CLASS A SEMI-FINALS

Game 1: Arthur Hill vs. East Lansing

Playing in the semis is nothing new for Arthur Hill, so the Lady Jacks quickly jumped out on the young but talented East Lansing team.  Arthur Hill went inside and fed their 6-3 workhorse, Juanita Cochran.  Cochran helped give her Lumberjacks a 10-2 lead.  Half way through the first quarter East Lansing found their grove and the Trojans exploded on a 12-6 run.  East Lansing tied the game at 17-17 heading into the second, primarily due to the play of their athletic sophomore Klarissa Bell. 

The second and third quarters were like a track meet as both teams favored the fast pace.  East Lansing started to pull away in the third until Arthur Hill again went inside to Cochran.  The junior scored six straight baskets to give Arthur Hill the lead.

Arthur Hill controlled the lead till late in the fourth when a steal and basket by Bell cut the lead to two points.  Sami Tucker’s basket gave East Lansing a 52-51 lead with 1:11 left to play.  Arthur Hill’s Britney Murphy drive and basket gave her Jacks a 53-52 lead with 9 seconds left. 

Tucker then got fouled on an off balanced shot but she missed both free throws.  After a scramble, a jump ball was called giving East Lansing the possession with 6 seconds on the clock.  East Lansing’s Victoria Lipscomb threw up a desperation shot and it was clearly blocked by Cochran, but the ref saw different as a foul was called.  Lipscomb calmly sank both shots sending East Lansing to the State Championship with a 54-53 win.         

 

Breakdown

Game Ball- Victoria Lipscomb #30 with two ticks left the junior calmly sank both free throws to give her team the lead and a trip into the Class A State Finals. 

Arthur Hill- this was the Jacks third straight semi-final lost but this was had to hurt the worse.  In my opinion that foul in the end was week and the refs robbed Arthur Hill.     

Juanita Cochran, #44 Hill- led the Jacks with 19 points and 15 boards.  But in the final minutes, after her team went into a stall, they quit going inside to their force in the paint.  Cochran had an exceptional tourney run and she has proven that she is one of the top players in Michigan.

Britney Murphy, #32 Hill- the All-Stater will now take her game to St. Johns and she had a heck of a career as a Jack.  She had 15 points while running the point. 

Klarissa Bell, #21 E.L.- the sophomore was unstoppable in the first half, where she tallied 16 of her 18 points.  She can play anywhere from the point to the small forward.  She gets up and down the floor and knows hot to finish in traffic. 

 

Game 2: Grosse Pointe North vs. North Farmington

The second Class A semi-final didn’t have nearly as much drama as the first game but it did have the best one player performance.  Grosse Pointe North was single handily lead by Ariel Braker.  The sophomore can play any position on the court.  North Farmington hung with the Norseman early on as they only trailed 11-8 at the end of the first.

An offensive rebound and put back along with a 16 foot jumper, both from Braker, gave Grosse Pointe a 30-16 lead at the half.

In the third quarter Grosse Point built their lead to 20 points, primarily from Braker’s ability to dominate the boards and then instantly push the ball up the floor.  At the end of three quarters, Grosse Pointe led 51-25.  With four minutes left in the game the Norseman cleared their bench and put their focus into the State Championship game.

 

CLASS B SEMI-FINALS

Breakdown

Game Ball- Ariel Braker #44 the 6-1 point forward is one of the state’s best players regardless of class, she simply overwhelmed the Raiders with skills.  She had 21 points, 19 rebounds, and 8 steals going into the fourth quarter.     

Grosse Pointe North- the Norseman will have an advantage over East Lansing in the finals because they didn’t have to waste as much energy to get their win. 

Jasmine Kennedy, #30 GPN- Kennedy is just an athlete but she uses those skills under the basket.  She helped Braker dominate the glass as she chipped in with 9 points and 13 rebounds.

Game 1: Detroit Community vs. Portland

Community is so used to just blowing teams out, that they were a little uncomfortable when they saw Portland matching basket for basket early on.  After a time out Community sent, Crystal Bradford to the court and the freshman led the Hurricanes on a 7-0 run to end the first quarter, giving Community a 17-8 lead after one quarter of play.

