Mustangs capture 37th district title after multiple reschedules
March 5, 2023
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – Due to a winter storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow on the metro area Friday night and knocked the power out at Marian High School, the MHSAA District Final was postponed not once or twice, but three times.
As the host school, Marian administration did all they could to postpone the game long enough to give DTE crews time to restore power so the game could be played on Cicerone Court.
As of Sunday morning however, Marian was still without power and Birmingham Seaholm High School athletic director Aaron Frank and his staff stepped up to offer their facility to host the game at 1:00 p.m.
From the opening tip, Marian raced to an early lead. Sophomore guard Molly McLeod, who left the semifinal game with an apparent injury, returned with no sign of being hobbled and hit three shots from long range for nine first half points.
Marian held a 13-5 advantage after the first quarter and went into halftime leading 25-9.
The second half began just as the first half did. Marian's defensive effort confused Seaholm at times with both zone and man looks.
The Mustangs grew their lead to 20 points going into the fourth quarter, 37-17.
Seaholm's Shay Manchester made two three-point shots in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Mustangs (10-13) cruised to a 47-31 victory over Seaholm (7-15).
Manchester's nine points led the Maples, while Mary Gumbis and Clara Guffey both added six points each for the makeshift hosts. Gumbis added a team-high nine rebounds and three steals.
Charlie Bingham scored ten points and two blocks for Marian, and McLeod's four three-point makes and 12 total points contributed to Marian's balanced scoring attack.
However, it was Mckenzie Swanson, who was constantly double and triple-teamed in the post, who had one of her best games of the season. Mckenzie poured in 17 points to lead all scorers. She also pulled down 16 rebounds and recorded seven assists, four steals and two blocks.
The championship marks Marian's 37th MHSAA district title in school history.
The Mustangs will advance to play Detroit Renaissance in the MHSAA regional semifinal on Tuesday (Mar. 7) at 5:30 p.m. at Royal Oak High School.
Tickets are $9 and are available at gofan.co only.
Renaissance, champions of the Detroit Public School League (PSL) is 20-1 on the season and was ranked #4 in the final Associated Press (AP) Division 1 rankings.
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