Rachel McInerney, a 6-foot-1 senior from Saginaw Nouvel Catholic, has been named to the Associated Press Class C all-state girls basketball team. Among the other first-teamers is Aaliah Hill of Flint Hamady, a 6-0 junior, plus 6-0 junior Reyna Frost of Reese. McInerney, who is going to Ferris State, had 22 points, 23 rebounds five shots in Nouvel’s 62-40 state title win over St. Ignace.
Adrian Lenawee Christian, 21-4, will face Southfield Christian Saturday in the Class D state finals at Michigan State. Lenawee beat Cedarville 67-58 in Thursday’s semifinal action. Kingsley had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the winners.
Mikayla Terry of Lansing Christian is a member of the Associated Press Class D girls basketball team for 2014. Courtney Wolfe of Morrice was on the honorable mention list. Their two teams met during the regular season and Lansing Christian won 38-37.
Southfield Christian is in the state finals for Class D after a 97-68 victory over Frankfort Thursday at the Breslin Center. Southfeld Christian, 25-1, had a 57-25 halftime lead.
Christian was led by Lindsay Hunter IV with 21 points and Bakari Evelyn with 17 points.
Pewamo-Westphalia’s opponent in the Class C state finals Saturday with be Detroit Consortium, which beat Negaunee 69-54 in a Class C semifinal game at Breslin Center on Thursday. Consortium had a 32-18 halftime lead.
Rudy Smith had 22 points for Consortium while Joshua Jackson had 18 points and seven rebounds and Luster Johnson added 20 points.
Muskegon Heights ended its season at 20-4 with a 54-44 loss to Pewamo-Westphalia on Saturday in the Class C state semifinals. The Pirates trailed 17-12 after the first quarter, 27-24 at halftime and then outscored Muskegon Heights 19-8 and 11-9 in the third and fourth quarters. Muskegon shot 15-of-63 for the game. Antonio Jones led Heights with 16 points.
Pewamo-Westphalia’s boys basketball team will take a 23-2 record into the title game on Saturday in Class C at Michigan State following a 54-44 state semifinals victory over Muskegon Heights on Thursday. The Pirates trailed 17-12 after the first quarter, 27-24 at halftime and then outscored Muskegon Heights 19-8 and 11-9 in the third and fourth quarters.
Nick Spitley, an all-stater, had 22 points and eight rebounds for P-W. Lane Simon had 17 points.
Quinn Tyson is 0-2 on the floor where he’ll be playing his college basketball.
But the Big Rapids senior, who couldn’t quite lift his team to victory in this season’s Class B quarterfinal game against Cadillac at Ferris State University’s Wink Arena, is going to the next level on a high note.
Tyson fouled out in overtime in a a key moment when the Vikings were able to put the game away. He was the team leader with 21 points, although it wasn’t his best shooting night. He hit six of 24 from the floor and three of seven three-point shots.
Tyson, who will be playing college basketball for Ferris, averaged around 23 points, five rebounds, and three steals a game, similar to his stats from last year.
It was the second straight season Cadillac had to deal with Tyson and the Cardinals in the quarterfinal. “He’s a load,” Cadillac coach Jeff McDonald said. “We did a great job on him last year, and he was more effective this year. I thought we made him work for everything. In the third quarter, he wasn’t quite as aggressive. I don’t know if that was by design or he was tired. He’s a dangerous player, because he can shoot so well from the perimeter and he can also put it on the floor.”
“It’s awesome to play in something like this,” Tyson said after the quarterfinal loss. “Only eight teams in the state get to do it. We just didn’t get over the hump. You just go out and try to keep the momentum up.”
The Cardinals were far more competitive in the quarterfinal this year than last year. “I wouldn’t say [we were] much more confident, but I would say we were more prepared,” he said. “Last year, we were kind of shocked by the whole environment. This year, we knew what to expect, but we fell a little short.”
Big Rapids coach Kent Ingles has coached some high-quality players in his career, including his son Zach, an all-stater at Greenville who went on to be a Division I standout at Eastern Kentucky University. Coaching Tyson has been a delight for Ingles.
“It’s nice to coach someone you know that will get you that 16 to 18 or 20 [points] every night, regardless of what happens,” Ingles said. “He’s been with us three years, and we’ve won three districts and have gotten a couple of regionals. That leadership he provided…he’s all we had. We lost everybody from last year. He was a nice one to build around. I wish him luck at Ferris. I hope he grows a little more.”
Tyson led the Cardinals to a 20-5 record this year, which culminated in a 55-49 overtime loss to Cadillac in the quarterfinal.
“It’s awesome,” Tyson said. “We had a couple of bad losses at the beginning of the season, and everyone was doubting us. A loss to Newaygo was when our team started clicking. From there, we went 8-0. It’s good to come together as a team when the tournament starts. That’s what we did. We made a run.”
