the top 20 in each division will be provided every Monday on the Girls Basketball Rankings page, and MPR also helps determine which games and teams are highlighted in every week’s “Breslin Bound” report.
“Breslin Bound” is 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. Ishpeming 57, Negaunee 53 The Hematites (6-0) handed the Miners (9-1) their only loss, and also the first in this series since Feb. 26, 2015, as Negaunee had won the last 17 meetings between the rivals.
2. Rockford 55, Grand Haven 38 The Rams (9-0) also won a matchup of undefeated teams, staying atop the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red with East Kentwood and with the Buccaneers (8-1) one of three teams one game back.
3. Lansing Catholic 62, Portland 34 The reigning Class B champion Cougars (4-3) pushed back past .500 by handing the Raiders (8-1) their lone loss this winter.
4. St. Charles 45, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 27 St. Charles (7-1) extended its winning streak to seven and moved into first alone in the Mid-State Activities Conference by handing the Irish (8-1) their lone defeat.
5. Bath 35, Dansville 17 The Bees (7-0) continued their perfect start coming off last season’s 7-15 finish, handing this loss to the reigning Central Michigan Athletic Conference champion after losing to the Aggies (5-2) by 10 a year ago.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Jackson Northwest (6-1) The Mounties have been formidable for several years, but last season’s shared Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title was their first since winning it outright in 2017-18. They’re working toward a much quicker repeat, and perhaps more. Northwest defeated the other reigning co-champ Coldwater 43-35 last week and also have a 52-47 win over Haslett, avenging two of their losses from last season’s 21-3 run. Coming up Tuesday is the first of two games with Marshall, the only other team undefeated in I8AC play this winter.
West Bloomfield (7-0) Last season’s Division 1 runner-up opened this season by again defeating Salem, its Semifinal opponent a year ago, and hasn’t been slowed while winning all its games by at least 18 points. Four starters are back, including Georgia-bound twins Indya and Summer Davis and Loyola-Chicago signee Kendall Hendrix. Last week’s wins over Detroit Country Day and Southfield Arts & Technology made for an impressive week, and undefeated Lake Orion is next up Tuesday to start Oakland Activities Association Red play.
DIVISION 2
Chelsea (7-2) Few have played a stronger schedule, as Chelsea’s opponents have a .710 winning percentage, and yet the Bulldogs have losses only to Rockford and Dexter as they look to build on last year’s 25-2 campaign. They’re the only team to defeat Jackson Northwest, 57-47, and an early 26-point win over Clarkston also pops off the page. Freeland (7-1) is up Tuesday before the start of Southeastern Conference White play, and a Dexter rematch is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-1) The Falcons are another contender to have lost to Rockford, but that’s it as they’ve moved to a combined 67-5 over the last four seasons and after making the Division 2 Semifinals a year ago before falling to eventual champion Lansing Catholic. West Catholic’s opponents have won nearly 70 percent of their games as well, with a key O-K Blue matchup coming up Friday in one-loss Spring Lake.
DIVISION 3
Michigan Center (10-0) The Cardinals already have surpassed last season’s 8-13 finish, and Thursday’s 59-54 overtime win over Grass Lake and December win over East Jackson gave Michigan Center victories over two of last season’s three co-champions in the Cascades Conference. Napoleon was the third champ last winter, and all three join Michigan Center in the new Cascades’ East division.
Niles Brandywine (7-0) The Bobcats are undefeated through the first half of the Lakeland Conference schedule after finishing second to rival Buchanan and 21-3 overall last winter. All three of those losses last season were to the Bucks, and Brandywine won their first meeting this time 38-27 with the rematch set for Feb. 1. Even more notably, the Bobcats handed reigning Division 3 runner-up Blissfield its only loss, 45-43 on Dec. 27 at the Michigan Hardwood Classic.
DIVISION 4
Bloomfield Hills Roeper (7-0) The Roughriders have bounded back into the Division 4 conversation over the last two seasons, finishing 16-6 a year ago and launching this start. Roeper handed Sterling Heights Parkway Christian its only defeat in the Roughriders’ Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Red opener Jan. 5 and as they seek to move up from tied for second place last year – with reigning champion Whitmore Lake in the MIAC Blue this season.
Kingston (8-1) The Cardinals are a combined 64-10 over the last four seasons and reached the Division 4 Quarterfinals a year ago. After taking a 45-35 loss against undefeated Division 2 contender Goodrich on Dec. 13, Kingston bounced back to hand Harbor Beach its only loss, 69-33. The Cardinals have held four opponents to fewer than 20 points and two more to fewer than 30, a main reason all eight wins are by at least 27 points.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Wednesday – Macomb Dakota (9-1) at Grosse Pointe North (7-1) – Dakota has an early one-game lead in the Macomb Area Conference Red on reigning champion GPN after North’s loss to Port Huron last week; Dakota sees Port Huron on Friday.
Thursday – Mendon (8-1) at Colon (7-0) – These two sit atop the Southern Central Athletic Association West standings after Colon won the West and Mendon was runner-up in the Southwest 10 Conference South last season.
Thursday – Stevensville Lakeshore (8-0) at Portage Central (7-0) – This is the first of their two meetings after Lakeshore was first and Central tied for second in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West last season.
Thursday – Mio (8-0) at Alcona (6-0) – The Thunderbolts look likely to make a run at the North Star League Big Dipper title, and a win over one of last year’s three co-champions certainly would provide a spark.
Friday – Rockford (9-0) at East Kentwood (8-1) – First place in the O-K Red is on the line, as is the Rams’ 32-game winning streak going back to December 2022.
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) A 45-37 win over Williamston on Dec. 21 was part of DeWitt’s 8-1 start. (Middle) Coleman and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart players work for possession during last month’s 32-22 Irish win. (Top photo by Terry Lyons, middle photo by High School Sports Scene.)