Royal Oak

Bishop Foley defeats Shrine to capture district championship

By Mark Vest
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques Shrine guard Julia Liggett, far left, looks on as Bishop Foley senior Erin Mullen goes up for a shot in district final game against Shrine. The Ventures captured their fifth district title in seven years on March 2. Photo by Deb Jacques Shrine guard Julia Liggett, far left, looks on as Bishop Foley senior Erin Mullen goes up for a shot in district final game against Shrine. The Ventures captured their fifth district title in seven years on March 2.

The drama that the girls high school basketball district tournaments can provide has come and gone this year, and for the local teams, it proved to be season ending.

Madison Heights Bishop Foley (18-5) won its fifth district championship in seven years when it defeated Royal Oak Shrine 50-39 in the Class C final March 2; Shrine was the only local squad to reach a district final.

“It never gets old,” said Bishop Foley coach Dave Joseph. “It’s always nice to win a district championship. Shrine played very hard. I would like to commend them.

“This group of seven seniors told me what they wanted; they wanted to play in the Catholic League finals down at Calihan Hall. They were determined to get there, and they got there. They wanted to win a district. They were determined to do that, and they did it. They want to win a regional now. We haven’t won one in the history of our school, so that’s the next step.”

Shrine coach Bill LeGault believes that the future for the Knights has the potential to be bright.

“We were 2-18 going into districts,” he said. “We won a couple games. I think if everybody comes back next year, we’ll be very competitive, I really do. Hopefully, we’ll all improve a little bit, we’ll work at it, and we’ll be in the hunt.”

The Ventures’ journey toward a district title began with an opening-round 47-13 victory over Pontiac Academy for Excellence Feb. 27. They followed that up with a 48-28 win over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest in the semifinal game Feb. 29.

The Ventures were set to face Detroit Consortium in the opening round of regionals after press time. For results of the regionals tournament, see our website at candgnews.com.

Prior to being knocked off by Bishop Foley, Shrine defeated Southfield Bradford 63-22 in its opening-round game Feb. 27. The Knights went on to beat Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 33-28 in semifinal action Feb. 29.

In other local action:

Clawson got off to a strong start in Class B district tournament play, beating Hazel Park 40-36 Feb. 27. Clawson ran into powerhouse Country Day in the semifinal round Feb. 29, and fell to the Yellowjackets 66-17.

The Trojans finished the season with a record of 12-10 overall.

Royal Oak fell to Southfield High 39-33 in its Class A opening-round game Feb. 27. The Ravens finished the season at 18-3.
 

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Mark Vest at mvest@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1112. Follow Mark on Twitter.