Tyson was a key member of teams that grabbed three straight district crowns and two straight regional titles, something no other player in Big Rapids hoops history can claim.
“Playing in games like this, big games, big student sections, I’ll miss it all,” Tyson said. “Our plan as a team was to keep the championships coming. We did our best.”
Looking ahead to this collegiate career, Tyson said it will be his goal to get “bigger, faster, stronger, and keep staying in the gym shooting.”
The Big Rapids Cardinals came extremely close to their first-ever appearance in the Class B semifinals.
Kent Ingles, a veteran of 44 years of head coaching at Cedar Springs, Greenville, and now Big Rapids, will enjoy memories of this season for a long time.
When Ingles came to Big Rapids in 2004, he took over a struggling program that had won only two district titles in 36 years. This season, he guided Big Rapids to its third straight district title and second consecutive regional title.
In 2013, the Cardinals struggled and lost to Cadillac in the state quarterfinals at Ferris State University.
In a rematch of the same two teams in the same place, this year it was a different ballgame. Big Rapids led late in the fourth quarter, couldn’t hang on, and got outscored 11-5 in overtime for a 55-49 loss.
A capacity crowd of 2,400 filled the home of the Ferris State Bulldogs for a game that had all the drama that fans could want.
“It was different than last year,” Ingles said. “We got off to a better start this year than what we did last year.”
“Two years in a row, it was the most fun game of the year,” said Cadillac coach Jeff McDonald. “It’s a local game for Big Rapids, and our fans travel well.”
Big Rapids ended the year at 20-5, which was still remarkable for a team that was 12-4 at one point and had only one returning starter from last season. That starter was Quinn Tyson, who had 21 points and three assists from his guard spot prior to fouling out in overtime.
Free throws were of paramount importance in the game. Cadillac beat the Cardinals from the free-throw line, hitting 24 of 36, while Big Rapids was only 9 of 11. Referees called 23 fouls on Big Rapids and 14 on Cadillac, and the Vikings got into the bonus earlier than the Cardinals in the second half.
“It’s pretty hard to win when someone shoots 25 more free throws than you do,” Ingles said. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I thought we struggled with free throws and layups,” McDonald said. “At the end, we stepped to the line and hit some big ones. Those give you such a cushion and put so much pressure on the other team. That was huge for us. When you miss free throws, you give teams chances.
“Our guys did a great job following the game plan and knowing their players,” McDonald said. “That’s a good team we beat.”
Demetri Martin, who led Big Rapids with 12 rebounds against Cadillac, and Jake Hayes, who had 10 points and five rebounds, had solid seasons.
Cadillac and Big Rapids are only 40 miles apart, but they are in different conferences and no longer play each other during the regular season. But for two straight seasons, they’ve played for the right to go to the semifinals at Michigan State University.
“It’s good experience for the kids, but we wanted to go one step further,” Ingles said. “It was a good atmosphere. I’m proud of the fans and the community.”
“It’s been great here in this gym. It’s a great atmosphere” McDonald said. “It’s an easy travel for us. We’re used to tough travel in the Big North. Our kids will never forget it.”
Ditto for Big Rapids. “I’m disappointed we lost, but I’m not disappointed in the effort,” Ingles said. “They took some bad shots here and there, but that’s high school basketball.”
Ingles called 2013-14 a “topsy-turvy” season for his team. “Practice [the day before the quarterfinal] might have been the second day all year we had everybody back,” Ingles said. “We’ve had broken legs, dislocations, suspensions, and sicknesses. We couldn’t get them together all year long. We revamped our lineup about three different times this year. But it was a nice year for the kids. It’s great to get to the quarterfinals. The kids should be proud.”
Ingles commented on coaching a Class B school. “The difference between what happened here and those last many years at Greenville is that we were two students into Class A and were playing Rockford with 3,000 kids. The difference was a couple of kids. It’s neat. It’s been fun. I feel really blessed to be able to have this group of young men like this after all these years. I hope they had as much fun as I did.”
Co-Players of the Year
Jess Walter, Midland High School / Rachel McInerney, Nouvel Catholic Central High School
The Jess Walter File
Walter, who will take her talents to Indiana University in the fall, was a four-year starter for the Chemics and finished second in this year’s Miss Basketball voting. The 5-foot-11-inch Walter averaged 18.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 3.9 steals per game this season.
The Rachel McInerney File
The 6-foot-1-inch senior guided Nouvel to a Class C state championship. She averaged 14 points a game this season. She had a monster championship game, scoring 22 points and pulling down 23 rebounds in the win over St. Ignace. McInerney, who will play for Ferris State University next year, scored her 1,000th career point during a quarterfinal win over St. Louis.
