Michigan high school girls basketball: Predicting 2024 state championship winners

Step aside, guys. Let’s make some room for the ladies.

The boys now will have to share the March spotlight with the girls who begin their basketball state tournament Monday.

The girls district games will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the boys tournament has advanced to the regionals with semifinals Tuesday and finals Thursday.

The lifeblood of any state tournament is the upsets. Fans love it when a lowly underdog rises up in March and knocks off a heavily favored team and sends them flying out of the tournament.

For a few years now, the Michigan High School Athletic Association has seeded the top two teams in each district and placed them in opposite brackets, meaning they can’t meet until Friday’s district final.

That also means we are in for some lopsided games in Monday’s openers. We can even get some real dog games in Wednesday’s semifinals.

But every once in a while the stars align just right and we get a stunning early upset.

That is exactly what happened last Monday when Jenison, which was only 2-20 entering the tournament, woke up and beat Grandville, 46-45. Grandville was 15-7 at the time and twice had clobbered Jennison, 65-34 and 60-36 in the regular season.

IN THE BOYS BRACKET: Michigan high school boys basketball tournament: Predicting 2024 state championship winners

On a lesser note, but still shocking, Spring Lake entered the tournament with an unspectacular 10-12 record while Whitehall was 22-0 and some thought on its way to the Division 2 final four.

Wouldn’t you know it, Spring Lake had one of those nights where everything went right and it pulled out a 73-61 overtime victory to add to the March Madness lore.

So now the girls are getting in on the March Madness action and all we know for sure is that there will be some upsets along the way that can only be explained by realizing that March is the most maddening month of the year.

Division 1

Defending champ: Rockford. In a terrific final a year ago, all Rockford had to do was upset West Bloomfield and its junior stars Summer and Indya Davis. Rockford is ranked No. 2, behind West Bloomfield, but with players like Anna Wypych and Grace Lyons back, a rematch in the semifinals this season is a reasonable expectation.

Toughest district: Salem. Five of the six teams are seriously over .500. Host Salem will have to bear either Canton or Plymouth, both teams which beat the Rocks earlier, just to get to the final. South Lyon East has to beat South Lyon to reach the finals. Plus, the best player in the state – Salem’s Madison Morson – is in this district.

Final Four: Grand Blanc, Belleville, Rockford, West Bloomfield.

Sleeper: DeWitt was unbeaten in CAAC Blue play and has a pair of dynamite junior guards. Madi Uyl can deliver the ball, play tough defense, and hit open shots while Tara Kurncz runs the floor well and scores like crazy. Laynie and Ryleigh Hanlin add scoring to the Panthers' attack.

State champion: West Bloomfield. The Davis twins – Summer and Indya – are two of the top three players in the state and they won a state title as sophomores and were runner-up last season. Throw in Kendall Hendrix and Destiny Washington and there is enough firepower to win another title. Plus, the Lakers have played quite a competitive schedule.

Division 2

Defending champ: Lansing Catholic. The Cougars were one of the surprise teams in the tournament last year. When the tournament began they were thought to be a year away, but turns out they were only a few weeks away. This season they started slow, but improved as the year progressed. With players like Anna and Leah Richards, this team will be dangerous again.

Toughest district: Sault Ste. Marie. Who thought we’d find the toughest D-2 district in the state in the Upper Peninsula? But that’s what we have at Sault Ste Marie where only one of the five teams is barely below .500. Negaunee is 21-1, but will have a difficult time with Houghton and then the winner of the Sault St. Marie-Escanaba game just to win a district.

Final Four: Freeland, Detroit Edison, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Ann Arbor Richard.

Sleeper: Edison. How can a powerhouse like Edison be a sleeper? Well, it has won only one state title since COVID-19 arrived and may have cost the Pioneers two more titles. This will be difficult because Ann Arbor Richard is absolutely loaded and the loss to Frankenmuth last week was worrisome, but junior Isis Johnson-Musah is capable of getting Edison to the The Bres.

State champion: Ann Arbor Richard. With the Rodriguez sisters – Vanessa and Ava – the Irish were loaded to begin with, but adding two transfers has made them unbeatable. The Irish have won all but one game this season by double figures. That isn’t going to stop now.

GIRLS RANKINGS: Michigan high school girls basketball final state rankings for 2023-24 season

Division 3

Defending champ: Hemlock. Once again, a tough schedule should have the Huskies ready for March. Hemlock has lost five times, but three of the losses are to Frankenmuth, Goodrich, and Freeland, all ranked in D-2 and D-1 Midland Dow. Lauren and Hannah Borsenik bring a wealth of experience to a team capable of repeating.

Toughest district: Niles Brandywine. Bridgman and Cassopolis should be quite a semifinal game and White Pigeon and Buchanan will meet in the other semifinal game. Brandywine will have to win that game to get a shot at either Cassopolis or Bridgman.

Final Four: Niles Brandywine, Hemlock, Sandusky, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep.

Sleeper: Harbor Springs. Junior Olivia Flynn has been an impact player since her freshman season. She scores points in bushel baskets and this season teammates like Marlie Richardson and Sophie Barnadyn have helped out in the scoring department.

State champion: Arbor Prep. Taylor Wallace is a tremendous player who can dominate a game from three-point range or taking the ball to the basket, kind of like a player from Son of Swami’s past named Paulette Backstrom. Then you throw in the do-it-all Utomi twins – Stephanie and Stacy – and you’ve got what it takes to win a state title.

Division 4

Defending champ: Maple City Glen Lake. The Lakers graduated the vast majority of their scoring from that magical team from a year ago. Things are tougher now for the Lakers, who are still a good team, but a long tournament run might be a stretch for this group.

Toughest district: Fulton. This should all boil down to the district championship game between Fowler and Portland St. Patrick. These are two of the top programs in the state regardless of division. St. Pat’s has won six state titles and finished second another six times. Fowler has won three titles, including back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.

Final Four: St. Ignace, Portland St. Patrick, Lake Leelanau St. Mary, Morenci.

Sleeper: St. Ignace. The Saints have played some outstanding games this season even though they aren’t ranked now. But nobody plays a regular season schedule to prepare them for the state tournament quite like the Saints. And with all of its glorious tournament runs, who really wants to face St. Ignace in March?

State champion: Lake Leelanau St. Mary. How can you not root for a team from Way Up There (near Traverse City) that comes Way Down Here (way south of Detroit) to play games at Ottawa Lake Whiteford and D-1 Temperance Bedford? Those games were a hop skip and a jump away from Toledo, yeah, the one in Ohio. St. Mary also has a number of impressive victories.

Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him @mickmccabe1. Save 10% on his new book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” by ordering right now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA girls basketball tournament 2024: Predicting state title winners