GIRLS HOOPS: Saginaw vs. Flint Central

**Diamond Tolliver holds the keys to Saginaw's offense**
**Tiffina Bennett drives to the basket**
**Shaqueal Blackmon goes up for 2 of her game high 19**

**Sophomore Ashley Beemon lays in a basket**

Flint- Two things stood out in Saginaw's 74-46 win over previous undefeated Flint Central.

1. The obvious conditioning advantage the Trojans had over the Phoenix. Saginaw instantly put the full court pressure on Central and didn't let up as Coach Sophia Jordan went to her bench early and often to keep fresh bodies on the floor as Saginaw left Central hugging their shorts.

2. The play of junior point guard Diamond Tolliver. Tolliver controlled the game's tempo and seemed like she was on a mission to set her teammates up with easy baskets, and she did just that with her ability to penetrate, draw a second defender, and then drop a dime to a wide open teammate.

The Trojans quickly took a 8-0 lead before Tiffina Bennett connected on consecutive baskets to get Central going. Midway through the second quarter a Bennett 3-pointer cut the Trojan lead to 17-13 but that would be the closest Central would get. Saginaw pulled away when Tolliver tosses 3 straight assist to end the half as Saginaw went up 37-23 at the half.

Saginaw started the second half with a 10-0 run as sophomore Ashley Beemon's long 2-pointer gave the Trojans a 47-23 lead. Saginaw put an exclamation point on the win at the end of the third quarter by stealing two straight inbound passes to end the quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 58-32 lead into the final quarter.

BREAKDOWN: the Trojans looked much improved from just a week ago when they lost the season opener to Howell. Saginaw is now 2-1 on the year and is starting to play with confidence now that players know their role. Saginaw is deep with wings and guards that can run the floor while Qwandra Stephens and sophomore Chloe Davis are beast in the paint.

Central now stands at 3-1 on the season. The Trojan press just kept Central from ever getting comfortable and it also limited the shots Bennett could get off.

PLAYER OF GAME: Diamond Tolliver, Saginaw, 5-5 PG- Tolliver played like a high major point guard last night and also looked like a true point guard as she controlled the game's momentum single handily. She only scored 8 points but had 11 assist on the night.

NOTABLE STANDOUTS

Tiffina Bennett, Central, 5-9 wing- is easily one of the top players in the state, only problem is she doesn't have much help on her team. Bennett racked up 20 points while shooting a high percentage.

Chloe Davis, Saginaw, 5-8 Fwd- the sophomore forward led Saginaw with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Shaqueal Blackmon, Saginaw, 5-7 Fwd- led Saginaw with 19 points.

HOOPS: Mt. Pleasant vs. Bay City Western

**Trey Zeilger goes up for a dunk**
**Sophomore Tyler Ellis on a fast break**
**Trey Zeigler finished with 34 points**

**Western's Corey Arnold tries to avoid Zeigler**

Auburn- Michigan is loaded with talent across the state, but nobody gets it done on both ends of the floor like Mt. Pleasant's Trey Zeigler does and the 6-5 junior guard made that statement very evident as he led his Oilers to a 63-41 win over Bay City Western.

Zeigler's first big play came, on Western's first field goal attempt, when Zeigler pinned a lay-up attempt against the glass. Offensively Zeigler was insatntly doubled teamed, so he just kicked it out to his teammates for wide open shots and a 5-0 lead. Zeigler's first points came off of a tip back, and the next trip down the floor Zeigler knocked down a 3-pointer for a 12-1 lead. Western's Corey Arnold connected on his own 3-point attempt to keep Western in reach at the end of one quarter, as Mt. Pleasant led 16-6.

For the remainder of four quarters Western had no answer for Zeigler. Every time Western did something good or made a play, Zeigler just answered back with a basket of his own or a big play defensively. The Oilers led 29-18 at the half and 48-30 after three quarters.

BREAKDOWN- Western has some solid guard play but that's about it, they lack depth and guys who can make their own shots. Western might be in a for a long season in the SVL.

