Girls Basketball Video Highlights - Dansville 68 Springport 55

Girls Basketball Video Highlights - Dansville 68 Springport 55

Megan Zeitz of Dansville scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Aggies past Springport 68-55 in Tuesday night's Division 3 regional semifinal. Despite having to relocate the game from the high school due to technical issues, the Aggies put on an impressive show for a packed audience.

LeslieOs Emma Smieska (14) shoots a free throw during a Leslie vs. Olivet girls basketball game at Leslie High School on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

On Thursday evening, Leslie High School's girls basketball team secured a 55-45 victory against Olivet to retain its home court advantage. With this win, Leslie improved to 11-3 on the season with four league games left in its schedule.

Mallory Wheeler led the LeslieOs with 16 points and 12 rebounds, as they built a 19-point lead over the Bulldogs in the third quarter. Emma Smieska added eight points while Makayla Brown chipped in seven for the LeslieOs.

On Saturday, Springport battled back from an early 20-point deficit to defeat Reading 47-44. Ryann Locke led the Spartans with 21 points, nine rebounds and eight steals for their 11-1 record.

Jonesville 49, Reading 39: The Comets secured their share of the Big 8 title with a victory over the Rangers, powered by strong defense and an impressive second-quarter run. Now 9-3 overall and two games ahead of Concord and Homer in conference play, Jonesville holds onto second place by defeating Reading.

In the opening half, The Comets led by as many as 15 points and never let Reading get within striking distance. Brady Wright scored 14 points while Zac Affholter added 10.

In the second quarter, Reading closed to within 27-25 with four minutes left. Sam Irelan hit a 3-pointer and then Isaiah Wiler followed with two dunks for a 33-25 lead.

In the third quarter, Reading cut their lead to 28-25 before Irelan made two 3-pointers and gave Jonesville control back. The Comets held Reading to only one field goal in the fourth, as Irelan and Wiler each hit six free throws for a decisive final margin of victory.

It was an exciting week for Jackson area girls basketball. Dansville easily defeated Bath 68-41 in the Division 3 district finals, while North Farmington came from behind to defeat Danville 64-53.

Recently, two undefeated teams dropped out of the rankings. Ovid-Elsie girls concluded their season with a district title and will now advance to Tuesday's regional semifinals at Parma Western.

On Friday night in the Big 8, Reading and Concord both defeated home teams. Although some of the conference races are now settled, it remains wide open for who will win it all. This week the Rangers and Comets each take on Quincy, Union City and Bronson for three more league games.

LeslieOs Mallory Wheeler (14) shoots a free throw during a Leslie vs. Olivet girls basketball game at Leslie High School on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

Leslie 68 Springport 55

The Leslie girls basketball team has won five straight games after defeating Olivet 63-52 Thursday at Leslie High School. Additionally, the Blackhawks have taken care of business in GLAC play with an impressive 10-0 start to the season.

Junior Mallory Wheeler led Leslie with 16 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Olivet after a close game. Smieska noted that Leslie's defense has been the key to their success this year, allowing them to maintain a slim lead in all four conference wins this year.

Leslie -- The Leslie girls basketball team got off to a fast start in its season opener against Columbia Central with an impressive first half and second. The Blackhawks built up a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter and held on for an easy 42-36 victory.

Smieska reported the Blackhawks ran their plays well in transition, creating several scoring chances. Furthermore, they used tough defense and impressive rebounding to keep the Golden Eagles at bay.

She noted the Blackhawks' shooting was excellent and they were able to control the game's flow, giving them a comfortable lead which allowed them to maintain it. Furthermore, Homer experienced some late flurry of shots falling for them which hadn't seen many baskets previously.

In another GLAC matchup, Stockbridge defeated East Lansing 46-42 to move within one game of first place in the conference. Leslie had earlier defeated Stockbridge 49-40, so this was an encouraging development for both teams.

Jackson Northwest opened their season by beating Mason 50-44. Additionally, they secured a victory against Grass Lake by sweeping both games by scores of 15-1 and 6-1.

Gage Race of Jackson Northwest was hit twice by pitches during a two-game set and also had six hits to help his team earn both victories. He earned recognition on the All-GLAC Baseball second team alongside teammates Ethan Anspaugh and JR Morrow.

Sophomore Kayla Horton led all scorers with seven points, three rebounds and four steals while seniors Kaylie McKay and Abby Brown each scored eight. Junior Gabby Waldofsky added six rebounds as well as three blocks for a total of nine in the game.

Smieska made 6-of-8 from the field, hitting four of her five shots from 3-point range. Additionally, she had three assists and made six free throws.

She said her team was focused on making shots, engaging their defenders and playing smart. She added that with so many young players on the roster, they must learn how to work together as one unit.

She expressed her delight to see the new faces on the team this season, including senior Emma Smieska. As a GLAC co-champion, she averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 steals this season while pulling down 7.5 rebounds per game. Furthermore, Smieska reached 1,000 career points in a win against Lansing Christian.

LeslieOs Makayla Brown (11) shoots a free throw during a Leslie vs. Olivet girls basketball game at Leslie High School on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

JACKSON - For high school basketball teams across Michigan, the final week of the season often marks conference championship week. On Tuesday afternoon, the Big Eight Conference held key matchups, Lenawee County Athletic Association was decided and SEC White Division saw important outcomes in both boys' and girls' basketball action.

In the Jackson-area, Olivet claimed its third straight GLAC league title with a thrilling road win against Lakewood; DeWitt and Fowlerville claimed CAAC Blue division crowns against Waverly and Haslett respectively; furthermore, five first-team all-conference selections were given to players from these three schools.

OLIVET 11, LAKEWOOD 2

The Bulldogs took an early 15-0 lead and held off a late rally to secure a GLAC road win against Lakewood Tuesday night. Bo Lincoln led Olivet with 19 points, Lucas McDaniel contributed 16 points, Jeremy Pilch made four 3-pointers and Nolan Frohriep chipped in with nine.

STOCKBRIDGE 30 (21-11) vs OLIVER 38 (24-3)

Olivet's burst of runs in the second and third quarters proved too much for Homer to handle as the Eagles cruised past the Panthers 70-38 at McDonald Athletic Center on Wednesday. Despite two early absences, Olivet found additional players to fill in, including JV call-ups, as they improved to 5-0 on the season.

Boston St. Anne 68 (23-9) Springport 55

The Tigers finished off their varsity schedule at Olivet Nazarene University, which is part of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and National Christian College Athletic Association. The Tigers compete in 21 intercollegiate varsity sports.

COVID-19 ended Hope's remarkable streak of NCAA postseason basketball tournament appearances, but the Titans will continue their incredible run next season. In addition to the regular season, they will host their inaugural postseason tournament in March.

Other than Hope, Oak Hills High School in Indiana is the only other school to have made multiple NCAA tournament appearances. Their team won both 1990 and 2006, earning them a national title along the way.

Unfortunately, that streak ended when COVID-19 began in the summer of 2020. Since then, neither the Hope Titans nor any of their past National Championship opponents have managed to reach a Sweet 16.

On Monday night, Olivet 11 (3-3) hosted Homer 8 (10-4), to win their first ever GLAC division title. However, the Panthers made sure it wasn't spoiled with an excruciating road loss at Stockbridge on Monday despite Kegan Collins' 3-pointer to start the game. Despite that early lead, Olivet never let Homer back into it after that.

Olivet's offensive surge proved too much for Stockbridge on Monday, as they claimed their fifth straight victory with a 56-30 triumph. Despite missing two starters in Blake Lincoln and Noah Young, Olivet still managed to score on several treys and hit some clutch baskets down the stretch for an impressive victory.