Girls Basketball Top Ten Storylines for 2017-2018 School Year.

Written Sunday March 19th at 12:30 PM
Updated Tuesday March 21 at 8:50 AM

Well the OAA season is over for Girls Basketball and we had a team make the State Semifinals in Southfield Arts and Tech. Here are my Top Ten Story-lines to watch for next season.

1. Southfield Arts and Tech Could be Back at Breslin Again.

Southfield Arts and Tech had a great first season as one school but they will have to reload a bit next season. The Warriors lose Deja Church as she will continue on her basketball career at Michigan however Southfield Arts and Tech has Alexis Johnson and Cheyenne McEvans back. Looking at the league for next season, another playoff run is possibly in the cards for coach Michelle Marshall-Jackson's team that could make some noise.

2.Could Groves have a Special Season???

The Falcons won the Gold this season in impressive fashion and played a tough non league schedule against teams like Orion and Clarkston but they were upset in the pre-district by arch rival Seaholm. Groves returns a ton of experience coming back in Kayla Nelson and Shea Carter. Carter and Nelson will get some offers to play College ball in the future. The Falcons will rely on their high scoring duo to win games next season. The question for coach Amos Thompson's team will be is where will the league put them and where they will be in once playoff time comes next season, they could be a big threat to Birmingham Marian if they see them in districts once they are released in June. Groves could be in line for a special season.

3. Clarkston will be loaded again.

Clarkston had a successful season despite not having a ton of experience from the back-court from a team that won 15 games this season. Power forward, Kayla Luchenbach committed to Oakland last month giving the Wolves their first Division One recruit since Erika Davenport when she committed to Marquette. (Luchenbach played with Davenport her freshman season at Clarkston.) Luchenbach will have a team that will be loaded next season for the Wolves. Taylor Heaton had a breakout season as a freshman and is expected to assume the starting point guard duties for coach Christine Rogers team along with Maddie Beck, Luchenbach, and Molly Nicholson. Clarkston must address their bench next season and if they do, they will be deep. The Wolves must address their Waterford Kettering problem as it was the Captains that have taken Clarkston out of the playoffs the last two seasons.

4. Orion is the Great Mystery.

The Dragons had to deal with a lot of adversity this season but if there is a silver lining, going 5-5 since the sudden departure of Maddie Novak has coach Kevin Kopec looking to the future and is bright with this team and the program. Orion loses one senior in Delaney Bryce but returns Sophie Wyborski, Sophie Canine, Lauryn Van Loon, Shannon Falter, Sydney Strenger, Tessa Nuss, Paytin Shadaia, Shay Bonds, and Cameron Coltrin. The Dragons have to address depth, consistency, rebounding, and size. If they address these four areas then Orion could be in the thick of it next season.

5. Stoney Creek will be solid again.

The Cougars had some inconsistencies and injuries to key players this season. Stoney Creek loses eight seniors but they have a solid Junior Varsity team coming up in Meghan Solek, Lauren Benitez, Maria St. Louis, and Lillian DiPanni to go along with Emily Eckhout, Isabella Ubaydi, Serafana Kamp, and Margaret Angel. Knowing coach Kellen James, his Cougars will be solid even if they have a tough schedule but they have to address some things like depth and scoring, if they do look out.

6. Can Avondale Stay Healthy???

Yellow Jackets coach Phil Dawson had a great first season winning 14 games but they lost some key players throughout the season due to injuries. Olivia Russell re-injured her ACL for the second time in 18 months, Grace Schwerin also got hurt as well but if they get those players back healthy along with Keiori Lee at point guard, a healthy Russell, Arionia Plans, and Mileshia Rodriguez at power forward then Avondale could be a sleeper next season.

7. Harrison Outlook.

The Hawks lose Teddi Pickens and Nila Warren to graduation but Olivia Perkins, Merina Itawa, and Nevada Hargraves will return next season. There are some concerns though with the program, the team did not field a freshman or junior varsity program this season that caused a lot of teams to find other games at quick notice. What helps is that even though Harrison will close in two years, the IB program the school has brings in students. There has been discussions with the MHSAA if the Hawks can't field a team next season. Division realignment is also very important to see where the Harrison will be at. This will a story to keep an eye on.

8. Hazel Park an Encore???

The future is bright at Hazel Park especially with what they did this season. The Vikings won 15 games and they went to the district final before losing to Detroit Mumford. Hazel Park returns the balk of their team next season in Trinity Benton, Liz Sternor, Arlyssia Patterson, Jaysa Larkins, among others for coach Chris Stroud. The Vikings are heading in the right direction but with the move to Class A on the horizon, it could get tough for Hazel Park.

9. Are the Crumm Sisters Ready to Break Out.

The Troy Athens girls basketball team has had some down seasons but they have a sister combination ready to break out in the Crumm sisters in Maddie and Isabelle Crumm. Maddie will be a senior and has been the Red Hawks top player for the last three seasons under coach Stacie Klumpp. The other sister is Isabelle, Isabelle will be a sophomore and played on Varsity this season. Expect Troy Athens to ride heavily on the Crumm sisters to carry them despite needing more scoring from other players, particularity inside next season.

10. Is Grace Van Pelt ready to lead Adams???

The Highlanders won their first district crown since 2003 despite having a losing record (7-15) and playing in a tough division (Red.) Adams loses Maggie Rogers, MaKayla Smith, Ryian Owusu, and Hannah Simard. Coach Jackie Steinacker's team will be very young this season. The Highlanders had one sophomore on the team in Grace Van Pelt. Van Pelt is a solid player but is she ready to lead an Adams team that could lean heavily on her talent next season, it's possible.