In a meeting of this year’s top Lakes Valley Conference girls hoops teams, undefeated South Lyon East won 50-45 at Milford on Tuesday night.

Nyla Lake and Brooke Moyer ended with 17 and 16 points, respectively, as the Cougars improved to 15-0 overall and 8-0 in the league.

Ashlyn Lutz scored a team-high 17 points and Taylor Vogel ended with 11 for the Lady Mavs (11-4, 6-2), who have been the only team other than Plymouth to keep it to within single digits with the Cougars this season. SL East won the first meeting with Milford 52-47 back on Jan. 13.

More girls basketball

PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP 55, BIRMINGHAM SEAHOLM 37 >> Addy Kitzman scored 10 points and Erin Sheckell added nine for the Maples (4-8), who fell short on Wednesday to the Irish (10-5), who picked up their third win in a row.

HAZEL PARK 49, EASTPOINTE 27 >> La’Onna Otis-Nunnally finished with 14 points on Wednesday and the Vikings, who started the year 1-6, improved to 3-1 in the MAC Bronze and are currently tied for the league lead with Warren Lincoln.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 62, CLARKSTON 52 >> For West Bloomfield (10-4, 4-2 OAA Red), Sheridan Beal poured in 28 points and Bailey Finnie added 15 at home on Tuesday. Elli Robak had a team-high 19 points, Brooklyn Covert finished with 15 and Bella Flavin contributed 10 for the Wolves (11-5, 4-1).

ROYAL OAK 51, BERKLEY 40 >> Alyssa Rozicki led the way with 13 points, Lydia Dickens scored 10, and Allie Hills and Ainsley Weeks each had nine Tuesday for the Ravens, who improved to 6-7 overall and 2-3 in the OAA White. Blessing Nweke had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), Amsatou Diop scored 11 points and freshman Niqco Shoulders had 10 boards with five blocks for the Bears (3-12, 2-3).

ROYAL OAK SHRINE 56, LUTHERAN NORTH 46 >> On the road Tuesday night, Julia Kraemer scored a team-high 13 points, Leah Proctor finished with 11, and the duo of Summer Smith and Nora Tillman each had nine for the Knights (4-10, 2-5 CHSL AA Division).

WIXOM ST. CATHERINE 70, ALLEN PARK CABRINI 57 >> Tuesday night’s road win by the Stars (10-5, 8-1) was their ninth in their last 10 games and also helped them clinch the CHSL AA Division title.

WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 44, LAKELAND 43 >> The Knights (7-9, 4-4 LVC) were able to overcome 17 points by Lakeland’s Aubrin Miller and pull out the win on Tuesday. The Eagles are now 7-7 overall and 3-5 in the league.

TROY 71, FERNDALE 8 >> Maci Zeiter led all scorers with 11 points and Olivia Spangler chipped in nine to help the Colts (10-4, 4-1 OAA Blue) win on the road Tuesday.

DURAND 48, ORTONVILLE BRANDON 43 >> Junior Ella Rizzo went for 29 points and hauled in nine rebounds in a wire-to-wire defeat Wednesday for the Blackhawks (4-1, 3-5 FML Stars). Maddie Heverly and Elin Austin each pulled in six rebounds and combined for seven blocks in the loss.

Boys basketball

WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 51, SOUTH LYON 42 >> Johnathan Matthews scored a dozen points, Anthony Camacho had 11 and Asa Clay came a rebound short of a double-double on Tuesday for the Vikings (10-7, 6-2 LVC).

MADISON HEIGHTS LAMPHERE 69, CLAWSON 35 >> Jack Robinson poured in 22 points with a handful of steals and Gavin Abbott chipped in nine points as the Rams jumped to 14-2 overall and 8-0 in the MAC Bronze with Tuesday’s triumph.

ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST 49, AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN 43 >> Preston Parmentier went off, hitting 3-pointers for 33 points in the Crusaders’ victory on Tuesday. PJ Thiessen finished with 11 rebounds and Mike Griffin Jr. had seven steals as well for Lutheran Northwest, now 8-7 overall.

SOUTH LYON EAST 46, MILFORD 35 >> Milford dropped to 8-9 on the year despite 10 points each out of Caden Johnston-Thompson and Dorian Wright on Tuesday. Mason Crosby had a game-high 12 points for the Cougars (10-6 overall), who stayed tied atop the LVC at 6-2 with the home win.

WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES 54, ALLEN PARK CABRINI 52 >> Alex Asai knocked down a pull-up jumper from the elbow to beat the buzzer in Tuesday’s victory that clinched the CHSL Intersectional 2 Division title for the Lakers (12-4, 7-1). Jack Miller scored 13 points, Riley Jones had 12 and Latane Ware also added 10 in the win.

LAKE ORION 59, TROY 52 >> Dragons senior Jackson Shoskey scored 23 points, Max Neering had 16 and Nathan Giacolone contributed nine in Monday’s win. The Dragons also picked up a victory at Walled Lake Western on Tuesday to make it six straight and improve to 11-7.

Hockey

BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE 4, CLARKSTON 3 (OT) >> Drake Spring’s seventh goal of the season was also the game-winner in overtime for the Warriors, who also got goals out of Colin Mott, Winston Wigginton and Landon Zsenyuk. Ryan Wilford notched his eighth goal of the season in the Wolves’ defeat.

FARMINGTON UNITED 7, BISHOP FOLEY UNITED 1 >> The Griffins’ top-three leading scorers (Brady Brink, Owen Sims, Connor Brink) all added to their double-digit tallies on the year in Wednesday’s home victory. Derek Townsend hit the back of the net for the 26th time this winter in the Foley loss.

ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S 9, RIVERVIEW GABRIEL RICHARD 1 >> Charlie Roberts netted his 26th and 27th goals of the seasons, Thaddeus Raynish scored twice, and Dominic Pizzo scored and assisted three times as the Eaglets routed the visitors Tuesday night.

NORTHVILLE 3, BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK-KINGSWOOD 2 >> Goals from Cam Rocchini and Henry Demuth for the Cranes (13-7) weren’t enough to counter three second-period goals by the Mustangs on Tuesday.

Michigan State added a gem to its class on Wednesday by getting the signature of Detroit Catholic Central speedster Samson Gash.

Gash, who had previously given a verbal to the Spartans last summer, stuck with MSU and new head coach Pat Fitzgerald despite reopening his recruiting process after the firing of Jonathan Smith.

The four-star prospect, a consensus top-50 wide receiver in the Class of 2026, confirmed the news Wednesday that was first reported by Hayes Fawcett of Rivals/on3.

