Grand Haven enjoyed one of the greatest comebacks ever in a girls’ state title game to defeat Grosse Pointe South 54-53 on March 17 at the Breslin Center.
Grand Haven was down 44-26 with 1:51 remaining in the third quarter before the Bucs made their move. A Shar’Rae Davis 3-pointer got the team going, and it was 44-32 going into the fourth quarter.
“I’m really excited, it’s just a crazy game,” said Grand Haven coach Katie Kowalczyk-Fulmer. “It was the longest game of my life.”
“The past couple of games when the pressure’s been on, we haven’t handled it very well,” said Grosse Pointe South coach Kevin Richards. “Throwing it in to their big girl [6’5″ center Abby Cole] definitely helped.”
Grosse Pointe also had 19 critical turnovers.
“We needed to have better ball movement,” Richards said
Turnovers enabled Grand Haven to gradually get back in the game. With 1:10 to play, Shar’Rae Davis’ two free throws put her team up 51-50. Jordan Keefe’s free throw with 24 seconds left made it 52-50.
Grosse Pointe’s Cierra Rice dribbled down the court, scored, and was fouled with 13 seconds to play. She hit the free throw to put her team up 53-52.
Davis came right back to dribble down the floor for a 54-53 lead with six seconds to go. “I was thinking they would either foul me or I’ll make the shot,” she said.
Rice missed a layup at the other end to preserve the Grand Haven win.
The Bucs ended their championship season at 27-1.
Davis scored 19 points for the winners, while Abby Cole added 18 points and eight boards.
Kowalczyk-Fulmer acknowledged it was an emotional game. The team played with the knowledge that five female students from Grand Haven were hospitalized with injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred near Lowell on Friday while they were traveling to their team’s semifinal game.
“We knew we had to play the game,” she said. “We played it for them.”
CLASS C
Although Morley Stanwood won the state title, University Liggett’s Madison Ristovski scored the second-highest point total in state finals history. The state’s Miss Basketball recipient was 15 of 29 from the floor and 8 of 9 from the free throw line for a 42-point performance.
“I’m very proud of her,” said sister Haleigh Ristovski.
”She’s definitely the best player I’ve played against in my career,” said Morley Stanwood senior Bailey Cairnduff. “She’s the best player I’ve ever guarded. She’s amazing and knows what to do. She deserves Miss Basketball.”
But the rest of Ristovski’s teammates would only combine for 15 points.
“Losing stinks,” said University Liggett coach Joe LaMagno. “We were stagnant, standing around. We showed signs of people moving, and then we went to her again. I don’t know what to say.”
Trailing 33-26 at halftime, the Knights surged in the third quarter to take a 46-45 lead.
“I think it was more of a mental fatigue than physical,” LaMagno said. “We couldn’t get focused for whatever reason. Defensively, we did well. The first half, we forced 11 turnovers but couldn’t convert.
“Some of our shots didn’t fall. We were a little timid in the first half.”
CLASS D
Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic made it three straight Class D titles by holding back Athens 53-37 in the title game. Our Lady of the Lakes ended the season at 23-4.
Our Lady shot a sparkling 55.9 percent for the game, going 19 of 34 from the floor.
It was a very balanced scoring effort, with Tori Duffey and Ava Doetsch netting 13 points apiece, while Lexie Robak added 12 points, and Anna Robb contributed seven points and seven rebounds.
Athens ended the season at 21-6 with 15 points from Sierra Stevens.
Our Lady had the edge in rebounds and also held Athens to 27.5 percent shooting with 11 of 40 from the floor.