Fowler vs. Petersburg Summerfield – – Girls Basketball – – Division 4 Regional Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 9, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Fowler Eagles will compete with the Bulldogs of Petersburg Summerfield for the Girls Regional Championship. Fowler enters the game with an 18-7 record in the rugged CMAC and with many tough non-league contests against bigger schools. Summerfield has a 22-3 record coming into the game.

Destanee Smith is a fine shooter and aggressive perimeter defender for the Bulldogs. She handles the ball a lot and is an excellent passer as well. Abby Haller is a tough rebounder who can play inside or out. She is really effective driving to the basket. Mia Miller is a tough rebounder and inside scorer who passes well and can generate turnovers.

Mayley Mannebach is a fine three point shooter and ball handler who does not turn the ball over often. Cami Taylor is a defensive specialist who brings a lot of energy to the Bulldogs. Jaeli Jones is an athletic player who handles the ball well for someone who is as tall as she is. She is tough to stop driving to the basket and can hit the three point shot as well. Ava Fisher is a versatile player who defends well inside or out and is a major threat from the three point line.

Fowler has returning All-Stater Emma Riley, who missed the first part of the season with a severe ankle injury suffered during volleyball. To my knowledge, all but one of the losses occurred before she was able to return. There are some big schools on the list of teams Fowler has lost to including Division 1 Midland Dow and Division 2 Lansing Catholic, who is a quarterfinalist this year. (OK, even though I type the game in the present tense, I already know who won and have peeked at the MHSAA Website.)

Emma Riley is an excellent guard who is tough at all phases of the game. Her quickness and athletic ability make her a tough perimeter defender. She has magnificent ball handling, shooting and driving skills as well. She can hit the deep three and she is really clever finding ways to get to the basket and score in the lane. This year, Fowler even runs plays where Emma Riley catches the ball in the post and attacks the defense.

Grace Epkey is tall, strong and quick. She is really athletic and a tough defender in the post, where she excels. She is also athletic enough to switch and cover guards on the perimeter. She is able to score on layups where she can often overwhelm her opponents with her strength as well as on putbacks. When necessary, she is also a threat from the three point line.

Taylor Weber and Avery Koenigsknecht are aggressive defenders on the perimeter who excel in Fowler’s press. They are also major threats from the three point line. They generate a lot of turnovers and get their share of fast break layups. Quinn Watts provides a lot of energy and toughness to the Eagle defense.

Grace O’Hare is tall enough to defend in the lane and quick enough to defend players on the perimeter. She is able to score inside and also has a good three point shot. Katie Spicer ran the point while Emma Riley was injured and gained a lot of valuable experience. She is a fine ball handler who is really creative finding ways to score when she drives to the basket. She also is one of the Eagles’ best three point shooters.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the only partially glazed eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who never escaped church league when he attempted to play basketball during the medieval times when some considered him to be young. While your Bleacher Denizen was not bad with a medieval catapult during the occasional dustup, his hoop game was ruined when the basketball powers decreed that he could not use the catapult for three point shots during games.

Summerfield wins the opening tap. Destanee Smith is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give the Bulldogs the first point of the game. Fowler misses a layup. Quinn Watts ties up the offensive rebound. The Possession Arrow and its finance committee are impressed by her hustle and award the ball to Fowler. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Summerfield takes possession.

Destanee Smith passes to Mia Miller, who hits a layup for the Bulldogs. Jaeli Jones steals an Eagle pass. Summerfield misses a driving layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Jaeli Jones drives and hits a reverse hook/layup to give Summerfield a 5-0 lead.

Quinn Watts hits a layup to give Fowler its first points. Abby Haller drives and hits a layup for Summerfield. Fowler misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Grace Epkey blocks a Bulldog layup. Fowler misfires on a threeball from the side. Quinn Watts gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Summerfield misses a driving layup. Emma Riley passes to Grace O’Hare, who drains a jumper from the free throw line to trim the Summerfield lead to 7-4.

Summerfield misfires on a threeball from the side. Fowler reciprocates and misfires on a threeball from the side. Avery Koenigsknecht hits a putback to shave the Summerfield lead to one point. Avery Koenigsknecht steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Summerfield fumbles a pass out of bounds. Grace Epkey passes to Emma Riley in the lane; Emma Riley takes a dribble and hits a layup to give the Eagles an 8-7 lead.