As far as the Oilers are concerned they have the state's top player, but others will need to be consistent night in and night out. I give Zeilger a ton of credit because he is patient with his team and does a wonderful job of coaching them up on the floor, he understands they weren't blessed with his God given talents and he does what he can to make them better.

PLAYER OF GAME- Trey Zeilger, Mt. Pleasant, 6-5 guard- Trey finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assist, and 3 blocks. Defensively he completely took away the smaller but faster Arnold, Western's point guard. Zeigler scored with dunks, 3-pointers, and variety of mid-rage jumpers from every angle.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Corey Arnold, Westen, 5-11 PG- Arnold is a scrappy blue collar type player. He's a good athlete with solid speed. He can get to the basket normally but Zeigler took that away and forced Arnold into a tough shooting night, still finished with 10 points.

Tyler Ellis, Western, 5-9, PG- a sophomore starter for Western. Solid handles and a good shot but just needs to get stronger in time. Did a good job of taking care of the ball.

HOOPS: Linden vs. Hartland

**Vonn Jones drains a 3-pointer from the corner**
** Matt Poches floats in 2 of his 25 points**
**Jake Warner powers his way up for 2 points**

**Jones and Poches look to lead Hartland to a big season**

Hartland- This year Hartland's football team put together a season that will go down in history as the school's best, and now the Eagles are focused to put together a similar run on the hardwood, and that run got off to a good start as Hartland blasted Linden 84-55 in the season opener.

Vonn Jones and Matt Poches went right to work from the opening tip to give Hartland a quick 11-2 lead. Poches, a 6-4 sophomore, scored 14 of Hartland's first 24 points as the Eagles led 27-8 after one quarter of play. Jones finished the first quarter with 5 points, 5 assist, and 4 steals.

Hartland spent the rest of the game preparing the team for the long season by splitting time equally with all 15 players. At times Hartland had all five players from the end of their bench in the game and this allowed Linden to only trail 40-22 at halftime as Linden stayed with their starters.

In the third quarter the starting unit played the first five minutes and went on a 16-0 run to go up 70-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

BREAKDOWN: Hartland will be strong this year with 9 veteran seniors and their super sophomore. They are still missing 6-9 Luke Lamond who is coming off an injury and won't be cleared to play until January 2nd. Hartland has a different mind set this season, and expect to see the Eagles play a faster full court pace and try to run on every possession.

PLAYER OF GAME: Matt Poches, Hartland, 6-4 wing- the 2011 product finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 steals. He scored early and often and Jones rewarded him for running the floor hard. Even with a game high 25 points, Poches logged less than 20 minutes of clock due to the lop sided score.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Vonn Jones, Hartland, 5-11 PG- Hartland goes and Jones goes. For the past two years Jones has had to carry the scoring load but now with more developed weapons around him he can focus on being a true point guard. Jones deferred to his teammates all night long and came up just short of a triple double in limited minutes, 10 points, 11 assist, and 8 steals. He is still the top point guard in the class of 2009.

Jon Stevens, Hartland, 6-5 fwd- Stevens is noticeably stronger and does all the little things a team needs to win. He won't have a problem holding down the paint till 6-9 Lamond returns and then he can return to his natural forward position. Stevens contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Zach Kaul, Hartland, 5-9 PG- Kaul is a starter and comes to Hartland after moving from California, he brings the team an energetic ball handler that will allow Jones to slide over to the wing at times. Kaul plays with a different type of flavor, maybe it has to do with the Cali sun?

Chris Cagle, Hartland, 6-1 wing- Cagle struggled with his shot but contributed in other ways. He ran the floor well, played hard defensively, and fed his teammates with some nice passes.

Jake Warner, Hartland, 6-2 fwd- a 6-2/215 pound bruiser from the football team that plays with the same mentality on the hardwood. Warner comes off of the bench and gives Hartland a physical presence. He can also put the ball on the floor as well as score.

