Walkerville Earns Back-to-Back Title Trips
January 2, 2019
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
Holton’s trip to the 2018 MHSAA Division 8 Football Semifinals was another return to the past of sorts for Angela Slowik.
Her youngest son, Nathan, was the kicker on the Red Devils football team. The little city celebrated the school’s deep run with public “welcome back” celebrations that were heartwarming and inspirational. Cars and people lined the streets, sirens and horns blasted, and people smiled, cheered and waved as the team returned home.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” said the mother of three. “My daughter’s softball team made it to the state semifinals, my oldest son’s teams went to state in track, and both sons went in cross country. It never gets old.”
The celebrations were strikingly similar to the ones Slowik, formerly Angela Frick, and her high school teammates had experienced in her hometown just more than 30 years ago.
Walkerville is located in Oceana County, 25 miles north of Holton and about 35 miles southeast of Ludington. In the days when girls basketball was played in the fall, the town was gifted two straight MHSAA Class D basketball championships in 1987 and 1988 by its daughters. Christmas had come early.
Three players, each graduating a year apart, stood out in the media reports from the time. Angela Frick (now Slowik) was a senior in 1987, a track star and perhaps an even better basketball player. A stellar free-throw shooter, 5-foot-10 Debbie Bettys (now Claeys) was in her junior year in 1987, while Angie Bond (now Patton), a long-range bomber, was a sophomore. They represented an impressive array of talent, but in the eyes of each, Walkerville’s success came from an unselfish, team-first mindset, with starters and non-starters all contributing when needed most.
“That’s what made Walkerville special,” said Patton. “We were a team.”
“It was bigger than you,” added Slowik, describing the feeling. “You were playing for the community.”
“There was just overwhelming support from our area and the surrounding towns,” recalled Claeys.
The area is best known as the “Asparagus Capital of the World.” Little has changed in this farming community, at least population-wise. According to census numbers, Walkerville still totals around 300 residents – but like many school districts, graduating classes are down due to a variety of factors. The area’s migrant worker population has influenced enrollment numbers over the years. Graduating classes were never huge, averaging around 24 students during the championship run.
“That included at least two foreign exchange students in my class,” noted Slowik, laughing.
Girls basketball at Walkerville dates back at least into the early 1930s. You wear many hats at a small school. Home Economics and English instructor Leona Kitchen coached the team from the early 1950s into the late 1960s during the days of the 6-player game.
During the second half of that era, the hoops news out of Walkerville related to a long losing streak by the boys basketball team.
“If there was a “bottom 10” high school basketball poll,” wrote Larry Paladino for The Associated Press in 1975, “Walkerville probably would have led the list at least three years running in the mid-1960s.”
The boys basketball team had landed in the AP’s weekly poll with a 10-0 record and Paladino was discussing the sudden rise in Wildcat stock. According to Woody Millspaugh, head coach of the boys since 1971, the success was due to the creation of an elementary school athletic program that had altered the sports climate at the high school. It was started around the low-point of the streak.
“Kids started developing skills early when they should be developed,” Millspaugh said, referring to teams established for fifth and sixth graders. “The juniors I have now are the first ones who came all the way through the program.”
Girls basketball coach Tom Kicas had been a 1,000-point scorer while in high school at Pentwater. Following graduation from Central Michigan University, he began his teaching career at Walkerville, and led a talented bunch of Wildcats girls to the state quarterfinals in volleyball in the spring of 1977, then to a 20-3 record on the basketball court in the fall of the following school year – a run that included the first District crown in school history. Millspaugh followed Kicas as girls coach in the early 1980s, leading both basketball programs for a short span.
Following his record-setting days playing basketball at Pentwater, Greg Gregwer headed to St. Thomas Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, and then spent two summers in Ecuador with the Peace Corp. When he returned, he took over the boys basketball team at Walkerville for a single season during the 1968-69 school year. The consecutive game losing streak had recently been ended. Gregwer’s team quickly put an end to a conference losing streak that was still active.
“The past records are records, but not ones we want to cling to or even think about,” said Gregwer to the Ludington Daily News in 1968 after that win. “We’re starting it right now.”
In the mid-1980s, Gregwer then took over the girls team from Millspaugh.
“Mr. Gregwer was our sixth grade teacher. He knew us pretty well,” recalled Claeys. “I remember watching my older sisters play basketball. We started playing in fourth grade and rode the bus to games. Not many schools did that, I guess. When I was a sophomore (in 1986), we were pretty good. We won our league for the first time in over a decade, and that was a big deal. But we lost early in the Districts to North Muskegon that year.”
Walkerville trailed the Norsemen by double digits early that day, and the loss may have been inevitable. But it became certain when the Wildcats lost Slowik to a knee injury late in the second quarter. She had torn her meniscus and would require surgery.
“It wasn’t even a question that I was coming back for my senior year,” said Slowik, remembering the time. “I did every one of those exercises they give you to make sure.”
After the team had been eliminated from the postseason, Gregwer suggested to his team that they travel down and watch the girls state championship contests. At the time, the games were held in Allendale at Grand Valley State, about an hour away.
