CLASS A STATE FINALS

 

Grosse Pointe North and East Lansing have both sat on top of statewide rankings all season.  Both teams are also very young and could very easily be right back next year.  But this, is this year, and both teams laid it on the line in the Class A State Championship.  The teams traded bucket for bucket as the score stayed tied at 17-17 after one quarter and for most of the second quarter. 

Grosse Pointe made it no secret who their star was, as Ariel Braker logged in 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals in the first half while East Lansing used more of a balanced attack with Klarissa Bell and Sami Tucker both going for nine and eight points respectfully.

With 12 seconds left till halftime, East Lansing called a time out to set up a play for the last shot but Grosse Pointe switched defenses to a half court trap and Braker made a steal that resulted in a lay-up to give her Norseman a 28-26 half time lead.  

In the third quarter Bell reminded everyone that Braker wasn’t the only sophomore star on the floor.  She started to make plays on both ends of the court while taking over the defensive duties of slowing down Braker.  The switch worked as East Lansing regained the lead off of a Bell 10-footer but the move was also a gamble as Bell picked up her fourth foul with 1:07 left in the third.

When Bell went to the bench she took a piece of the team with her.  A Jasmine Kennedy bucket ignited a Norseman run, and an Olivia Stander 3-pointer ended the run with Grosse Pointe controlling a 47-40 lead.  A Braker block turned into a Braker basket to give the Norseman a double digit lead and East Lansing couldn’t recover as Grosse Pointe went on to win the Class A Title 58-46.

 

BREAKDOWN

Game Ball- Ariel Braker #44 15 points, 16 boards, 8 steals, 5 assist, and 4 blocks…Oh yeah, don’t forget she’s only a sophomore.  This is going to be one of those “special” players that come around every so often.  Braker can play outside and inside the paint and she just has a knack for rebounding.       

Jasmine Kennedy, #30 G.P.N.- the forward compliments Braker well.  When teams try to double down on Braker, Kennedy knows how to get open and Braker knows how to find her.  Kennedy added 13 points and 8 boards.

Olivia Stander, #20, G.P.N.- the junior guard is a tough player that has a high basketball I.Q.  She only connected on 1-of-7 3-pointers but she still chipped in with 9 points.  The difference was her 4 steals, 4 assist, and 3 rebounds. 

East Lansing- 20 turnovers killed East Lansing, and most of them came from their leading players.  They will loose shooter Rachel Woodruff but the Trojans bring back everyone else next year.  Bell and Tucker could easily carry the Trojans back to the title game.

 

CLASS B STATE FINALS

The final game to be played was the Class B State Championship between Country Day and Detroit Community.  This game has been highly anticipated since the year started.  The two Class B teams are the top two teams in the state regardless of class.  Both teams have been putting up huge numbers while just blowing out the competition. 

So when the halftime score read 19-11, it left everyone in shock.  Both teams came out, with probably, too much respect for the other.  Neither team wanted to attack the basket so the both just settled for jump shots.  Country Day’s Madison Williams let Community know early that the paint was closed as she blocked three shots in the first quarter. 

Erica Solomon put her Yellowjackets up 10 points in the third with a pair of free throws.  Inqiuia Snell and Ashley Watson both hit 3-pointers in the final minute of the third quarter to keep Community within reach at 32-25.

In the fourth quarter Community got within six points five times but the Yellowjackets came up with a big play every time.  A Crystal Bradford 3-pointer for Community made the score 44-37 with 1:25 to play but Country Day ran the clock out and closed the game out at the free throw line for their second straight State Championship.      

 

BREAKDOWN

Game Ball- Madison Williams #40 the sophomore center only scored 6 points but her 8 points and 8 blocks was the reason her team won.  Williams blocked 8 shots but she kept Community out of the paint and she challenged every shot Community took near the paint. 

Amber Moore, #44 C.D.- the junior wing used her fundamental skills to get an advantage over the faster Community team.  She doesn’t waste any dribbles and she has a flamer of a jumper from mid-range.

Inqiuia Snell, #1 Community- the point guard barely played in the semi-finals due to foul trouble but she played her part with 13 points and 6 rebounds.  She lacks big time speed but she is very crafty with the ball.