GIRLS HOOPS: Powers vs. Heritage

**6-1 Jourdan Erskine drives to the basket**
**Liza Flewelling chases down a loose ball**
**Davi'elle Thomas tries to stay on her feet**

**Grace Herzog goes up for 2 over 2 defenders**

Saginaw- Jourdan Erskine and Davi'elle Thomas were able to keep their Heritage team close for the majority of the first half against Powers on Monday night. But after Erskine picked up her third foul, and was forced to take a seat with 3:37 to play in the half, Powers went on a 8-0 run to take a 27-17 lead into the half.

The run continued into the second half as Powers scored the first 18 points of the third quarter until Erskine's steal and lay-up ended the run, making the score 45-19. Powers' Stephanie Kelly's basket, while being fouled, completed a three point play to give her Chargers a 49-19 lead going into the fourth quarter. Powers ended the game with a 67-33 win.

BREAKDOWN: Powers just wore Heritage down, but I give credit to Erskine and Thomas for fighting and hitting baskets to stay close early on. Powers has a very deep bench and was able to use plenty of energy to get out and run.

Powers also had a huge rebounding advantage with six players standing 5-11 or taller. Powers did a phenomenal job of out-letting the ball, to get out in transition, which led to uncontested baskets.

PLAYER OF GAME: Grace Herzog, Powers 6-3 center- the SVSU commit has really improved her game. She blocked 4 shots in the second quarter to ignite Powers' big run, while finishing with 6. She added 10 rebounds to go with 9 points and she did a good job of forcing Erskine to shoot over her.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Jourdan Erskine, Heritage, 6-1 wing fwd- has really improved her range and ability to play other positions. The New Mexico commit had good rotation on her shot, and knocked down two 3-pointers. She even played point guard at times and seemed comfortable bring the ball up court. She finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Davi'elle Thomas, Heritage, 5-7 PG- the junior point guard is fast and can really push the ball up the court. Powers was forced to play zone to keep Thomas out of the paint or else she would just blow by her defender with a simple crossover. Thomas struggled to get shots to fall and was only able to score 5 points.

Stephanie Kelly, Powers, 5-4 PG- Kelly is a tough point guard that really has a handle on Powers' offense. She does a good job moving the ball around as well as getting into the lane. She ended up with 8 points, 5 assist, and 5 steals.

Liza Flewelling, Powers, 6-0 PF- Liz is more of an enforcer which compliments Herzog well, she is also more polished offensively and can finish plays near the basket.

Lindsey McPherson, Powers, 6-0 wing- at 6 foot the junior is more of a wing and has a good shot from beyond the arc. She comes off the bench but her play keeps Powers at full strength.

GIRLS HOOPS: Howell vs. Saginaw High

**Nikki Gunning takes on a double team**
**Diamond Tolliver gets to the basket**
**Charlie French pulls up for for 2**

**Keyandra Rohelia chases down a loss ball**

Saginaw- The Trojans and Highlanders matched bucket for bucket for the vast majority of four quarters, but down the stretch it was Howell's ability to knock down free throws that allowed the Highlanders to take a 58-51 win in the season opener for both teams.

Howell went up 6-0, the biggest lead for either team, to start the game before the Trojans woke up on their home floor. Saginaw's steal and solo bucket from Keyandra Rohelia tied the game 8-8, and Diamond Tolliver's basket gave the Trojans their first lead of the game.

The teams used the next two quarters duking it out as both tried to control the game's tempo. Saginaw wore down Howell with their full court man pressure while Howell slowed the game down and forced Saginaw to spent allot of energy chasing down back door cutters and shooters coming off of screens.

Saginaw stayed close late into the fourth quarter until Nikki Gunning bombed a long 3-point to give Howell a 49-44 lead, their biggest in the second half, with three minutes to play. Saginaw continued to attack the basket down the stretch, and was able to draw foul and get into the bonus, however Saginaw missed the front end of three 1-and-1's while Howell knocked down 5 of 6 in the final two minutes.

BREAKDOWN: both teams played hard, and the game could have gone either way, but in the end Howell made their free-throws when it counted. I think both teams will be in for successful seasons and both should win at least 14 games.

