BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
CLARKSTON — Sometimes a team or school will have another’s number. In this case, Midland Calvary Baptist has everyone’s number.
The Kings captured their second straight Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I girls basketball state title March 5 with a 75-44 victory over Kinross Maplewood Baptist at Clarkston Springfield Christian High School.
Combining girls volleyball, girls basketball and girls soccer, Midland Calvary Baptist has won five straight state titles over the past two school years in female sports.
“I think it was the best game we played the whole season,” admitted Calvary Baptist coach Heather Ouderkirk, an all-state player during her prep days at nearby Sanford-Meridian. “I think the difference is we really wanted to win this game. We’ve had some problems starting slow in most of our games this season. We started fast in the championship and played well for four quarters.”
The Kings (15-2) cruised out to a 18-12 after the first quarter and never trailed after the opening minute. Calvary Baptist broke the game open with a 22-3 blitz in the second stanza, good for a 40-15 halftime advantage.
Maplewood Baptist captured the MACS-II state title in 2012 and 2013 and moved up to the MACS Division I in 2014 and captured another state title.
The Black Bears (17-5) held a 15-14 edge in the third quarter to close to within 54-30, although the damage had already been done.
Midland Calvary Baptist closed out the contest with a 21-14 run in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.
Sophomore center Tamrah Konieczka finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for the Kings. Senior guard Alyssa Ouderkirk, who missed over half of the season with an ankle injury, added 15 points, while sophomore guard Tori Konieczka had a fine floor game with 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Calvary Baptist, which posted a 36-22 edge on the boards.
Senior guard Hannah Fornier was a defensive stalwart in the finals and throughout the entire postseason for the Kings.
Senior guard Hannah May, Maplewood’s leading scorer, bowed out with a game-high 23 points on the strength of five three-pointers. She was named the Player of the Year as both a junior and senior in the Northern Lights League.
Junior forward Harmony Bailey added nine points for the Black Bears.
“I think we just have a great group of athletic girls in our school right now. They have great attitudes and they love to win,” said Ouderkirk, who carried seven seniors on a 14-player roster this season. “I think that’s why we have been so successful in girls sports the past couple of years.
“We have a lot of great leadership on this team,” continued Ouderkirk. “The seniors set a great example for the younger girls. It is a special group of seniors.”
MACS DIVISION II
SAGINAW COMMUNITY BAPTIST 25, ATHENS FACTORYVILLE CHRISTIAN 23 (OT): For the second straight season, Saginaw Community Baptist claimed the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division II state title.
The third-seeded Kings ventured into overtime March 5 to down top-seeded Factoryville Christian at Clarkston Springfield Christian High School.
Saginaw Community finished the season 14-4.
Athens Factoryville Christian reached the state finals for the first time since 1997, when the Falcons captured the MACS Division I title as part of an undefeated season.