Destanee Smith hits a fifteen foot shot from the corner for Summerfield. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the wing. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and its legal committee decide to award the ball to the Bulldogs. Summerfield misses a layup and a putback; Abby Haller pulls in the long offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Destanee Smith drives, spins and hits a layup to give Summerfield an 11-8 lead.

Emma Riley passes to Grace O’Hare, who hits a layup for the Eagles. Summerfield misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses an eight foot hook from the side of the lane. Grace Epkey snares the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Fowler misses a layup. Summerfield misses a layup.

Ava Fisher draws a charging foul from the Eagles. Summerfield misses an eighteen foot shot from the side. Destanee Smith is fouled as she shoots a putback at the buzzer and hits one of her two free throws.

After one quarter, Summerfield holds a 12-10 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. The Eagles miss a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Bulldogs take possession. Fowler misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Grace Epkey is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Bulldog lead to 12-11 with 6:48 remaining in the quarter.

Summerfield loses a pass out of bounds. Fowler misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball back. The Eagles miss a threeball from the top of the key. Summerfield misses a driving layup. Mia Miller gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Summerfield misses a ten footer from the side. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Summerfield misses a fast break layup. Emma Riley drives and hits a layup to give Fowler a 13-12 lead.

Grace Epkey draws an offensive foul from the Bulldogs. Mia Miller steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Summerfield misfires on a threeball from the side. Abby Haller blocks and ties up a Fowler layup all at once. The Possession Arrow and its steering committee both agree that this was a top notch play and award the ball to Summerfield. Fowler’s defense forces a turnover when Summerfield fails to inbound the ball in the required five seconds. Taylor Weber inbounds the ball to Emma Riley, who hits a layup and is fouled. She makes her free throw to give Fowler a 16-12 lead with 4:18 left in the half.

Avery Koenigsknecht knocks a Summerfield pass into the lane out of bounds; the Bulldogs retain possession. Grace Epkey steals the ball for the Eagles and hits a fast break layup. She is fouled on the play and makes her free throw. Abby Haller passes to Cameron Taylor for a Summerfield layup the cuts the Fowler lead to 19-14.

Grace Epkey passes to Emma Riley, who throws in a threeball from the top of the key for Fowler. Mia Miller is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for Summerfield. Grace Epkey passes to Emma Riley, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for Fowler. Summerfield misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Avery Koenigsknecht is fouled on a twelve foot shot from the side and hits two free throws to push the Eagle lead to 26-15 with 2:43 to play in the quarter.

Summerfield throws a pass out of bounds. Taylor Weber drives and dishes the ball to Grace Epkey, who hits an eight foot shot from the side of the lane for Fowler. Grace Epkey knocks the ball away from the Bulldogs and Katie Spicer picks it up for the Eagles. Fowler misses a six foot jump shot. Avery Koenigsknecht hits a putback for the Eagles to give Fowler a 30-15 lead.

Jaeli Jones is fouled on an eight foot jump shot and hits one of her two free throws for the Bulldogs. Fowler travels with the ball. (Basketball cliches can be interesting! I would not suppose that traveling without the ball would be very newsworthy.) Summerfield misses a driving layup. Destanee Smith ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and its finance committee are munching chicken wings; they miss the play and award the ball to Fowler. Fowler misses a layup. Grace O’Hare hits a putback for Fowler. Summerfield does not haver time to shoot before the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

Summerfield has the ball to open the third quarter. The Bulldogs miss a driving layup. Mia Miller hits a putback for Summerfield. Emma Riley passes to Avery Koenigsknecht, who makes a layup for Fowler. Destanee Smith drives and hits a layup for Summerfield. Destanee Smith gets her hand on a Fowler pass and the Eagles lose the ball out of bounds. Summerfield misses a three point shot from the corner. Emma Riley goes coast to coast for a Fowler layup that gives the Eagles a 36-20 lead.

Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a driving layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and the clean up committee award the ball to Fowler. The Eagles miss a three point shot from the wing. Destanee Smith drives and hits a layup for the Bulldogs. Fowler misses a layup. Summerfield throws a pass out of bounds. Fowler misfires on a threeball from the wing. Emma Riley passes to Grace O’Hare, who is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of her two free throws to push the Fowler lead to 37-22 with 4:40 remaining in quarter number three.

Summerfield drives from the side and is fouled on a layup, but misses both free throws. Fowler misses a ten foot shot from the side and fouls on the rebound. Abby Haller is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 37-24 with 4:02 left in the quarter.

