2016 MHSAA Class A Championship Game Summary

Warren Cousino vs. Detroit King

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Breslin Center

With any championship team, you expect to see the best players compete on an exceptionally high level on both ends of the court; especially when the two teams competing have some of the top players in the state on their roster. Warren Cousino came looking to pick up where they left off in the semi-finals, with their junior wing Kierra Fletcher scoring a tournament high 37 points and leading them to a double digit victory. Detroit King came to the gym hungry to reclaim a championship tradition that has been lost.   

The Patriots would, fire first and maintain a lead from that point on. Whether it was a three point shot from freshman guard Kate McArthur, a drive and layup from sophomore Mackenzie Cook or a pullup from Fletcher, Cousino seemed to be unstoppable. King tried to fight back and received big shots from senior Micaela Kelly and sophomore Jordan Lewis but it would not be enough. Right before the 1st quarter final buzzer would sound, Rachel Hayes hits a layup and gives Cousino a 17-8 lead.

The second quarter would get even uglier for the Crusaders. They continued to struggle from the field and were unable to get defensive stops. Cousino would go on a 7-0 run, including back to back threes from McArthur. Tia Tedford would try to get King going with a three and steal and layup before the quarter would end. Going into halftime, Cousino would be shooting 56% from the field compared to King’s 21%.

In beginning of the second half, King seemed to finally wake up and become more aggressive. They would go on a 6-0 run before it was stopped by a pull up from Fletcher and a fourth 3 point shot from McArthur. Kelly would try to put her team on her back, getting to the basket on consecutive possessions and finishing strong. Things would continue to go in the Crusaders favor when Fletcher picked up her 4th foul late in the 3rd quarter. King would manage to cut their deficit down to 10 before going into the final quarter of the game.

Kelly would continue to put her team on her back, knocking down a huge three to open the fourth quarter, and cutting the deficit down to single digits for the first time since the first quarter.  King would turn up the defensive pressure, forcing multiple Cousino turnovers. The Patriots continued to play aggressively on offense, getting the basket and drawing fouls; however they would fail to finish, going 0-4 from the line early in the 4th. They would not be discouraged and continued to fight. Despite a huge effort from Kelly and Tedford, they were never able to get over the hump. Having four fouls, Fletcher would continue to be a threat offensively. Not just from scoring, but also getting the ball to her teammates and getting them involved. Senior Mackenzie Anderson stepped up big for the Patriots, being in all the right places at all the right times. King tried to make another run the last minute of the game, but was only able to get the lead down to 4. Warren Cousino would go on to be crowned the 2016 MHSAA Class A Champions.

Scoring Leaders: Warren Cousino – Fletcher 27, Anderson 20, McArthur 13 Detroit King – Kelly 34, Tedford 14

Game Highlights

Warren Cousino:

• Kierra Fletcher is the definition of a great player. She is fearless, makes her teammates better, and gives her all. She put her team on her back and carried them to the Breslin.

• Cousino did a great job of executing their offense. They were patient and never crumbled under King’s pressure.

• The Patriots are a very young team. They’ve tasted victory and will surely make a great run next year,

Detroit King:

• Micaela Kelly played her heart out. The DePaul commit never gave up and played until the final buzzer of the game.

• King was outrebounded 32-41. This really hurt them in the first half.

• The Crusaders started out very sluggish and weren’t able to bounce back until the fourth.

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