“Of course, it’s not unusual for a team to go watch the games,” said Claeys. “Lots of coaches do that. It was a neat experience to watch. It opened your eyes. You could see how good we could be.”
“We’re watching the games and Debbie suddenly says, ‘We could play here next year,’” said Slowik, laughing about the visit. “I was thinking, ‘Umm. Okay Debbie, we’ll see about that.’ That next year, each win was another stepping stone and I started to believe she was right.”
Indeed, the Wildcats, it seemed, could do no wrong in the fall of 1987 and ended the regular season undefeated. They cruised through the early rounds of the tournament, survived a scare in the Regionals against McBain, and then pulled into the Quarterfinals at Wexford Arena in Cadillac (on Slowik’s birthday) with a 25-0 record for their game against Johannesburg-Lewiston.
For the most part, it was business as usual. Walkerville trailed by a point after the first quarter, but outscored the Cardinals 21-9 in the second to take a 39-28 lead into the locker room at the half. The team was up 49-34 late in the third, when the Cards began their comeback. With 50 seconds to play in the quarter, Johannesburg-Lewiston had cut the lead to eight, 55-47. Rattled by the press and man-to-man pressure, the Wildcats turned the ball over repeatedly. With 1:03 left in the game, the teams were tied, 70-70.
Claeys put Walkerville up by a point, 71-70, with a free throw on a one-and-one, but missed the second. Slowik grabbed the rebound and was fouled. With 54 seconds to play, she missed the front end of the opportunity. Cardinals all-stater Vickie Ellison snagged the carom, ran the length of the floor and nailed a jumper with 43 seconds remaining, giving Johannesburg-Lewiston its first lead since the first quarter, 72-71.
Slowik was again fouled with 19 seconds to play, but again missed the first shot of another one-and-one opportunity. Ellison grabbed the board, but this time was immediately fouled by Claeys.
“We had two fouls to give,” said Gregwer following the game. “Debbie did a great job in fouling right away.”
The Cardinals were forced to inbound the ball. On the play, Patton stole the pass, and immediately fed Slowik underneath for an easy lay-up and a 73-72 lead with 12 seconds to go. On another inbounds play, this time at the Cardinals’ end with five seconds remaining, the sophomore guard again stole the ball, and dribbled down court as the horn sounded, sealing the nerve-rattling win.
“I told Angie after the game, ‘Thank you so much. I love you!’” said Slowik, who ended with 38 points on the night. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
“A friend of mine’s dad was so mad at us for giving up that lead that he went out to the car early and sat there,” Claeys remembered. “Then the crowd came pouring out after the game, celebrating. Then he was mad that he missed it!”
“That was too close,” said Slowik three decades later. “I had missed those free throws. It changed my mindset. After the game, I was in the gym with my track coach and shot free throws over and over. I was not going to let that happen again.”
Slowik scored 28 in their 67-52 Semifinal win over DeTour, as the Wildcats advanced to the championship.
“It was just strange that the next year we would be one of the teams playing,” added Claeys. “It was a lot of fun, but it didn’t seem real. Everyone fell into roles, and everything just clicked.”
“Starters and non-starters, all the supporting cast contributed,” said Patton. “No one cared who scored.”
Slowik caught much of the media spotlight as her 99 points over the final three rounds of the tourney set a state mark that still stands today. The total topped the previous mark of 88 points scored by Detroit Northeastern’s Helen Williams in 1975. Slowik’s total was matched by Detroit Country Day’s Peggy Evans in 1989.
Slowik scored 33 points in the Final – a point shy of the then-tournament record for scoring in a championship game – while leading the Wildcats to a 65-59 win over Martin before a packed house of nearly 3,000. The 5-foot-8 forward grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and 16 total, tops in the game.
“We beat No. 1. We were No. 2 in the final poll, so it was considered an upset. But we didn’t necessarily think it was an upset,” exclaimed Claeys laughing and enjoying the memory.
Martin had jumped out to a 19-11 advantage with under a minute to play in the first quarter, led by 5-foot-11 all-stater Julie Davis, who scored 11 of her team’s points. Davis would finish the day with 31.
The 1987 season was the first with the 3-point shot, and Patton was the one girl for Walkerville who had the green light to shoot them anytime she was open. The lightning-quick guard knocked down three of four 3-point shots early and helped to close that gap. The Wildcats were down by only two, 33-31, at the intermission.
“Coach was happy,” said Claeys. “He felt since it was close, we had a chance. We were very fast. If we got into a shootout, we had good outside shooters.”
“I was so pleased at the half that all I did was hug all the girls,” said Gregwer at the time. “We looked to be five points down at the half. If we had been down by more, it wouldn’t have been in our game plan.”
Martin pushed the lead to six, 41-35, on a baseline jumper by Davis with 3:43 to go in the third quarter. But the Wildcats rallied back and the teams were deadlocked, 43-43, entering the fourth. A pair of unexpected buckets late in the game by 5-foot-3 junior Carolyn Brondstetter, the first player off the bench for the Wildcats, put Walkerville up 58-55. It was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The team finished the season with a flawless 28-0 record.
