What to know as Greater Lansing girls basketball teams chase MHSAA district titles

March is just days away.

And that means its tournament time for high school basketball.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association girls state tournament gets started this week with several teams from Greater Lansing hoping to mount deep runs in the postseason.

That includes the three area teams that were in the top 10 in their divisions in last week’s Associated Press poll — Division 1 No. 9-ranked DeWitt, Division 2 No. 6-ranked Haslett and Division 3 top-ranked Dansville. And Fowler enters the state tournament in pursuit of a third straight Division 4 state championship.

Here’s a look at the districts featuring area teams.

Division 1 at Waverly

DeWitt coach Bill McCullen wanted his team to establish some momentum ahead of the state tournament and it has done just that. The Panthers (20-2) ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, which included avenging an earlier loss to Holt, to earn a share of the CAAC Blue title. DeWitt is the frontrunner in this district featuring mostly CAAC Blue teams. Led by Grand Valley signee Ava Scanlon, Grand Ledge (10-10) finished third in the CAAC Blue and could find its way in the final. St. Johns (11-11), host Waverly (8-12) and East Lansing (3-15) are also in the field.

Division 1 at Mason

Holt has one of the area’s top stars in Kent State signee Janae Tyler and won a share of the CAAC Blue title. The next objective for the Rams is trying to capture a district championship. Holt (18-4) and Jackson Northwest (20-2) have both spent time ranked in the top 10 in Division 1 and are the frontrunners. Mason (11-10) finished third in the CAAC Red, while Jackson (9-11) placed third in the Southeastern Conference White and is joined by Okemos to round out the field.

Division 2 at Lakewood

Portland (13-8) has made deep runs in recent years and now will look to find success with a younger squad. The CAAC White runner-up Raiders are among three area teams with winning records in the field. Host Lakewood (14-6) was third in the GLAC and Ionia (13-9) placed third in the CAAC White. The rest of the field includes Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy and Hastings.

Division 2 at Flint Hamady

Owosso (13-7) finished third in the Flint Metro Stars and is joined by Corunna (8-13) as the area teams in this field. Durand (14-8) and host Hamady (10-6) had winning records and are among the leading contenders in this district that also includes Clio.

Division 2 at Eaton Rapids

Haslett (21-1) has been ranked in the top 10 in Division 2 throughout the season and started 20-0 before falling to Division 1 state-ranked Rockford. The CAAC Red champion Vikings beat all of Greater Lansing’s other top programs during a strong regular season and now will try to build on that success. Joining Haslett as a top contender in this district is CAAC White champion Lansing Catholic, which has impressive wins over Division 3 top-ranked Ypsi Arbor Prep and a pair of Division 2 top-10 teams in Frankenmuth and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.

The only loss since January for Lansing Catholic (17-5) came to Haslett in a tight game. Williamston (13-8) was the runner-up behind Haslett in the CAAC Red and is also part of a district field that includes Charlotte (4-18), Eastern (5-17) and host Eaton Rapids (6-16).

Division 2 at Pinckney

Fowlerville (4-18) is the lone area team in this district featuring a pair of AP top-10 ranked teams and another that is receiving votes. No. 5-ranked Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard (19-3) and Wixom St. Catherine (21-1) earned the top seeds, while No. 3 Chelsea (21-1) is the other top contender. The rest of the field includes Pinckney and Canton Prep.

Division 2 at Vicksburg

GLAC champion Olivet is the lone area team in this field. The Eagles (16-4) are the No. 2 seed behind No. 7-ranked Vicksburg (22-0) and among three teams in the district with double-digit victories. Marshall (11-11), Three Rivers (11-8) and Battle Creek Pennfield round out the district.

Division 2 at Belding

Alma (13-9) finished fourth in the Tri-Valley Conference 8 and is one of the top seeds in this district. Belding is the only other team above .500 in this field that also includes Central Montcalm, Howard City Tri-County and Shepherd.

Division 3 at Bath

Mid-Michigan Activities Conference champion Ovid-Elsie (18-4) and Tri-Valley Conference 10-2 co-champ Ithaca (19-3) are the top seeds in this strong district that features four teams with winning records. Mid-State Activities Conference runner-up Carson City-Crystal (17-4) and Pewamo-Westphalia (15-6) are the others with winning marks. P-W owns an early-season win over Ovid-Elsie, while Ovid-Elsie beat Ithaca in early January. Host Bath (6-14) rounds out the field.

Division 3 at Dansville

Top-ranked Dansville (18-2) was the outright CMAC champion and will try to make another deep tournament run. The Aggies, who reached the quarterfinals last season, are the only team with a winning record in this field, which also includes area teams Laingsburg (8-12) and Perry (6-15) on the other side of the bracket. Byron and Brighton Charyl Stockwell are also in the field.

Division 3 at Leslie

GLAC runner-up Stockbridge (16-6) and Big 8 runner-up Springport (18-3) lead the teams in this district. Host Leslie (14-8) finished third in the GLAC and is the other team above .500 in a group that also includes Potterville (10-11) and Maple Valley (1-18).

Division 3 at Grandville Calvin Christian

Saranac (1-19) is the only area team in this field, which is led by top seeds Grandville Calvin Christian and Grand Rapids Covenant Christian. OK Conference Silver champion Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Alliance League champion Wyoming Potter’s House Christian and Grand Rapids Wellspring Prep are the other teams in the district.

Division 4 at Fowler

Fowler (14-7) will begin its hunt for a third straight state championship with its home district. The CMAC runner-up Eagles are the top seed followed by Portland St. Patrick, which took third in the CMAC and gave coach Al Schrauben his 700th career win this season. St. Patrick (14-7) ended the regular season with a win over CMAC champion Dansville. Morrice (16-3) is the other team above .500 in the district and has won eight straight since a loss to Portland St. Patrick. Lansing Christian (10-12) and Webberville (8-14) are also in the district.

Division 4 at St. Charles

MSAC members Ashley (2-19) and Fulton (12-9) are the area teams that are part of this district. Fulton is one of four teams that are .500 or better in a field that features MSAC champion St. Charles and Midland Calvary Baptist as the top seeds. Breckenridge and Merrill are also in the district.

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Greater Lansing girls basketball district overview