BELL’S BEST GAMES: Week Two

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each Sunday throughout the season I will share previews for games featuring enticing matchups of prospects and teams. In case you missed it, here are the results from last week's featured games: Jackson Lumen Christi defeated Brooklyn Columbia Central 56-33, Flint Powers Catholic defeated Clarkston 62-55, Portland defeated Frankenmuth 57-56, Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Bloomfield Hills Marian was canceled due to weather, and Holt defeated DeWitt 47-39. Here are the games I am eager to see the results of in week two. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Monday, Dec. 9th</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Yale (D2, 1-0) @ St. Clair (D2, 2-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Time: 7:30 PM, Location: St. Clair High School, St. Clair</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St.Clair finished second in the MAC Gold last season at 7-3 and they have started the season hot with two sizeable wins against Eastpointe and Richmond. The Saints host Yale who enjoyed a comfortable opening night victory against Macomb Lutheran North last week. Yale won the BWAC with a 13-1 conference record in 2024. Their dynamic duo of 6-footers is a daunting challenge for defenses. Versatile guard/wing prospect [player_tooltip player_id='613947' first='Sadie' last='Dykstra'] (2026) and [player_tooltip player_id='854678' first='Alyssa' last='Barr'] (2025) will be two college prospects to watch in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tuesday, Dec. 10th</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goodrich (D2, 2-0) @ Ann Arbor Fa. Gabriel Richard (D2, 1-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Time: 7:00 PM, Location: Fa. Gabriel Richard High School, Ann Arbor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 D2 State Runner-Up Fa. Gabriel Richard comes into the season ranked #1 while Quarterfinalist Goodrich earned the #5 ranking. The Irish won their opening by a comfortable 41-point margin, while the Martians won their games last week by 42 and 45 points. These two powerhouse teams met at the University of Michigan this summer and it was Fa. Gabriel Richard who won by double-digits. Both teams have several college prospects across multiple grades and play an exciting brand of basketball. Fast-paced offense, pressuring defense, and quick-ball movement make this my pick for Game of the Week. The Martians key players include [player_tooltip player_id='614704' first='Kayla' last='Hairston'] (2026, Northwood), [player_tooltip player_id='614706' first='Tanner' last='Schramm'] (2026), [player_tooltip player_id='807312' first='Baylor' last='Lauinger'] (2027), Ella Aegesen (2025, Olivet), [player_tooltip player_id='1002378' first='Lucy' last='Rafferty'] (2025), and [player_tooltip player_id='613007' first='Ella' last='Place'] (2025). The Irish key players include [player_tooltip player_id='419532' first='Charlotte' last='Miller'] (2025, Ferris State), [player_tooltip player_id='420487' first='Saige' last='Edmondson'] (2025, Lake Superior State), [player_tooltip player_id='423695' first='Cora' last='Williams'] (2025, Indiana State), [player_tooltip player_id='613427' first='Ava' last='Rodriguez'] (2026), and [player_tooltip player_id='613426' first='Vanessa' last='Rodriguez'] (2026). The Irish have an advantage inside with their strong frontcourt and I'm curious to see which backcourt consistently wins the perimeter battle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wednesday, Dec. 11th</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Utica Eisenhower (D1, 1-0) @ New Baltimore Anchor Bay (D1, 0-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Time: 7:00 PM, Location: New Baltimore Anchor Bay High School, Fair Haven</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Utica Eisenhower won their opening game against Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest by 26 points last week and Anchor Bay looks to bounce back from a tough outing against Utica Ford. Eisenhower and Anchor Bay both showed promise during their fall league games at the Compound. Anchor Bay has a triplet of junior guards capable of leading the Tars on any given night: [player_tooltip player_id='616578' first='Julia' last='Tkaczyk'] (2026), [player_tooltip player_id='616579' first='Karissa' last='Lewis'] (2026), and [player_tooltip player_id='616577' first='Gabby' last='Thiede'] (2026). Eisenhower has their own triplet of scrappy two-way guards with [player_tooltip player_id='933005' first='Madison' last='Repicky'] (2028), [player_tooltip player_id='933527' first='Mackenzie' last='Turner'] (2028), and [player_tooltip player_id='933515' first='Janielle' last='Turner'] (2028). [player_tooltip player_id='982853' first='Natalya' last='Stojcevski'] (2026) gives the Eagles an edge in the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday, Dec. 12th</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Flint Hamady (D2, 1-1) @ New Lothrop (D3, 2-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Time: 7:00 PM, Location: New Lothrop High School, New Lothrop</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Quarterfinalist and Preseason D3 #5 ranked New Lothrop hosts a dangerous top 20 D2 opponent in Flint Hamady. The Hawks have a dynamic backcourt duo with one of Michigan's best 2027 point-guard prospects [player_tooltip player_id='750202' first='Madisyn' last='Aldridge'] and sharpshooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='502293' first='Analiya' last='Fields'] (2026). Powers transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1039048' first='Aria' last='Dottery'] (2026) is an athletic addition and guard [player_tooltip player_id='1002302' first='Skylar' last='Lewis'] (2025) provides a spark with her aggressive style. New Lothrop has a few prospects to watch in this one also. [player_tooltip player_id='807313' first='Katelyn' last='Wendling'] (2027) is a dynamic wing who drives hard to the basket and knocks down shots from the perimeter, [player_tooltip player_id='614705' first='Kelsey' last='Kohlmann'] (2026) has length and a smooth outside shot, while [player_tooltip player_id='954008' first='Laina' last='Yates'] (2025) sets up teammates with her passes and knocks down jumpers from multiple levels. This should be a very competitive game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, Dec. 13th</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marquette (D1, 0-2) @ Traverse City Central (D1, 0-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Time: 7:00 PM, Location: Traverse City Central High School, Traverse City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marquette lost a nail-biter against Sault St. Marie to start the season and is looking to bounce back after a tough loss against Grand Blanc. Preseason Top 15 ranked Traverse City Central started with a disappointing loss to Clarkston last week and is also seeking their first win of the season. There will be a couple of interesting individual matchups taking place between college prospects in this one. [player_tooltip player_id='885644' first='Brianna' last='Anderson'] (2025) is a 6-foot forward who secures rebounds inside and finishes with touch around the rim. [player_tooltip player_id='902905' first='Aubree' last='Blackburn'] (2025) gives the Sentinals a perimeter presence and will need to handle the ball against defensive pressure. [player_tooltip player_id='886857' first='Alexis' last='Curran'] (2026) has a shifty downhill skillset that creates layups and shots for teammates. Traverse City Central has one of the best guards/forward duos in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='613011' first='Lucia' last='France'] (2025, East Tennessee State) is an absolute force in the paint who can secure rebounds and score putbacks at will. [player_tooltip player_id='424152' first='Jakiah' last='Brumfield'] (2025, Alma) creates turnovers with her ball pressure, drives hard downhill for layups, and will light up the scoreboard with her outside shooting. This will be an intriguing Northern Michigan matchup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">At the Buzzer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Evan Bell</strong>&nbsp;is currently a scout for Prep Girls Hoops and Director of&nbsp;<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/prepare-2-win-basketball/"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/prepare-2-win-basketball/"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/prepare-2-win-basketball/"><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='923712' first='Prepare' last='2 Win Basketball']</strong></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;. Our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prepnetwork.com/frequently-asked-questions/">mission</a>&nbsp;at PGH is to cover as many athletes with D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO potential in the state as possible. If you know a prospect off our radar, please DM Evan through Twitter @CoachEvanBell or email him at coachevanbell@gmail.com</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->