Genealogy roots run deep in small villages like Walkerville, and the championship was celebrated by many with ties to past girls and boys teams. Perhaps the title and the undefeated mark meant the most to the fathers of Slowik, Patton and starting guard Stacy Aiken. Each of the men had been part of the boys program during the long losing streak.
The ride home along the backroads was long, and included tons of well-wishers, pulled off to the side, blasting their horns as the team bus rolled by. Slowik earned first team all-state honors from The Associated Press and the Detroit Free Press at season’s end. In the spring she won two MHSAA track titles and then was off to college.
Come the 1988 season, the team’s win streak ended quickly. Early in September, the reigning champs lost their season opener to Kent City, 66-43. Combined with the loss of Slowik to graduation after the 1987 run, statewide expectations fell surprisingly fast.
“After that (first) game I thought, ‘This is going to be a long season. I felt so bad,’” said Claeys, recalling the moment for a Detroit Free Press reporter a few months later.
The team dropped a game to West Michigan D League rival Mason County Eastern in late September, falling to 1-1 in conference play and 6-2 for the season.
“That was tough,” said Patton. “Debbie picked it up a lot. Everyone stepped it up.”
“It just took a while to find our own identity,” said Claeys recalling the challenge. “Then we were good to go.”
The Wildcats didn’t drop another regular-season game that fall, but throughout the span remained unranked in the weekly Detroit Free Press prep rankings and the regular poll conducted by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. Gregwer played up the fact that the team wasn’t getting any respect.
“That inspired me,” said Patton. “Scoring didn’t motivate me. I worked hard and wanted to show other teams that we were real; that we weren’t just some little hick town.”
“Walkerville’s good. I have no idea why they’re not ranked,” said Mason County Eastern coach Kristy Stark following her team’s defeat at the hands of the Wildcats in the Class D Regional Finals. Eastern was ranked 17th in the final coaches poll. Freesoil, another conference foe who was twice beaten by the Wildcats, finished as an honorable mention in that poll.
“They should be in the Top 10 – especially with their reputation from last year,” Stark added. “If they play like they did tonight, they should go quite far. They’re peaking right now, and they look good.”
Claeys, now a senior, finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds in the game, while Patton added 13 points. Brondstetter, now a starter, scored 10 as did backup Missy Jacobs, a freshman who was 6-for-7 at the free throw line.
Once again, the Quarterfinal contest, also played at Wexford, nearly upset the path to glory.
With 2:33 remaining, Walkerville had lost Patton to fouls. Claeys had played like an All-American, scoring 31 points on the night including 12 of the Wildcats’ 17 points in the fourth quarter, but the outcome of the game with Maple City Glen Lake hinged on the shoulders of Jacobs. The freshman was sent to the foul line with the game knotted 57-57 with 34 seconds to play, and hit the first free throw of a one-and-one opportunity.
“After Jacobs’ second free throw missed the mark and bounced off the rim, Glen Lake rebounded the ball and had two more shots to win the game,” wrote Don Vanderveen for the Muskegon Chronicle, “but missed them both.”
“They had a player that hasn’t played much step up to the foul line, and I felt good about that. But then she canned it,” said Maple City coach Ted Swierad about the 58-57 defeat. “Let’s hand it to those girls from Walkerville. I can’t understand why they’re not rated.”
Patton posted the first triple-double in MHSAA title game history, scoring 14 points, dishing out 11 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds, as Walkerville cruised to a 70-52 win over Portland St. Patrick. Claeys poured in 30 points to become the eighth player in Finals history to reach the 30-point plateau. (Two other players would join that exclusive club by the end of the day.) Stacy Aiken added 20 points.
Claeys earned first team all-state from the AP and second team honors from the Free Press, while Patton was named to the fourth team by the Free Press and was an honorable mention by AP. (A year later as a senior, Patton would earn first-team AP all-state and second team honors from the Free Press.)
“The whole gym was packed; look at the photos. It took so long to get back home. Car after car. Sirens and car horns. All the way from GVSU,” remembered Patton. “I loved to ride the bus together, the team atmosphere, listening to music together.”
The school celebrated the 30-year anniversary of the championships this past January, inviting team members back for a dinner, a meeting with the current team and an introduction at the game.
“I still have my MHSAA sweatshirt, so I wore that,” Claeys said, reminiscing about the time.
“(Both years) we had escorts all the way back,” she continued. “We went the long way. We were tired and hungry, and I remember that first year, my sister Beth (the team’s starting center) joked, ‘We’re never getting off this bus.’”
“We just wanted to get home.”
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Walkerville's 1988 girls basketball team celebrates its second straight Class D title. (2) Angela Frick (21) and her team take on Martin and star Julie Davis (22) in 1987. (3) Coach Greg Gregwer calls the shots from Walkerville's bench. (4) The 1987 Walkerville team. (5) The Wildcats celebrate their 1987 championship game win. (6) The 1988 Walkerville team. (7) Angie Bond (45) pushes the ball upcourt against Johannesburg-Lewiston during the teams' 1987 tournament matchup. (Photos collected by Ron Pesch.)
