Area Class A girls basketball teams have gained recognition this week by the Associated Press. That includes DeWitt which, with a 9-1 record, is ranked No. 1. Bloomfield Hills Marian is ranked first in the state at 11-0 and Detroit Martin Luther King second at 10-1. Midland at 8-1 is ranked fifth. Holt is ranked 10th, Grand Ledge 11th, Haslett 13th and Okemos 20th.
Saginaw Swan Valley defeated Alma 66-57 in girls basketball action on Tuesday. Swan Valley was up 21-11 after the first quarter and 42-28 at halftime. Alma cut the deficit with a 14-5 advantage in the third quarter. Swan Valley put the game away with a 19-15 scoring edge in the final quarter. Lauren Addy scored 24 points and had nine rebounds and four assists for Swan Valley while Sarah Addy scored 17 points and had five steals, and Kayla Fong and Jenna Stevenson both added 11. Stevenson had five rebounds apiece.
Maddy Seeley scored 30 points for Alma on Tuesday in a 66-57 loss to Saginaw Swan Valley. Swan Valley was up 21-11 after the first quarter and 42-28 at halftime. Alma cut the deficit with a 14-5 advantage in the third quarter. Swan Valley put the game away with a 19-15 scoring edge in the final quarter. Also for Alma, Lexi Morton and Kendall Vedrode had eight points and Kenzie Seeley added seven points.
Alma’s girls basketball team came up with a 19-10 scoring advantage in the final quarter to edge Caro 48-45 Thursday night in girls basketball. Alma was up 14-11 after the first quarter, and 25-24 at halftime but trailed 11-4 after the third quarter. Maddy Seeley scored 22 points for Alma while Kenzie Seeley added 12. Sydney McCarthy and Lexi Morton scored four points apiece.
Alma fell to Saginaw Swan Valley 67-58 in boys basketball action Tuesday. Swan Valley was up 21-7 after the first quarter but Alma had a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter for a 28-28 halftime tie. Both teams scored 16 points in the third quarter. Curtis Doyle had five field goals and was 8-of-12 from the floor to score 18 points for Alma while Dylan Carl added 11 points and Darren Olejniczak added 10 points. Matt Young and Ryan Cornejo had nine and six points respectively.
Saginaw Swan Valley’s boys basketball team defeated Alma 67-58 in action on Tuesday, thanks to a 23-12 advantage in the final quarter. Swan Valley was up 21-7 after the first quarter but Alma had a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter for a 28-28 halftime tie. Both teams scored 16 points in the third quarter. Preston Joiner led Swan Valley with 20 points, followed by Brock Notter with 14, Nick Call with 12, Garrett Preston with 10 and Nate Fries with six.
By BUTCH HARMON
When it comes to dominant high school programs, few can match the success of the Grand Ledge gymnastics team.
While some teams have won two or three consecutive state titles, and a few are even aiming for a fifth this year, the Grand Ledge gymnastics team has won six straight state titles and is setting its sights on a seventh this season.
Not only do the Comets win state titles, but they also win almost every time out. Going into the Kenowa Hills Invitational on Jan. 25, Grand Ledge has won 97 straight competitions.
This year’s squad has its sights set on extending the state title streak, and with several veterans back, the Comets are on pace to make that a reality. The one fly in the ointment, however, is injuries.
“We have a really, really good team this year,” coach Duane Haring said. “We have a team capable of scoring in the high 148s. This is also the first year we’ve been plagued by injuries. We have been loaded with injuries, and I just had my number three girl go down with a shoulder injury that may be for the rest of the year.”
The Comets returned a solid core of veterans this year, led by senior Presley Allison and sophomore Rachel Hogan. Last year, Allison led the way in Division 2, as she won the all-around competition with a score of 37.875. She finished first in vault, beam, and floor and was third on the bars. Hogan, in her first year of high school gymnastics last year, finished 10th in the all-around competition at the state meet.
“Presley is just an awesome all-around gymnast,” Haring said. “Rachel is a sophomore who was a superstar last year, and she is even better this year.”
The Comets also have some talented newcomers, led by sophomore Tiana Seville. Seville, who had worked her way up to the third spot, suffered the shoulder injury in practice Jan. 23 and is in a cast from her shoulder to her finger.
“This year’s team is as good as last year’s team, but I’ve never had the injuries like this,” Haring said. “We are just going to have to take things day by day. We are not going to give up, and every other girl on the team is going to have to pick it up. When Tiana went down, the girls just said that each one is going to have to find another tenth of a point, and those tenths will add up to a point. This team does not have any quit in its blood.”
Veterans like junior Taylor Stevens and sophomores Lexi Payne and Maddie Loftus are some of the gymnasts Haring is looking at to step up and help overcome the injuries.
By BUTCH HARMON
After suffering heavy graduation losses last spring, some re-tooling was in order for the St. Johns Redwings wrestling team this year. With the state team tournament ready to kick off, the Redwings have done a solid job of re-constructing the lineup and are ranked second in the state in Division 2, as they look to win a fifth straight state championship.
“We have a lot of new faces, but we have been making great progress,” said coach Derek Phillips. “We graduated seven seniors from last year. We’ve been getting better each and every week.”
Not only did St. Johns lose seven seniors, but it also lost some of the premier wrestlers in the state, as five state champions graduated.
Even so, the Redwings did return a solid nucleus of wrestlers, including junior Logan Massa (152 pounds), a returning state champion, and senior Zac Hall (140), a three-time state champion. The Redwings also returned Angus Arthur (189), another returning champion; sophomore Ian Parker (112), who is ranked second in the state at his weight class this year; and senior Mark Bozzo (145), who is ranked fourth.