Howell's starting 5 are all players, they all see the floor well and they can handle the ball. They are also great passing the ball overall as a team. Saginaw on the other hand found success with their defensive full court pressure but they only used it in spurts, they should have used it from the opening tip. The Trojans have a deep bench and have the ability to run some teams right out of the gym.

PLAYER OF GAME: Charlie French, Howell, 5-11 wing- the volleyball stud, is just as talented with a basketball. She ran the floor well and made her presence felt on both ends. Defensively, she guarded Tolliver, Saginaw's 5-3 point guard. French forced Tolliver into tough shots as she had to shoot over French's long wing span. Offensively, French played all 5 positions and her ability to handle the ball was key in Howell's overall ability to handle Saginaw's pressure.

NOTABLE PLAYERS

Nikki Gunning, Howell, 5-5 PG- was big in the fourth quarter with the long 3-pointer and taking care of business at the line. She finished with a a game high 20 points. Tough point guard that can really handle the basketball.

Megan Hatter, Howell, 5-11 Fwd- Hatter is athletic and can do some damage with her back to the basket or driving from 10 feet out. She got her hands on allot of loose balls.

Diamond Tolliver, Saginaw, 5-3 PG- the junior guard is Saginaw's best player. She keeps the ball in her hands and you can tell she is trying to be a leader and a complete point guard, even though she is a natural scorer. She does a good job passing the ball in traffic even though her teammates at times weren't prepared for some of her passes. Tolliver finished with 7 points, 7 assist, and 4 steals.

Qwandra Stephens, Saginaw, 5-8 PF- the senior is a beast on the boards. She lacks height for a true center but she is relentless and fights for every rebound. Her offensive skills are developing however she still managed to log 17 points and 11 boards.

Ashley Beemon, Saginaw, 5-5 PG- the speedy sophomore point guard got plenty of clock off of the bench. She was nervous in the early going but settled down and played well. She has a good shot and has confidence shooting it. Beeman finished with 9 points and 5 steals.

Keyandra Rohelia, Saginaw, 5-7 fwd- gave her team energy early and started the Trojan's engine after falling behind 0-6. But Rohelia picked up her third foul in the second quarter and faded away in the second half.

GIRLS HOOPS: Nouvel vs. M.L.S.

**Miss Basketball candidate Jenny Ryan**
**Ashley Albito controls Nouvel's offense**

**Sophomore Jessi Franz pushes the ball up court**

**Jenny Ryan posts up Jenna Williams**

Saginaw- Nouvel's quest for a third consecutive title got on track with a 53-38 win over Michigan Lutheran Seminary at Nouvel on Wednesday night. Seminary put their focus on Miss Basketball candidate, Jenny Ryan, from the opening tip. With Ryan not able to get a shot off in the early going Nouvel got down 7-2. Ryan then got into attack mode and scored 6 straight points to give Nouvel an 8-7 lead.

With first game jitters both teams got sloppy and both teams found theirselves in the double bonus with 2 minutes still to play in the first quarter. Seminary's got their own "go to" player in Gracie Baumgartner, and five straight points from the wing made the halftime score 22-21 in Nouvel's favor.

Baumgartner continued to score to start the third and Seminary took a 4 point lead. But Nouvel cranked up their full court pressure and went on a 14-2 run to end the third quarter and take a 37-27 lead into the fourth quarter and Seminary was never able to threaten again.

BREAKDOWN

Nouvel- the two time champs have more size than they had last year and that allowed them to rebound the ball well, but Nouvel is most dangerous when they play a full court fast pace game. Even when their press didn't force turnovers, it just seemed to keep Seminary off balance. Ryan was held to 13 points and her teammates were able to step up, showing this isn't a 1 person team.

MLS- even in the loss I was impressed with Seminary, they got some real decent players and should win the Tri-Valley West. They play hard on defense and really forced Nouvel to work for good shots.

PLAYER OF GAME- Jenny Ryan, Nouvel- a good player doesn't always have to score to make her presence felt and that was the case with Ryan on this night. She still finished with 13 points but it was her 6 rebounds, 6 assist, and 5 steals that made the difference in this game.

