Michigan Center at Bath – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 2, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the BleacherDenizenMobile has been pointed at Bath High School, where your Bleacher Denizen will watch as Bath’s Bees host Michigan Center’s Cardinals in a girls basketball game between two teams having fine seasons. Bath is in second place in the CMAC and has an 11-1 overall record. Michigan Center is in second place in the Cascades Conference East and has an 11-2 overall record.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this cover video of “The House of the Rising Sun” from my You Tube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm7njm5177I

It is always fun to come to Bath games. One highlight that is unique to their gym is the Bee that was carved from a single stump with saws! Here is the picture. Thanks to John Johnson for taking and giving me the picture!!

I saw Bath play earlier this season and Bee Coach Gabe Sowa provided me with this information about his players.

Senior Exchange Student Africa Beltran is a complete guard. She defends the perimeter well, handles the ball, sees the floor and passes well and can score from the three point line or on slashes to the basket where she is a creative finisher. Anna Poppema is a senior in her third year on the Bee varsity. She is a tall wing player who defends the perimeter well and brings an accurate three point shot to the Bees.

Eva Arambula is an athletic player who nearly always guards the opponent’s most dangerous offensive player. She is tall and tough enough to be a factor in the post and quick enough to chase guards on the perimeter. Addi Duflo is an excellent three point shooter. Aubrey Dunckel is a rugged post defender who can also step out to hit the three point shot.

Olivia Brimley is a strong scorer, rebounder and defender in the post. Faith Hughes and Harper Williams are active perimeter defenders who can both shoot the three point shot.

Michigan Center Coach Greg Vieau gave me this information about his Cardinal players.

Kara Straub is a tall post player who is a tough defender and rebounder. She blocks a lot of shots. She is an excellent scorer inside the paint and can also shoot an accurate jump shot. Ella Best is an athletic wing who brings a lot of energy to the Cardinal defense as well as the offense. She is excellent at running the floor and scoring on the fast break.

McKynley Gaddy is a tall point guard who has a great basketball IQ. She has great court vision and handles the ball well. She makes her teammates better by coordinating the fast break and handling opponents’ presses. She is also a tough defender who leads the team in steals and charges taken. Mayrese Vieau is an athletic guard with a good three point shot. She is a tough defender who usually defends the opponent’s best guard. She is also a good ball handler.

Karsyn Smith is a perimeter defender who competes at all times and has an excellent motor. She is another Cardinal who gets up and down the court quickly on fast breaks or defense. Reese Wright is a tall guard who can defend well, hit the three point shot or score at the rim.

McKenzie Withers is a tall wing who always knows where to be on offense and on defense. She does a lot of the “glue” things like boxing out or communicating that make good teams better even if they don’t end up in the box score. Alliyah Moore is a post with great energy who is a great rebounder, especially on the offensive board. She is another Cardinal who gets up and down the court well.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the occasionally accurate lens of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the distant times past when he was actually considered to be “young.” It seems that he learned to play horseshoes before he learned to play basketball and learned the you could get a point by touching the stake with your horseshoe.

Alas, when he played basketball, he could never understand that you only get points if the ball goes through the hoop. When he repeatedly forgot that and kept slamming the ball at the rim hoping in vain that he would score points, his coach lost patience and found another player who looked at shooting and scoring in a more traditional fashion.

I got to the gym just before halftime of the JV game. Bath took an 11-9 lead after one quarter. They outscored Michigan Center 15-4 in the second quarter to take a 26-13 halftime lead. Michigan Center outscored Bath by one in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter trailing 33-21. Michigan Center rallied a bit in the fourth quarter and Katie Wynn hit a layup to trim the Bath lead to 36-29 with just over two minutes left.

That was the final scoring for the Michigan Center JVs. Bath scored four more points on two layups by Hattie LaLonde and won the JV game 40-29.

Morghan Dingee and Katie Wynn each had 10 points to lead the Michigan Center scoring. Aliviah Allen scored 6 points. McKenna Corts added 2 points and Leah Koss tallied 1 point.

Hattie LaLonde scored 11 points to lead Bath. Jaydin Barber supported her with 10 points. Brooke Kares tossed in 5 points. Alison Montri put in 4 points. Mya Vietzke and Norah Ojerio each had 3 points. Courtney Lawhorne and Amelia Briggs each totaled 2 points.

Bath gets the opening tap, but Michigan Center secures the game’s first possession. Kara Straub passes to Ella Best, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Cardinals the first three points of the game. Bath missed a threeball from the wing. Anna Poppema knocks the ball away from the Cardinals and Africa Beltran picks it up for the Bees. Bath misses a threeball near the top of the key and fouls on the rebound.

