Cut Down the Nets--Chargers are SVL Champs

I coached in the Saginaw Valley League from 2022 to 2024, and coming from the KLAA, I always liked the idea of having an official championship game. The league was one giant conference in 2022, comprised of 13 teams that played every opponent once. The team with the best overall record at the end of the season received recognition as the league champion. The SVL realigned into two divisions for the 2025-26 season, which is how the league was initially formatted a decade ago. Flint Powers Catholic, Davison, Grand Blanc, Saginaw United, Lapeer, and Flint Carman-Ainsworth make up the South. Saginaw Heritage, Midland Dow, Midland High, Bay City Western, Mount Pleasant, and Bay City Central form the North.   Flint Powers Catholic entered Friday's game as the SVL South champion, running the table with a perfect 10-0 record. As the host, they welcomed SVL North champion Saginaw Heritage (9-1). In their previous meeting on February 14th, 2025, Saginaw Heritage defeated Flint Powers Catholic 45-41 at home. Both teams came into the contest ranked inside the top 20 with expectations to make a serious playoff push. Saginaw Heritage was seeking its first SVL championship since 2018, while Flint Powers Catholic entered the game seeking its first girls basketball SVL championship. Their last appearance in the championship game was in 2015, where the Chargers fell to Midland Dow after winning the SVL South division title.   Powers Catholic outscored Heritage 10-6 in the first and 15-7 in the second quarter to take a 25-13 lead into the half. Powers outshot Heritage from beyond the arc, won the rebounding battle, and converted more high-percentage shots around the basket, while forcing the Hawks to settle for outside shots. Momentum shifted in the third quarter, as the Hawks came out rejuvenated, outscoring Powers 14-8. Heritage forced turnovers, converted tough finishes off drives and hard backdoor cuts, and knocked down timely threes to set up a tense fourth quarter, trailing 33-27. In the final frame, Powers was able to secure key rebounds, control the clock, score backbreaking points inside, and convert important free throws down the stretch to earn a 49-40 victory. Let's take a closer look at the five players from both teams who stood out under the spotlight.    Breeghan made her mark as a gritty, strong, tough, skilled, and hard-nosed two-way guard in the Heritage program. She steps up in big moments and helped lead a comeback in the second half with her defensive prowess and timely scoring. Breeghan crashed the glass hard to secure an offensive rebound, made a quick transfer to score the and-one layup through contact, and drained her free throw. She swished a three in the slot and banked in another triple for the Hawks. Breeghan deflected passes, worked hard to apply ball pressure, and created turnovers on the defense. She poured in 10 points for Heritage in the SVL Championship Game and will be continuing her Lacrosse career at CMU following graduation.     Josie plays with a high basketball IQ and cerebral style on the court. She has versatile skills, awareness, and length that will make her a highly recruited guard in this class. Josie fired a strong cross-court skip pass out of a double-team to the opposite corner, leading to two points for a teammate. She pinned her defender in front of the rim with a strong seal, caught the entry pass, powered up off two feet, and finished the and-one layup. Josie tacked on the free throw at the line. She worked hard to turn the ball and kept great positioning on defense. Josie scored a layup off a smart flex cut and buried a smooth straightaway three off the dribble. She led Heritage with 11 points in the SVL Championship Game.     Paige has been a pillar prospect in the Powers Catholic program throughout her career, and she came through again in the SVL Championship Game. Paige worked constantly to get the advantage inside and secured many rebounds on both ends of the court. She scored off a hard flex cut, finished a contested layup off two feet, and converted a tough bucket off the glass after using a great pivot. Paige sprinted up the court to score a transition layup and finished effectively around the basket. She poured in 12 points for the Chargers in the win and will continue her career at Davenport University following graduation.     Evah came through in the clutch for Powers Catholic in the second half to help them secure the SVL title. She outworked defenders inside to secure multiple offensive rebounds, scored a putback, and got to the free-throw line. Evah made a massive difference down the stretch by winning one-on-one battles inside with her back to the basket. She sealed defenders with a strong stance, pivoted, and finished off two feet. One of Evah's best plays was a tough catch and finish from a difficult angle using an effective counter-pivot. Evah cleared out opponents with her strong boxouts and poured in nine points for the Chargers.     The best players show up in the biggest games. Kendyl's been doing that throughout her high school career, and the SVL Championship Game was no different. Kendyl ignited the Chargers early by draining two confident triples up top on the first two possessions of the game and created space with a hard jab step to sink her third in the second quarter. One of her most impressive plays came when she drove hard downhill into the body of a long, athletic defender, stopped on a dime, then buried the mid-range jumper. Kendyl kept defenders on their heels and beat pressure by using an array of pocket dribbles, jab steps, low crossovers, spins, and pivot dribbles. She's very difficult to guard without fouling. Kendyl zips entry passes to cutters and off-loads the ball to open teammates in the paint when she draws help defenders on drives to the basket. Kendyl beat the switching defenders, penetrated the gap, used a quick spin dribble, and converted an off-platform layup. She dished out assists, converted tough shots in traffic, knocked down free throws, and led Powers to victory with a game-high 21 points. Kendyl is my SVL Championship Game MVP and should be a Miss Basketball Finalist. She will continue her career at Liberty University following graduation.

I coached in the Saginaw Valley League from 2022 to 2024, and coming from the KLAA, I always liked the idea of having an official championship game. The league was one giant conference in 2022, comprised of 13 teams that played every opponent once. The team with the best overall record at the end of the season received recognition as the league champion. The SVL realigned into two divisions for the 2025-26 season, which is how the league was initially formatted a decade ago. Flint Powers Catholic, Davison, Grand Blanc, Saginaw United, Lapeer, and Flint Carman-Ainsworth make up the South. Saginaw Heritage, Midland Dow, Midland High, Bay City Western, Mount Pleasant, and Bay City Central form the North.