Ben Muphy
Sports Scene
Midland girls’ basketball head coach Elaine Mahabir has had a slew of success guiding the Chemics the last four seasons, going 76-11, winning Saginaw Valley League titles in 2010 and 2012, and making it to the quarterfinals in 2011. At the core of that success are five seniors, three of whom have been with the coach all four seasons of their high school basketball careers.
“This group of seniors, not only have they been fun to coach, but you can do different things with them; they’re very versatile,” Mahabir, who is in her 11th season coaching the Chemics, said. “They’ve been the backbone that the program has been rebuilt on. Even as freshmen, they were poised and knew what they wanted. To lose 11 games in four years, I don’t think that’s something many people can say that they were able to do.”
Needless to say, Jennifer Jarema, Maura McAfee, Tiarra Carter, Mikayla Russell, and Katie Schnurr are players Mahabir is thankful to have. In the last week of February, the Chemics are 17-2 overall, 8-0 in the SVL, and ranked sixth in the state. Jarema, McAfee, and Carter have been varsity players all four years.
Jarema, a guard who has signed to play collegiatety at Northwood University, is averaging 14.1 points per game this season. Aside from missing districts as a sophomore, she hasn’t missed a game in her high school career.
“She’s a big playmaker,” Mahabir said. “She’s the person that sets the pulse of the game. Our emotions come from Jennifer’s play. She has a lot of energy and we feed off of that. She keeps our energy high when we need it.”
McAfee, a forward who is committed to Hope College, is averaging 13.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game and has played every game in her four years of varsity play.
“She can handle the ball and has good range,” Mahabir said. “She can post up on the inside, and she’s a dynamic defender. We usually put her on one of the best players. She’s really stepping it up, doing a lot of playing on the inside which she did not do before, and she’s doing a nice job with it.”
Tiarra Carter, a center, was averaging 5.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game until a concussion ended her year eight games into the season.
“She’s a great presence inside and knows the game very well,” Mahabir said of her four-year starter. “Losing her has been a big impact on us. It’s changed who we are as a team dramatically. We’re still doing a nice job without her, but it has really changed the dynamic of our team.”
Russell, a guard and a forward, has seen her role increase this year, averaging six points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
“Last year she was a role player; she’s stepped into a starting role this year,” Mahabir said. “She’s a really good defender, comes up with some big steals for us, and we oftentimes score from them. She’s a smart player, she does a good job for us.”
Katie Schnurr, a center, has had an impact on the team as well, and despite seeing limited minutes has averaged almost two rebounds a game.
“She comes off the bench and gives someone a quick break,” Mahabir said. “She does a good job filling her role and has done a good job helping our team in the last two years.
“Coaching them has been a privilege,” the coach said of all her seniors. “For them to put the trust in me and let me work with them and have the opportunity to see them grow, I’ve really enjoyed it. They’ve stuck with it and they’ve had success because of it.”
The bad news for the Chemics is that there will be a date sometime this March that this group of seniors will walk off the court for the final time of their high school careers. Their coach hopes it’s March 17 at the Breslin Center in the state finals.
“I want them to finish on a high note, as far as feeling that they’ve done everything they can,” Mahabir said. “We have every ability to be district champs. We don’t have a lot of depth, so we have to work for a regional title. We got a taste of quarterfinals last year and I want to take them back to get them that opportunity again.”