Breslin Bound: 2023-24 Girls Semifinal Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 20, 2024
The 2023-24 MHSAA winter season will conclude Saturday at Breslin Center with the 50th Girls Basketball Finals.
And there are several reasons these should be just as memorable as the first 51 years ago.
For starters, seven teams are seeking to play in a championship game – and win it all, of course – for the first time.
Rockford, meanwhile, is the only 2023 title winner returning – but all four from 2022 are back looking to finish on top once again.
And Friday’s second Semifinal will be a replay of last year’s 40-36 Rams win over West Bloomfield in the Division 1 championship game, when Rockford didn’t go ahead for good until sinking a 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play.
(This will be the 50th Finals because none were played in 2020 due to COVID-19.)
DIVISION 1 - Friday
Grand Blanc (22-4) vs. Belleville (24-2) - Noon
Rockford (26-1) vs. West Bloomfield (25-1) - 2 p.m.
DIVISION 2 - Friday
Negaunee (26-1) vs. Detroit Edison (21-3) - 5:30 p.m.
Grand Rapids West Catholic (26-1) vs Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (27-0) - 7:30 p.m.
DIVISION 3 - Thursday
Niles Brandywine (25-1) vs Lake City (25-2) - Noon
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (18-9) vs Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (23-4) - 2 p.m.
DIVISION 4 - Thursday
Ishpeming (26-1) vs Fowler (24-3) - 5:30 p.m.
Frankfort (22-5) vs Kingston (26-1) - 7:30 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1 - 12:15 p.m.
Division 2 - 6:15 p.m.
Division 3 - 4 p.m.
Division 4 - 10 a.m.
Tickets for this weekend’s games are $12 for both Semifinals and Finals and available via the Breslin Center ticket office; for information and links visit the Girls Basketball page.
All Semifinals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv, and all four Finals will air live Saturday on Bally Sports Detroit – Divisions 4 and 1 on the primary channel and Divisions 2 and 3 on BSD Extra – as well as on the BSD website and app. Audio broadcasts of all Semifinals and Finals will be available free of charge from the MHSAA Network.
The Girls Basketball Semifinals & Finals are sponsored by Sparrow Health System.
Here’s a look at the 16 semifinalists (with rankings by MPR and statistics through Regional Finals for most teams):
Division 1
BELLEVILLE
Record/rank: 24-2, No. 4
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association East and overall
Coach: Jason Wilkins, fourth season (66-19)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 44-39 over No. 30 Holt in Quarterfinal, 49-38 over No. 17 Saline in District Final, 61-23 over No. 25 Canton in Regional Final, 54-46 over No. 15 Howell, 59-31and 61-50 over No. 16 Wayne Memorial, 64-44 over Division 2 No. 3 Detroit Country Day.
Players to watch: Sydney Savoury, 6-0 fr. G (25 ppg, 7.0 rpg); SeCrette Carter, 5-8 soph. G (14 ppg); Daria Shelby, 5-7 sr. G (11 ppg, 5.0 rpg).
Outlook: Belleville is making its first trip to the Semifinals, after winning its first Regional title since 2001, but perhaps with more in store as Savoury is among the state’s elite freshmen and Shelby the team’s only senior starter. The Tigers’ only losses were to Mason (Ohio) in mid-January and Edison near the end of the regular season, and Holt was the first playoff opponent to give Belleville a single-digit game. Junior guard Rylan Buschell adds another 10 points and seven assists per contest. Wilkins formerly was the varsity coach at Dearborn Heights Robichaud for six seasons and has led the Tigers to add to their win total every year under his leadership. Shelby has signed with Nebraska-Omaha.
GRAND BLANC
Record/rank: 22-4, No. 9
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Coach: Bob Taylor, first season (22-4)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 49-27 over No. 8 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek in Quarterfinal, 44-42 over No. 10 Clarkston in Regional Final, 44-39 over No. 15 Howell in Regional Semifinal, 45-37 over No. 6 Midland Dow, 62-40 over No. 14 Traverse City Central, 52-40 over No. 26 East Lansing, 47-46 over Division 2 No. 25 Flint Powers Catholic.
Players to watch: Chelsea Bishop, 5-10 sr. G (17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.2 spg); Rayven McQueen, 6-0 jr. F (10.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.3 spg); Malaya Brown, 5-9 jr. G (8.1 ppg, .6 rpg, 2.7 spg).
Outlook: Grand Blanc’s only other trip to the Semifinals came in 1977, but the Bobcats have been building toward this with 18 and 19 wins the last two seasons. Taylor has won nearly 1,000 games between the high school and college levels and took Oakland University’s women’s team to the Division II Final Four in 1990. Grand Blanc is 19-2 over its last 21 games, the losses during that run to Goodrich by two points and West Bloomfield at the end of the regular season. Sophomore guard Parc Liggins (7.3 ppg, 27 3-pointers) and senior guard/forward Kate DeWitt (6.7, 29) round out a starting lineup filled with scoring options. Bishop has signed with Alabama A&M.