 

A steal and assist from Portland’s Ashleigh Seal along with a 3-pointer from Lindsey Pettit fired up the Raiders crowd as Portland cut into the lead, 28-20, at halftime.

 

In the second half Community surprised everyone by slowing down the pace of the game, the Hurricanes were very effective as they took their time to run their offense and find high percentage shots.  Community built a 12 point lead, forcing Portland to try and press the Hurricanes.  Community had no problems breaking the press as they cruised to a 46-31 win.     

Breakdown

 

Game Ball- Crystal Bradford #23 the freshman wasn’t shell shocked by the big stage at all, matter of fact she played like she strived for it.  The athletic wing was all over the place as she sparked the Hurricanes with a 14 point, 6 rebound, and 6 steal performance.    

 

Nya Jordan, #10 Canes- the junior post player is listed at 6-0 but she might be closer to 5-10, although the height doesn’t matter because she is very effective.  She has a mean drop step and has a knack for getting her hands on loose balls.  She added 13 points and 8 rebounds.  

 

Ashleigh Seal, #0 Portland- Seal fouled out and failed to score but she game her team confidence from the opening jump by physically not backing down from Community.  She pushed back and threw elbow for elbow as she let the Hurricanes know that her team wasn’t scared of them.

 

Game 2: Country Day vs. Holland Christian

Talking about cruising through a semi-final game, that’s exactly what Country Day did.  The Yellowjackets just overwhelmed Holland Christian with their talent.  Holland played a solid schedule this season but they hadn’t seen a team as skilled as Country Day, and it showed as Holland quickly fell behind 11-0 before Courtney Mast’s free throw got her Maroons on the board. 

Erica Solomon and Sharena Taylor pushed the ball up and down the floor for Country Day, and the Yellowjackets controlled a 15-4 lead after one.  There was no let up in the second quarter as Country Day got up 27-6 before they started to go deep into the bench.  Country Day cruised the remainder of the game for a 66-28 win.

 

Breakdown

 

Game Ball- Erica Solomon #54 the Notre Dame commit is a load in the paint and she has great court awareness and anticipation.  Her ability to control the paint allows M. Williams to put her focus on blocking shots.  Solomon also is skilled enough to push the ball up the court and become a playmaker.  Her athletic skills were too much for Holland to handle.  She had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and at least one mark in every other stat category.   

 

Madison Williams, #30 CD- the 6-6 sophomore is athletic, and as she starts to grow into her body she is becoming one of the nation’s top players.  She added 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

 

Amber Moore, #44 CD-the junior wing has a dangerous mid-range game.  When she is on the wing she can score anyway she wants to.  Moore also added 15 points.    

 

Sharena Taylor, #3 CD- the electrifying point guard would average 20 points on any other team in Michigan but she is content on just running the show at Country Day.  She can quickly get the ball up the floor and she can’t easily get into the paint.

 

 

CLASS C SEMI-FINALS

Game 1: Cabrini vs. Galesburg-Augusta

Allen Park Cabrini and Galesburg-Augusta kicked off the girls’ State Finals Thursday afternoon at Eastern Michigan.   Augusta got caught up in the big time atmosphere and started the game out slow.  Cabrini jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind the play of senior wing Amanda Chidester.  Augusta was forced to take a time out, but fortunately it did settle the Rams down.  The Rams responded with a 10-1 run to end the first quarter to control a 10-1 lead.

The Rams also limited the Monarchs with an aggressive 2-3 zone that forced Cabrini to only shot 31% from the field in the first half.

Cabrini was able to regain the lead 18-17 going into the half thanks to the play of Chidester and point guard Lindsey Pettit.  Chidester was able to get inside the Rams zone while Pettit was able to swing the ball around.

In the third quarter Chidester really asserted herself as she dominated the glass.  The skilled wing controlled every board and quickly pushed it up the court.  Cabrini used a 30 foot 3-pointer by Kayla Kostich at the end of the third quarter to take a 29-28 lead going into the fourth.