Fitzgerald’s push to secure Gash was anything but a secret in the days leading up. He received a loud ovation from the Spartan faithful at the Breslin Center when Fitzgerald and Gash walked out together at last Friday’s home men’s hoops game against Michigan. Fitzgerald was seen introducing Gash to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.

The six-foot, 185-pounder flashed his track speed all season for the unbeaten D1 state champs. An impact player in all three phases, the Mr. Football candidate concluded his senior season with 1,700 yards and 18 total touchdowns.

Both Georgia and Penn State were among the top programs that offered Gash following Fitzgerald’s hire on Dec. 1, but Gash had indicated after the Shamrocks won the title that he intended to take some time on his decision before ultimate opting to join his older brother Caleb in East Lansing.

Fitzgerald will hope it’s not the last commitment from a Gash to come.

Samson’s younger brother, Gideon, has continued to see his star rise following a strong junior season in which he was a lockdown player in the secondary for Catholic Central, and like his brother, was a danger man in the return game.

Like Samson, Michigan State also initially offered Gideon this past summer, but he’s seen his list of offers increase by double digits since the turn of the calendar. Among the schools that have joined the chase for the three or four-star cornerback are Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Iowa and Alabama.

With Samson added to the group, 247 ranked Michigan State’s 2026 class 50th overall, while On3 had the Spartans at No. 54.

Other Catholic Central senior footballers headed to play at the next level include Benny Eziuka (Virginia Tech), Jack Janda (Iowa), Josha Atiemo (Central Michigan), Brandon Bartolucci (Wayne State), Luca Genrich (Michigan State), Hunter Stokes (North Central College), Michael Dersa (Western Michigan), and Cedric Williams Jr. (Michigan State).

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — More often than not, it’s Da’ron Mason that leads the scoring charge for Bloomfield Hills, in triumph or defeat.

But the Black Hawks’ 53-41 victory over Pontiac in front of a packed house Friday night showed why the OAA Blue frontrunners go beyond their star senior.

“This was one of those games, I didn’t have any feel for the stat line, who scored what, who did a good job on the glass,” Black Hawks head coach Brian Canfield said. “It was a full team effort. Then, you look at the book, Carter Hartfield had 17, but everyone else … when Da’ron’s the fourth-leading scorer and you can still pull that game out and win by double-digits, that’s pretty significant for us.”

Mason finished with seven points and was among a handful of Black Hawks who scored between a handful and eight in the win.

“We just came out knowing we had trust in each other,” Mason said of the effort in the second half. “I have trust in all those guys. I’m just glad they trust me to get them that pass. We knew we were the better team and had to show them (Pontiac) that.”

Bloomfield Hills came in on an eight-game winning streak, and the only game during that span decided by fewer than nine points was its 43-42 win in Pontiac on Jan. 9 when the two teams last met.

With the Black Hawks at 5-0 in the league and Pontiac the next-best contender at 3-1 going into the rematch, Friday’s result was going to have major ramifications, and the Phoenix had to feel good about their chances midway through. Caden Covington had two 3-pointers in the first quarter and JJ Claudio knocked down three in the second and had 17 points already by halftime when Pontiac led 29-20.

“I just think we came out with energy, and we executed very well in the first half,” Phoenix head coach Dion Harris said. “I don’t know how many turnovers we had, but we got shots at the basket, hit shots, and didn’t turn it over much in the first half. These kids play well when everything’s going right.”

Canfield and Mason sent a message at the interval, though.

“We knew that we were playing under our skill level, and we felt like we could do more and we had to bring the energy up,” Mason said. “We all came together as a collective and said we needed to play harder, especially on the defensive side. We had to come out and show them that’s what we do, we play 90 full feet.”

Those words of self-affirmation paid dividends, apparently.

A corner triple by Brennan Bies chopped the lead down to just four less than 90 seconds into the third quarter, and Ryan Hunt knocked down 3-pointers just a little over a minute apart, the second of which knotted the contest at 33-33 with 3:34 left in the quarter.

“I think they dame out in the second half, hit the first two threes, and we had to call a timeout,” Harris said. “That took away some of our mojo, our energy, and we didn’t come down and score those first three or four possessions. It’s hard for these guys to come back out of that when they other team goes on a run and we miss consecutive shots. We still don’t know how to play through that.”

The teams were tied at 36 at the end of the third, but the fourth was all Bloomfield Hills (14-2, 6-0). Hartfield and Carter Canfield each connected from distance in the first 48 seconds to force a Pontiac timeout, then Hartfield scored and Hunt got a turnaround jumper to bounce a few times on the iron and fall. A sharp pass into the post by Meyer Saperstein to Canfield capped off a 12-0 run by the Black Hawks with about 3:30 remaining.

Photos of Bloomfield Hills vs. Pontiac in an OAA Blue boys hoops contest

All the while, Pontiac (8-6, 3-2) couldn't buy a make from 3-point range, and its second-half woes from the charity stripe (3 of 10) only made matters worse. The Phoenix only had two points throughout the entire quarter until Claudio (22 points) connected from NBA range with 38 seconds left in regulation.

On the game turning, Coach Canfield said, "I thought the first quarter was back and forth, then they knocked down two threes, and I told guys at the (end of it), 'You won that first quarter, you had played better for a longer period of time, but they just got two threes.' And they continued to make threes. Both teams executed well, but they made perimeter shots, we didn't.

"Da'ron struggled in the first half, and obviously when you have a player of that caliber (struggle), he's such an important part of the team, the team's gonna struggle. The second half, the turnaround was a couple adjustments with spacing against the defensive pressure that gave us some open looks on the perimeter, and we're a really good shooting team, so I didn't think we were going to continue to miss shots like that ... Another big part of that is, early fourth quarter, Da'ron picked up his fourth foul, and after I've just said when a player of that caliber doesn't play well, we need him, but he was on the bench when we went on that run.

"It's been the same story (for our team). They've been in close games for a half our so, sometimes three quarters, but at some point in fourth quarters, we've been able to tighten up the defense, secure rebounds and pull out the win."

Asked whether he believed the circumstances contributed to how his team performed down the stretch, Harris replied, "Absolutely. I think that added pressure, it effected us. I don't want to say we can't play under pressure but we've had three opportunities (against Avondale, Pershing and now Bloomfield Hills) to make statements in games, and we need better leadership out on the floor so we can overcome those moments where things aren't going right ... We have about a month left before state starts and we have to focus all our energy on getting better at what we need to do to make a playoff run now."

