Terwilliger Shines in Leading Irish
March 13, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Marine City Cardinal Mooney knew about point guard Sara Hansen, the Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s only senior. It had a plan for 6-foot-3 sophomore center Averi Gamble, and it worked well at the start of Thursday’s Class D Semifinal.
But Cardinals’ coach Susan Everhart admitted after that Irish junior guard Riley Terwilliger was not on her team’s radar before their trip to the Breslin Center.
She showed up in a hurry.
Terwilliger, who averaged a respectable 9.3 points per game entering the week, scored 19 and grabbed 10 rebounds and led the key run as Sacred Heart broke away for a 54-42 win and its first MHSAA Final berth since finishing Class D runner-up in 2008.
“I felt I needed to step up at some point in the game, and they were focused a lot on Sara and Averi,” Terwilliger said. “I just did what I had to do.”
Sacred Heart will face either Crystal Falls Forest Park or Athens in Saturday’s 10 a.m. Final. The Irish (21-5) have played only in that one championship game, and as such are seeking their first title.
But they’ve played in plenty of big games this winter, including against a few of the top teams in Class C. And coach Damon Brown could tell that experience paid off in one of the best wins in program history.
Sacred Heart trailed much of the first quarter and half of the second as Cardinal Mooney zoned to give Gamble double coverage and attacked the Irish with its trio of senior standouts.
But when Terwilliger caught fire, it swung everything in the Irish’s favor – including the Cardinals’ defense that had focused so much attention on the post.
She had 11 points, a rebound and a steal as Sacred Heart closed the first half on a 15-5 run to take a 27-20 lead into the break.
“We know going into games that Sara is number on one people’s scouting reports and Averi is number two. They often forget about Riley, but she finds a way to get open in zones,” Brown said. “She’s the ultimate utility player, and that’s what we need in order to be successful.”
She did so during the second half in part by opening things up for Gamble and Hansen. Gamble had eight of her 10 points after the break, and Hansen had eight of her 16 points during the last three minutes of the game.
Hansen hit a 3-pointer with 2:55 left to push Sacred Heart’s lead from four to seven points, and Terwilliger then made it nine after a steal and layup to effectively put the game away.
“We thought we had a great gameplan … and we got away from it,” Cardinal Mooney coach Susan Everhart said. “They got a little physical at times for us, and that’s where they got a jump on us.”
Whereas Sacred Heart has just one senior in Hansen, Cardinal Mooney followed a strong class of six to its first Semifinals since 2009. Guard Katie Theut had 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, and center Madison Southers added 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The Cardinals finished 19-6.
“Our girls made it however many years ago, and the guys made it four years ago, so it means a lot to me to be part of the program and get here,” Theut said. “I couldn’t ask to do it with a better group of girls. They’re all my best friends, and sharing this moment with them means the world to me.”
Hansen exited the game during the final minute, and appeared to take pause when the final buzzer sounded before she rushed into Terwilliger to celebrate the moment.
“The last 30 seconds, you just want to get it over. It’s my first State Finals ever, and it’s just really special,” Hansen said. “It’s kinda fun (being the only senior). Everybody looks up to you and stuff, but I don’t look at it as being the only senior. I’m really good friends with everyone, and it’s just really fun. They play really hard for me, and I play really hard for them.”
Click for a complete box score and video of the press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sacred Heart's Riley Terwilliger tries to drive around Cardinal Mooney's Madison Stouthers. (Middle) Megan Engish (10) puts up a shot over the Cardinals' Lauren Higgins.
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Sara Hansen of Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart cans a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer. Sacred Heart went on to beat Cardinal Mooney 52-42 in the Class D Semifinal. (2) Cardinal Mooney hits its own trey to end the third quarter. Katie Theut beats the buzzer to cut the Irish lead to 36-33.
Breslin Bound: Girls Report Week 11
February 18, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
District seeds have been planted, league titles are being clinched seemingly every day and we’re fast-breaking into the final two weeks of this girls basketball season.
In case you missed them, District brackets were posted for all four divisions Sunday – and for the first time with the top two teams placed on opposite sides of the opening-round bracket. But there’s still plenty to decide before we get to the playoffs, and we connect some of those dots below.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. East Kentwood 53, Hudsonville 46 – The reigning Ottawa-Kent Conference Red champion Falcons (13-3) put themselves in position to at least claim a share of the title this time by handing current leader Hudsonville (15-1) its first loss.
2. Detroit Renaissance 81, Detroit Cass Tech 55 – The Phoenix (16-2) clinched the Detroit Public School League Tournament title and rose to No. 3 in the Division 1 Michigan Power Ratings with a big win over Cass Tech (15-2).
3. East Lansing 50, Flint Carman-Ainsworth 41 – The Trojans (15-1) moved to 9-1 this winter against teams that have gone on to double-digit victories, this time handing a second loss to another Division 1 contender in the Cavaliers (14-2).
4. Saginaw Heritage 56, Midland 39 – The Hawks (11-5) pushed into a first-place tie in the Saginaw Valley League Red, and a second loss last week sent former leader Midland (15-3) into third place.