Cabrini build a 6 point lead in the fourth but the Rams would never go away.  With five minutes left in the game the Monarchs went cold, even though they held a 35-30 lead.  Ali Dawson hit a jumper to make the score 36-32 with four minutes to play.   Dawson’s jumper fired up the Ram’s student body and ignited a Ram run. 

The Rams tied the game on a Dawson free throw with 1:12 to play, and then the Rams forced a turnover, giving Augusta the ball back with 30 seconds left to play.  The Rams played for the game’s final shot as Dawson popped up to receive the ball and the guard the drove and pulled up for a floater in the lane with just two seconds to play.  The Monarchs called a time-out but were never able to get a shot off and the Rams will use the 39-37 win to advance into Saturday’s Class C State Championship. 
 

Breakdown

 

Game Ball- Ali Dawson #14 the senior guard came up big by scoring 7 of the Ram’s last 10 points including the game winner with two seconds to play.  She finished with 14 points and 4 assist.

 

Galesburg-Augusta- show them some respect!  The Rams feel they are one of the deepest teams in class C, and they feel they can play with any team around but they get no love or recognition.  Six years ago they finished 0-21 and look how far they have come!

 

Amanda Chidester, #11 Cabrini- the senior wing dominated the game on both ends but she just couldn’t get her outside shot to fall.  She still put up 19 points to go with 18 rebounds.  She impressed the crowd with her inside power and then her ability to push the ball up the floor.

 

Felicia Standley, #24 GA- the 6-0 junior center chipped in with 6 points and 6 rebounds but her biggest task was trying to keep Chidester off of the glass. 

 

 

Game 2: Nouvel vs. Kingsley

Kingsley came into the second semi-final as a huge underdog but the Lady Stags didn’t waste any time to let Nouvel know that they were there to play.  Kinglsey did an impressive job on the boards as they limited Nouvel to one shot on offense and Kinglsey led 8-7 after one quarter of play.

The Lady Panthers woke up in the second quarter as Nouvel stood up to the challenge.  The Nouvel press, led by Class C player of the year, Jenny Ryan forced a handful of turnovers and the Lady Panthers were out and running.  A 3-pointer by Ashley Albito gave Nouvel a 26-23 lead.  And Kelly Kretz’s pull up jump shot gave Nouvel a 28-23 lead at the half. 

Nouvel used a 12-4 run midway through the third quarter to build a double digit lead.  In the half court set Nouvel ran their offense to perfection as they continuously found open lay-ups.  Jessi Franz played big in the third quarter as she crashed the boards and it led to lay-up opportunities for the freshman.

The Panthers used the fourth quarter to flex their muscle as Kinglsey had no answer for the defending State Champs.  Nouvel slowed the pace of the game forcing Kingsley to start fouling.  Nouvel leadership and experience provided poise at the line as the Panthers calmly sunk their free throws in route to their 23^rd win of the season.  The final score read 62-44. 

 

Breakdown

Game Ball- Jenny Ryan, #24- the Class C player of the year “only” scored 16 points but she killed Kingsley in other ways as she had her hands on every loose ball.  Ryan had Kingsley’s guards terrified to even put the ball on the floor.   

Nouvel- the Panthers may have underestimated Kingsley but after they woke up they were all business.  Nouvel used their full court pressure to take control of this game.  The Panthers are now one win away from consecutive State Titles!

Jessi Franz, #34 Nouvel- the freshman knows how to get into position in the post and she has quietly become a key player in the Panther’s success.  She helped lead Nouvel with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

Courtney Stocking, #11 Kingsley- the 6-0 senior center paced her Stags with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assist.  She connected on 7 of her 10 shots.  Stockings did a solid job of setting picks and rolling to the basket.

 

CLASS D SEMI-FINALS

 

Game 1: M.P. Sacred Heart vs. Cedarville

Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart opened up with a 7-0 lead, the A.P. “Class D” player of the year, Kelsey DeNoyelles, led the charge with five of the Irish’s first seven.  After a much needed time out Cedarville regained their composure and fought back to tie the score at 11-11 after one.

