The OAA season for Girls Basketball is over and here are my
thoughts at the conclusion of the season.
1. Lathrup Going Out Means Warriors Questions Begin.
Lathrup going out by Detroit Martin Luther King was a
shocker at Dearborn Fordson in the Regional Final. The Crusaders shot 11 threes
in a 74-56 win over the Chargers. Lathrup concludes its program as they merge
with Southfield to become Southfield Arts and Technology but there are
questions heading into next season as three players head to Division One
Schools. If Michelle Marshall becomes the new coach at Southfield A&T
expect Deja Church to stay on board and also the new Warriors team will have
some top talent returning from the core of Southfield Blue Jays but we’ll see
what happens.
2. Dragons poised for bounce back season.
The Dragons suffered a turbulent season in 2015-2016 as they
went through many changes despite winning 12 games. Orion lost Maddie Novak to
an MCL injury in the district overtime semifinal loss to Waterford Mott, had she
been healthy the Dragons beat the Corsairs. Orion loses five players from this
season’s team but do return Novak along with Tessa Nuss, Sophie Wyborski, and
Jordyn Marchese, among others. There will be questions with this team heading into next season
concerning which division the Dragons will be in along with the bench but they
must address the internal issues this off-season.
3. Blackhawks Ready to Take Next Step.
The Blackhawks will be a senior heavy team in 2016-2017 led
by Katherine Prinna, Becca Hancock, and Amanda Sape. Bloomfield Hills suffered
a disappointing loss to Birmingham Marian in the pre-district playoffs but this was
not the same team when Sape got concussed against Orion. The Blackhawks will be
a dangerous team if they get moved up to the Red or stay in the White next
season because of the experience. If they can toughen up their non-conference
which I expect coach Jeff Rubin to do so. It could be an interesting season in
Bloomfield Hills.
4. Could the Cougars get another district title???
Stoney Creek under first coach Kellen James grabbed the
fifth district title in six seasons with their win over Utica in the district
final but suffered a tough loss to a very good Fenton team in the regional
semifinals at Grand Blanc. The Cougars lose three starters but does return a lot back in Ally
Voss, Emily Eckhout, Morgan Porter, Gabby Sincola, among others for the
2016-2017 season. The district possibilities next season are endless for Stoney
Creek as they could stay put in Macomb County or go back west but that will be
decided in June when the Volleyball districts come out.
5. Wolves must put painful lessons aside.
The Wolves had a nice season under first year coach
Christine Rogers but the fallout of the loss to Waterford Kettering in the pre-district
gave some tough and painful lessons to Clarkston. It was their second straight pre-district loss. The Wolves do return Maddie Beck and Kayla Luchenbach for next
season. Beck had a great sophomore campaign and looks to do more from the guard
spot in 2016-2017 for Clarkston. Luchenbach is expected to have a strong bounce
back season to go along with Molly Nicholson inside the paint. Rogers will be
strong again next season despite losing three starters from a team that won 15
games.
6. Could this be the Raiders best chance to get over the
hump???
The Raiders won the White in 2015-2016 and is expected to
move back into the Red for the 2016-2017 season. North Farmington lost three
key players from last season but coach Jeff Simpson’s team will return Kierra
Crockett along with Samantha Cherney from a team that lost in overtime to
Harrison in the district semifinals. The reason why this could be the Raiders
best chance is because Harrison will be down along with Farmington Hills Mercy
and if the district is the same as this season it could be a special season at
North Farmington as the Raiders will have a senior heavy team and might be the
best team in Farmington Hills.
7. Coaching Carousal.
There will be some new coaches in the league heading into
next season. The big one could be at Oxford where there is a vacancy since
Steve Emert resigned two weeks ago after the loss to Waterford Mott in the
pre-districts. The Wildcats return players like Monae Evans, Jordyn Zyinger, Olivia
Clark, Madelyn Morris, and Grace Cleland, among others. Oxford was in a really
tough division and is expected to move down from the Red to the White for the
2016-2017 season. The other vacancy is at Harrison where Allen Walker resigned
during the season and coach Stefan Wilson took over the team but we don’t know
if he will coach both teams or stick with the boy’s team. The Hawks are going
through a lot of rumblings that the school could close and they did lose Amber Stephens
and Kristen Nelson to graduation. Harrison does return though Olivia Perkins
and Tedi Pickens, among others so there is a good core to go with for a few
seasons.
8. What will the divisions look like next season???
The million-dollar question will be the divisions as we head
into next season. There will be 23 schools in the league so it will likely be a
7-8-8 format of three divisions. Here are my best guesses as the divisions
could look like in the 2016-2017 season.
Red:
Southfield A&T
Clarkston
Stoney Creek
Adams
Harrison
North Farmington
Bloomfield Hills
White:
Oxford
Orion
West Bloomfield
Troy
Royal Oak
Seaholm
Groves
Troy Athens
Blue:
Farmington
Rochester
Oak Park
Berkley
Ferndale
Hazel Park
Avondale
Pontiac
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