Girls Basketball Shortcomings.

Written Tuesday March 10th at 9:10 PM
Updated Thursday July 30th at 7:30 PM

With Girls Basketball season in the OAA coming to a close. This is what I'm looking at heading into next season.

I will update this article periodically if coaches want to comment to me they know where to find me.

Here are the teams.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers are built for next year and beyond because of their depth especially at the guard spots. West Bloomfield came off a tough 61-52 loss to Hartland for a second straight season however the future is bright as their back court is going to be lethal with Myonna Hooper and Sydney Hendrix returning along with Logan Lewis for Coach Bert Mosley. The freshman class for the Lakers coming in next season is very talented led by Indya and Summer Davis. West Bloomfield will be back for sure.

Southfield Arts and Tech: It could be an end of an era at Southfield Arts and Tech after the Warriors suffered a disappointing 30-26 district semifinal loss to Royal Oak. They lose Cheyenne McEvans and Jasmine Worthy to graduation. Southfield Arts and Tech had a ton of turnover during the season which featured a ton of inexperience. It is also unknown if Coach Michelle Marshall returns next season. Jaylen Austin will likely have to carry the load next season for the Warriors. It could be an interesting offseason to say the least.

Clarkston: The Wolves are on the right track heading into next season as they took home their first district title since 2017. Clarkston loses Taylor Heaten and Lexi Linton to graduation but they will have Sam Aris, Olivia Toderan, Morgan Hunter, Kaitlyn Kaul, Izzy Hadley, and Madison Skourpski coming back for Coach John Weyer. The Wolves program strength is very strong which helps into the future. Clarkston will be fine going forward.

Royal Oak: The Ravens are in a very good position to make some noise especially after upsetting Southfield Arts and Tech 30-26 in the district semifinals. Royal Oak has Sarah Soraghan returning but she will need some help. Lexi Romesburg and Sarah Ammon also return as well. This has to be something that Coach Brian Sopota needs to address heading into next season. Program strength looks solid for the Ravens.

Groves: It was an interesting season for Coach Jessica Wiesler but have a solid young core returning next season that is led by Kaitlyn Quinn and Rachel Sample. The Falcons lose Bryani Johnson, Daija Green, and Ellie Ruprich to graduation. Ruprich is going to play volleyball at South Carolina. It will be very interesting to see how Groves looks next season.

Stoney Creek: It was an interesting year for Coach Kellen James this season. The Cougars lose Lily DiPanni to graduation. Stoney Creek is built for the future and beyond. They have Mia Carson, Devin Vowels, Kendall Kuhl, Sydney LaPrairie, and Milana Skoric returning. Program strength looks strong especially with the talent coming up into the program. I think the Cougars will be back with a vengeance.

Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks are in an interesting spot after a tough 54-40 opening round loss to West Bloomfield. Angelica Saayva and Jordan Banks are graduating but Keelan Fife and Melissa Mecaj are expected to take on much bigger roles for Coach Jeff Rubin. I think program strength is very interesting for Bloomfield Hills but they do have some questions next season as well to address.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets are going to be in a very interesting spot next season. Avondale won the White this season but they had a mid season coaching change as Roy Christmon took over the program for Bob Lees. The Yellow Jackets lose Keori Lee and Brala Benion to graduation after winning a combined 33 games in two seasons (won 15 games this year) with four of those losses coming to West Bloomfield. Avondale has Regan Lawrence, Savannah Schmidt, and Taniah Jackson returning. Depth and program strength are going to be serious issues for the Yellow Jackets next season as they are likely heading for the Red.

Troy: The Colts had a weird season despite not having Kendal Zeiter for half of the season because of transfer rules and winning 15 games in the process earning the top seed in the district however they were upset by Utica 39-23 in the pre-districts. Troy loses Athena Sampson, Jessica Chen, and Riya Chakravinky to graduation. Zeiter does come back along with Kayla Rutledge, Calen Knight, Alyssa Matuza, Charlotte Sobotka, and Lauren Gumma for Coach Simon Bato. Program strength looks to be very strong. It will be interesting to see what happens with this program next season.