Even with the win, Coach Canfield wasn't about to declare the OAA Blue as belonging to the Black Hawks, who continue their second go-around against league opponents on Feb. 6 against Troy. "Look, we have a two-game lead with four games left for us, but I've done this long enough to know I'm not counting on anything until it's final," he said. "And for us, it is just one game at a time. Anybody in our league can beat anybody, but our goal is to be the best team we can be regardless of the record, and in order for us to do that, we have to win the next game."

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – Birmingham Groves dictated tempo from the start and raced to an 80-39 victory over Bloomfield Hills in a battle for first place in the Oakland Activities Association White Division.

Both teams came into the game unbeaten in league play. But it didn’t take long for Groves to assert control of the game. After the teams battled to an 8-8 start, the Falcons closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run and never looked back.

The Falcons full cast came to play. Groves came in waves, pressed all night, and generally filled the stat sheet every which way. The Falcons dressed 10 players and all of them scored, each had at least one rebound, and eight players had at least one steal as everyone got into the act.

“We wanted everyone to score, so that was the cool thing,” Falcons head coach Jessica Duleba said. “I think you got to see our style of play is pretty fun.”

Still, when the Falcons needed a bucket to get on track or stem a brief run by the Black Hawks, it was either Harlem Simpson or Jacey Roy that they turned to. Simpson, who recently hit 1,000 for her career, finished with a game-high 26 points, including 20 points in the first half. Roy added 17 points, and Mallory Killian added 13 points for the Falcons.

“I’m happy with our performance. The shooting was good tonight,” said Duleba, whose team has now equaled or exceeded 80 points in eight games during its current win streak that followed an 0-2 start to the year.

The Black Hawks played well in spurts. When they could break the press or get a defensive stop or two, Bloomfield Hills was very competitive. But as soon as they started to turn the ball over, Groves would score in transition, put on a quick spurt, and extend its lead.

“I felt that we threw the ball away three times in the first half, and they scored three threes,” Black Hawks head coach Renardo Brown said. “That’s what we’ve got to learn. We’ve got to learn to break it (the press), and then run something,” he added.

Photos of Birmingham Groves vs. Bloomfield Hills in OAA White girls hoops action

Raina James came off the bench to lead the Black Hawks with 12 points. Julianna Socha had a game-high nine rebounds for Bloomfield Hills, and though they also spread the scoring around, outside of James, no one else came close to double figures for the Black Hawks.

With the win, Groves (10-2 overall) improves to 5-0 in the OAA White and assumes full control of the league race. The Falcons begin their second trip through the league on Tuesday with a road game against Auburn Hills Avondale.

“We really wanted this one. We lost to them in districts last year, so we had this one on our list,” Duleba said. “We’re just happy to get this one. We split it last year (in the regular season) and lost in districts, so we keep that as our motivation. We have a lot of teams on our list this year, and we’re trying to prove that we belong and that we should be in the top teams around here, that we deserve some recognition, too.”

The Black Hawks (7-3, 3-1 OAA White) have a quick turnaround, hosting Walled Lake Central in a non-league contest on Friday.

The teams could meet two more times this year – once more in league play and possibly again in districts.

“I played four freshmen tonight,” Brown said. “We’re going through some growing stages right now. But I think give us three or four more games down the road, we work on what we need to work on, and we probably can put a better show out there. But we’ve got to meet them again, probably in the playoffs here, and that’s what it’s all about.”

ROCHESTER HILLS — Stoney Creek relied on the free-throw shooting of junior forward Calista Ivezaj to pull out a 41-38 win over visiting West Bloomfield on Thursday.

She made 11 of 14 free-throw attempts overall and only missed one of her eight tries in the fourth quarter, leading all scorers with 21 points in the Cougars’ success.

“Going into it, we were just prepping a lot, taking practice very seriously,” said Calista, who was coming off a career-high 26 points in Stoney Creek’s last outing, a 59-16 win against Fenton. “We know these league games are gonna be tough. It’s a rivalry, everything there, but we were just focusing on what we do best and locking in on what we know we can execute.”

Stoney Creek, West Bloomfield and Clarkston have been the top-three teams in the OAA Red in some order going back to 2023-24, but the league title has eluded the Cougars. In the first of their four games against those two opponents, a victory over the Lakers is a first step toward claiming one this winter.

“One of our biggest goals has always been winning the OAA Red,” Calista said. “Coming out (of it), (Stoney Creek head coach Columbus Williams) just said, ‘This is the start. We’re sending the message we’re here to play, not play around.’ We’re be focused for the rest of the OAA (schedule).”

After a commanding 15-4 start by the hosts, West Bloomfield (9-4, 3-2) scored five unanswered early in the second quarter to make it a four-point contest, and from there little separated the two league contenders. The Lakers finished off the opening half on a 6-0 spurt that included a 3-pointer by star senior guard Sheridan Beal, and it was Stoney that led by one, 29-28, after three quarters of action.

“We were trying to control the tempo at that point with the lead that we had,” Williams said of the early action. “Their guards put a lot of pressure on us and our girls didn’t read the flow of the game the right way, then we threw a few turnovers in that second quarter that allowed them to get back into the game.”

Following a floater by freshman guard Bailey Finnie’s floater that had the Lakers within one early in the fourth, both teams went scoreless over the course of several trips until the Cougars rebounded a missed 3-pointer and senior Jadelynn Freeman sank a baseline jumper with 3:20 to go.

After two Calista Ivezaj free throws and a split pair by Malia Taylor, Izzy Ivezaj hit Calista underneath for a bucket that made 37-31, but Beal sliced the lead in half with 1:40 to go when she was fouled on a made 3-pointer, though she didn’t sink the free throw.

Photo gallery from Stoney Creek vs. West Bloomfield in an OAA Red girls hoops contest

Beal missed her next two shots, but teammate Tiara Hopkins-Butler deposited the second miss to keep the Lakers within two at 38-36 with 1:09 remaining, and after the Cougars committed a backcourt violation, Beal drove the lane and knocked down a pull-up jumper that tied the game as 50 seconds remained.

Despite that, West Bloomfield fouled afterward and sent Isabelle Sutton to the line, where she made one of two with 43 ticks left, and the last four shots by the Lakers, including a potential game tying 3-pointer after Calista Ivezaj's final two free throws, didn't fall, preserving Stoney's triumph.

The Ivezajs -- Calista, Izzy and Abby -- used their height and length to combine for at least a handful of blocks.

