Written Wednesday December 31 at 9:15 PM
When looking at each team, I will give my insight on all 24
OAA teams in Girls Basketball this season so far.
Red:
Harrison: The Hawks had a huge win
over Chicago Crete Montee with mostly one of their top superstars Kristen
Nelson in foul trouble in the Motor City Roundball Classic. Harrison
has played a brutal non conference schedule (Harper
Woods Chandler Park
Academy, Ann Arbor Huron, Plymouth,
Livonia Stevenson) and has to play a good Harper Woods
team before opening up league play. Expect Harrison to
ride Nelson, Amber Stephans, who had 31 points against Farmington,
and Kyla Roland to be factors but also Deja Hunter and Katie Conrad are
wildcards but the major concern is depth but coach Tim Micklash won the
division last season and has the experience to repeat.
Adams: This may be the best team for
the Highlanders have had in a long time. Adams has a new
coach in Shay Lewis and future Northwestern recruit Amber Jamison in the post
and Raiven Owusu at the small forward spot along with her sister Ryian and
Olivia Aregros. The Highlanders have gotten stronger with the arrival of Dazia
Dinkins from West Bloomfield. Adams
also has a deep bench led by Maggie Rogers and Anna Twitty. Expect Adams
to make noise in this division this season but they haven’t played a game since
they rolled Utica on Teddy Bear
night.
Lathrup: The Chargers are for real but they had to overcome
a tough Chicago Crete Montee team in overtime and steamrolled East Chicago
Central at the Motor City Roundball Classic. Lathrup has two 6.2 twins in the
middle in Paige and Taize Bello but the emergence of guards Antoinette Miller
and Deja Church has helped the Hoop Squad take the pressure off the Bello Twins
for coach Michelle Jackson-Marshall. The concern for Lathrup is the bench and
if the twins get in foul trouble it could be interesting. The Chargers will be
good this season.
Clarkston: Coach Tim Waslik has been trying to find a true
second scorer to go along with Marquette
bound Erica Davenport. Davenport
has been playing really well but the Wolves have played a tough schedule in
playing Waterford Mott and Grosse Pointe South. Clarkston has some candidates to
be the second scorer in center Kayla Lucenbach, forward Jessica Altene, forward
Kayla Russell, three point specialist Ashley Skaggs, point guard Taylor Mullins,
and guard Meghan Deardorff. The Wolves will have options besides Davenport
to help them this season.
Stoney Creek: The Cougars have been
doing well so far this season and is riding their guards Maria Zandi and the Solek
sisters Courtney and Emily. Zandi has had a strong start but did miss the Oxford
game and it showed, she had strong showings against Macomb Dakota and Waterford
Our Lady of the Lakes and she will have to be relied on if coach Brad Crighton
wants to be successful.
North Farmington: The Raiders should
be sitting at 6-0 had it loss a terrible game to Walled Lake Northern but did
beat Farmington and River Rouge.
Megan Carter has missed some time with a shoulder injury but returned against
the Farmington. North
Farmington needs to get someone besides Carter to carry the load
if they want to compete in the Red.
Blue:
Seaholm: The best kept secret is out with Makenzie Harbort,
she has to adjust to being the girl in Birmingham.
She did have 39 points against Royal Oak Shrine and 20 points against Rochester.
The schedule however for the Maples and coach January Hlauski will get tough
with them having to play Orion, Stoney Creek, and Adams.
That’s not going to be easy.
Oak Park: The
Knights has had a strange season so far with wins over Trenton
and Flint Southwestern
Academy but losses to Flint Beecher
and Blissfield have haunted coach Diane Jones Knights young team. Oak
Park needs to be consistent especially heading into
division play.
Rochester: The
Falcons got their first win of the season against a bad Warren
Woods Tower.
Rochester
has played a brutal schedule early (Adams, Stoney
Creek, Seaholm, and Orion.) The key to the Falcons success is the
combination of guard Palo Barraza and forward Shikara Hodges. If these two stay
out of foul trouble then coach Adam Sheldon can have something here and also Zo
Schultz must become a scorer if Rochester
has any chance in the Blue.
Royal Oak: Coach
Brian Sopta has had an up and down season for the Ravens but guard Bailey Haran
has fitted in nicely to go along with Allison Karpinski for a one-two punch.
The Ravens beat Royal Oak Shrine and Jaylen
Rose Leadership Academy
but lost to Walled Lake Northern and Troy Athens. Royal Oak
will ride it’s defense this season as they have a big match up with Bloomfield
Hills coming up.
