By John Raffel
MaxPreps.com
Ariel Braker led Grosse Pointe North to the Class A girls basketball state championship last season. But while Braker continues to nurse an anterior cruciate ligament injury that she sustained earlier this year from AAU basketball, Olivia Stander is trying to pick up the slack in a major way.
Gary Bennett coached the GPN team to a 26-2 record in winning the state title last winter.
“I had a team that really cared about one another,” Bennett said. “We had great team chemistry. As the state tournament went on, the kids weren't going to let each other down. We lost two games (during the regular season). In those two games, I saw where they were going to keep working. We had a bad offensive night. We refused to give in. I thought that if we'd get to the state tournament, it'd be hard to beat us.”
Braker, a junior, is expected to return to the lineup at anytime. She was the team's leading scorer with 14.5 points per game during the state championship run.
“She led us in steals, scoring, rebounding and assists,” Bennett said. “She was in my opinion the top girl in the state tournament.”
GPN, when Braker returns, could prove to be a state contender. Many girls played on the school's volleyball team that went to the state semifinals.
“Ariel is very talented,” Bennett said. “What makes her good is she has great court awareness. She knows what's happening all the time. If she shoots the ball and misses, she's very likely the one to get the rebound. She has great court awareness. She's great in getting the ball out of the break and is all over the post on defense.”
“It's definitely not fun,” Braker said of her sideline status. “I jump pretty well. I think I should be a force right away. I'll be shooting more threes this year.”
In her third varsity season, Braker expects GPN to make a strong run in the state tournament with a healthy lineup
Olivia Stander is another All-State candidate from GPN averaging 19 points a game.
“She's actually going to Michigan State on a soccer scholarship,” Bennett said. “The fact that she's been involved in so much competition makes her a strong force for us.”
“With Ariel out, I'm looking to do a lot of scoring,” Stander said. “When she's back, I'll be more of a passer.”
Stander is basically an outside shooter and is looking to connect on 60 percent of her shots this season.
“I've been working a lot on that in practice,” she said. “When Ariel comes back, we'll put more pressure on the defenses.”
More Girls Basketball
Rochester opened the season last week with a victory over defending champion Grosse Pointe North, and then lost to a young Southfield-Lathrup team, led by Tiffany Williams.
Williams scored all 16 of her points in the second half before fouling out with 26 seconds to play. Kyra Littlejohn led the winners with 19. Entering her fourth season on varsity, Williams is a considered a good organizer of the Chargers’ offense.
Sarah Browe led Rochester with 20 points.
Hockey
Detroit Catholic Central is looking to regain its Division I state championship status and is relying heavily on the talents of junior center Brent Darnell who has participated in three National Select Festivals, one Five Nations USA select team tournament and has verbally committed to eventually play for Michigan State University.
The team is off to a 4-1 start.
“Brent is off to a pretty good start,” coach Todd Johnson said. “He's realizing that he's returning as our big player. He's gaining a lot of attention when he's on the ice. He realizes he has to work hard for success on the scoreboard. Fortunately for us, he works hard in his own zone. He's a good penalty killer. He contributes more than just goals and assists.
“People who watch him play think his scoring is why he got a college scholarship,” Johnson said. “He's a well-rounded player. He'll have to play junior hockey sometime.”
“I like to be a two-way player offensively and defensively,” Darnell said. “I like to see myself more as a playmaker where I'll get my team involved more. I can also put the puck in the net.”
Johnson said the University of Michigan and Miami of Ohio were also pursuing Darnell.
“Physically, he's a lot stronger on the puck,” Johnson said. “His commitment to playing at both ends have improved. His desire for the team to win is his No. 1 goal.”
After five games, Darnell has three goals and one assist. He had 14 goals and 18 assists last season.
“We've got two guys in the NHL, David Moss (of the Calgary Flames) and Jared Ross (of the Philadelphia Flyers) who were two totally different players. His skill level is at the top of any guy we've had,” Johnson said. “He has a lot of doors he has to go through.”
Wrestling
Defending state champion Greenville is off to a 7-0 start after one week of action, thanks in no small part to its two-time state champion, Tyler Keselring.
“He's an excellent technician with solid fundamentals,” Greenville coach Paul Johnson said.
Johnson has a 19-year coaching record of 382-95-3 and his team was 28-1 last winter.
Other standout wrestlers are Justin Drobish, a state qualifier and O-K White Conference champion, Collin Fuller, an All-Stater and two-time league champion and Ike Hansen, a returning All-Stater.
“We have hard-working individuals,” Johnson said. “We have large numbers returning from last year's squad.