ROCKFORD
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Brad Wilson, seventh season (134-34)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2023.
Best wins: 52-36 (Quarterfinal), 70-54 and 61-42 over No. 11 Holland West Ottawa, 39-22 over No. 6 Midland Dow in Regional Final, 62-54 over No. 5 East Kentwood, 48-39 and 55-38 over No. 13 Grand Haven, 62-34 over No. 24 Byron Center, 55-48 over Division 2 No. 16 Lansing Catholic, 49-36 over Division 2 No. 8 Chelsea, 71-57 over Division 2 No. 3 Grand Rapids West Catholic, 67-44 over Division 2 No. 2 Frankenmuth.
Players to watch: Anna Wypych, 6-0 jr. G (16.5 ppg, 40 3-pointers, 3.2 apg); Grace Lyons, 5-9 sr. G (10 ppg, 47 3-pointers, 4.6 rpg); Kate Higgins, 6-0 soph. C (6.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
Outlook: The Rams have two starters back from last season’s championship game win and 25 of their 40 points from that victory including Lyons’ go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play. That would be three starters and 31 points returning with 6-0 sophomore Sienna Wolfe (13.1 ppg, 42 3-pointers, 4.1 rpg), who was injured during the first District game and hasn’t returned. Lyons became the program’s all-time leading scorer this season and Rockford has continued to test itself against top competition, with the lone loss to East Kentwood and avenged a month later. Higgins and 5-10 sophomore forward Jordan Mateer (6.2 ppg, 32 3-pointers) provide additional boosts. Lyons has committed to Ferris State.
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Darrin McAllister, third season (74-4)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2022, Division 1 runner-up 2023, Class A runner-up 1989.
Best wins: 54-32 over No. 12 Temperance Bedford in Quarterfinal, 61-48 over No. 3 Detroit Renaissance in Regional Semifinal, 67-28 over No. 9 Grand Blanc, 78-16 and 60-19 over No. 8 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 73-33 and 66-15 over No. 10 Clarkston, 67-27 over No. 23 Salem, 61-42 over Division 2 No. 1 Detroit Edison, 60-37 over Division 2 No. 5 Detroit Country Day.
Players to watch: Summer Davis, 5-9 sr. G (17.9 ppg, 68 3-pointers, 4.0 apg, 4.4 spg); Indya Davis, 5-9 sr. G/F (15.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.8 spg); Kendall Hendrix, 5-9 sr. F (12.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg).
Outlook: West Bloomfield’s run under McAllister has been unprecedented in program history, as the Lakers followed up their 2022 title by finishing runner-up in 2023 and enter this weekend with the lone loss this season to Whitehouse Anthony Wayne from Ohio. The Davis twins were Miss Basketball Award finalists and will continue their careers together at Georgia, and Hendrix and senior guard Destiny Washington (7.6 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.9 spg) also started during last year’s Breslin run and were top subs the championship season. Sophomore guard Sheridan Beal (7.6 ppg) has moved into the lineup this winter, adding to a starting group that as a whole had made 50 percent of its shots from the floor entering this week. Hendrix has signed with Loyola of Chicago.
Division 2
ANN ARBOR FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD
Record/rank: 27-0, No. 4
League finish: First in Catholic High School League Central and Bishop Tournament
Coach: Tim Cain, fifth season (87-26)
Championship history: Class D champion 1993, runner-up 1981.
Best wins: 50-45 over No. 6 Tecumseh in Quarterfinal, 70-28 over No. 14 Redford Westfield Prep in Regional Final, 43-30 over No. 16 Lansing Catholic, 56-41 over No. 13 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 54-39 over Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Renaissance, 65-45 over Division 1 No. 6 Midland Dow, 50-35 over Division 3 No. 1 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep.
Players to watch: Vanessa Rodriguez, 5-5 soph. G (13.5 ppg, 50 3-pointers, 4.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 3.5 spg); Charlotte Miller, 5-8 jr. G (11.2 ppg, 49 3-pointers, 4.5 apg); Cora Williams, 6-0 jr. C (10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg).
Outlook: Father Gabriel Richard will play its first Semifinal since 1993 but has built to this moment also reaching the Quarterfinals in 2021 and then adding to its win total all of the next three seasons. Only Tecumseh and Farmington Hills Mercy have gotten within single digits of the Irish. Rodriguez made the all-state first team as a freshman and leads a lineup with only one senior starter, center Veronica Fredericks (5.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg). Sophomore guard Ava Rodriguez (9.1 ppg, 40 3-pointers, 3.3 apg) and junior forward Saige Edmondson (7.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) are two more reasons to be optimistic this weekend and for the future.
DETROIT EDISON
Record/rank: 21-3, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Coach: Monique Brown, 12th season (216-47)
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2022).
Best wins: 50-33 over No. 7 Goodrich in Quarterfinal, 59-57 (Regional Semifinal) and 62-53 over No. 5 Detroit Country Day, 64-57 over No. 13 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 57-46 over Division 1 No. 4 Belleville, 65-41 over Division 1 No. 16 Wayne Memorial, 46-38 over Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Renaissance, 58-46 over Division 3 No. 1 Ypsilanti Arbor Prep.
