Don HorkeyIt’s the future that concerns Mary Cicerone.
The fiery veteran coach of Bloomfield Hills Marian — the state’s defending Class A girls basketball champion and currently No. 1-ranked — let her squad know just how disappointed she was after the Mustangs disposed of Farmington Hills Mercy, 54-32, last Friday night.
“The first half was awesome. Everything clicked,” she said.
Employing a smothering full-court press that has limited opponents to an average of five points in the first quarter, Marian went on a torrid 23-2 run to close out the first half way ahead, 29-6.
“Then, we died in the second half,” she said. “We played like it was all over. Someone gave us a game, the closest we’ve had all season, and we didn’t step up. I’m worried if we have a close one.”
There’s no denying Marian (8-0, 3-0 CHSL Central) is a powerhouse. Losing just one player from last year’s championship roster, the starting five of seniors Kara Holinski, Brittany Gray and Jaeda Robinson, junior Bailey Thomas and her sister, sophomore Samantha Thomas, oozes with an intensity that infects the whole team.
Co-captain Holinski, winding up four years on the varsity, sums it up: “We have a lot of good pieces. We play together as a unit. It’s a lot of fun.”
Samantha Thomas led a balanced offense — a Marian trademark this year — with 15 points and six rebounds. Robinson had 13, Gray 10, Holinski 7 and junior Elizabeth Grobbel 7 off the bench.
In contrast, Mercy coach Gary Morris has just four players from last year’s squad with the invaluable experience gained from nipping Marian in the closing seconds for the CHSL Division A-B title and losing to the Mustangs in the state semi-finals.
“The groups from the last two years (a combined 44-8 record) were special,” Morris said before the game. “I’m pleased with what we’ve done so far (7-2, 2-2 CHSL Central), but I think we’ll have a hard time matching up with Marian.”
The first half was a nightmare for the Marlins. Marian’s defense wreaked havoc on whatever game plan Morris devised, forcing numerous turnovers and poor shooting (a miserable 2 for 19).
To its credit, Mercy got its game together after the intermission. Taking advantage of Marian’s struggle to regain its first half zest, the Marlins earned a bit of consolation, “winning” the second half, 26-25.
Mercy’s offense revolves around its all-state guard, Taylor Jones. Averaging 22 points a game, she was held to two free throws in the first half and seven total points for the game. Junior Zora Pullen and sophomore Claire Murray each had six points.
It looks like it’ll be a battle for runner-up in the CHSL Central, and a spot in the CHSL championship, between Mercy and Dearborn Divine Child (5-2, 2-1 CHSL Central), which beat the Marlins, 52-43, but was swamped by Marian, 62-32.
Marian loses battle of No. 1s
Cicerone only had to wait 24 hours to find out how her team would perform against stiff competition.
Playing the next night in the Martin Luther King Classic at Ann Arbor Huron, the Mustangs — No. 1 in Class A in Michigan and ranked No. 14 in the nation by USA Today — held a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter against Chicago Whitney Young, the No. 1 Class 4A team in Illinois and rated two notches above Marian in the country.
The Dolphins (14-1) met the challenge, outscoring Marian 15-8 for a 52-48 victory. Trailing 50-48 with 32 seconds to play, Marian’s hopes were dashed when Bailey Thomas’ three-point effort for the lead bounced off the rim, dealing the Mustangs (8-1) their first loss of the season and snapping a 16-game win streak.
“We played a really good team,” Cicerone told reporters later. “They got the best of us, but we gave them a good game.”
Bailey Thomas and Brittany Gray had 14 points each. Samantha Thomas added 11.
Don Horkey may be reached at [email protected].
