Macomb County

Teams from the MAC will soon have new life, as district tournament approaches

By Jon Malavolti and Mark Vest
C & G Sports Writers

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by Deb Jacques Grosse Pointe Liggett sophomore Bre’nae Andrews looks for dribbling room against a Country Day defender during a game earlier this season. Liggett will be looking to return to the state finals as the girls high school basketball tournament begins Feb. 27. Photo by Deb Jacques Grosse Pointe Liggett sophomore Bre’nae Andrews looks for dribbling room against a Country Day defender during a game earlier this season. Liggett will be looking to return to the state finals as the girls high school basketball tournament begins Feb. 27.

One and dones. Upsets. Trophies.

It’s playoff time.

The high school girls state basketball tournament kicks off with district action Feb. 27.

For every team, the beginning of the playoffs means something different. For some, it means a shot at a title. For others, it’s a shot at redemption. Every shot means that much more in the postseason.

Here we go again
Rivals Utica Stevenson and Utica Ford II will open their tourneys with a rubber match at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at Eisenhower. The neighbor schools split their Macomb Area Conference White Division meetings earlier this season.

Ford coach Matt Joseph is expecting an intense atmosphere in the Class A district opening-round matchup.

“I think, with playing a division rival in districts, it adds to the intensity of the game,” he said. “The fact that it is a district game with so much at stake is motivating enough regardless of who we play.

“Playing a team for the third time is always tough, because they know your personnel and we know theirs. It sometimes boils down then to how well the players adjust on the floor because a lot of things are taken away.”

Stevenson coach Troy Marks said his Titans matching up with the Falcons is “one of the toughest draws.”

“Ford is a very good team around tournament time,” he said. “We look forward to the challenge. Anything can happen when you are playing one and done basketball.”

A new leaf
For a handful of teams, the end of the regular season is going to be a cause for celebration, as they will be crowned champions of their respective divisions.

While most teams won’t have the opportunity to partake in such a celebration, the good news for them is that after the regular season closes, a fresh opportunity awaits.

Center Line is a Class B team playing in the MAC Gold, which is a conference that features four Class A teams. At press time, the Panthers were 2-15 overall, and like other teams in the conference that didn’t have as strong a regular season as they would have liked, its slate will be clean once district play begins.

Trevor Warczinsky, who recently returned as Center Line’s coach, likes the idea that his team will be in the same boat as everybody else come district tournament time.

“We always break the year up into three separate seasons, per se,” he said. “We do the pre-league season, then we look at what we can do in the league, and then we start fresh for districts. We look at it as a new beginning. We’re starting 0-0 here, and we just play to win. Everything’s equal at that point.”

The slipper fits
The district tournament is also an opportune time for teams from the certain leagues to match up against schools they may not normally play during the regular season.

While some teams may be a bit apprehensive about drawing a traditional powerhouse, such as Detroit Country Day, as a first-round opponent in district play, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Warren Lincoln.

Lincoln (11-6 overall, 6-4 MAC Gold) will face Country Day on the Yellowjackets’ home court Feb. 27, and according to coach Lyle Turner, players who don a uniform for the Abes are prepared to embrace the challenge.

“My girls told me they’re excited to play Country Day,” he said. “They want to see how they compare (going) up against a bigger school. They said today, ‘There could be an upset. You never know what team’s going to show up on one day. We’re ready to go, coach.’ At least they’re excited, and as long as they’re excited, I’ll be excited with them.”

One thing’s for sure, the girls prep basketball scene is about to get very exciting.
 

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1040.

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