Hemlock girls basketball routs Hart, 57-26, to reach MHSAA D3 title game
EAST LANSING — It took only one quarter for Hemlock to make it game, set and match.
The Huskies, ruled out by COVID-19 forfeit the morning of the 2021 state semifinal against eventual Division 3 champion Grass Lake, returned to Michigan State’s Breslin Center on Thursday with vengeance in a Final 4 matchup by routing Hart, 57-26.
Hemlock (25-3), seeking their first state title in school history, will face Blissfield (27-1) for the D3 championship at 4 p.m. Saturday at Breslin.
“I received so many well wishes and texts from players who didn’t get that opportunity who were on that team, encouraging these girls and our team,” said Hemlock coach Scott Neumeyer, who is in his 10th season. “And I told every one of them they should have had this opportunity because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I hope they feel they were just as big a part of it. Not just that group, but all of our alumni since I’ve got here in 2012. They’ve been building this program. And so, this is just as much for all of our alumni and our program. But also for them I’m especially happy for. They should have gotten a chance to be here, too.”
For the Huskies, it was almost over before it started as senior guard Chloe Watson nailed a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to give the Huskies a 21-1 advantage.
By halftime it was 29-7, as Regan Finkbeiner had 10 points, Lauren Borsenik scored nine and Watson added eight.
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By halftime it was 29-7, as Regan Finkbeiner had 10 points, Lauren Borsenik scored nine and Watson added eight.
Meanwhile, the Pirates (24-4) were walking the plank early and often against Hemlock’s inside Borsenik tandem — sisters Lauren (6 feet 2) and Hannah (6-0) — along with Finkbeiner and Watson, the school’s all-time scoring leaders with over 1,000 points apiece.
Neumeyer emptied his bench during the first half, as Hart shot 15% from the floor (3-for-20). Hart never got closer than 19 points as Hemlock increased its advantage to 43-19 after three quarters.
Finkbeiner, a senior guard, finished with a game-high 24 points, making 4 of 7 attempts from 3-point range. Lauren Borsenik finished with a double-double by adding 17 points and 10 rebounds.
“I was hot, I was confident, so I was going to shoot it,” the 5-foot-6 Finkbeiner said. “There was no hesitation I was going to shoot it.”
After being denied a trip to Breslin in 2021, Finkbeiner was grateful to have a second chance.
“What happened two years ago was obviously devastating and sad,” she said. “The year after (2022), we were like, ‘Let’s go to the Breslin Center and this is our year,’ and we lost in districts.’ And this year we said it’s not districts, it’s not regionals and it’s not Breslin. It’s one game at a time. You don’t want to get too far ahead. Actually being here and playing here is unbelievable. I’m so happy.”
The Pirates, meanwhile, shot a dismal 10-for-48 (20.8%) from the field as Hart got seven points from Aspen Boutell.
“We had some nerves and couldn’t get some shots to fall,” Hart eighth-year coach Travis Rosema said. “We had to shoot it better.”
The Pirates were coming off an emotional 45-41 quarterfinal win over Buchanan and 6-4 Ohio State signee Faith Carson, but Hemlock proved to be a tougher foe.
“We’ve played Lake City, Buchanan — that’s the most complete team I’ve seen all year,” Rosema said of the Huskies. “We didn’t execute the way we wanted. That’s the best team we’ve seen all year, inside-outside. ... They have more to go with the big players. Buchanan is a great team with a great player, but with (Nos.) 11 (Watson) and 13 (Finkbeiner) and having those players that can score as well as they can. ... They came out and really executed their game plan.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hemlock girls basketball routs Hart, 57-26, to reach D3 title game
