- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 393,401
- Reaction score
- 43
EAST LANSING — Eliza Bush built what turned out to be an unsurmountable lead early in the third quarter of the Michigan high school Division 3 girls basketball state championship.
The Ypsilanti Arbor Prep senior point guard buried a pair of 3-pointers in a span of 90 seconds early in the second half to put the Gators ahead of Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest by seven.
Bush’s six-point outburst turned into the inflection point of the Division 3 championship, which had a total of 53 points scored.
"Our whole team can really rebound and they look for me when they kick it out," Bush said. "They do a really good job of giving me looks and also, I was really confident because I had just hit a 3 in that same spot."
MICK McCABE: Belleville's secret behind its first girls basketball state title? 'No thinking, just going'
Arbor Prep’s lead safely sat at three possessions over the final 10-plus minutes as the Gators’ 2-3 zone defense disrupted the Rochester Hills offense to the point of making any run impossible.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep rode the defense until the end for a 32-21 victory, marking the Gators’ second consecutive state championship and third in four seasons.
Arbor Prep (17-12) overcame a 3-8 start to the season and losing three All-State contributors from last season to add another championship trophy.
"Right toward the end of the season, we started picking it up," Bush said. "We always knew we could do it and we had the team that had all the skills to win a championship, but I think the last week of our regular season we turned it around."
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (21-7) scored nearly half its points in the opening quarter after forcing turnovers to get out in transition, mainly through junior guard Addie Troska (eight points). Arbor Prep kept the pace thanks to six first-quarter points from forward Angela Meggisson.
Arbor Prep held Rochester Hills without a field goal in the second quarter, through they only scored two themselves, to lead 13-10 at the break.
"It's essentially a stall," head coach Scott Stine said of the offense in the second quarter. "We take time off the clock and when you do that, you're not going to score a lot of points."
Bush buried two of her three 3s early in the third quarter for the decisive advantage, while the defense continued to cause fits. Charlotte Gramzow had all three of Rochester Hills’ points in the third, and the Crusaders added five points in the fourth quarter.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep put the finishing touches on the win with more forced turnovers, a transition layup from Meggisson and a corner 3 from Jourdin Lewis with less than two minutes left for the comfortable win.
THE SEMIFINAL: Michigan high school girls basketball playoffs: Arbor Prep hits at the line when it counts
Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school girls basketball playoffs: Arbor Prep wins D-3
Continue reading...
The Ypsilanti Arbor Prep senior point guard buried a pair of 3-pointers in a span of 90 seconds early in the second half to put the Gators ahead of Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest by seven.
Bush’s six-point outburst turned into the inflection point of the Division 3 championship, which had a total of 53 points scored.
"Our whole team can really rebound and they look for me when they kick it out," Bush said. "They do a really good job of giving me looks and also, I was really confident because I had just hit a 3 in that same spot."
You must be registered for see images attach
MICK McCABE: Belleville's secret behind its first girls basketball state title? 'No thinking, just going'
Arbor Prep’s lead safely sat at three possessions over the final 10-plus minutes as the Gators’ 2-3 zone defense disrupted the Rochester Hills offense to the point of making any run impossible.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep rode the defense until the end for a 32-21 victory, marking the Gators’ second consecutive state championship and third in four seasons.
Arbor Prep (17-12) overcame a 3-8 start to the season and losing three All-State contributors from last season to add another championship trophy.
"Right toward the end of the season, we started picking it up," Bush said. "We always knew we could do it and we had the team that had all the skills to win a championship, but I think the last week of our regular season we turned it around."
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (21-7) scored nearly half its points in the opening quarter after forcing turnovers to get out in transition, mainly through junior guard Addie Troska (eight points). Arbor Prep kept the pace thanks to six first-quarter points from forward Angela Meggisson.
Arbor Prep held Rochester Hills without a field goal in the second quarter, through they only scored two themselves, to lead 13-10 at the break.
"It's essentially a stall," head coach Scott Stine said of the offense in the second quarter. "We take time off the clock and when you do that, you're not going to score a lot of points."
Bush buried two of her three 3s early in the third quarter for the decisive advantage, while the defense continued to cause fits. Charlotte Gramzow had all three of Rochester Hills’ points in the third, and the Crusaders added five points in the fourth quarter.
Ypsilanti Arbor Prep put the finishing touches on the win with more forced turnovers, a transition layup from Meggisson and a corner 3 from Jourdin Lewis with less than two minutes left for the comfortable win.
THE SEMIFINAL: Michigan high school girls basketball playoffs: Arbor Prep hits at the line when it counts
Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school girls basketball playoffs: Arbor Prep wins D-3
Continue reading...
