CLASS A: Warren Cousino 67, Detroit Martin Luther King 65
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Kierra Fletcher and Mecaela Kelly had quite a duel at the Breslin Center.
Fletcher might have lost the individual battle, but she got more help as Warren Cousino beat Detroit Martin Luther King, 67-65, for the Class A basketball title Saturday.
Kelly finished with 34 points, including 25 in the second half, but Fletcher scored 27 and Mackenzie Anderson added 20 for the Patriots (23-4).
The two-point difference is a bit misleading: King scored its final basket while the Cousino players were already celebrating the victory.
"Mecaela is a great player - we hadn't seen anyone like her this season," said Cousino coach Mike Lee. "She was attacking the basket, but she's also got NBA range, so she's almost impossible to stop."
Fletcher had 12 points in the first half, and two teammates had nine each as Cousino built a 35-19 lead. Kelly had nine for King (24-2), but only two other Crusaders scored in the opening 16 minutes.
"I don't think we played our game in the first half," King coach William Winfield said. "Even when we got good shots, they didn't go in, and when we drove to the basket, they didn't go in."
King's full-court press changed the game in the final minutes of the period. Cousino turned the ball over eight times in the quarter, letting the Crusaders pull within 50-40.
"I think that's the first time anyone has pressed us for more than one or two possessions all season," Lee said. "It's not normally something that we see, because if you try to attack Kierra for 90 feet, she's going to beat you down the floor and either get to the basket or find someone who is open.
"They did a great job with it, and knocked us back," Lee said. "I had to call a couple timeouts and calm everyone down."
Kelly scored seven points to make it 52-47 with 5:53 to play, giving her 29 for the game, and it looked like King might pull off the upset.
But Cousino was finally able to get the ball to Fletcher against the press. She scored the next five points to make it a 10-point game, and the Patriots held on.
"I had four fouls, but this was the state championship game, so I knew I had to be aggressive," she said. "My teammates were making shots, so they couldn't just try to stop me. That's how we got it done."
Winfield blamed himself for the loss.
"If I had to do it all over again, I would have pressed them right from Jump Street," he said. "That was our No. 5 press, where we trap all over the floor, and we had them on the ropes with it. Fletcher and their forward (Anderson) just made some plays at the end."
CLASS C: Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 54, Traverse City St. Francis 37
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Ypsilanti Arbor Prep didn't have a great offensive game Saturday at the Breslin Center.
It didn't matter.
The Gators forced 29 turnovers in 32 minutes on their way to a 54-37 victory over Traverse City St. Francis 54-37 for the Michigan Class C girls state championship.
"After seeing all the Final Four games here this weekend, I decided I didn't want to waste any time," Gators coach Rod Wells said. "We knew we had to attack them right from the start."
Nastassja Chambers scored 14 points in her final high-school game, while Cyndey Williams added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Gators (25-2). Annie Lyman had 15 points for Traverse City St. Francis (26-2), but committed 10 turnovers.
Arbor Prep forced turnovers on the first five St. Francis possessions and built a 9-0 lead, before taking a 25-18 advantage at halftime.
"When we got that quick lead and made them call a couple time outs, we knew we had them back on their heels," Chambers said. "We just wanted to keep it going."
The Lady Gladiators had 21 turnovers through three quarters, allowing the Gators to take a 39-30 lead.
"We changed defenses at halftime, and they didn't really adjust to it," Wells said. "We were trapping their first three passes and then dropping back to half court, and they didn't figure it out."
The fourth quarter was no different, with the Gators forcing more miscues and shredding the St. Francis press. With 3:15 to play, Arbor Prep led 50-35 and cruised to its first state title.
"We were worried about their pressure defense, and while we got better at times, we never got into a rhythm," said St. Francis coach Keith Haske. "That was, by far, the best defense we've played all year. They were just so much quicker than anyone else we play."
Adrienne Anderson was the focal point of the press, racking up eight steals.
