EAST LANSING ‒ It was anyone’s game in the Division 3 state final through three quarters, but it was ultimately Jackson Lumen Christi which found a way to secure a big win for its program.
Jackson Lumen Christi defeated Pewamo-Westphalia, 52-36, to secure its first MHSAA girls basketball championship Saturday, March 21, at Breslin Center.
Lumen Christi star sophomore point guard Kenna Hunt led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Titans make history.
It was a back-and-forth game until the fourth quarter, when Lumen Christi took over to score the final 18 points of the game while limiting P-W to two points, after the teams entered the quarter locked at 34.
“I think they stopped thinking so much and just went out and played like pitbulls,” Lumen Christi coach Scott Stine said about his team’s fourth quarter performance.
The first quarter saw both teams battle to a 15-13 score in favor of Lumen Christi. The tempo slowed in the second quarter and both teams picked up their defensive intensity while struggling to find their shots.
Hunt missed her first three shots but knocked down her next four including one at the buzzer to give the Titans a 21-18 lead at halftime.
P-W tied the game following a 3-pointer from senior guard Brenna Thelen. The Pirates took a two-point lead behind another made 3 from Elly Bengel, 27-25.
Titans guard Lucy Wrozek responded with her own 3 to reclaim the lead. Both teams continued going point-for-point, ending the third tied at 34-34.
The fourth quarter belonged to Lumen Christi. Hunt hit an open 3 to start off the final quarter that allowed the offense to flow smoothly.
“It was really just a momentum shift,” Hunt said about her shot, “so getting that momentum right off the start of the fourth quarter was awesome. But I got to give credit to my teammates for getting me open and making me available for that type of shot.”
Pewamo-Westphalia coach Steve Eklund credited his team’s offensive rebound and defensive efforts throughout the night.
“We’re a little on the lanky side, and on occasion, we could push around and we were doing that,” Eklund said. ” We were hitting the offensive glass a lot and Brenna [Thelen] was an animal on the offensive glass. That was one of thing this we worry about and we did a good job.”
Stine won three champions with Ypsilanti Abor Prep over the past four seasons. At the beginning of the season, he and the team were determined to win a title.
“I know [what winning a championship] looks like. I got a good idea of what we need to do,” Stine said he told the girls before the season started. “And if you wanna win one, then let’s go.”
Senior Lily Ganton has seen a new coach at the beginning of the season her entire high school career, but she said that Stine and his coaching staff were different.
“They’re a special group of coaches and they really push us to be our best and you don’t get that from a lot of teams” Ganton said. “Being a senior and a three-sport athlete, I’ve been on a lot of teams. This is something special.”
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Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X and Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kenna Hunt takes over for Lumen Christi’s 1st MHSAA girls basketball title
Reporting by Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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