That helped take advantage of one of West Bloomfield's shortcomings. The Lakers are down a pair of key players from the beginning of the year, including forward Londyn Hall (ACL), the only other returning starter other than Beal from last year's team that reached the Division 1 semifinals.

"We're down two starters, and I don't have a floor general, someone who's going to get them where they're supposed to be," Lakers head coach Darrin McAllister said. "It's tough from where we started, what we expected to do. We had to pivot."

Beal, who saw a ton of attention from Freeman and the rest of the Cougars' line of forwards, finished with a team-high 19 points. She's yet to be held to single-digit scoring this season.

"Sheridan's doing a lot more things now," McAllister said. "Going back to losing your starting point guard, at the end of the game, we're putting the ball in her hands as opposed to her being the off-guard. London, she was a tremendous post player, and it's putting pressure on other post players. But hopefully, and I'm confident, we'll get it together and by the postseason we'll be better than we are now.

"If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now. But I'm not crying over spilt milk. I can't do that. We've been to the Breslin four times in four years and some people haven't gone in a 30 or 40-year career. So I'm putting it on me."

West Bloomfield and Stoney Creek will rematch in the final league game of the season for both teams on Feb. 24. Meanwhile, the Cougars play Lake Orion on Tuesday, then will face Clarkston, the Red Division's other 4-0 team, in back-to-back games, beginning with an away game against the Wolves on Feb. 6.

"With the snow day we had, looking at both our crazy calendars, that's how we put it," Williams said of the consecutive matchups upcoming with Clarkston. "Personally, I like it, because if we win (both), we've got the league settled within four days."

LAKE ORION – The Lake Orion Dragons came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat the Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Fighting Irish 50-44 Friday night.

The game was one of runs, and the Dragons had the last big run of the game, closing the game on a 13-3 spurt to pick up the victory. Notre Dame Prep had entered the fourth quarter with a 37-34 lead, but the Fighting Irish were whistled for five fouls in the first 1:09 of the fourth period, and Lake Orion spent almost the entire period in the bonus.

For a while, it didn’t look like it would help the Dragons, who started the game 3-for-13 from the free-throw line, including five straight misses to start the fourth quarter. But Lake Orion finally made their free throws down the stretch, sinking 10 of their last 11 from the charity stripe to hold off Notre Dame Prep.

“It was a tough game. They (Notre Dame) played us really tough,” Dragons head coach Jose Andrades said. “We had to weather a storm, and we just stuck together, did what we were supposed to do, and ended up winning the game.”

Maxwell Neering led the Dragons with 13 points and was instrumental in keeping Lake Orion close during the second quarter as Notre Dame unleashed a 15-0 run that overlapped the end of the first period and the beginning of the second period. But then Neering ran off six quick points on his own, including two steals that he took all the way for transition layups, Max Hinderer hit a couple of shots after that, and the Dragons regained the lead, heading into halftime up 20-19.

Lucas Kattula was dominant for Notre Dame through the first three quarters, racking up 14 points and 13 rebounds before the Dragons finally adjusted and held him off the stat sheet in the fourth quarter.

Drake Roa also had a double-double for Notre Dame, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while teammates Sam Stowe and Ben Liparoto added 10 and seven points, respectively. But that was it for Notre Dame as no other player scored for the Fighting Irish.

“This is probably the first game where those top-four have honed in and played a consistent, steady game” Fighting Irish head coach Andy Durkin said. “We’re still working on our depth, but we’ll get there. We had some guys step up tonight that got extended run.”

Lake Orion spread things around a bit more as seven different players scored for the Dragons. Neering’s 13 points led the hosts, but the Dragons also got 11 points from Jackson Shoskey, including five crucial free throws down the stretch. William Farmer finished with just six points – but all six came in a crucial fourth quarter run that gave Lake Orion the lead for good.

Photo gallery of Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Lake Orion in boys basketball action

With the win, Lake Orion evens its record at 7-7 overall. The Dragons resume OAA White play -- they're 1-3 in the league -- on Tuesday when they travel to Stoney Creek to face the Cougars.

“The kids are starting to trust the process, and they know things aren’t going well right now – shots aren’t falling. Free throws aren’t falling,” Andrades said. “(But) we keep doing what we’re supposed to do and eventually we should end up on top. We did that today. We just stuck to the game plan and got out with a win.”

Notre Dame Prep is now 3-8. The Fighting Irish have three games next week, starting with a Monday road trip to Swartz Creek as they continue to try to put things together after losing four starters from last year’s team that reached the Division 3 quarterfinals.

“We’re a good team. We’re just still finding our footing, still working out the kinks, but we’ll keep building, keep building. We’ll be alright,” Durkin said. “We’ve been put in this position a couple times before. We’re just still trying to work out the kinks and continue to play together and make those gotta have it shots,” he added.

The Lake Orion Dragons defeated the Notre Dame Prep Fighting Irish 50-44 in the game played on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 at Lake Orion.

Troy took out two birds with one stone when the Colts traveled to Royal Oak and beat the Ravens on Thursday evening.

The Colts held on and won 63-47, busting a six-game losing streak. But in the process, longtime head coach Gary Fralick finally hit his milestone 500th career win.

“We just played so hard, and every guy who got minutes played hard,” Fralick said after his team triumphed. “The bench was really into it. You could tell they came to play. We had a good week of practice overall. We’re getting a little better and competing better, and that’s what it’s all about it. Doggone it, we don’t have a superstar, but we’ve got guys that play hard and the right way most of the time.”

After the clock hit zeroes, Gary shared an embrace with his wife (and career scorekeeper) Sharon, and had multiple family members in attendance with signs to cheer him on and commemorate the victory.

In addition, Ravens head coach Aaron Smith, who played at and graduated from Troy High just around the time of Fralick’s arrival there in 1994, delivered a tribute prior to the game.

“(Aaron) was my JV coach for 15 years and is just a wonderful man,” Fralick said. “There’s just so many people that have been in my corner for so many years. It’s not all about 500 and me, me, me. It’s about them, and it’s about the team, and it’s about getting better.”

The ink had probably been dry on those signs after the Colts started 5-1, but after beating Fraser on Dec. 18, they fell into a funk, though it seemed like an end to that skid that would coincide with the 500th win was bound to come sooner than later.

Troy lost by three to Brighton at the North Farmington Holiday Extravaganza, then the slump reached four games when the Colts dropped a home game in overtime to their rivals, Troy Athens, on Jan. 9.

“I’m just hoping it comes one of these days,” Fralick said after that defeat. “It seems like it’s been two months, but I’ve got to practice what I preach, let it go and move on.”