Those wrestlers have helped the Redwings to fashion a solid regular season, which includes a No. 2-ranking in the state in Division 2 and several big wins, including an early-season win against Detroit Catholic Central.
Helping St. Johns reload this year have been several newcomers and returning wrestlers who made significant improvements during the off-season.
St. Johns has debuted a solid freshman class, led by Emilio Sanchez (103), who is ranked eighth in the state. Lucas McFarland (119) is ranked ninth in the state, while Brett Fedewa (130) is honorable-mention in his weight class. “Emilio has done a great job as a freshman,” Phillips said. “Brett is another freshman who has had some big wins.”
Derek Droste (125) and Ty Wildmo (215) have also been key additions to the starting lineup. “Derek has had a breakthrough year,” Phillips said. “He has made a lot of progress since last year. Ty is another newcomer who has had a strong season.”
With the re-tooling in place for the state tournament, the Redwings have their sights set on Battle Creek and possibly a third consecutive showdown with Lowell in the Division 2 state championship match. “That’s the way it looks, but you never know, a lot of crazy things can happen in Battle Creek,” Phillips said. “Things are progressing well, and we are trying to get to our peak performance level. We’re on track right now.”
Phillips feels that both the newcomers and the veterans know what it takes to get the job done in Battle Creek. “Everybody is hungry,” he said. “The veterans have had the taste of victory, and they want to keep it going. The younger guys have high expectations and have been practicing hard and improving all the time. They want a shot at the title.”
Geoff Mott
Sports Scene
Major college basketball coaches and scouts have flocked to Arthur Hills’ basketball games to watch the state’s top prospect play.
University of Michigan’s coach John Beilein and Michigan State University’s coach Tom Izzo have sat in packed gyms around the Saginaw Valley League to watch 6’4″ junior guard Eric Davis and the talented Arthur Hill team behind him.
While he gets texts from the top college coaches around the country, letters in the mail, and increased media coverage, it remains business as usual for Davis. “I just want to win,” he said. “I play my game no matter who is there, who is watching.”
Davis said he watches college basketball all the time when he’s at home and doesn’t expect to make a decision on where he’s headed until after this summer’s AAU season. He’ll make all his official visits in the summer and make his decision based on them. In the meantime, his mother and uncle handle the recruiting aspect.
“I’m just trying to win and focus on that,” Davis said. “It’s nice that the coaches are thinking about me. I get those letters every day, and I keep them for the history of it. There are lots of good memories [from the recruiting process].”
Freshman Brian Bowen, whose first cousin is former Arthur Hill and Michigan State player and current Philadelphia 76er Jason Richardson, is embracing the extra attention that Davis brings to the team.
“I live for this atmosphere. The crowd can really get you going,” Bowen said. “And knowing the coaches are there, you want to show them what you can do. It helps to get looked at.”
Bowen hopes to learn about the process from Davis and one day to step in his shoes. “Eric helps me a lot,” 15-year-old Bowen said. “The recruiting process seems pretty tough. He gets calls every day, and he handles it really good. I want to be in his position when I’m to that point.”
Davis has shown it’s his work ethic mixed with talent that has gotten him to this point.
“He gets up and here at 7 a.m. every morning to shoot around for 40 minutes, working on free throws and ball handling,” Arthur Hill coach Greg McMath said. “He’s been a much better vocal leader out there for us. It’s nice when your best player is your best leader.”
McMath said the biggest benefit his other players get from the recruitment of Davis is the extra exposure.
“[Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski] and coach Izzo are here for Eric, but they have a web of contacts and coaches around the country, and they will let them know when they see other good players,” McMath said. “Our guys work hard in practice, and these coaches and scouts see that.”
Davis and his teammates just want to enjoy the ride. “I like playing in front of these big crowds,” Davis said. “That’s the most fun, when these games go down to the wire and the game is on the line.”
Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
LOWELL, MI – Next year there will be seven Lowell High School alumni wrestling at the Division I level in college.
It’s an impressive number, one that some current Red Arrows weren’t aware of, because they are concentrating on the task at hand.
“That’s impressive, and I follow the guys that are already in college, but it’s something we don’t think of,” senior 160-pounder Kanon Dean said. “I’m just lucky to be part of this program.”
Dean will be one of those seven who will be competing in Division I next year.
Dean, who will wrestle at Harvard, will join current teammates Bailey Jack, who be competing at Duke, and Garret Stehley, who will continue his wrestling career at Lehigh. Those three will join Jackson Morse, who is at Illinois; brothers Andrew and Gabe Morse, who wrestle at Northern Illinois; and Kanon’s cousin, Gabe Dean, who is at Cornell.
“That’s awesome,” Stehley said of the number of Red Arrows who will be competing at the NCAA DI level next year. “Wrestling is tough as it is, and then to do it at the Division I level, that is amazing.”
Throw in the fact that some of these learning institutions are among the toughest in the country academically, and it takes amazing to the next level.
“We always look at what’s after college,” Stehley said. “The most important thing here is academics.”
The whole Lowell wrestling team buys into that theory, because last year the team was Academic All State, led by Kanon Dean and his 4.4 GPA.
“Academics are important at Lowell,” said Dean, who was also part of Lowell’s football team that was Academic All State, as well. “Knowledge gives you what you need to do what you want.”
But Lowell also likes to win on the mat, and this year’s team just might have what it takes to break through and beat reigning four-time Division 2 state champion St. Johns.
Lowell is currently ranked No. 1 in Division 2 with a 22-1 record. The Red Arrows have beaten some stiff competition along the way, including Davison, the top-ranked team in Division 1; Detroit Catholic Central, the two-time D1 state champions; Hartland; and Richmond.
“I think we have a shot this year if we compete as a team,” Stehley said. “We have some good wins, but we still need to keep working and getting better.”
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