Players to watch: Isis Johnson-Musah, 5-9 jr. G (16.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg); Devin Hagemann, 5-5 sr. G (10.2 ppg, 3.5 apg); Nabrea Lane, 5-7 sr. F (6.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg).
Outlook: After ending last season in the Regional Finals, Edison is back at Breslin with Hagemann and senior guard Na’kiya Bonner (7.2 ppg, 3.3 apg) having started on the 2022 championship team and senior guard Myana Cooksey (5.9 ppg) a top sub as a sophomore that season. The only in-state losses this winter came to West Bloomfield and Frankenmuth, and the Pioneers went 5-1 against a tough slate of out-of-state opponents. Hagemann has signed with East Carolina, Cooksey has signed with Niagara and Bonner will continue at Indiana Tech.
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 3
League finish: First in O-K Blue
Coach: Jill VanderEnde, 10th season (169-56)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1990), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 35-27 over No. 12 Vicksburg in Quarterfinal, 48-36 (Regional Final), 45-37 and 58-21 over No. 22 Spring Lake, 43-36 (District Final) and 60-54 over No. 13 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 41-19 and 41-33 (OT) over No. 19 Holland Christian, 52-47 over Division 1 No. 11 Holland West Ottawa, 49-35 over Division 1 No. 33 Muskegon.
Players to watch: Elisha Dykstra, 6-0 jr. F (11.4 ppg, 4.0 apg); Reese Polega, 6-0 sr. G (11.2 ppg, 45 3-pointers, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg); Alexis Asekomeh, 5-10 fr. F (9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Outlook: West Catholic is a combined 52-2 over the last two seasons, its only loss a year ago to Lansing Catholic in a Semifinal and its only defeat this winter to Rockford in December. West Catholic also went 25-2 in 2021-22 in finishing Division 2 runner-up to Edison, and Dykstra has started during all three runs while Polega and junior guard Anna Ignatoski (8.5 ppg) were top subs two seasons ago. Polega and senior forward Emma Tuttle (5.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg) joined the starting lineup a year ago, and senior guard Rebecca Tuttle (5.4 ppg) and junior guard Paige Seely-London (7.0 ppg, 41 3-pointers) have built up plenty of experience over the last two championship pursuits. Dykstra made the all-state second team in 2022-23. Polega has signed with Purdue-Fort Wayne.
NEGAUNEE
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 11
League finish: Tied for first in Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East
Coach: Mike O’Donnell, fifth season (95-22)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 50-45 over No. 25 Flint Powers Catholic in Quarterfinal, 38-21 over No. 26 Sault Ste. Marie in District Final, 54-41 over No. 29 Houghton, 57-50 over Division 3 No. 17 Manton, 65-56 over Division 4 No. 1 Ishpeming, 63-48 over Division 4 No. 13 Baraga.
Players to watch: Ella Mason, 5-8 sr. G (19.7 ppg, 50 3-pointers, 4.8 rpg); Aubrey Johnson, 5-7 jr. G (9.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.3 spg); Callie Rajala, 5-10 sr. G (7.6 ppg, 32 3-pointers).
Outlook: Negaunee moved into Division 2 from Division 3 this season and not only reached the Quarterfinals for the first time since 1998 but will play in its first Semifinal as well. Mason made the Division 3 all-state second team last season and has played a sizable role in helping the Miners take these next steps after reaching Regional Finals the last two seasons. Negaunee’s only defeat this winter was to Ishpeming, by four points and avenged a month later. The Miners have had only three single-digit games aside from that loss and total given up an average of 35 points per game this season.
Division 3
LAKE CITY
Record/rank: 25-2, No. 5
League finish: First in Highland Conference
Coach: Bill Tisron, 10th season (183-44)
Championship history: Class D champion 1976.
Best wins: 36-28 (Quarterfinal) and 44-40 over No. 6 Elk Rapids, 54-41 over No. 12 Sanford Meridian in Regional Final, 44-28 (Regional Semifinal), 37-29 and 68-34 over No. 17 Manton, 47-30 (District Final) and 51-31 over No. 20 Evart, 49-37 over No. 11 Morley Stanwood, 49-36 over Division 2 No. 23 Hart.
Players to watch: MacKenzie Bisballe, 6-1 sr. G (22.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.0 spg, 1.6 bpg); Alison Bisballe, 6-4 sr. F (11.4 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 4.2 bpg); Payton Hogan, 6-0 sr. F (7.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg).
Outlook: Losses to Frankenmuth and Evart the first week of this season were just a warmup, as Lake City hasn’t been defeated since and downed Evart twice including in their District Final on the way to returning to the Semifinals for the first time since 2019. The Trojans have clear inside presence outrebounding their opponents by nearly 10 per game and with Alison Bisballe leading an effort that’s seen 7.2 shots blocked per contest as well. MacKenzie Bisballe made the all-state first team last season and has signed with Grand Valley State, and cousin Alison Bisballe signed with Wisconsin.