It took overcoming six 3-pointers and a 30-point effort by Royal Oak’s CJ Hairston, but Troy got double-digit scoring out of four players (Grant Wilkens, Will DeArmit, Hayden Oriol, Blake Kuiper) to get over the hump.

“Coach Fralick is one of the best coaches in the state,” said Oriol, who led the Colts with 21 points in the win. “I’m just happy to play for him because he always makes practice fun and is always bringing that energy every day in practice and in games.”

Kuiper added, “It feels good, because we started the season off 5-1, then we were just caught on a downhill, so it’s nice that we can get back on track, and also get him his 500th. We’ve known it was his 500th for these past games and just couldn’t get it … Coach Fralick’s like a mentor to me. Not only on the court, but he takes the time out of his day to talk with us and be a friend.”

Speaking about why the wait was growing to get the coveted win, Fralick said, “You win together, you lose together, and we were not concentrating … We were just concentrating on the process of being ready to have success. The process means practice hard to play hard, and you do the little things right. I hardly said anything about 500 or anything (tonight), but I’m glad it’s done and now we can really get back to business. This was a league win for us, so we move on.

Fralick, who earned his 300th win in 2011 and hit 400 in Dec. 2018, was also recently enshrined in the BCAM Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2025.

MADISON HEIGHTS — Both were happy to be there, but there could only be one to emerge between Walled Lake Central and West Bloomfield Saturday afternoon.

Ultimately, the Vikings outpinned the Lakers 220-212, 191-180 in the finals to win the 2026 Oakland County boys bowling tournament.

“We haven’t really done well here (recently),” Walled Lake Central head coach Jeff DeSlippe said. “But I’d say this is probably one of the biggest highlights we’ve ever had (as a program). It’s a career win.”

Walled Lake Northern, who won the regional the Vikings were in last postseason, finished top of qualifying with a 3,907 total, followed by South Lyon East (3,866), but the margins were slim for the top-3 as the Vikings came in just behind that at 3,863.

When match play began, WL Central defeated Avondale (201-156, 171-132), Detroit Catholic Central (197-174, 232-178) and then Clarkston (223-200, 212-212) in the semifinals to reach the championship.

“We felt pretty confident going in, and I don’t think we were too concerned about anyone really until West Bloomfield,” DeSlippe said.

In singles play, Vikings senior Connor Martin was dominant, his best competition proving to be runner-up Joe Lindholm of Troy (717), who rolled a 300 in his first game. That pair aside, there were fewer than 10 other scores of 250 or higher throughout the singles portion, but Martin compiled scores of 235, 257 and 267 for a series total of 759.

“It’s incredible,” Martin said. “I’ve never shot that high of a series before ever in high school. I was nervous at first, but throughout the day I got better. I was just making good shots, being happy.”

Martin, who went to states as a freshman, now has a special tool in his box that has taken him up a level.

“I gave him my bowling ball (I used in) my men’s league,” DeSlippe said. “I found a new ball that I don’t like as much. Now I’m just wondering if I can get the ball back.”

“Yes, very,” Martin responded when asked if he’s been improved since he began utilizing it. “It goes through the pins better, hits them stronger.”

Central’s next-best performer in individual play was Justin Jensen, who finished 15th individually (636), followed by Aaron Dorfman (33rd, 605).

West Bloomfield was the more unexpected of the two to reach the final. Beyond the Knights, Cougars and Vikings, The Lakers finished 10th in qualifying behind Southfield A&T, Oxford, Catholic Central, Lakeland and South Lyon. North Farmington, Royal Oak, Lake Orion, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Avondale, Clarkston and Mott also qualified to the Round of 16.

West Bloomfield had just one bowler inside the top-40 individuals in Mason Ermis, whose output of 647 was good for 12th. Collectively, the Lakers beat South Lyon, then Waterford Mott and Lake Orion to reach the final.

Photo gallery from the 2026 Oakland County boys bowling tournament

As far as West Bloomfield's first-year head coach Reg Watts is aware, this is the first time the program has reached the finals of the county tournament. "As a matter of fact, this is our first year winning trophies."

While the Lakers were in a strong regional last postseason, led by Troy Athens, who won last year's county tourney, they finished fifth in that regional. On top of it, they graduated seven seniors.

"Last year, we were pretty good," Watts said. "But this year, a couple of my guys bowled a lot over the summer, some of them that were JV (last year). I'm really deep in good bowlers this year."

Watts also believed that his team could take it up a notch in the last stage Saturday. "I guess my guys just woke up," he said. I knew there was another level. We were performing below my expectations at the beginning of the tournament, but I expected us to do well."

He said this also raises the ceiling on what the Lakers can achieve this postseason, adding, "It does, because we've never made it (this far here) before. This is the second trophy for us this year, not the last .. and I have most of my bowlers -- Mason, Jayden (Watts), Brenden (Doyle), that's my core -- coming back next year, so we'll be even stronger."

After Martin and Lindholm, the rest of the top-10 individuals were Oxford's Dom Hambly (696 series), Walled Lake Northern's Ethan Faurote (685), Southfield A&T's Anthony Jones II (682), Clarkston's Gavin Pittman (676), WL Northern's Hunter Clary (674), A&T's Aiden Mason (661), and South Lyon East duo Dain Virdee (657) and Thomas Martin (651). Mason had the best individual one-game score aside from Lindholm's 300 with a 276.

Astro Lanes in Madison Heights hosted the Oakland County boys bowling tournament on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Walled Lake Central edged West Bloomfield in the finals to win the title.

Junior Harlem Simpson finished with a team-high 28 points, leading four double-digit scorers in Birmingham Groves’ 80-48 win at Royal Oak Thursday night.

She was joined in double figures by teammates Mallory Killian and Jacey Roy, who each scored 15 points, as well as Sophie Schwanik, who ended with 13.

Lydia Dickens scored 10 points, Dimyah Jackson had nine, and Alyssa Rozycki and Kolbie Roelofs each had seven in the loss for the Ravens (4-6, 0-2 OAA White).

After starting 0-2, the Falcons have won six straight. That includes an 83-39 win on Jan. 13 in which Simpson poured in 42 points (and pulled down 14 rebounds), Killian had 17 points and six assists and Roy had nine points and steals each.

More girls basketball

WEST BLOOMFIELD 54, OXFORD 41 >> The Lakers won their second in a row at home on Thursday night and improved to 5-3 on the season. West Bloomfield head coach Darrin McAllister collected his 102nd win after hitting the century milestone on Dec. 28 against Cass Tech in a 59-48 victory.