NOTABLE STANDOUTS

Gracie Baumgartner, MLS- had a game high 20 points and did a good job defensively as she helped guard Ryan. She's a 5-10 wing that contributes in a variety of ways on both sides of the floor.

Jessi Franz, Nouvel- the 6-0 sophomore led Nouvel with 15 points. She does most of work in the post and has some good post moves. She's also not afraid to put the ball on the floor when needed.

Ashley Albito, Nouvel- the 3 year varsity point guard has really improved her shot. I was also impressed with her vocal leadership that wasn't there last year. Her ability to run the offense allows Ryan to run off picks.

Jenna Williams, MLS- a 5-1 speedy point guard that runs around the floor like the energizer bunny. She was all over Ryan and never let up. She also does a good job of wasting no time to push the ball up the court.

GIRLS HOOPS: Flint Northern vs. Marian

**Chaniese Turner goes up for 2 of her 29 points**
**Michelle Lindsey brings the ball up the floor**

**Kierre Bell fouled while shooting**

**LaTosha Beasley lays in 2 of her 14 points**

Flint- Flint Northern has high hopes this season with the Lady Vikings boasting their first veteran team in quite some time. The core of the Lady Vikings' team are now in their third year of varsity basketball with Chaniese Turner and Kierra Bell leading the way. But Northern's season got off to a rocky start as Birmingham Marian came up I-75 to take a 69-62 win in the season opener.

After trailing 8-9 Marian went on a 14-0 run to end the first quarter and start the second. An offensive put back from Northern's LaTosha Beasley finally ended the run with six minutes to go until halftime to trim the lead to 26-11. Coming out of a time out Northern inserted their full court press and it instantly gave Marian problems. Consecutive steals from Bell helped cut the deficit to 12 points and a mid-range jumper from Turner made the halftime score 35-25.

The Lady Vikings continued to pressure the Marian guards in the third quarter and a 3-pointer from Turner followed by a lay-up from Bell made the score 39-37 late in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter Marian made a defensive adjustment of their own, by falling back into a 2-3 zone. The zone slowed the game down and Northern struggled to find easy paths to the basket.

Northern stayed close through out the fourth quarter but three consecutive turnovers gave Marian some cushion. Marian's Mara Mulroy's offensive put back while being fouled, followed by a technical foul from Northern's Shanae Williams made the score 67-57, closing the door on any hope of a comeback.

BREAKDOWN

Marian- the Mustangs are going to be tough this year. They don't have a pure point guard but they have plenty of size. They easily had a three inch advantage at every position over Northern, and this allowed them to control the boards which was the key in their win.

Northern- Northern should of won this game but they were flat in the early on and got down by as many as 21 points. To their credit they fought back to get within 2 points but then they started turning the ball over. Too many veterans on this team to have so many turnovers, especially with guards like Turner, Bell, and Williams.

PLAYER OF GAME: Chaniese Turner, Northern despite the loss, Turner was fantastic as she had a game high 29 points. She had a good shot selection and didn't take many shots but just made what she threw up.

NOTABLE STANDOUTS

Mara Mulroy, Marian- at 6-1 Mulroy gave Northern plenty of problems on the glass. She finished with 19 points and most of it came off of offensive rebounds.

Michelle Lindsey, Marian- a combo guard who isn't a true point but has good enough handles to be effective. She has a consistent shot that led her to a 19 point performance.

Kierra Bell, Northern- I just love Bell's aggresiveness and mental toughness, the combo guard got her hand on 7 steals to go with 13 points. She was aggressive attacking the basket and was able to get inside the Marian zone.

LaTosha Beasley, Northern- at 5-11 Beasley is Northern's only true inside force. The pressure was on Beasley to hold down the paint and she did a solid job of it. She scrapped her way to 11 rebounds and 14 points.

Shanae Williams, Northern- the speedy guard comes off the bench and supplies Northern with instant energy on both sides of the floor.