Wayne Memorial's unfair advantage? Seniors with tournament experience
Birmingham Groves went on a brief run to start the fourth quarter of the Division 1 girls basketball regional semifinal on March 9 at Detroit Renaissance.After Wayne Memorials Morgan Smith scored in transition and prepared to shoot the ensuing and-one, the senior shouted, Come here! COME HERE! at her teammates, waving them in for a quick huddle.I was just telling them to remember to be solid, sit down and play D and get the boards, Smith said she told them during the eventual 80-65 win. They were getting the boards a lot, so I knew we had to box out better, get the boards, push the ball in transition, get layups and move the ball.More: Does Wayne Memorial girls basketball have 'the best big in the state?'Thats the unfair advantage the Zebras (21-2) have during this tournament run.All five starters are seniors, including Temple commit Mariah Cross, a four-year starter, and Smith, who has started the past three seasons.They also have the experience to weather opposing runs before they get out of hand because, well, they're always still dancing in the playoffs at this time of the year.Its a great feeling, knowing you can trust your teammates, especially having an all-senior starting five lineup, Smith said. You just know were all dialed in, were all veterans with a lot of experience. You just know you can trust anybody on the court.More: Smith leads Wayne Memorial girls basketball to a comeback at StevensonThat played out downthe stretch. Wayne outscored Groves (18-7) 17-6 midway through the fourth, with Smith scoring seven of her 11 points. She took a steal the distance, scored down low and converted a three-point play after being fouled on a transition layup.The Zebras also got 6-foot-2 forward Kaylee King going again. She buried a jumper, scored twice near the rim and drove for another basket to finish with a team-high 18 points.Cross stepped up as a facilitator and defender, while guard Micah Darling also played a key role in closing out the victory.Well, thats four-year players for you, longtime coach Jarvis Mitchell said. You kind of got to put the game in their hands and say, Were going to live and die with you. Its like, We trust you guys. We understand you guys have been through it, so what are you going to do? Its your season, so Im happy to have them, for sure.More: Meet the 2025-26 All-KLAA teams for boys, girls basketballThats not to say the Falcons didnt battle back.Groves is known for its Grinnell College-style system, using full-court pressure to force turnovers and shooting as many 3-pointers as possible, an approach that helped it win the Oakland Activities Association White.You cant prepare for something like that, Mitchell said. I dont care what anybody says. You dont know how the balls going to fall. Tonight, they decided they were going to shoot the cover off the ball and make us work. We knew looking at their scores that they like to press, shoot a lot of 3s in high volume and are probably averaging 80-something points per game, leading the state in scoring.Groves made 12 3-pointers, highlighted by Jacey Roy, Mallory Killian and Julie Audebeau with three each. Harlem Simpson added two and led all scorers with 20 points.We didnt know they were going to come out blazing hot like that, Smith said. But in the tournament, thats how it goes sometimes. We just wanted to defend, keep a hand up and try to contain them.More: Wayne Memorial senior Jaylohn Allen: 'I am Mr. Basketball'And that worked. Wayne never trailed after King scored the opening basket. The closest Groves came was trimming the deficit to two points early in the second quarter, but the Zebras used a 12-3 run to take a 37-26 lead into halftime.Groves played hard, but Wayne stayed in control throughout, which is what youd expect from such a veteran team.With Renaissance up next in the regional championship, the Zebras are two wins away from their sixth trip to the state semifinals at Michigan States Breslin Center since 2018, including last years 61-42 loss to Rockford.Expect that leadership to help them advance to next weeks quarterfinal at Detroit Mercy.We knew we had the experience for this, Smith said. We went to the final four last year. We knew we just needed to step up and take care of the basketball. As seniors, as captains, we know its our responsibility, so we had to go out there and do that.Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com accountat@folsomwrites.This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Wayne Memorial girls basketball beats Birmingham Groves, 80-65
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