Crusaders’ run ends in D3 semifinals
Experienced Ypsilanti Arbor Prep too much for Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest
EAST LANSING >> Ypsilanti Arbor Prep made the plays Thursday afternoon that are expected out of a group that’s been to the Breslin Center before.
The Gators outscored Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 18-5 in the quarter, the start of their runaway to a 52-30 victory in the Division 3 girls basketball semifinals in East Lansing.
“Tough game today,” Crusaders head coach Jimmy Mehlberg said. “This team was probably the most athletic we played (in the postseason). They gave us more pressure than just about any team we’ve played in the tournament. They’re No. 1 in the state for a reason.”
Arbor Prep junior Eliza Bush splashed a long 3-pointer as part of a 9-0 run midway through the second, and senior Taylor Wallace connected on one seven seconds before halftime to give her team an 18-point lead headed into the break.
The Crusaders dealt well at times with the pressure applied by Arbor Prep in getting the ball up the floor, but already had 13 turnovers just two minutes into the third quarter. Two of those early second-half turnovers led to 3s by Wallace and Autumn Purnell that expanded the lead to 24 points.
In total, the Crusaders were outscored 14-1 to start the second half and continued to labor from the field post-intermission. Their first make from the field in the second half didn’t arrive until freshman forward Keaira Spiehs made a shot off an inbounds set while being fouled with 5:05 remaining.
“Bright lights, never being here before, and they’re a very good team, too, so can’t take anything away from them,” said Mehlberg, whose team missed all nine of its field-goal attempts in the third quarter. “We just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Their defense was pretty physical.”
Lutheran Northwest displayed the ability to break the press early on, but it was the hounding in the half-court that began to take a toll. The Gators finished with 25 points off turnovers, all but two of them created before the fourth quarter when Arbor Prep be
gan to back off.
“Defense is our best offense, it’s been that way all year,” Mehlberg said. “They’re a little more athletic, more experienced, and they could handle our pressure.”
Arbor Prep, Division 3 champs in 2022, reached the regional finals last season before being beaten 50-38 by eventual runner-up Blissfield, who the Gators defeated on their way to the title the year before.
Forwards Stephanie and Stacy Utomi, who started on that title-winning team as sophomores, played like they had on a big stage before. Stacy had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Stephanie finished with 11 and seven. Taylor Wallace, who played the most minutes of any non-starter in the finals two seasons ago, struggled from deep (2 of 10 3-pointers) but still led the Gators with 14 points.
By comparison, starting guard Aliyah Ozias was the only senior on a Crusaders team that started a junior, two sophomores and Spiehs alongside her.
The Crusaders (18-10) punched their ticket to the semifinals for the first time in program history with Tuesday’s 38-16 victory over 10th-ranked Sandusky at St. Clair County Community College.
“Being the first time in school history making it this far, I think we all felt pretty great about it,”
Ozias said. “I’m excited to see what the rest of these girls have to accomplish next year and hope they can take it as far.”
Spiehs, as she did in the quarterfinal, led the Crusaders in scoring with six points, but missed a few minutes to end the first half after rolling her ankle coming down for a rebound.
“She’s been dealing with some nagging pain this year,” Mehlberg said. “I think the ankle may have scared her a little bit. She’s only a freshman, so I think it’s one of those things, she got a little nervous.”
Mehlberg talked about this group arriving a bit ahead of schedule, but that there was a belief among his coaching staff that Lutheran Northwest could go far if it got out of its district. “It’s a neat experience, especially for these young ones,” he said. “It should make them hungry to do it again.”
He’ll have three more years of Spiehs, and two with Charlotte Gramzow and Addie Troska (five points each) to make another run of it. Regardless, all the players talked about what a memorable day it was, beginning with a send-off from the school.
“Our school made it a really big day for us, and it just made every moment count,” junior Ashley Cadicamo said. “No matter the fact we lost, it’s okay, because we came here, and we were made to be here.”
The Gators (24-4) will attempt to win another state title Saturday when they take on Niles Brandywine.