Portland St. Patrick vs. Potterville – – Girls District Basketball Semifinal – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 4, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is off to Potterville to cover the Girls’ Basketball District Semifinal Doubleheader. In the first game, the host Potterville Vikings, who beat Webberville in the first round game Monday night, will play the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick.

Here is the play by play of the Webberville/Potterville game. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2025/03/04/potterville-vs-webberville-1st-round-mhsaa-girls-basketball-district-the-bleacher-denizen-march-3-2025-by-chuck-krafft/

The Potterville Vikings finished with a 3-15 record in the CMAC and are 4-16 overall. The St. Patrick Shamrocks finished third in the CMAC with a 13-5 record and are 15-6 overall.

Here are some of Potterville’s players.

Emily Cates is an excellent ball handler who is tough to keep from driving to the basket. She is a solid perimeter defender who gets her share of steals and layups off those steals. She can also shoot from the three point line. Aubrey Gasch is an excellent three point shooter, who hit two big longballs in the Webberville game to help prevent a Spartan comeback. Autumn Reynolds is an effective perimeter defender.

Kayla Black and Gracie Curd are long, athletic players who can defend any position. T.J. Uhl is a strong rebounder and post defender. Amalee Scott is an active perimeter defender.

St. Patrick has some quality players as well.

Grace Rockey is in her third year of varsity basketball even though she is a sophomore. She is a great athlete who is quick enough to defend the perimeter and tall enough to play in the post. She is great slashing to the basket, handles the ball well, hits the three point shot and is also a top rebounder who gets her share of putback baskets.

Mattie Honsowitz is a strong post defender and rebounder. On offense, she has great hands and great fundamentals on her post moves. Her excellent hands allow her to catch the ball and her fundamental footwork helps get her free for layups and short jump shots. Macie Smith is a good midrange shooter who can defend the perimeter of the post.

Bella Russman is a tough post defender and rebounder who gets a lot of putbacks. Naomi Hass is a fine perimeter defender. Lily Sandborn keeps the offense moving and is a quick perimeter defender.

The start of the game was delayed a bit when both teams tried to start the game wearing white uniforms. While your Bleacher Denizen does see some interesting color coordination with this uniform scheme, the referees insisted that things be corrected. Potterville changed into their dark uniforms and we were ready to start the game!

It is now time to review the events of this game through the somewhat clear lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the days of yore when he attempted to play. As your Bleacher Denizen thought the orange basketball was a great complement to his yellow uniform, he refused to pass the ball to teammates to avoid breaking up the set. Unfortunately, his coach was a basketball traditionalist who insisted that the Bleacher Denizen pass the ball. This conflict led to a severe reduction in the Bleacher Denizen’s playing time.

St. Patrick wins the opening tap. Aubrey Gasch knocks a pass away from the Shamrocks and draws a foul in the process. Grace Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. Macie Smith knocks the ball out of bounds; the Vikings retain possession. Potterville misfires on a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. Grace Rockey passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who hits a layup to give the Shamrocks a 2-0 lead.

Potterville misses a threeball from the top of the key. Kayla Blake hustles to knock the offensive rebound to a Viking teammate. Kyra Marciniak drives and hits a layup for Potterville. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to give Potterville a 3-2 lead with 5:07 remaining in the opening quarter.

St. Patrick misses a layup. Bella Russman pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a putback. She hits her free throw to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:37 left in the quarter.

Mattie Honsowitz gets a hand on a Viking pass and Potterville loses the ball out of bounds. Aubrey Gasch gets a hand on the ball, but St. Patrick recovers. St. Patrick misses a layup. Macie Smith hits a putback to give the Shamrocks a two point lead. Mattie Honsowitz blocks a Potterville layup. Grace Rockey passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 7-3 lead.

Macie Smith ties up the ball for the Shamrocks. The Possession Arrow is practicing its dance moves and misses the play; the ball is awarded to Potterville. The Vikings miss a layup. St. Patrick travels with the ball. (Basketball cliches can be interesting. Traveling without the ball is probably not very impactful.) Lily Sandborn knocks the ball away from the Vikings, but Potterville recovers. The Vikings miss a threeball from the wing. Lily Sandborn passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who hits a layup to give the Shamrocks a 9-3 lead.

