Heritage Hawks named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard

MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the Heritage (Saginaw, Mich.) Hawks have officially been named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring girls basketball.

This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For basketball, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 40,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Hawks ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!

In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating East Lansing 57-36 on Saturday, Mar. 17 in the MHSAA Class A state championship contest marked the completion of an incredible 27-1 season — and earned Heritage an invitation to the Tour of Champions.

Heritage held East Lansing scoreless for a seven-minute, 40-second span that covered parts of the first and second periods, and took a 13 point lead into intermission on its way to winning the school's second state championship in three trips to the state finals. The Hawks rallied with an 8-0 run late in the opening quarter to take a 12-8 lead after a period of play, led 28-15 at halftime and were up 42-29 going into the final eight minutes of play. The closest the runners-up got after intermission was nine points, while Kelsie Dilts sank a pair of free throws twice in the final quarter to put the Hawks up by a game-high 23 points.

Vonnie DeLong employed a 2-3 zone defense that baffled the Trojans throughout the contest, forcing East Lansing to shoot just 23.3 percent from the field for the game. Of the 43 field goals put up by the Trojans, 22 were launched from beyond the arc. The state champions outrebounded East Lansing 43-23, outscoring the Trojans 16-5 on second chance points and 34-6 in the paint.

Maddie Camp led four Hawks in double-figures with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a steal, while Shine Strickland added her own double-double with 12 points, 12 boards, a pair of assists and three blocked shots. Jessi Bicknell added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a couple of steals for the champions and Mallory McCartney chipped in 10 points, four boards, three assists and two steals. Mo Joiner and Dilts scored four points each with Joiner pulling down nine boards, dishing out six assists and swiping an enemy ball. Heritage knocked off Marquette 57-24 in the regional semifinals. Then, following a 63-40 regional final triumph over Carman-Ainsworth, the Hawks kicked in the door to the Final Four with a 70-25 victory over Clarkston. Heritage bumped Grosse Point North from state championship contention with a 46-28 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with East Lansing.

Heritage opened the season with a 62-26 win over Midland. Then, following a 45-25 triumph over Grand Blanc, the Hawks upended Hartland 55-30 to open the season 3-0. Heritage won 14 more contests before falling 57-55 to Edison Academy. The Hawks did not lose again and outscored its opposition 59.0-29.9 per outing. DeLong's club held 23 foes to less than 40 points, while scoring 60 points or more 14 times. The Hawks scored a season-high 73 points in a win over Saginaw.

Having won 10 straight contests to end the season, Heritage set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Hawks ranked No. 1 in MaxPreps' Michigan Class A Rankings, Heritage is the top squad in all of Michigan. The Hawks are ranked No. 18 in MaxPreps' National Rankings!

These incredible season achievements have earned the Heritage Hawks an invitation to the 13th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium for a school assembly as we celebrate with the girls basketball team, coaching staff, students and fans on Tuesday, May 15 at 8:30 a.m.

For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.