Hockey and basketball tournaments highlight the week's prep sports schedule
It’s March. Bring on the madness.
Washtenaw County high schools are involved in three different winter sports tournaments this week.
An unprecedented three area hockey teams have reached the quarterfinal round of their postseason, four girls basketball teams won district titles and will play in regionals this week and boys basketball tips off its postseason with district tournaments.
For most of the hockey and girls basketball teams still alive, they’re experiencing success not achieved at their schools in quite some time.
HOCKEY In hockey, Chelsea (Division 3) won the first regional title in school history while Huron (Division 1) did so for the first time since the early 1990s. Saline, which finished as state runner-up in 2006, is also alive in Division 2.
Huron has the biggest challenge of the three local teams when it takes on the state’s top-ranked team, Detroit Catholic Central, in a Division 1 quarterfinal Wednesday at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
In Division 2, Saline gets a chance to unseat defending state champion, and No. 3-ranked, Trenton on Tuesday night at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea.
Chelsea plays Riverview Gabriel Richard in a battle of unranked Division 3 teams Wednesday night at Allen Park Civic Arena. Chelsea beat No. 4 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and Gabriel Richard topped No. 5 Grosse Ile in regional finals.
GIRLS BASKETBALL In girls basketball, Huron is making its second consecutive trip to the regional round. But it has been a while since Saline (2001), Manchester (1998) or Milan (1996) has done so.
Huron faces a North Farmington team that features two college-bound players in Jenna Bachrouche (Oakland University) and Lyndsey Booker (Loyola-Chicago). That duo has led the Raiders to three district titles in their four-year varsity careers. The River Rats should have the benefit of familiarity and a home crowd in the Class A game, played at Pioneer High School.
Saline travels to Dearborn Edsel Ford to play an Inkster team that’s ranked No. 6 in Class A, and was ranked as high as No. 2 during the season. The Vikings feature 6-foot-2 Jasmine Bracy and 6-foot-1 Kelsey Mitchell in the post.
Portland, the No. 3-ranked team in Class B, is making its fourth straight regional appearance when it travels to Milan to face the Big Reds. The Raiders are led by senior Sierra Riker and 6-foot-4 sophomore center Sarah Trierweiler.
Manchester, which finished fourth in the Cascades Conference, should have confidence on its side when it plays second-place Addison in a Class C game at Quincy High School. The Flying Dutchmen beat league champ Napoleon, a team they had lost to twice during the regular season, in their district title game. Manchester split a pair of regular season games with Addison.
BOYS BASKETBALL Before the hockey and girls tournaments start back up on Tuesday and Wednesday, boys basketball tips off its district tournament today. Check out AnnArbor.com’s preview of each district involving a Washtenaw County team, and make your own predictions while you’re there.
A closer look at all three tournament schedules:
HOCKEY QUARTERFINALS
DIVISION 1 at AnnArbor Ice Cube Wednesday: Huron (12-14-0) vs. Detroit Catholic Central (25-1-1), 7:25 p.m. Winner plays in a state semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.
DIVISION 2 at Arctic Coliseum, Chelsea Tuesday: Saline (12-9-4) vs. Trenton (22-4-1), 6:30 p.m. Winner plays in a state semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.
DIVISION 3 at Allen Park Civic Arena Wednesday: Chelsea (13-11-1) vs. Riverview Gabriel Richard (20-6-1), 6:30 p.m. Winner plays in a state semifinal at noon Friday at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.
GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONALS
CLASS A at Pioneer Tuesday: Huron (20-3) vs. North Farmington (20-3), 5:30 p.m.; Hartland (17-6) vs. Canton (21-1), 7:30 p.m. Thursday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a state quarterfinal March 16 at Davison
at Dearborn Edsel Ford Tuesday: Saline (12-10) vs. Inkster (19-2), 5:30 p.m.; Dearborn Edsel Ford (19-4) vs. Southgate Anderson (19-3), 7:30 p.m. Thursday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a state quarterfinal March 16 at University of Detroit-Mercy
CLASS B at Milan Tuesday: Jackson Northwest (19-4) vs. Linden (11-11), 5:30 p.m.; Portland (21-1) vs. Milan (20-3), 7 p.m. Thursday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a state quarterfinal March 16 at DeWitt
CLASS C at Quincy Tuesday: Jonesville (16-6) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (11-11), 6 p.m.; Manchester (13-8) vs. Addison (19-4), 7:30 p.m. Thursday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a state quarterfinal March 16 at Vicksburg
BOYS BASKETBALL DISTRICTS
CLASS A at Huron Monday: Pioneer (13-7) vs. Dexter (13-7), 5:30 p.m.; Huron (16-4) vs. Brighton (18-2), 7 p.m. Wednesday: Pinckney (9-11) vs. Pioneer/Dexter winner, 5:30 p.m.; South Lyon (6-13) vs. Huron/Brighton winner, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a regional semifinal March 15 at Hartland
at Saline Monday: Monroe (9-11) vs. Lincoln (12-8), 6 p.m.; Saline (6-14) vs. Carleton Airport (11-9), 8 p.m. Wednesday: Temperance Bedford (9-11) vs. Monroe/Lincoln winner, 6 p.m.; Adrian (8-12) vs. Saline/Airport winner, 8 p.m. Friday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a regional semifinal March 15 at Gibraltar Carlson
at Wayne Memorial Monday: Inkster (13-4) vs. Wayne Memorial (15-5), 6 p.m.; Westland John Glenn (6-14) vs. Romulus (19-1), 8 p.m. Wednesday: Ypsilanti (16-4) vs. Inkster/Wayne winner, 6 p.m.; Belleville (15-4) vs. John Glenn/Romulus winner, 8 p.m. Friday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a regional semifinal March 15 at Gibraltar Carlson
CLASS B at Chelsea Monday: Tecumseh (2-17) vs. Skyline (4-0), 5 p.m.; Chelsea (10-10) vs. Ida (12-8), 6:45 p.m.; Father Gabriel Richard (12-8) vs. Willow Run (12-8), 8:30 p.m. Wednesday: Milan (9-11) vs. Tecumseh/Skyline winner, 5:30 p.m.; Chelsea/Ida winner vs. Gabriel Richard/Willow Run winner, 7:15 p.m. Friday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a regional semifinal March 15 at Brooklyn Columbia Central
CLASS C at Manchester Monday: Manchester (5-15) vs. Napoleon (18-2), 7 p.m. Wednesday: Clinton (16-4) vs. Whitmore Lake (14-6), 6 p.m.; Manchester/Napoleon winner vs. Greenhills (2-18), 7:30 p.m. Friday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a regional semifinal March 15 at Manchester
CLASS D at Washtenaw Christian Academy Monday: Washtenaw Christian (6-14) vs. Rudolf Steiner (4-14), 7 p.m. Wednesday: Plymouth Christian (12-7) vs. Central Academy (10-10), 5 p.m.; Calvary Christian (4-14) vs. Washtenaw Christian/Rudolf Steiner winner, 7 p.m. Friday: Final, 7 p.m. Winner plays in a regional semifinal March 15 at Hillsdale College