Cardinals roll into title game for Division 4

EAST LANSING – Time to give the Thumb area some big props when it comes to girls basketball.

Kingston, making its first state semifinal appearance since 2019, went crazy during the second quarter and rolled to a 56-33 Division 4 victory Thursday night over Frankfort at the Breslin Center.

The Cardinals, down 12-11 after one period, went on a tear during in the second quarter with a 12-0 run to take a 23-12 lead and forcing Frankfort coach Tim Reznich to call a timeout with 3:50 to go in the half.

And by the time the first half had ended, Kingston was firmly in control thanks to a 24-4 outburst. And they did it without leading scorer Delaney St. George scoring her first hoop until 3:12 remaining in the half as the Cardinals posted an impressive 35-16 halftime advantage.

It was “Three’s Company” during the first half as 5-foot-9 sophomore Molly Walker, one of Kingston’s trio of sisters, led the way with 13 points. Abby, a senior, added eight while her twin, Gracy, contributed four points and three assists.

Molly, a crafty lefty, finished with gamehigh 22 points, while St. George and Abby Walker added 11 and 10, respectively. Gracy contributed eight points and four assists, while senior forward Zoe van Rijn had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Frankfort (22-6), making its first bid for a state crown after winning back-to-back Class D titles in 2005 and 2006, tried to make a game of it in the second half but never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way after trying to dig out of the huge halftime hole.

Savina Anhalt had a team-high nine points, while Kylee Harris and Evelyn VanTol each added eight for the Panthers (22-6), who shot 13 of 34 from the floor (38%) and committed 17 turnovers.

Kingston coach Jay Green was forced to call an early timeout as Frankfort scored the game’s first six points while the Cardinals went 0 for 6 from the floor.

Kingston, however, fought back to trail by only 12-11 after one quarter, thanks to six points from Abby Walker and five from Molly Walker to offset Frankfort’s 6-of-12 shooting.