FARMINGTON HILLS MERCY 54, DETROIT KING 17 >> Caroline Paluk tallied 11 points and Abby Bores ended with 10 to help the Marlins improve to 7-1 on the year Wednesday evening.

TROY ATHENS 56, WARREN WOODS TOWER 43 >> Madi Stencel had 15 points, Laityn Dennis had nine and the tandem of Kaitlyn Piggott and Gabby Bieniek each finished with seven in the fourth win in a row by the Red Hawks (8-2) on Tuesday.

ROMEO 52, TROY 35 >> Maci Zeiter scored a team-high 20 points and Rachel Zapatka added a handful for the Colts (5-2) in Tuesday’s loss to the Bulldogs.

SOUTH LYON EAST 52, MILFORD 47 >> Kaitlyn Therrian scored a team-high 15 points on Tuesday for East, who improved to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in the LVC. Ashlyn Lutz finished with a game-high 17 points and Madison Cornett added nine for the Lady Mavs (6-2, 2-1).

LINDEN 54, ORTONVILLE BRANDON 35 >> A hot start and a solid rebounding effort wasn’t enough for the Blackhawks (2-6) on Tuesday evening. Ellza Rizzo had 14 points, nine rebounds and five steals, freshman Avery Odinga had 14 points and seven rebounds and sophomore Maddie Heverly pulled in 10 boards in the loss.

Boys basketball

MADISON HEIGHTS LAMPHERE 57, CLINTONDALE 29 >> Evan Landstrom led all scorers with 20 points, while teammates Mychael Foster and Gavin Abbott chipped in 16 and 10, respectively, and Jack Robinson dropped 10 assists in Wednesday’s road win by the Rams (8-2).

MADISON HEIGHTS MADISON 63, HAZEL PARK 51 >> Madison pulled away in the second half to claim the MAC Bronze Division win Wednesday. Myani Franks scored 17 points to lead the Eagles (4-6, 1-1). Christian Payne added 12 points, Christian Barnett followed with eight points and Nehemiah Patman also scored eight points for Madison.

BIRMINGHAM SEAHOLM 46, TROY ATHENS 29 >> Evert Wertz scored 16 points, Bryan Pohl had nine and Brody Feldmaier added seven in the victory by the Maples (4-7, 2-0 OAA Blue) on Tuesday.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 66, TROY 47 >> Daron Mason scored a team-high 18 points, while Meyer Saperstein (15), Carter Hartfield (11) and Brennan Bies (10) also finished in double-digits for the Black Hawks (9-2, 2-0 OAA Blue) Tuesday night.

WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 62, SOUTH LYON 52 >> Evan Brown carried the scoring load for the Vikings (7-5, 3-0 LVC) in Tuesday’s win. Johnathan Matthew had 13 points, plus Asa Clay and Anthony Camacho both chipped in a dozen for Central in its league conquest.

ROCHESTER ADAMS 58, LAKE ORION 44 >> The Highlanders (8-4) won their third game in a row on Tuesday and their sixth in the last seven contests. Lake Orion dropped to 5-5 overall despite 20 points from Nathan Giacolone and 10 from fellow senior Jackson Shoskey.

Hockey

ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S 10, TRENTON >> Already cruising to victory, the Eaglets scored half of their goals in the third period Thursday evening. Matthew Mourad scored twice, Daniel Ramos scored and assisted three times and Charlie Roberts scored his team-best 17th goal of the year for St. Mary’s (12-4).

CRANBROOK-KINGSWOOD 8, PORT HURON NORTHERN 0 >> The Cranes outshot the Huskies 22-7 in the second period Thursday evening and cashed in during that span with goals by Matthew Mooradian, Kyle Braunscheidel, Efe Oztorun and Jack Shenkan. On top of that, Oztorun added another goal in the third and Cam Rocchini finished with a goal and three assists for Cranbrook (11-4).

UTICA EISENHOWER 8, M-1 UNIFIED 0 >> The Griffins (3-15) produced 22 shots, but couldn’t put one past Eagles netminder Connor Holmes in Thursday’s defeat.

BIRMINGHAM UNIFIED 3, ROCHESTER UNITED 3 >> Neither team could net a game-winner in overtime Wednesday’s matchup. Goals by Dylan Turnbull, TJ Maguet and Connor Cichocki had Rochester (16-2-1) leading 3-1 and gunning for a victory until Ryan Sloan and Connor Bozek hit in rapid succession to tie it up for Birmingham. Ryan Sloan also scored for BU (10-6-1) in the deadlock.

SOUTH LYON UNIFIED 4, SALEM ROCKS 0 >> SOUTH LYON UNIFIED 4, SALEM 0 >>Connor Day and Jackson Curtiss each put two goals in during Wednesday night’s win by Unified (15-2). Nathan Ligi, Braden Hillebrand, Aidan Herrera and Ryan Laird all had a pair of assists and Keegan Korpi recorded the shutout.

ROYAL OAK – The Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks got eight goals from as many different players and routed Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 8-0 Thursday night.

The score stayed close for most of the first two periods. The Shamrocks led just 3-0 with three minutes to play in the second period. But then a couple of deflections 20 seconds apart made it a 5-0 game and things started to unravel on the Warriors.

Catholic Central dominated the game from start to finish. Its forecheck and depth were relentless; and while Brother Rice had flashes of offense, the game was largely played in the Warriors’ defensive end.

“I was very pleased. I like the way we played. I like the plays we made,” Shamrocks head coach Brandon Kaleniecki said. “I thought we were very hungry on the puck. The forecheck was really crucial in terms of taking away time and space and giving us opportunity to play in the offensive zone, which is where we want to be. Every team wants to be in the offensive. The game is a lot of fun when you can do that,” he added.

Still, goalie Drake England kept Brother Rice hanging around on the scoreboard most of the night. England turned in an outstanding performance, stopping 54 shots, including 40 of the first 43 shots he saw. But eventually, the Shamrocks just had too many shots from point-blank range and pucks started finding the net late in the second period, a trend that continued after the last intermission.

“He (England) played really, really well. I thought we were hanging in there pretty good in the second period and then they got a couple bounces, one deflection out in front and then one from behind the net, and that sort of broke us there I think, because it started going downhill at that point,” Warriors head coach Kenny Chaput said.

Photo gallery of No. 2 Detroit Catholic Central vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in MIHL North hockey action

Sean Goff, Nicholas McQuaid, Luke Perdue, Myles Schlack, Elian Szerlip, Lucas Szmagaj, Dominic Testani, and Gabe Thompson all scored for Catholic Central, while Ryan Dye and Jackson Leiter each had two assists.