5. Fowler 54, Byron 47 – The Eagles quietly have risen to No. 4 in Division 4 MPR, but this was a loud statement as they handed Byron (15-1) its only loss.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance (16-2) The Phoenix have won 16 games three of the last four seasons with room for more success this winter. Renaissance’s only losses came to Illinois powerhouse Chicago Simeon 65-50 at the end of December and by two to Detroit Edison, 54-52, on Feb. 1. That was the closest game unbeaten Edison has played, and the Phoenix can further add to a memorable regular season at Flint Carman-Ainsworth on Wednesday and against the Detroit Catholic League champ in next week’s Operation Friendship game.
East Lansing (15-1) The Trojans have defeated an exceptional list of opponents – including Carman-Ainsworth (14-2), Holt (13-3) twice, DeWitt (12-4) twice, Williamston (14-3), Haslett (11-5) and Pewamo-Westphalia (13-2), and a much-better-than-its-record Harper Woods Chandler Park (10-6). The only loss was to Edison 65-48 on Jan. 7, and East Lansing has only one game closer than nine points since. The Trojans can clinch a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title tonight at Okemos.
DIVISION 2
Big Rapids (15-1) The Cardinals have built a 10-game winning streak and moved into a first-place tie in the Central State Activities Association Gold with wins the last two weeks over co-leader Fremont (40-35) and third-place Newaygo (30-29). It’s been an incredible jump; after going 22-3 in 2017-18, Big Rapids fell back to 6-14 a year ago. But their only loss this winter came in the first Fremont game, 39-33 on Dec. 20.
Harper Woods Chandler Park (10-6) The Eagles rank third in Division 2 MPR with this record because of a schedule against opponents with a combined .715 winning percentage. Chandler Park is 8-2 over its last 10 games and won the Charter School Conference Tournament on Friday. The Eagles have handed Ecorse (12-1) its only loss and also have nice wins over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (15-4) and Dearborn Henry Ford Academy (11-5) – plus good playoff-prep losses to Michigan Center, Brighton, Ann Arbor Huron, Carman-Ainsworth and East Lansing among others.
DIVISION 3
Kent City (16-1) The Eagles locked up a share of the CSAA Silver championship Friday with their second win over Morley Stanwood (13-3), this time 42-30. The title is the team’s sixth straight, and Kent City ran its league winning streak to 43 games. The only defeat this season came to Division 1 Muskegon (10-6) on Jan. 14, and the Eagles also have wins over Comstock Park (12-4), Kalamazoo Christian (12-5), Cedar Springs (10-6) and White Cloud (11-6) as they look to build for the tournament. They fell last year 35-33 in a Regional Semifinal to eventual champion Pewamo-Westphalia.
Maple City Glen Lake (15-2) The Lakers quietly are back on top in the Northwest Conference with a chance to clinch a share of the league title tonight against second-place Kingsley. But they made some noise last week by handing Division 2 Cadillac its only defeat, and Glen Lake also owns double-digit wins over Lake Michigan Conference leader Charlevoix and second-place Traverse City St. Francis. The losses came to Division 1 Midland Dow 45-43 on Dec. 7, and then 58-54 on Jan. 8 to Manton – the opponent that stopped the Lakers’ playoff run in the District opener a year ago.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (15-2) The Cougars did take their second loss Monday, but impressively 67-62 to Edison, and the only other defeat came against Division 1 Hartland (15-1) on Dec. 7. Those could provide as much value as most wins as Lenawee Christian aspires to claim a third-straight Class D/Division 4 championship. And there have been plenty of impressive wins too, over Fowler, Division 3 Michigan Center (13-3) and Brooklyn Columbia Central (15-2), Division 2 Dexter (13-3) and Division 1 Kalamazoo Central.
St. Ignace (13-2) After falling to league rival Sault Ste. Marie on Feb. 6, the Saints are working to finish with a shared championship in the Straits Area Conference. But they really make their name when the playoffs start. Last season’s Division 4 runner-up (with a two-point loss to Lenawee Christian in the Final) will sprint into this postseason with wins to their credit over Division 1 Ann Arbor Huron (15-2), the Division 2 Blue Devils (15-1) and Kingsley (11-5) and Division 3 Charlevoix (11-5) twice. Division 2 Goodrich (14-2) should provide another tune-up Saturday.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Brighton (15-1) at Hartland (15-1) – These two are tied for first in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West with two league games to play and Brighton winning their first meeting 41-33 on Jan. 24.
Tuesday – Ubly (15-1) at Sandusky (14-3) – The Bearcats lead the Greater Thumb Conference East by a game thanks to a 31-17 home win over Sandusky on Jan. 21.
Tuesday – Lake City (15-1) at Manton (16-1) – The Rangers won the first meeting and can clinch a share of the Highland Conference title with another, or see Manton move into a first-place tie.
Tuesday – Macomb Dakota (15-2) at Port Huron (18-0) – The Macomb Area Conference White champion Big Reds look to advance to the Red/White Tournament final against the Red runner-up.
Friday – Ishpeming Westwood (16-1) at Negaunee (13-4) – The Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East-leading Patriots handed Negaunee its only league loss 45-35 on Jan. 24.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as 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.
PHOTO: Pewamo-Westphalia is among contenders prepping again for a potentially long postseason run. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)