Crystal Bradford, #23 Community- “The Entertainer” led her team with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals.  She was the only Community player that felt comfortable attacking Williams in the paint.  She also stepped out and hit three 3-pointers.

 

CLASS C: STATE FINALS

Nouvel has been determined to repeat as State Champs and the Panthers have dominated their opponents since the tournament started so why should the Championship game be any different?   Nouvel pulled away in the second half for a 73-42 win to claim the “Back-to-Back” State Championships. 

Galesburg-Augusta struggled, but found a way, to keep the game close early.  The Panthers used a 6-0 run to get up eight points with baskets from Jenny Ryan and Kate McDonald.  Two more buckets from McDonald, to end the half, gave Nouvel a 28-17 halftime lead.

In the second half Augusta put their focus on Ryan and tried to take her out of the game.  What it did though was leave Kelly Kretz with only one player to guard her, and Kretz made them pay.  Five straight times down the floor Nouvel gave Kretz the ball in the post, and the senior wing produced.  By time Kretz had finished her damage Nouvel was up 50-33 heading into the fourth. 

Nouvel pulled their starters with three minutes to play and the celebration began! 

 

BREAKDOWN

Game Ball- Kelly Kretz the senior finished her career with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assist, and 3 steals while hitting 10-of-10 free throws.  She was Nouvel’s reason for pulling away like they did in the second half.   

Jenny Ryan, #24 Nouvel- for the second straight year Ryan has lead Nouvel to the promise land, what does she have in store for her senior year?  Could it be a Brad Redford type season? Ryan again dominated and “only” had to score 15 points but she also had 12 steals and 4 assist.  

Jessi Franz, #34 Nouvel- not a bad way to start off a career, the freshman started all year for Nouvel and she got better and better each game.  Franz didn’t put up big stats in the Championship but she was a force inside that Nouvel strongly relied on.

 

CLASS D STATE FINALS

Sacred Heart came in hoping their Batman and Robin tandem of, the Class D Player of the Year Kelsey DeNoyelles, and Rachel Jaksa would be enough to counter New Lothrop’s “team” approach.  Unfortunately it wasn’t enough as the Hornets showed Sacred Heart that five players always stands above two All-Staters, as New Lothrop used a 42-26 victory to run away with the Class D State Championship. 

DeNoyelles scored seven first quarter points to leave the teams deadlocked at 13 after one quarter was in the books.  In the second quarter New Lothrop did what they have done all season, and that’s put teams away with their patient offensive sets.  A 3-pointer from Kayla Knieper gave New Lothrop an 18-15 lead.  The Irish bounced back with a pair of free throws from Maureen Riley and a basket from Elizabeth Ebright to take a 19-18 halftime lead.

The Hornets continued to run their offense to perfection as they started and finished the third quarter with 6-0 runs to take a 28-25 lead into the half.  Kayla Gross and Amber Sammons paced New Lothrop with their steady play in the third quarter.      

After trailing 31-25 midway through the fourth quarter, the Irish fought back to tie the score at 31-31.  With 2:10 on the clock, New Lothrop struck a dagger through the Irish’s heart with Gross 3-pointer.  Sacred Heart never got within three points as the Hornets finished off the Irish from the charity stripe. 

 

BREAKDOWN

Game Ball- Kayla Gross #23 every shot she hit came up huge for the Hornets.  She finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds while hitting 4-of-7 3-pointers.  In the second half Gross played the high post, forcing Sacred Heart to double team her, Gross simply found the open teammate.   

New Lothrop- the Hornets run their offense better than any team in the state, any player on the floor can hit the open shot.  They aren’t big in size but the Hornets are as fundamental as you can get and they play just as hard. 

M.P.S.H.- give the Irish credit for crawling back to tie the score at 31-31 but after Gross hit the go ahead 3-pointer, the Irish just jacked up 3’s of their own to try and tie the score.  They should have got the easy lay-up and just fouled- playing possession for possession. 

Ashley Root, #33 NL- the junior combo guard only scored two points but her presence was felt.  She limited DeNoyelles into 6-of-17 shooting while also breaking the Irish’s full court press. 

Kelsey DeNoyelles, #23 SH- the C.M.U. commit lead the Irish with 14 points even though she cooled off after a seven point first quarter performance.  To her credit, New Lothrop doubled her every time she touched the ball.