Fowler drives from the side, but misses a layup. Abby Haller is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for Summerfield. Fowler is assessed with a traveling violation. Katie Spicer knocks the ball away from the Bulldogs and causes a tieup. The Possession Arrow and its exercise team are busy doing Pilates and miss the play. The ball is awarded back to Summerfield.

Summerfield misses a three pointer from the wing. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Avery Koenigsknecht alertly throws the rebound off a Bulldog player to give Fowler another possession. Katie Spicer throws the ball to Avery Koenigsknecht, who throws in a threeball from the wing to boost the Fowler lead to 40-25.

Mia Miller hits a layup for the Bulldogs. Fowler misses a driving layup. Abby Haller hits a three point shot from the wing for Summerfield. Fowler drives and misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Abby Haller drives and hits a layup for Summerfield. She is fouled on the play and her made free throw slashes the Fowler lead to 40-33 with 1:29 to go in the third quarter.

Jaeli Jones steals the ball and goes goes to coast for a Summerfield layup that further cuts the Fowler lead to 40-35.

Destanee Smith knocks the ball away from Fowler, but the Eagles are able to recover. Emma Riley is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Fowler. Summerfield drives the baseline and misses a layup. Fowler misses a threeball from the top of the key. Katie Spicer pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Ava Fisher steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Summerfield misses a shot and fouls on the rebound. Emma Riley drives and hits an eight foot shot in the lane as the third quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After three quarters, Fowler has built its lead up from five points late in the quarter to nine points at 44-35.

Fowler has the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Eagles miss a layup, but Grace Epkey hits a putback for the eagles. Destanee Smith drives and hits a layup for Summerfield. Fowler misses a six foot scooped shot from the side. Grace O’Hare gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Emma Riley gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Destanee Smith blocks a Fowler layup. Emma Riley recovers the loose ball and is fouled on a layup. She hits two free throws to boost the Fowler lead to 48-37 with 7:10 remaining in the game.

Grace O’Hare gets her hand on the ball to force a Summerfield traveling violation. Jaeli Jones blocks a Fowler layup. Abby Haller goes coast to coast for a Summerfield layup. Grace O’Hare drives the baseline and hits an eight foot jumper for Fowler. Summerfield misses a layup. Mia Miller grabs a loose ball and hits a layup for the Bulldogs. Grace Epkey hits a layup for Fowler. Abby Haller is fouled and hits one of two free throws in a one and one opportunity to trim the Fowler lead to 52-42 with 5:24 left on the clock.

Mayley Mannebach blocks a Fowler layup. Summerfield misses a ten foot shot on the side and fouls on the rebound. Avery Koenigsknecht hits two free throws to boost the Eagle lead to 54-42 with 5:24 to go.

Summerfield misses a driving layup. Katie Spicer is fouled and hits both free throws in a one and one opportunity for the Eagles. Emma Riley steals the ball. Fowler is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Emma Riley and Avery Koenigsknecht double team Summerfield and cause a traveling violation. Cameron Taylor steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles. Avery Koenigsknecht passes to Katie Spicer, who makes a short drive and hits a layup to give Fowler a 58-42 lead.

Summerfield misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Abby Haller knocks the ball away from Fowler and Mia Miller picks it up for Summerfield. Emma Riley steals the ball for Fowler. Fowler misses an eight foot banked shot from the side of the lane and the rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and its administrative committee decree that Fowler shall have the ball. Avery Koenigsknecht is fouled and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 60-42 lead with 1:36 remaining.

Summerfield misses a three point shot from the wing. Katie Spicer is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for the Eagles. Summerfield misses a layup. Mayley Mannebach gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Summerfield is fouled, but misses one free throw and has the second called back on a lane violation. Fowler runs out the clock.

Fowler wins the game 61-42 and will play Kingston in the quarterfinal game at West Bloomfield this coming Tuesday (March 14).

Abby Haller led the Summerfield scoring with 14 points. Destanee Smith joined her teammate in double figures with 12 points. Mia Miller chipped in with 9 points. Jaeli Jones scored 5 points and Cameron Taylor tallied 2 points.

Fowler’s Emma Riley led all scorers with 22 points. Avery Koenigsknecht contributed 13 points and Grace Epkey chipped in with 10 points. Grace O’Hare added 9 points. Katie Spicer scored 5 points and Quinn Watts had 2 points.