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BAY CITY, MI – A look at the high school girls basketball district action in the Bay City area for March 3, 2025. Bay City area coaches are asked to submit results, highlights and comments the night of each event by emailing [email protected] .
D1: SAGINAW UNITED 49, BAY CITY CENTRAL 45 After a season of mostly forgettable outcomes, Bay City Central did its best to deliver one to remember. And while the Wolves bowed out with a tough 49-45 loss to Saginaw United in the Division 1 district opener, they may have done just that. Playing with a winning spunk, Central rallied from an 11-point deficit with four minutes left in the game, dramatically tying it up at 45-45 on a three-point play by senior Alivia Kukla with 43 seconds on the clock.
But the Wolves would not score again and United iced it with four free throws in the closing seconds. “We did play our best game of the year on our last game,” Central coach Todd Thunberg said. “It wasn’t the win we were looking for, but we know that we played hard and had our chance of winning.
And we gave it our best shot.” Central (2-21) finished with its fewest wins since 2010 and, with the expanded schedule, became the first team in program history to lose 21 games in a season. But the Wolves went down fighting in the postseason opener at Flint Carman-Ainsworth.
Kukla rose to the moment with a 22-point, 16-rebound effort and fellow senior Tiareyona Holmes went for 19 points and 12 rebounds in a fitting farewell performance. Holmes hit five 3-pointers in the game as Central fought to the finish. United (9-12) was led by Brittney Johnson with 14 points, Maliyah Phillips 13 and Destiny Clark 11, advancing to the semifinal round to face Saginaw Heritage at 5:30 p.
m. Wednesday. UPDATED : Bay City area district pairings, results Bay City Western coach Dan Snover goes over the plan with his girls basketball team during its game with Bay City Central.
Lee Thompson | [email protected] D1: CADILLAC 41, BAY CITY WESTERN 38 A second consecutive meeting with Cadillac didn’t go like the first for Bay City Western. Just four days after beating the Vikings at their own place, Western was edged out of the Division 1 district at Midland Dow with a 41-38 loss.
Western (11-12) took a 34-31 advantage into the fourth quarter but put just four more points on the board, allowing Cadillac to turn the tide. The Vikings sank seven 3-pointers in the contest, avenging a 37-26 loss to Western in the regular season finale. “Our kids battled hard from start to finish, we just ran out of time,” fourth-year Western coach Dan Snover said.
“I’m really proud of our six seniors who gave us everything they had the last four years. These were the kids I started with and it was nice to see them through to their senior year. I’m proud of their effort all year and tonight.
” Alexis Schlatter led Western with 16 points while Claire Robinson notched seven points and six rebounds. Sydney Wittbrodt scored six points and Khloe Schmidt five. Cadillac (16-6) moves on to play Midland at 5:30 p.
m. Wednesday. John Glenn’s Fiona Meisel (12) chases the ball on the court during a high school girls basketball game, Tuesday, Dec.
10, 2024, at John Glenn High School, 3201 Kiesel Rd, Bay City. John Glenn won the game, 53 - 20. (Nico Mendoza | MLive.
com) D2: JOHN GLENN 51, BRIDGEPORT 20 John Glenn is discovering identity on defense. The Bobcats continue to establish themselves as tough-nosed defensive team, cranking up the stopping power for a 51-20 win over Bridgeport in the Division 2 district debut at Frankenmuth. Glenn has limited its past five opponents to an average of 30.
0 points. “It wasn’t a pretty game overall, but once we had better spacing with each other, we were able to find cuts and open opportunities offensively,” first-year Glenn coach Adam Moore said. “We had good energy on defense all game and that can always be there for a team.
” Glenn (11-12) takes on state-ranked host team Frankenmuth at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Bobcats beat Bridgeport for the third time this season, led by Fiona Meisel with 17 points, six rebounds and six steals and Aubrey Moore with 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Allie Gabel came through with eight points and Lillian Masters chipped in five points and five rebounds. Bridgeport bows out at 8-14.
Garber’s Claire Arnold (25) passes the ball during a high school girls basketball game on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.
com D2: ESSEXVILLE GARBER 46, CARROLLTON 8 Essexville Garber reached the 10-win mark for the fourth straight year, rolling through winless Carrollton 46-8 in the Division 2 district opener at Frankenmuth. Garber (10-13) got a tuneup for Wednesday’s semifinal matchup with Caro, set for 7 p.m.
Carrollton bows out at 0-19. Audrey Ball delivered 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Dukes while Claire Arnold tallied eight points as Garber won for the fifth time in its past seven games. “We set the tone right away with our pressure,” Garber coach Kim Klein said.
“And now we’re looking forward to Wednesday.” D2: CHIPPEWA HILLS 49, OGEMAW HEIGHTS 35 Ogemaw Heights kept charging from behind but couldn’t overtake Remus Chippewa Hills, dropping a 49-35 decision in the Division 2 district at Gladwin. The Falcons bow out with a 3-20 record but showed flashes of good things along the way for first-year coach Josh Lucas.
“I’m really proud of the Ogemaw girls,” he said. “I’m the seniors’ third head coach. They played for the love of the game and for each other more than anything.
Sometimes that’s what’s missing from a team. It was nice to see their bonds grow even as we struggled.” Senior Aaliyah Dantzer went out in style, delivering 13 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Falcons.
Teagan Agren added six points. Chippewa Hills (5-18) advances to the 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday semifinal against Clare. Allison Fork of the Pinconning girls basketball team for 2024-25. Courtesy D3: PINCONNING 40, FARWELL 25 The victories are beginning to add up for Pinconning.
And a postseason win feels like a multiplier. The Spartans downed Farwell 40-25, notching their first tournament victory since 2021 and earning a bid to the semifinal round of the Division 3 district at Beaverton. With the win, Pinconning (6-17) has matched its victory total from the past three seasons combined.
“It was a good thing for Pinconning girls basketball to earn a district victory,” first-year coach Duane Pitts said. “We got off to a good start and never really looked back.” Pinconning and Farwell (2-21) split their regular season meetings as Jack Pine Conference-2 rivals.
But the Spartans left little doubt in the rubber match, taking a 29-12 lead by halftime. Allison Fork led the way with 15 points and eight steals. Josie Wieland notched six points and seven rebounds while Kailey Rugenstein and Laken Gibala tallied five points and six rebounds apiece.
Pinconning faces JPC-2 champ Sanford Meridian at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
D4: MARLETTE 36, AKRON-FAIRGROVE 18 Akron-Fairgrove hung tough into the second half before bowling out with a 36-18 loss to Marlette in the Division 4 district it is hosting. The Vikings trailed 13-11 at halftime but saw Marlette rattle off a 23-7 second-half run to nab the victory. Akron-Fairgrove was led by Audrey Wood with 10 points and eight rebounds.
It was a solid season for the Vikings (6-14), who made a five-win improvement over last season. Marlette takes on Kingston at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday in the district semifinal. If you would like your local high school sports news delivered free to your inbox daily, click here and sign up for one of our local high school sports newsletters. Love reading about local sports? Don’t miss any of the excitement from the season ahead.
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