First Team
Tania Davis, Goodrich High School
Davis averaged 19.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line this season. She scored 25 points or more in five regular season games this year, including a 41-point outburst against Beecher in the fourth game of the season. Davis eclipsed the 1,000-point career scoring mark against Durand on Jan. 30. She holds offers from Iowa, Kansas, DePaul, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan.
Cori Crocker, Grand Ledge High School
At 6 feet 3 inches, Crocker is the tallest member of the Sports Scene Dream Team. A junior, she helped lead the Comets to the Class A semifinals before losing to Canton. Crocker is headed to the University of Michigan play volleyball.
Sara Hansen, Sacred Heart Academy
One of the top all-around athletes in the state, Hansen made the Sports Scene Dream Team for the second year in a row after leading the Irish to an upset Class C state final victory over Forest Park. Hansen, a 5-foot-7-inch guard, set the Sacred Heart girls’ basketball career scoring record this season.
Maddy Seeley, Alma High School
Seeley, a 5-foot-8-inch guard, will play her college basketball in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at Northwood University. She set school scoring records with more than 1,300 points. She averaged 25.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 steals this season.
Ally Haran, Powers Catholic High School
For the second consecutive year, Haran helped lead the Chargers into the Class B state semifinals, but this time, Powers came up a game short and lost there to Grand Rapids South Christian. One of the finest soccer players in Michigan, Haran will continue her soccer career at Wake Forest University.
Coach
Damon Brown, Sacred Heart Academy
Brown led Sacred Heart to a Class D state championship with an upset victory over Miss Basketball Lexi Gussert and her Forest Park team.
Sports Scene Girls Basketball Dream Team
Co-Players of the Year
Rachel McInerney, Nouvel Catholic Central, 6’1″, senior
Jessica Walter, Midland, 5’11”, senior
First Team
Cori Crocker, Grand Ledge, 6’3″, junior
Tania Davis, Goodrich, 5’5″, junior
Maddy Seeley, Alma, 5’8″, senior
Sara Hansen, Sacred Heart, 5’7″, senior
Ally Haran, Powers Catholic, 5’9″, senior
Coach of the Year
Damon Brown, Sacred Heart
Second Team
Payton Birchmeier, Corunna, 6’1″, senior
Lindsey Winter, Clare, 5’7″, senior
Reyna Frost, Reese, 6’0″, junior
Aaliah Hill, Hamady, 6’0″, junior
Makenna Ott, Haslett, 5’10”, junior
Third Team
Mikayla Terry, Lansing Christian, 6’0″, senior
Mikayla Duflo, Carson City-Crystal, 5’5″, junior
Laurel Jacqmain, Nouvel Catholic Central, 5’7″, sophomore
Bri Alspaugh, St. Louis, 6’1″, senior
Breanna Mobley, Waverly, 6’1″, junior
Honorable Mention
Sydnee McDonald, Carman-Ainsworth; Leah Humes, Bay City Central; Allie Miller, Heritage; Lindsay Orwat, Grand Ledge; Karson Tripp, Haslett; Claudia Reid, DeWitt; Hannah Stoll, DeWitt; Kamrin Reed, Holt; Logan McCane, Rockford; Leah Somerfield, Greenville; Aubreigh Steed, Lowell; Hannah Evo, Fenton; Michela Coury, Powers Catholic; Sarah Ruhstorfer, Powers Catholic; Isabella O’Brien, Goodrich; Alexis Sevillian, Goodrich; Halee Nieman, Bullock Creek; Ellie Juengel, Bullock Creek; Taryn Taugher, Freeland; Jenai LaPorte, John Glenn; Kalle Martinez, John Glenn; Keri Frahm, Frankenmuth; Hannah Guy, Chippewa Hills; Hannah Yesmunt, Shepherd; Taylor Bovee, Ionia; Sarah Swartz, Ionia; Allie Grys, Portland; Allie Dittmer, Eaton Rapids; Ayren Parrish, Charlotte; Sarah Schultz, Williamston; Chavon Tiggs, Flint Southwestern; Emily Severn, New Lothrop; Jalisha Terry, Hamady; Erika Wendling, Breckenridge; Paige Gotham, Reese; Sarah Miller, Montabella; Taylor Smith, Montabella; Jordan Schneider, Beal City; Bri Alspaugh, St. Louis; Mackenzie Geister, Carson City-Crystal; Averi Gamble, Sacred Heart; Courtney Wolf, Morrice
Special Mention Coaches
Elaine Mahabir, Midland; Jason Gray, Goodrich; Matt Rodenbo, Clare; Keith Smith, Hamady; Larry Farmer, Carson City-Crystal
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