LENAWEE COUNTY – What really began this past summer with camps and clinics is in its final week of action as those few remaining girls basketball teams from across the state of Michigan prepare for their respective MHSAA state quarterfinal matchups.
Two teams from Lenawee County are still alive as the quarterfinals set to tip off on Tuesday, as the defending Division 2 state champions, the Tecumseh Indians, remain alive in hopes of defending their state title while the Morenci Bulldogs have made a return trip to the quarterfinal round in Division 4.
Both teams will take to their respective quarterfinal sites on Tuesday night but before we get to that point how about we take a look at what is to come with our part 1 of our Girls Basketball State Quarterfinals- Previews and Predictions.
This particular Preview and Prediction follows the defending Division 2 state champions from Tecumseh in their state quarterfinal versus Carleton Airport. Look for the preview and prediction regarding Morenci’s trip to the Division 4 state quarterfinal somewhere at www.lenconnect.com.
Division 2 State Quarterfinal
No. 3 Tecumseh Indians (24-2) versus No. 10 Carleton Airport (23-2)
Where/When: at Chelsea High School, tip off scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Last Meeting: Tecumseh and Carlton Airport faced off twice during the 2024-25 season, with their last meeting coming in the Division 2 regional semifinal, resulting in a 74-29 win for Tecumseh. The two also met during the regular season as Tecumseh defeated Airport 76-44 back on Feb. 27 of 2025.
Tecumseh Indians
Tecumseh Head Coach: Kristy Zajac
This Season: 24-2 overall, 11-0 in the SEC White Conference, MHSAA D2 District and Regional titles
Last Season: 28-1, 11-0 in the SEC White Conference, MHSAA Division 2 State Champions
Tecumseh Top Performers: Addi Zajac, Sr., 13.2 ppg and 11.0 rpg; Avery Zajac, Fresh., 13.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 2.4 spg; Chloe Bullinger, Sr., 9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 5.0 apg; Makayla Schlorf, Sr., 11.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, shoots nearly 40% from the 3-point line; Delaney Brown, Fresh., 9.2 ppg, 2.0 spg, 2.7 rpg, 3.0 apg
Tecumseh Overview: Tecumseh returns a wealth of talent from last year’s Division 2 state championship team, although they did say goodbye to leading scorer and Miss Basketball Finalist Alli Zajac along with assists leader Ashlynn Moorehead.
This season, Tecumseh is led by Zajac squared, as the duo of Addi (senior) and Avery (freshman) lead the Indians as the state tournament comes to a close. Addi is a monster down low while Avery comes more in the mold of a guard. Both have shown the ability to take over a game when crunch times comes either in the paint, in transition, or on the perimeter.
Chloe Bullinger has started every game this season and is the straw that stirs the proverbial drink. Bullinger is 100% effort all the time on every play and does not take any trips down the court off. Bullinger took over first place on the all-time assists record board for Tecumseh High School, breaking the record of 388 assists previously held by Moorehead. Bullinger averages 9.4 points per game on the season to go with 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists a contest. Bullinger dropped 30 points in the regional final win over Parma Western and is capable of doing just that every time she takes the floor thanks to her motor, athleticism, and toughness.
Mickayla Schlorf, when healthy, is a bulldog and goes all out from whistle to whistle. The trio of Delaney Brown, Reese Grounds and Sophia Torres have all made a big impact on the court and proves just how important it is to have a deep rotation going into the playoffs.
Up to this point on the season Tecumseh has outscored opponents 1652-818, with their largest margins coming in the first and second quarters.
What did Head Coach Kristy Zajac say about her team as the state quarterfinals approaches? “We really stress having multiple players that can score. A lot of teams can shut down one great player, but it is so difficult to stop 5 players on the floor. We do a great job of sharing the ball as we average over 16 assists per game and have multiple games with over 20 assists. They are all team first kids and will do whatever it takes to help us win.”
Carleton Airport Jets
Carleton Airport Head Coach: Darrell Mossburg, 13th season
Record: 24-2, 14-0 in the conference; Regional Champions for the first time in school history
Season Averages: Scoring 67.8 points per game while only giving up 36.3. Set a Monroe County Regional record for most points scored in a single game, exploding for 103 points in a win this season.
Last Season: 18-8 overall, 10-4 in the conference; Fell to Tecumseh in the D2 regional semifinals
Carleton Airport Top Performers: Olivia Gratz, Sr., 15.3 ppg, 1,343 career points; Peyton Zajac, Sr., no relation to Zajac squared at Tecumseh, 8.6 ppg; Brenna Baker, Sr., 7.3 ppg; Jillian Baker, Sr., 4.8 ppg; Sophia Mator, Jr., 17.3 ppg; Brooklyn Martin, Soph., 6.5 ppg; and Mya Stahr, Soph., 6.2 ppg.
Airport Overview: The Airport offense runs through the experienced hands of Olivia Gratz who averages over 15 points a game in addition to junior scorer extraordinaire Sophia Mator who is their leading scorer with 17.3 points per game
Four of Airport’s five starters (both Bakers, Zajac, and Martin) have been to the final four in softball so the belief is there will be no awestruck Airport players on the big stage. “Our kids are up to the challenge,” Mossburg said.
Look for Airport to try and push the pace and make Tecumseh run with them, making the Indians play at Airport’s pace. The game is going to come down to possession versus possession and the team that stays the most focused will have a chance to win at the end.
What did Airport’s Coach Darrell Mossburg have to say about the state quarterfinal meeting? “They (Tecumseh) are the defending state champions, and they are playing like champions on film. They are younger this season, but very well coached and they are really patient on offense. Senior (Chloe) Bullinger is the engine that makes everything happen on offense and defense. She is the one I worry about, she is all effort all the time, she leads and the others follow. They really beat us up bad last year (74-29 in regional semifinals), but this group is different, our team is different and they are different. We have to play possession by possession in the game and stay focused, something we have been doing all year.”
Prediction: This should be a barnburner from whistle to whistle, one of those games completely worthy of the big stage. I have not yet seen a team that can play as efficient in all types of games like Tecumseh can, they are a true basketball machine. Carleton Airport is coming into the state quarterfinals with a huge chip on their should and that is a good job of coaching by Mossburg. I think Airport will keep things close early, but in the end the Tecumseh machine will pull away late for the win.
Prediction: Tecumseh 72, Airport 58.
Look for the Division 4 Preview in its own article somewhere on ww.lennconnect.com. The views exhibited here are just one man’s opinion, and he could be wrong. What do you think? Did sports editor Troy Tennyson make a good pick or will he be horribly wrong? Let us know via email at ttennyson@thedailyreporter.com. Follow Troy on X, formerly known as Twitter, at ttennysonTDR for updates of the state quarterfinal game all night long.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh takes on Airport in D2 quarterfinals Tuesday
Reporting by Troy Tennyson, The Daily Telegram / The Daily Telegram
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
