Strong second half helps Stoney Creek advance past Bloomfield Hills
Points were at a premium in the first half of the Stoney Creek vs. Bloomfield Hills Division 1 regional semifinal game at Dakota on Monday.
Neither team scored more than six points in a single quarter through halftime, leaving the Black Hawks with an 11-10 lead at the intermission. But Stoney Creek head coach Columbus Williams talked to his team and reminded them who they are.
“Just get back to what we were doing all year,” he said. “Playing fast, pushing the ball, attacking the basket and not just sitting there allowing teams to set up.”
The Cougars nearly tripled their score from the end of the second to the start of the third and pulled away late to defeat Bloomfield Hills 47-40 to advance to the regional championship.
Stoney Creek’s fullcourt pressure, which they wanted to do from the start of the game, was turned up in the second half after several of their players who got into early foul trouble returned to the floor. Both Calista Ivezaj and Merrick Schwalback were whistled for two fouls in the first, Samantha Falkerson had two in the second and Sarah Laprairie committed one foul in each of the first two quarters.
“When we have four starters in foul trouble, you’re not able to run your stuff,” Williams said. “Credit to the secondary unit. They did the best they could to keep us in the game, but once we got going in the second half and had that conversation at halftime, it really started flowing for us.”
After scoring just 10 points in the first two quarters combined, Stoney Creek put up 17 in the second quarter and 20 points in the fourth. The Cougars shot 8-for-9 from the free throw line in the final period to ice the game.
Laprairie’s presence was especially vital — the senior Concordia commit scored 14 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 19. Schwalbach finished with 11, scoring all of them in the second half.
Bloomfield Hills had three players score in double figures — Ashley Forner and Bri Young each had 14 and Riley Smith contributed 10. Thirty of those points between the three players were scored in the third and fourth quarters.
According to Bloomfield Hills head coach Kristen Massey, there wasn’t much that the Black Hawks could have done differently to change the outcome.
“We tried to do a couple of schemes to get ourselves open on some sets,” she said. “But sometimes in basketball, some nights just aren’t your night. It’s one of those tough games where you feel like you have to grind it out ‘til the end. Whichever team can throw a couple more through kind of takes the game, and tonight is how it felt.”
The loss closed the book on a historic season for Bloomfield Hills after the team won the school’s first-ever girls basketball district championship.
“I can’t tell you how much this team means to me not only as a coach, but means to each other,” Massey said. “They play for each other, and I feel like you could tell through their passion.
“I’m going to remember them every single day. They’re amazing. They’re an amazing group of young women. They’re going to do great things even outside of basketball. I’m so proud of what they accomplished. They’re a hard-working group.”
Stoney’s season will continue at least through Wednesday. The Cougars will return to Dakota on March 13 for a 7 p.m. battle against the Dakota Cougars, who defeated Chippewa Valley on Monday to advance.
The winner will earn the Division 1 regional championship title and earn a spot in next week’s state quarterfinal game.