“That’s the story of our team,” Kaleniecki said. “It’s good to see you have goals coming from all different angles, all different guys, all four lines. With our team this year, we kind of have to be that way; and I think that makes us the type of team that we can be successful with,” he added.

As displayed by Thursday's performance, the goalscoring has been well-distributed this season for Kaleniecki's side. No one has hit double-digits yet, though Szmagaj and Thompson are now one away. Dye leads the team in both assists (18) and points (25), while Goff and Sam Masek have 11 and 12 assists, respectively.

Maxxon Sulla, who has split time between the posts this season with Nicholas Kogut, earned the shutout against the Warriors.

Detroit Catholic Central improves to 15-1-1 as it chases yet another state title. The Shamrocks have been a bit less dominant in the regular season than in the last two years, but Catholic Central are still ranked second in the state and should be among the favorites to add another trophy to the case when the state playoffs finish in Plymouth this March.

“Obviously, the record is what it is. We try not to dwell on it when it’s going well or when it’s not. Whether we’ve got a couple more losses or not in our pocket before the end of this year, it’s really about just getting to the point where we really like the team that we are and what we’re capable of when it comes time to play in the playoffs,” Kaleniecki said.

Meanwhile, the Shamrocks still have work to do to claim another league title, leading the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League North Division by just one game over Cranbrook. Detroit Catholic Central is 6-0 in league play and hosts Clarkston in a non-league match up this Saturday before traveling to Trenton next Wednesday for their next MIHL game.

Brother Rice is 4-15. The Warriors will face Orchard Lake St. Mary’s next Wednesday.

CLARKSTON – The Clarkston Everest Collegiate Mountaineers dropped a Catholic High School League crossover matchup to the Jackson Lumen Christi Titans, 56-45, at home Saturday afternoon.

The Mountaineers hung tough early, but a 10-0 run that bridged the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter put the Titans up 21-14, and Everest never led again.

Everest put up a fight to the end, finishing the game on a 7-0 run of its own and outscoring the Titans in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the hosts. They came into the game shorthanded, having only seven players available in their first game returning from the holiday break.

Nolan Alban and Dominic Walker each scored 13 points to lead Everest, while Sean Felix had nine points and seven rebounds. Additionally, Benjamin Sasak contributed seven points and six rebounds.

But the Mountaineers never really got an offensive rhythm in this one, and they also had rebounding trouble. The Titans piled up a 33-25 edge on the glass and were particularly effective on the offense boards in the middle two periods when they build their lead.

“That will be a big focus moving forward, just doing a better job on the glass rebounding,” Everest head coach Richie Cross said.

The Mountaineers also had no answer for Jonathan Morgan, who poured in 28 points for Lumen Christi.

After a 24-2 campaign last year that saw the Mountaineers reach a regional final (they lost to eventual D4 semifinalist Allen Park Inter-City Baptist), the Mountaineers are off to another solid start, sitting at 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the CHSL Intersectional 1 Division despite returning only three players who saw significant minutes last year.

“We have one starter from that team and basically two other guys who played a lot of minutes for us,” Cross said. “We’re really fortunate to have a lot of guys that are committed three-sport athletes. I think that really helps on the competitive side, and it really pays off for us,” he added.

Photos of Clarkston Everest Collegiate vs. Jackson Lumen Christi in a CHSL boys hoops crossover

That has not stopped the Mountaineers from scheduling tough games, often against much bigger schools.

“To us, this is just another opportunity to play kind of a crossover in the Catholic League and we're just grateful for Lumen Christi agreeing to play us (and) making the drive,” Cross said. “I think we’ll get there, but we’ve just got to keep getting as much experience for all the guys stepping into bigger roles this year.”

Next up for Everest is a road test against Detroit Douglass on Wednesday before hosting Marine City Cardinal Mooney next Friday to resume CHSL play.

“They (Cardinal Mooney) are always good. They are kind of a rival in recent years just because they’re another good Division 4 program. So you seem them not only in the Catholic League but you see them sometimes in a regional or in the state tournament,” Cross said.

Jackson Lumen Christi used a 10-0 run in the first half to win 56-45 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

ROCHESTER HILLS – Sometimes teams just have that can’t miss attitude.

Rochester sure did so Friday night against visiting Utica Ford.

In the annual Battle of the Falcons game, host Rochester came out on fire by making nine of its first 11 shots from the field to build a 22-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in recording an impressive 75-49 non-league victory over Utica Ford in the 10th annual event.

Unbeaten Rochester scored a season-high in points with 75 – all while shooting 65.6 percent from the floor in the first half and 52 percent overall from the floor in one of the best single-game team field goal shooting percentages in program history and in over 100 years of Rochester basketball.

Although the host Falcons cooled down some in the second half, going 12-for-23 from the floor after shooting lights out in the first half (19-for-29), Rochester never allowed Utica Ford to make a serious threat on the lead.

“I didn’t realize the stat of our field goal percentages, but it did seem like we couldn’t miss for a while there in the first half,” said Rochester coach Nick Evola. “They do love playing with one another. They share the ball. We talk about playing the right way. We share the ball and it moves around. We play with a lot of energy and it seems like we find people in the right spots. I’m happy with the guys making plays – they’ve done that all season long.”

Rochester used a 24-15 second quarter surge to go up 46-23 at the half, while the home-standing Falcons outscored Ford 18-13 in the third quarter for a 64-38 advantage through three quarters of play.

The home Falcons – who led by as many as 31 points at 62-31 late in the third quarter – rotated all 14 players in the fourth frame.

“We just want to go 1-0 each night,” said Evola. “We want to keep working, keep our heads down and keep working hard and keep trying to get better. But you can see it. I think they are having fun out there. I’m proud of these guys. Some of them I’ve had for a long time. It’s a fun group to coach.”

Rochester was 27-for-52 from the floor in the contest, finished 5-for-9 from the foul line (55.6 percent) and made 8-of-19 shots from beyond the three-point arc (42.2 percent). Rochester also out-rebounded the taller Falcons 29-14, forced 17 turnovers, recorded 12 steals and showcased its balance and unselfish brand of basketball by registering 22 assists on 27 made baskets.

Senior guard Luke Lower scored all 20 of his points in the first half, finishing 4-for-8 from beyond the arc while adding four steals, three assists and three rebounds to pace Rochester.

One of five third-year varsity veterans, 6-foot-3 senior forward Anthony Chirco added 15 points and seven rebounds, and 6-2 junior guard Nate Tandy registered 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists as he continued to impress in his first varsity campaign.

