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MHSAA girls basketball regionals: Greater Lansing has nine teams seeking titles

brian calloway, lansing state journal
·5 min read

Megan Zeitz and Kourtney Mack were among the key contributors last season as the Dansville girls basketball team claimed its first regional championship since 2008.

Megan Zeitz
Megan Zeitz

Both will now try to help the Division 3 No. 6-ranked Aggies duplicate that success.

Dansville and Portland are the Greater Lansing girls basketball programs looking to repeat as regional champions as the MHSAA state tournament hits its second week. The Aggies and Raiders are among nine area teams that won district championships last week.

Here’s a breakdown of the regionals featuring area teams.

Division 1 at Coldwater

There’s a chance that co-CAAC Blue champions DeWitt and Holt could meet for a third time this season with a regional title on the line this time around. DeWitt and Holt are on the opposite ends of this regional.

Holt's Bailey Hosford, right, moves the ball as DeWitt's Peyton Anderson defends during the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Holt High School.
Holt's Bailey Hosford, right, moves the ball as DeWitt's Peyton Anderson defends during the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Holt High School.

No. 10-ranked DeWitt (22-2) faces Kalamazoo Central in the opening semifinal Tuesday, with the Rams following against Coldwater. The Panthers take a nine-game winning streak into their matchup against Kalamazoo Central, which finished as the champion in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East. Kalamazoo Central (20-1) has won 20 straight since a 66-62 season-opening home loss to Muskegon.

Holt (20-4) will try to knock out another league champion when it faces Coldwater in the regional semifinal. Coldwater shared the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title with Jackson Northwest, who the Rams beat in Saturday’s district final behind Kent State signee Janae Tyler’s career-best 33 points. Coldwater has won 15 straight since a January loss to Jackson Northwest.

Division 2 at Yale

Owosso (15-7) is in the regional after winning its district games over Clio and Durand by a combined nine points. The Trojans, who had a nine-win improvement this season and placed third in the Flint Metro League Stars, have won four straight entering a matchup against Detroit Country Day (16-6). Country Day has won five straight since a loss to Ypsi Arbor Prep.

State-ranked Goodrich (21-3) and Yale are on the other side of the bracket. Goodrich was the flint Metro Stars runner-up, while Yale (16-9) placed fourth in the Blue Water Area Conference.

Division 2 at Comstock Park

Portland freshman guard Lilly Thelen (No. 11) dribbles past the Ionia defense during a MHSAA Division 2 district championship game Friday, March 3, at Lakewood High School. Portland won the game, 45-26, to win its fourth consecutive district title.
Portland freshman guard Lilly Thelen (No. 11) dribbles past the Ionia defense during a MHSAA Division 2 district championship game Friday, March 3, at Lakewood High School. Portland won the game, 45-26, to win its fourth consecutive district title.

The quest for a regional title repeat for CAAC White runner-up Portland (15-8) begins with a big test in Grand Rapids West Catholic, which ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in Division 2. West Catholic won the OK Conference Blue, won 20 games by at least 10 points and was the lone team to beat Division 1 state-ranked Rockford.

If the Raiders can pull off the upset, Grand Rapids Christian (18-5) and Allendale (12-13) would be potential opponents. Allendale tied for fifth in the OK Blue, while Grand Rapids Christian was the OK White runner-up.

The final girls rankings:Associated Press basketball state poll: Lansing Catholic girls jump into top 10

Division 2 at Three Rivers

Olivet (19-4) upset No. 7-ranked and Wolverine Conference champion Vicksburg while capturing a district championship on Saturday. The GLAC champion Eagles now will try to claim a regional championship. The semifinal opponent for Olivet is Plainwell, which placed fourth in the Wolverine Conference. Plainwell (14-9) has won five straight since a Feb. 14 loss to Vicksburg.

Wolverine Conference runner-up Edwardsburg (17-7) and OK Conference Blue runner-up Holland Christian (17-7) are in the other semifinal.

Division 2 at Fowlerville

Lansing Catholic's Morgan Wilcox (25) shoots as Haslett's Grace Isenhath (32) defends in district final play Saturday, Mar. 4, 2023.
Lansing Catholic's Morgan Wilcox (25) shoots as Haslett's Grace Isenhath (32) defends in district final play Saturday, Mar. 4, 2023.

No. 9-ranked Lansing Catholic (19-5) has knocked off four top-10 Associated Press ranked teams since late December with the latest coming with its district final victory over No. 6 Haslett on Saturday. The CAAC White champion Cougars will try to keep their success going in a regional that features the top two teams in the Southeastern Conference White. Lansing Catholic opens against Tecumseh, which was the SEC White runner-up. Tecumseh has won six straight since a loss to Chelsea.

The other side of the bracket features SEC White champion and No. 3-ranked Chelsea (24-1) and Ida. Chelsea emerged out of a challenging district and knocked off No. 5 Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and Wixom St. Catherine on its way to the title. Chelsea’s lone loss was to Laurel (Ohio). Ida (15-9) finished fifth in the Lenawee County Athletic Association.

Division 3 at Dansville

After winning a district on its home floor, Dansville remains at home as it tries to add to its hardware collection. The CMAC champion Aggies open their regional title defense against Springport, which is 20-3 and finished second in the Big 8 behind Bronson.

Mid-Michigan Activities Conference champ Ovid-Elsie (20-4) is also in the field and is back in the regional again. The Marauders avenged an earlier loss to Pewamo-Westphalia to repeat as a district champion. Ovid-Elsie, which competed in the state tourney in Division 2 last season, gets Grass Lake (16-7) in its regional semifinal. Grass Lake finished in a three-way tie for the Cascades Conference title with East Jackson and Napoleon.

Last week's MHSAA state tourney results:These are the district pairings, results for Greater Lansing girls basketball teams

Division 4 at Petersburg Summerfield

The journey towards a third straight state championship for CMAC runner-up Fowler continues with a long trip for the regional. The Eagles (17-7) open against Allen Park Cabrini (14-9). Fowler, which has had players out with injuries this winter, has won 10 of 11 since a January loss to Lansing Catholic. Allen Park Cabrini finished in the middle of the Catholic High School League that features Division 2 and Division 3 schools.

Host and No. 6-ranked Petersburg Summerfield (21-3) and Southfield Christian (10-13) are on the other side of the bracket. Summerfield won the Tri-County Conference title but suffered one of its losses to Allen Park Cabrini. Southfield Christian finished last in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue but claimed a district title with wins over Bloomfield Hills Roeper and West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy.

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

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Greater Lansing high school girls basketball regional overview