Megan Myers blocks a Potterville eight foot shot in the lane. Emily Cates steals the ball for the Vikings. St. Patrick gets back quickly to defend the fast break and Potterville loses the ball out of bounds. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. (Actually, that was a Shamrock player, and not the Saint, himself.) Potterville misses a three pointer from the top of the key. St. Patrick misses a fifteen footer from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Potterville gets the ball. Gracie Curd passes to Aubrey Gasch, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key to cut the Shamrock lead to 9-6.

St. Patrick misses a twelve footer from the side. Mattie Honsowitz hits a putback for St. Patrick. Potterville misses a three pointer from the wing as the first quarter buzzer decides to end the period.

After one quarter, St. Patrick holds an 11-6 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to begin the second quarter. The Shamrocks miss a ten foot shot in the lane. Naomi Hass steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Lily Sandborn hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Grace Rockey steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. Potterville is assessed with a traveling violation. Marian Davlin passes to Grace Rockey, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Shamrocks an 18-6 lead.

Marian Davlin knocks the ball out of bounds; Potterville retains possession. Grace Rockey knocks the ball out of bounds; Potterville gets the ball back. Aubrey Gasch passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. With 5:52 left in the first half, St. Patrick has an 18-6 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the corner. Marian Davlin hits a putback for the Shamrocks. Potterville misfires on a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side. Bella Russman gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick commits a traveling violation. Emily Cates passes the ball to a teammate who is fouled as she shoots a free throw, but misses both free throws. With 4:25 to go in the second quarter, the Shamrock lead is at 20-6.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Potterville takes possession. Kyra Marciniak passes to Kayla Blake, who throws in a threeball from the side for the Vikings. Lily Sandborn passes to Marian Davlin, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 22-9 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and its fellow dance class students decide to give the ball to Potterville. Macie Smith gets a hand on the ball, but the Vikings recover. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a layup and fouls on the rebound.

Grace Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Marian Davlin grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks and passes to Grace Rockey, who is fouled on a layup. Grace Rockey hits one of her two free throws to boost the Shamrock lead to 23-9 with 1:25 to go in the half.

Potterville misses a three pointer from the corner and fouls on the rebound. Grace Rockey passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Grace Rockey forces a Viking dribbler to step on the baseline. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Potterville misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Potterville gets the ball back with just one second left. Emily Cates inbounds the ball to Aubrey Gasch, who is fouled on a layup. With time expired, Aubrey Gasch hits one of her two free throws.

St. Patrick has a 25-10 halftime lead.

Aubrey Gasch leads Potterville’s scoring with 4 points.

Mattie Honsowitz has 11 points and Grace Rockey has 6 points for St. Patrick. Marian Davlin has 4 points.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the wing. Potterville commits a traveling violation. Emily Cates knocks the ball away from St. Patrick, but the Shamrocks recover. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Grace Rockey hits a putback to give St. Patrick a 27-10 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the corner. St. Patrick misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Bella Russman pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick drives from the side and misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. Potterville misses a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane. Bella Russman hits a putback for the Shamrocks. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 5:55 to play in quarter number three, the Shamrocks have a 29-10 lead.

The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another opportunity. Gracie Curd knocks the ball away from the Shamrocks to a Viking teammate. Grace Rockey’s defense forces Potterville to throw a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Mattie Honsowitz hits a putback to give the Shamrocks a 31-10 lead.

Potterville is fouled on a twelve foot shot in the lane, but misses two free throws. Gracie Curd grabs the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a layup. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to boost her Shamrocks to a 32-10 lead with 4:19 left in quarter number three.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. Grace Rockey passes to Bella Russman, who hits a twelve foot shot from the baseline for the Shamrocks. Potterville misses a driving layup. Kyra Marciniak steals a pass for the Vikings and prevents a Shamrock layup. Potterville misses a fast break layup. St. Patrick misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Emily Cates is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of her two free throws. With 2:45 to play remaining in quarter number three, St. Patrick has a 34-11 lead.