NILES BRANDYWINE
Record/rank: 25-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Lakeland Conference
Coach: Josh Hood, 16th season (329-49)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 43-34 over No. 23 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian in Quarterfinal, 59-42 over No. 4 Kalamazoo Christian in Regional Final, 45-43 over No. 3 Blissfield, 62-52 over Division 2 No. 23 Hart, 70-44 over Division 4 No. 2 Colon.
Players to watch: Ellie Knapp, 5-6 sr. G (14 ppg, 40 3-pointers, 4.6 apg, 3.8 spg); Miley Young, 5-6 jr. G (9.4 ppg, 2.8 apg); Kadence Brumitt, 5-10 sr. F (8.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg).
Outlook: Brandywine won its first Regional title since 2019 and will play in its first Semifinal since 2016. Its only loss this season came to Division 2 Vicksburg, which also reached the Quarterfinals this week. Aside from that loss, Covenant Christian and Blissfield are the only teams that have given the Bobcats single-digit games this winter – and Brandywine is allowing only 29.5 points per game. Knapp and Brumitt are the team’s only seniors, and Knapp will continue her career at Holy Cross College (Ind.) with Brumitt set to play volleyball at Valparaiso. Junior guard Adelyn Drotoz (6.6 ppg, 42 3-pointers) combines with Knapp to stretch defenses, and junior guard Adeline Gill fills out the starting lineup adding six more points a game.
ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST
Record/rank: 18-9, No. 55
League finish: Second in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Coach: Jimmy Mehlberg, 10th season (147-73)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 38-16 over No. 14 Sandusky in Quarterfinal, 59-48 over No. 73 New Haven in Regional Semifinal, 52-50 over No. 30 Plymouth Christian Academy, 47-43 over Division 4 No. 27 Genesee Christian, 43-38 over Division 4 No. 32 Dryden.
Players to watch: Morgan Griswold, jr. F (8.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.3 spg); Keaira Spiehs, 5-8 fr. C (7.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.1 bpg); Charlotte Gramzow, 5-10 soph. F (9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Outlook: Lutheran Northwest last week won its first Regional title and made this run even more memorable Tuesday reaching the Semifinals by handing Sandusky just its second loss this season. The Crusaders started with their fifth District title under Mehlberg and opened the playoffs by avenging a regular-season defeat to Madison Heights Bishop Foley, which made the Semifinals last season. Guard Aliya Ozias is the team’s only senior, and sophomore forward Addie Troska adds another 5.9 ppg off the bench. Mehlberg is assisted in part by his father Ed – who led the Auburn Hills Oakland Christian girls and boys teams to a combined record of 922-323 over nearly four decades.
YPSILANTI ARBOR PREP
Record/rank: 23-4, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Coach: Scott Stine, seventh season (139-34)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 38-34 over No. 16 New Lothrop in Quarterfinal, 56-28 over No. 41 Brooklyn Columbia Central in Regional Final, 43-34 over No. 18 Grass Lake in District Final, 55-33 over No. 30 Plymouth Christian Academy in District Semifinal, 61-39 and 59-29 over Division 3 No. 26 Stockbridge, 59-56 over Division 1 No. 16 Wayne Memorial, 51-46 over Division 1 No. 32 Lowell, 39-36 over Division 2 No. 14 Redford Westfield Prep, 51-43 over Division 2 No. 25 Flint Powers Catholic, 53-40 over Division 2 No. 27 Lake Fenton.
Players to watch: Stephanie Utomi, 5-11 sr. F (12.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.7 spg, 1.1 bpg); Stacy Utomi, 5-10 sr. F. (10.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg); Taylor Wallace, 5-6 sr. G (13.1 ppg, 87 3-pointers).
Outlook: Arbor Prep is back at the Semifinals for the fourth time in Stine’s seven seasons and after last year’s run ended in a Regional Final. Stephanie Utomi made the all-state first team last season and with twin Stacy also started on the 2022 championship team, with Wallace and junior guard Eliza Bush (4.0 apg) coming off the bench in that title game. The Gators’ only losses this winter were to Division 1 and 2 opponents, including once apiece to Detroit Edison and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard. The Utomi twins both have signed with Mercer.
Division 4
FOWLER
Record/rank: 24-3, No. 5
League finish: Second in Central Michigan Athletic Conference
Coach: Nathan Goerge, 14th season (202-125)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 51-32 over No. 15 Mendon in Quarterfinal, 72-38 over No. 8 Gobles in Regional Final, 64-58 (District Final) and 69-63 over No. 3 Portland St. Patrick, 40-34 over Division 3 No. 16 New Lothrop, 46-41 (OT) and 58-34 over Division 3 No. 29 Bath, 49-43 and 37-35 over Division 3 No. 35 Pewamo-Westphalia, 47-33 over Division 3 No. 26 Stockbridge.
Players to watch: Katie Spicer, 5-7 jr. G (11.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.4 apg); Grace O’Hare, 5-10 sr. F (8.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg); Brooke Weber, 5-8 jr. F (7.6 ppg, 50 3-pointers).