Adams: The Highlanders are in an interesting spot despite winning 13 games but suffered their second straight district final loss but it was to Clarkston and not Waterford Kettering this season. Adams has proven players in Elizabeth Blaine, Maddie Dolenga, Lauren Petersmark, and Abbey Drahnak returning. Coach Shay Lewis has Madison Kessman and Kate Elliot coming off the bench. Also program strength looks to be in good shape next season. It will be interesting to see what happens.

North Farmington: The Raiders lose seven seniors to graduation including Molly Simpson and Maya Kelly but Coach Jeff Simpson will have three key players returning in Sela Lefler, Kelsey Newton, and Heaven Rogers. Program strength is a question mark. It will be very interesting to see where North Farmington is at next season.

Troy Athens: Anytime you lose seven seniors to graduation like what Coach Stacie Klumpp is going to have at Troy Athens it’s going to be very tough. The Red Hawks won 13 games this year and started off 10-0 but they went 3-8 down the stretch despite earning the number two seed in their district where they suffered a tough 40-36 loss to Stoney Creek in the pre-districts. Troy Athens will have some questions this offseason and program strength is a question mark. Gillian Clark, Nityla Balusu, and Ciara Shoales will provide varsity experience for what will be a young Red Hawks squad next season.

Lake Orion: The Dragons had their fair share of ups and downs this season. What should have Coach Bob Brydges excited is that he has the majority of his team returning. Maddie Ebbert and Kylie Heck are going to be names to watch out for years to come. Program strength is very strong. The Dragons also have Meghan Marshall returning to go along with this young core. Lake Orion is going to be very dangerous next year.

Oxford: It was a challenging season for Coach Rachel Bryer. What didn’t help was that the Wildcats were without Mackenzie Methner for half of the season which cost them some wins. With Methner returning along with Emma Morris even though there are questions in the interior despite having program strength. Oxford could make some noise next season.

Berkley: It has been an interesting two years for Coach Kirk Carolan and his team winning 32 games in that stretch and sharing the Blue with Rochester for the second straight year. The postseason hasn't been that kind to the Bears falling to Birmingham Marian both times. The future though looks very bright for Berkley with Ashley Loon, Jillian Gomes, and Sammi Withrow returning. The Bears toughen up their non-league which included opening up with Macomb Dakota this season. Playing more of the bigger schools like Lake Orion and Oxford could do wonders despite beating three White teams in Troy, Troy Athens, and North Farmington this year.

Rochester: The Falcons had a great season under first year coach Bill Thurston sharing the Blue for the second straight season with Berkley and winning 14 games. Rochester made some noise in the postseason by upsetting Utica 40-36 in the district semifinals and going toe to toe with Utica Eisenhower in the district finals but falling 47-42 to the Eagles. The Falcons have a very bright future with Megan Lorenzo, Jackie Hurst, Brooke Gordon, and Ananya Rangarijan returning and with the coaching staff stabilized, Rochester is going to be a team to watch and they have a strong core to prove it.

Oak Park: The Knights had a great year under Coach Peggy Carr winning 13 games. They will lose Kyla Wilson to graduation however Oak Park has Tanya Todd returning which should stabilize things. Depth is a concern though. The Knights will be an interesting team to keep an eye on next season.

Seaholm: It will be an interesting offseason for the Maples as they lose five seniors but Coach Chris Manchester returns several key players in Katie Sullivan, Kate Kiefer, Gwyn Wineman, and Megan Blake. Seaholm should be improved next season but we shall see.

Farmington: The Falcons will be in an interesting spot next season for Coach Laura Guzman. Val Pallett returns which should help in the interior along with Autumn Bartlett and Lilly Morrisette at the guard positions. Program strength will be a question mark going forward. Farmington is heading in the right direction though.

Ferndale: It will be interesting how Coach Keith Paris does next season. Paris is trying to build a foundation with the Eagles but he will need to look at program strength heading into next season. That will be the key for Ferndale. Zoe Rogers is the Eagles top returner coming back.

Pontiac: It was a tough year for Coach Christopher Wright’s program. The Phoenix really struggled this season with blowout losses and inexperience. On the bright side for Pontiac, they have Nakiah Lewis and Jasmine Shelby returning which should help. I expect the Phoenix to be better next season.