Jessica Duncan gave Cedarville a 17-16 lead late in the second quarter but a steal and basket from DeNoyelles gave the Irish an 18-17 lead going into the half. 

Cedarville put their focus on rebounding in the third quarter and that focus helped the Trojans build a seven point lead.  Sacred heart could not get anything to fall in the third quarter and they didn’t get their first point of the second half till the 2:16 mark of the third quarter from a free throw from DeNoyelles.  The Irish forced two turnovers, in the final minute of the third quarter, that lead to easy baskets to trim the Trojan’s lead to 25-23 going into the final eight minutes.

In the fourth quarter Sacred Heart hit the glass hard and ironically the Irish regained the lead.  DeNoyelles came up big again for her team late in the game; she went to the line and hit the first, but missed the second.  She pulled down her own rebound and got fouled going back up. This time she sank both free throws giving Sacred Heart a six point lead with 30 seconds to play.  Sacred Heart went on to win the game 34-26. 

 

Breakdown

Game Ball- Kelsey DeNoyelles #23 the “Class D” player of the year was determined to get her team in the finals.  None of the other Irish could find any kind of rhythm but they knew they just had to follow their star player.  The 5-10 wing scored 15 points to go with 10 boards, and 4 steals. 

Cedarville- the Trojans only played six players and they will return four of them.  Duncan just couldn’t get into a flow, while her whole Trojan team just couldn’t get comfortable with the atmosphere.  They now have the much needed experience to make a run next year. 

Rachel Jaksa, #10 M.P.S.H.- the senior point didn’t score a single point but she was huge in running the offense and setting up her teammates.  She finished with 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 7 assist but she could have easily been credited with 10+ assist.

Jessica Duncan, #12 Cedarville- the junior guard couldn’t get anything to fall.  She was far from having her usual game.  She shot 1-of-10 from 3-point range and 5-of-25 from the field.  The shots looked good but they just wouldn’t fall. 

 

Game 2: New Lothrop vs. Cardinal Mooney

Team play and overall balance is how you win a championship and New Lothrop will have their chance to do that on Saturday courtesy of their 49-37 win over Marine City Cardinal Mooney on Thursday night. 

The Hornets started the game off with a couple of 3-pointers by Ashley Root and Kayla Knieperto to jump out to a 10-5 lead.  A drive and basket by Amber Sammons pushed the Hornet lead to 12-5.  New Lothrop led was cut to14-10 at the end of the first because Ashley Allison sparked Marine City with seven points in the first.

Another 3-pointer by Root gave New Lothrop a nine point lead at 22-13 but Allison played her best to keep Marine City at bay.  An Allison offensive rebound and put back while being fouled completed a three point play to cut the Hornet lead to 23-21 at the half.

A 3-pointer from Sammons gave New Lothrop up 33-23 lead with 3:40 left to play in the third.  Allison fished the third with six straight points to cut the lead to 33-27 heading into the fourth.  But again the Hornets connected with a pair of long bombs to regain a comfortable lead.  With three minutes left to play the Hornets spead it out and shut it down, forcing Cardinal Mooney to foul.   

 

Breakdown

Game Ball- Ashley Allison #30 NGS usually awards the game balls to a player on the winning team but we have to make an exception for this game.  The 5-9 forward carried her team with 16 points and 20 rebounds.  Even though she was undersized she was picture perfect with her box outs and using her feet to gain position.  Her playing days are probably over but she can be prowd of the way she ended her career as a Cardinal.     

Amber Sammons, #40 N.L.- a 5-6 sophomore wing with the strength to go play inside or step out and take care of the ball.  She hit some big shots at much needed time for her Hornets.  She finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds.    

Ashley Root, #32 N.L.- the junior combo guard doesn’t look like much but she is a complete player.  She put up numbers in every stat category while finishing with 11 points on 3 of 3 shooting from beyond the arc.  She took away Mooney’s best player, Sammy Theut, and forced her to only make 6-of-21 shots.