Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
The Arthur Hill girls basketball team had its season come to an end in the class A quarterfinals, falling to Ann Arbor Huron 52-39 at Grand Blanc High School on March 13.
“It was a tough way to lose,” head coach Reggie Williams said. “The girls did a great job, especially towards the end of the season. We felt going into the season that we were a state championship caliber team. We didn’t feel that way in a cocky sense, we just recognized in the preseason and off-season how well we played together. When we did play well together, we were unstoppable.”
In the season-ending loss, the Lumberjacks were led by Shanesha Blair’s 18 points, while Brittany Wilson netted 17 .
Arthur Hill finished the year 17-8 overall in a season highlighted by their 77-74 regional championship win over Midland.
The Lady Jacks trailed by eight points late in the game, but rallied to tie before the end of the fourth quarter and dominated the extra session.
“We never lost faith,” Williams said of the game. “You’re never out of a basketball game. Whoever has the best spurt at the end usually wins the game.”
Blair and Shauquanna Collins had 27 points apiece in the win, with Wilson scoring 17.
“The contributing factors to our good season was the team bonding that took place,” Williams said. “This season was a lot different in that they became friends, they became sisters. When we said family in our huddles we truly meant that. That, and us understanding each other, and understanding how to accept communication from each other.”
Williams hopes that next year’s team can build on its back-to-back district titles and the regional championship that they pulled off this year.
“We actually have nine returning seniors, and what’s nice is all of them have bought into the team family concept at the end of the season,” Williams said. “Those coming back learned a valuable lesson about leadership in our quarterfinal game. They learned what needs to happen. They learned that when that doesn’t happen, we end our season early, instead of ending it at the Breslin Center.
“I can’t stress how important it is to just believe in each other,” Williams added. “We had a great season. I’m very proud of them.”