Outlook: Fowler is making its fifth-straight trip to the Semifinals (not counting COVID-canceled 2020) and just missed making a third-consecutive Final last year, falling by two points to Baraga in the Semifinal. The Eagles are seeking their third Division 4 title in four seasons after winning back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. After opening this winter with a loss to Division 1 Midland Dow, Fowler fell only to Division 3 Dansville and rival St. Patrick and avenged both. O’Hare and senior center Rebecca Smith (4.8 rpg) both played more than a quarter of last year’s Semifinal, and freshman guard Isabella Halfmann (6.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.5 spg) has provided a boost as a major part of a mostly new rotation.
FRANKFORT
Record/rank: 22-5, No. 23
League finish: Third in Northwest Conference
Coach: Tim Reznich, 22nd season (371-147)
Championship history: Class D champion 2006 and 2005.
Best wins: 56-46 over No. 12 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in Quarterfinal, 64-37 over No. 31 Gaylord St. Mary in Regional Final, 45-42 over No. 10 Maple City Glen Lake in Regional Semifinal, 53-47 (District Final) and 57-53 over No. 24 Onekama, 59-45 over No. 21 St. Ignace, 39-35 over Division 2 No. 38 Kingsley.
Players to watch: Evelyn VanTol, 5-11 sr. F/C (14.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg); Savina Anhalt, 5-11 jr. F (11.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 3.8 spg, 2.9 bpg); Addison Jarosz, 5-10 soph. F (10.1 ppg, 5.3 ppg, 3.4 spg).
Outlook: Frankfort will play in its first Semifinal since 2015, and it’s been an impressive climb over the last six weeks as the Panthers have won 11 straight games and avenged four of their losses over the second half of the season – including one from Onekama and two to Glen Lake. They’ve continued to excel despite losing starting senior Noelle Rommell to injury at the start of the playoffs. VanTol and guard Kylee Harris (7.5 ppg) give the starting lineup two more seniors, and several underclassmen are part of the rotation and gaining valuable experience.
ISHPEMING
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 1
League finish: Tied for first in West-PAC East
Coach: Ryan Reichel, ninth season (119-76)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 65-45 over No. 21 St. Ignace in Quarterfinal, 70-42 over No. 29 Ewen-Trout Creek in Regional Final, 79-46 over Carney-Nadeau in Regional Semifinal, 63-31 (District Final) and 70-43 over No. 13 Baraga, 78-32 over No. 36 Munising, 54-51 over Division 3 No. 19 Bark River-Harris, 61-50 over Division 2 No. 29 Houghton, 57-53 over Division 2 No. 11 Negaunee.
Players to watch: Jenessa Eagle, 5-7 soph G (16 ppg, 63 3-pointers, 4.5 rpg, 4.3 apg, 3.8 spg); Jenna Maki, 5-10 sr. G (15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 spg); Mya Hemmer, 6-1 soph. F (10.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.1 spg, 1.4 bpg).
Outlook: Ishpeming has made a significant jump from five wins just four seasons ago to 12, then 16 and now 26 as the Hematites head into their first Semifinal after winning their first Regional title since 1974. More than half the roster (7 of 12) is made up of seniors, but with the key sophomores helping lead the way. Senior 5-10 forward Addie Morton is another contributor in the post at 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. The team’s only loss came to Negaunee, playing in Division 2 this weekend, but only two other games (and against only other opponent) were decided by single digits.
KINGSTON
Record/rank: 26-1, No. 4
League finish: First in North Central Thumb League Stars
Coach: Jay Green, 17th season (342-59)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 36-21 over No. 28 Morenci in Quarterfinal, 47-26 over No. 6 Clarkston Everest Collegiate in Regional Final, 61-44 over Division 1 No. 29 Lake Orion, 48-41 over Division 2 No. 49 Croswell-Lexington, 69-33 over Division 3 No. 21 Harbor Beach.
Players to watch: Delaney St. George, 5-6 sr. G (16.2 ppg, 84 3-pointers, 3.0 apg); Molly Walker, 5-9 soph. F (13 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 3.3 spg); Gracy Walker, 5-8 sr. G (7.8 ppg, 5.7 apg).
Outlook: After just missing making the Semifinals last season with a four-point Quarterfinal loss to Fowler, Kingston is back for the first time since 2019 and with its only defeat to Division 2 Goodrich – which suffered its only loss in a Division 2 Quarterfinal this week. St. George made the all-state second team last season, and her 84 3-pointers entering the week were 12th-most for one season in MHSAA history. She and Gracy Walker are joined by two more seniors in the starting lineup and another playing major minutes off the bench. Forward Abby Walker is another of those senior starters and adds 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game; she, Gracy and Molly Walker are sisters. Kingston has won 12 straight league titles under Green.
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Edison's Na'kiya Bonner (12) passes to teammate Devin Hagemann during Tuesday's Quarterfinal win over Goodrich. (Middle) Fowler's Elizabeth Hufnagel eyes her next move during a Regional Final win over Gobles. (Top photo by Terry Lyons; middle photo by Kolleth Photography.)