Kyra Marciniak blocks a Shamrock layup; St. Patrick gets the loose ball back. Gracie Curd gets her hand on a pass and St. Patrick loses the ball out of bounds. Potterville misses a three point shot from the corner. Megan Myers passes to Macie Smith, who throws in a threeball to give her Shamrocks a 37-11 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. St. Patrick misses an eighteen foot shot from the wing. Potterville missses a three pointer from the wing. Grace Rockey passes to Lily Sandborn, who hits a sixteen foot shot from the side for the Shamrocks. Emily Cates is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for the Vikings. St. Patrick commits an over and back violation. Potterville misses a fifteen footer off the dribble from the baseline as the buzzer decides it is time to end quarter number three.

With three quarters in the books, St. Patrick has a 39-12 lead.

Potterville inbounds the ball to open the final quarter. The Vikings miss a three pointer from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. Emily Cates and Kyra Marciniak double team the Shamrocks and Kyra Marciniak ends up stealing the ball. Emily Cates is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for Potterville. With 7:26 left in the game, St. Patrick’s lead is at 39-13.

Emily Cates knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Grace Rockey is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for the Shamrocks. Potterville misses an eight foot shot in the lane. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the corner. Macie Smith grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Mattie Honsowitz passes to Naomi Hass, who fakes and then hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 43-13 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Grace Rockey passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who is cutting to the basket. Mattie Honsowitz hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a sixteen footer from the side. Grace Rockey grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Potterville misses a fourteen foot shot in the lane. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to boost St. Patrick to a 46-13 lead with 4:23 left on the clock.

Potterville misses a jump shot. Emily Cates nearly steals the ball for the Vikings, but the Shamrocks recover. Macie Smith passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Emily Cates passes to Kyra Marciniak, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for Potterville. Grace Rockey passes to Naomi Hass, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 50-14 lead.

Emily Cates passes to Aubrey Gasch, who hits a three point shot from the side for Potterville. St. Patrick misses a layup. Bella Russman gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Naomi Hass is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give St. Patrick a 52-17 lead with 2:14 to play.

Megan Myers knocks a Viking pass out of bounds; Potterville retains possession. Potterville throws a pass out of bounds. Emalee Scott’s tough defense forces St. Patrick to lose the ball out of bounds. Aubrey Gasch hits a three point shot from the top of the key for Potterville to cut the Shamrock lead to 52-20.

St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Potterville misfires on a threeball from the side. Emalee Scott gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. St. Patrick runs out the final few seconds on the clock.

St. Patrick wins this game and will play the winner of Lansing Christian and Bellevue for the district championship Friday night. (Lansing Christian won the game.)

I will note that late in the final quarter, somehow Potterville got an extra point on the board. The MHSAA Website and the final scoreboard showed the final score as 52-21. However, both scorebooks I checked (one was official) showed Potterville with only 20 points; that agrees with my notes, so I will use the 52-20 score. (In the end, it doesn’t mean much anyway. Two different scorebooks show that Potterville’s scorers only scored 20 points.)

Aubrey Gasch led the Potterville scoring with 10 points. Kyra Marciniak tossed in 4 points. Emily Cates and Kayla Blake each had 3 points.

Mattie Honsowitz had 19 points for St. Patrick to lead all scorers. Grace Rockey joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Naomi Hass contributed 6 points. Macie Smith scored 5 points. Lily Sandborn, Bella Russman and Marian Smith each added 4 points.

I also covered the second game of the night; Bellevue played Lansing Christian. Lansing Christian won the game and will compete with St. Patrick in Friday’s district final. Here is a play by play of the Potterville/St. Patrick game. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2025/03/06/bellevue-vs-lansing-christian-mhsaa-girls-district-basketball-semifinal-the-bleacher-denizen-march-5-2025-by-chuck-krafft/