Photos of Rochester vs. Utica Ford in a boys hoops contest

A total of 10 Rochester players reached the scoring column, with 6-6 sophomore center Ben Bissett adding six points, four rebounds and four assists while senior point guard Logan Pleasant swished a pair of three-pointers for six points. Rochester’s starting five finished 26-for-44 shooting from the floor (59.1 percent).

Ford finished the night 19-for-44 from the floor, good for a reasonable 43.2 percent. The visiting Falcons also converted 8-fo-21 three-point attempts (38.1 percent). But even with those strong shooting numbers, Utica Ford just couldn’t keep pace with red-hot Rochester’s torrid shooting pace.

Junior guard Aiden Gillich sank four 3-pointers on the night to lead Ford with 12 points to go along with five assists. Senior center Nick Pagel added seven points, four rebounds and three blocked shots, and sophomore forward Mason Marchand and senior guard Jamie Thomas both chipped in with six points apiece.

The visiting Falcons still dipped their wings to a 1-6 record.

“I’m a first-year coach at Ford and we’re still searching for an identity,” said Ford coach George Woods. “We are playing hard, but one game we do one thing well and the next game we do something else well. We haven’t had that complete night yet. That will come with time.

“I think we’ve played a very tough schedule,” said Woods, whose team dropped its second game of the week to an undefeated team, including Tuesday’s 51-38 setback to Division 2 Yale. “In all of my years coaching, I always try to schedule some very good teams to help get us get ready for league play. I think everyone in our league has four, five, six losses overall. Someone will get hot and win our league.

“I think Adam Gillich really came to play tonight,” continued Woods. “He shot the ball well and passed it well. If we can get that type of effort from everybody, we’ll be fine.”

Rochester put up its most points in a game this season and remained unbeaten with a 75-49 win over visiting Utica Ford on Friday, Jan. 2, 2025.

ROCHESTER HILLS – A year ago around the holidays break, Utica Ford pulled away from Rochester down the stretch.

The Ford Falcons earned a 63-48 win in that game between two cross-borders rivals of two traditionally-strong programs – Ford from Macomb County and Rochester from Oakland County.

On Friday night some 54 weeks later, Rochester remembered that defeat.

In a back-and-fourth battle that had the feeling of a state tournament atmosphere, Rochester held off visiting Utica Ford in the annual Battle of the Falcons, 43-42.

Rochester sophomore guard Sam Walker drilled a three-pointer off a senior Kelly Cook feed with 3:05 remaining for the go-ahead points – and the game’s final points overall.

“Last year (Ford) had two really good guards that took over in the second half and we couldn’t stop them,” said second-year Rochester coach Andy Topie. “This was a good win for us because Ford is always a strong program.”

Rochester missed two free throws and also misfired on two point-blank layups down the stretch, while Ford was 0-for-3 from the floor in the final three minutes of the game. Ford junior Lia Raciti’s three-point attempt was off the mark with one second left, as the home-standing Falcons staved off Utica Ford in the final minute.

Rochester opened the game with a 9-2 run, only to see Utica Ford surge back with a 13-0 run to take 15-9 lead late in the first quarter. Senior Aris McDonald hit a late three to make it a 15-12 game at the end of the first frame.

Ford (3-3) kept going inside to 6-foot senior center Claire O’Brien in the first half, where she scored all 20 of her points over the opening half. Ford outscored Rochester 14-12 in the second quarter to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room.

Rochester (4-1) switched up its defensive pressure to go on a 12-5 third-quarter run – and more importantly made life miserable for O’Brien and her teammates on the inside. O’Brien was 8-for-14 from the floor in the first half but finished 0-for-7 from the field in the second half.

“She (O’Brien) was killing us in the first half. She’s a really good player. We pinched her a little bit more and had someone come over on the backside every time she touched the ball,” offered Topie. In the first half we were letting her get to her spots. We tried to take that away and make it a little more tougher by sending someone behind. That really helped us get some momentum and we also started to make more shots in the third quarter,” said Topie. “We wanted to make someone else try to beat us.”

Holding on to a 36-34 lead through three quarters of play, Rochester continued to match Ford’s defensive pressure toe-for-toe and neither team was able to build larger than a four-point advantage in the fourth quarter.

“(Rochester) started to run three girls at (O’Brien) and we needed to do a better job taking care of the ball, kicking the ball out and having other players make shots,” said veteran Ford coach Matt Joseph. “We needed to do a better job of opening up that lane. Rochester did nice job taking that away in the second half.”

Photo gallery of Rochester vs. Utica Ford in girls hoops action

Utica Ford opened the fourth stanza with a 8-2 run with freshman Laila Sosnowski’s triple from the right corner giving the visiting Falcons a 42-38 advantage with 5:15 remaining in the contest. Ford would not score again.

“This is the 10th year in a row we’ve played them and it has become a fun little (non-league) rivalry,” said Joseph. “It’s good competition and we’ve had some great games with them. Both teams I thought competed very hard. It wasn’t always pretty, but I thought both teams fought hard to the end. They were just one point better than us this time around.”

Rochester picked up a layup from sophomore Abby Condon with 4:29 left to cut the deficit down to 42-40 with 4:29 left, while Walker’s triple 1:24 later served as the game-winning dagger.

Senior guard Taylor Parsons had one of the best efforts of her career, scoring 12 with a game-high 14 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Cook led Rochester with 13 points and four rebounds and Walker finished with eight points and four rebounds for the hosts. Rochester finished 18-for-49 from the floor (36.8 percent) and made 7-of-22 three-pointers (31.9 percent) but finished an uncharacteristic 0-for-5 from the foul line.

Rochester also forced 17 turnovers, had 12 team assists and recorded 10 steals on the night.

“This was, I thought, a great team effort,” said Topie. “We lost one a couple of weeks ago to Romeo where we made some mistakes that really cost us. This time we found a way to win.”

Utica Ford finished 17-for-50 shooting from the floor (34 percent), made 5-of-10 free throws (50 percent) and canned 3-of-15 three-point attempts (20 percent). Following O’Brien, junior forward Emma McNally added eight points and nine rebounds, Sosnowski scored eight points, while Raciti finished with six points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for Ford.

Utica Ford had 14 assists on 17 made baskets, recorded 11 steals and forced 20 turnovers. The visiting Falcons held a 30-25 edge on the boards.

An attempted 3-pointer in the final seconds by Utica Ford was missed, allowing Rochester to send its fans home happy with a 43-32 victory Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 in Rochester Hills.