Groves: The
Falcons have struggled this season but have two wins over Redford Union and
Detroit University Prep. Groves has a very talented freshman in Shea Carter to
go along with Madison Meredith but the question for coach Amos Thompson will be
who will show up inside, so far they have had to rely on Erin Eflimoff and Jenna
Weed to carry Groves.
Farmington: The
Falcons have struggled since Mary Sheltron returned to coach the Falcons but
she has the pieces in Mya Douse, Armani Echols, Taylor Surrmeyer, and Natalia
Peurach but losing Maddy Trevisian has hurt Farmington.
The schedule is difficult for the Falcons they still has to play Orion and then
they go into league play where they have to see Royal Oak, Oak Park, Rochester,
and Seaholm. This could be interesting.
Gold:
Hazel Park: First year
coach Jessica Wieseler will have her hands full but is off to a good start. The
Vikings beat River Rouge and has started to change the culture in Vikings land
but the schedule is still tough heading into league play.
Troy Athens: The
Red Hawks sit at 2-3 after losing to Northville in the Holiday
tournament but they are a hit or miss team. They beat Berkley
and Royal Oak handily but lost to
Northville, Troy, and Sterling
Heights Stevenson. Troy Athens is led by forward Kasey Joslyn and Michelle
Gervalis but they have had to move Gervalis to the shooting guard spot to take
the pressure off her but she may have to have the ball more in her hands if the
Red Hawks want to be successful.
Pontiac: The Phoenix
had a competitive game against Avondale but was blown out by Harper
Woods. It could be another long season for coach Lance
Davis but they will be competitive in this division with the speed they have.
Ferndale: The
Eagles have been up and down but they have beaten the teams they are suppose to
beat but were crushed by Bloomfield Hills. Ferndale
under coach Eric Lloyd should be all right as we head into league play this
month.
Berkley: The
Bears have been an up and down team but Zoe Anderson has helped since coming
over from Bloomfield Hills. She was huge against Seaholm in a win this month.
Celia Somers has emerged as the go to guard for Berkley
and if she and Anderson could bring their magic then coach Jordan Gruppen will
be very happy.
Southfield: Krystal Lynn Defoe and Stormeigh Mattison has
had a strong season so far for the Blue Jays and coach Jamie Glinz however they
will get a test when they play Seaholm. Tough games are going to be ahead for
this group especially when they see Troy Athens and Berkley
as well.
White:
Oxford: The Wildcats
are an interesting team. They can slow the game down like they did against
Notre Dame Prep or rely a lot on Jessica Murphy. Skye Donaldson has had a solid
season so far for coach Steve Emert but the question will be the bench
especially when they play good teams and they lost to early season games to Lakeland
and Adams and still has to play Clarkston and Stoney
Creek before league play starts.
Orion: Besides the Linden
game the Dragons are off to a strong start, led by Hannah Hamay and Evelyn
Wischmeyer. The schedule will get tough for Orion as they play Clarkston, Adams,
Seaholm, and Lapeer and then league play starts. This Dragon team will be an
interesting team to watch this season for coach Steve Roberts.
Troy: The Colts are
solid for coach Simon Bato, the Grecky sisters Rachel and Alyssa have been huge
in making Troy good. The Colts have
played a tough schedule with their only loss to Waterford Mott by three points.
Troy has experience and depth but
the question is the forward and inside game with them relying along on Tupper
Bigelow and Jordan Layfette for now but their guards are very solid. The Colts
will be in the league race all season along.
West Bloomfield: Charlika Stubbs has
replaced Dazia Dinkins in the Lakers lineup and has done a solid job to go
along with guards Krystal Glass, Rachel Harnish and forward Taylor Pierce.
Coach Zach Hilbers has had a nice start but the schedule tightens up when they
have to go to Harrison before league play starts.
Avondale: The Yellow Jackets under coach Darious Whiteside
will have experience led by forward Taylor Scarettli and 6.3 center Alyssa
Smith and have the Morton sisters at the guards but have struggled this season
in games against Adams, Pontiac, and Brandon. The schedule is brutal for
Avondale especially when they get into league play.
Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks haven’t been tested yet but
they will be when they play Lathrup. Coach Jeff Rubin is led by forward Amanda
Sape who is 6.4 who came out for basketball to go along with guards Amanda
Moss, Katherine Prinna and Sherry Jackson. Diana Hosley is the other starter
and they have a solid freshman in Becca Hancock who will get minutes this season.