Michigan Center misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Bath takes possession. Bath misfires on a triple try from the corner. Africa Beltran steals the ball and passes to Anna Poppema, who hits a threeball from the corner for the Bees to tie the game at 3-3.

Africa Beltran blocks a Cardinal threeball near the top of the key. Bath misses a driving layup. Michigan Center misses a three pointer from the side. Aubrey Dunckel passes to Anna Poppema, who hits a three pointer from the corner to make the score Anna Poppema 6 Michigan Center 3.

Mayrese Vieau passes to Kara Straub, who hits a layup for the Cardinals. Bath misses an eight foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Africa Beltran steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misfires on a threeball from the corner. McKynley Gaddy hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line to give Michigan Center a 7-6 lead.

McKenzie Withers tips a Bath pass into the lane out of bounds; the Bees retain possession. McKenzie Withers dives and ties up the ball for the Cardinals. The Possession Arrow is polishing silverware for a banquet and misses the play; the ball is awarded to Bath. Bath misses a layup. McKenzie Withers is fouled on a fast break layup and hits two free throws to give her Cardinals a 9-6 lead with 2:53 remaining in the opening quarter.

Ella Best blocks a Bath layup. Michigan Center turns the ball over on a too fast break. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. Michigan Center misses a driving layup. Bath misses a fast break layup. A Cardinal traveling violation negates a layup. Bath throws a pass out of bounds. Michigan Center iw fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 42.9 seconds to go in the first quarter, Michigan Center’s lead remains at 9-6.

Kara Straub ties up the rebound. The Possession Arrow looks up from the now-polished silverware and is impressed with her hustle. The ball is awarded to Michigan Center. Michigan Center misses a driving six foot hook shot and fouls on the rebound. Bath misses a driving layup. Michigan Center misses a layup just before the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares to end the quarter.

After one quarter, Michigan Center has a 9-6 lead.

Bath inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. Anna Poppema inbounds the ball to Aubrey Dunckel, who hits a layup for Bath. Michigan Center misses a layup. Mayrese Vieau dives and knocks the ball out of bounds; Michigan Center gets the ball. Aubrey Dunckel blocks a Cardinal pass; the ball goes out of bounds and Michigan Center gets the ball back. The Cardinals misfire on a threeball from the wing. Reese Wright pulls down the offensive rebound for Michigan Center. Michigan Center misses a layup.

Bath misses a three pointer from the side and fouls on the rebound. Michigan Center misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Alliyah Moore gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Michigan Center is fouled on a layup and misses two free throws. With 6:17 remaining in the second quarter, Michigan Center has a 9-8 lead.

Bath misses a threeball from the side. Michigan Center reciprocates and misses a threeball from the side. Reese Wright hits a putback for the Cardinals. Bath travels with the ball. (Basketball cliches can be interesting. I am guessing that traveling without the ball would not be terribly newsworthy.) Ella Best ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s semantic musings, dribbles through the Bee press and passes to Karsyn Smith, who hits a layup to give Michigan Center a 13-8 lead.

Bath misses a threeball from the wing. Michigan Center misses a threeball from the side. Bath reciprocates and misses a threeball from the side. Eva Arambula gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Africa Beltran banks in a threeball from the side for Bath. McKynley Gaddy passes to McKenzie Withers, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give Michigan Center a 14-11 lead with 4:43 to play in the first half.

McKenzie Withers steals the ball and hits a layup for the Cardinals. Africa Beltran drives and hits an eight foot banked hook for Bath. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. Eva Arambula ties up the rebound. The Possession Arrow and its event planning committee love her hustle and award the ball to Bath. Mayrese Vieau steals the Bath inbound pass. Michigan Center misses a fast break layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Cardinals get another opportunity.

Michigan Center misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Cardinals get the ball back again. Mayrese Vieau drives and banks in a ten foot shot for Michigan Center. Faith Hughes drives and dishes the ball to Macey Pascoe, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Cardinal lead to 18-14 with 3:20 to play in the period.

Michigan Center misses a driving six foot shot hook shot from the side. Bath misses a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Bees get the ball back. Bath misfires on a triple try from the wing. Kara Straub hits a ten foot shot from the side of the lane for Michigan Center. Anna Poppema is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Bath to shave the Michigan Center lead to 20-16 with 2:12 remaining in the opening half.

Mayrese Vieau hits a fifteen foot shot from the baseline for Michigan Center. Africa Beltran is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Bath. Michigan Center misses a three pointer from the corner. Bath misses a driving ten foot banked hook shot. Faith Hughes blocks a Cardinal layup and ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow looks up from designing tickets for its event and awards the ball to Bath.

The Bees miss a threeball from the corner. Kara Straub drives and hits a layup for Michigan Center. Reese Wright blocks a Bath ten footer from the side of the lane. Anna Poppema recovers the loose ball for the Bees. Anna Poppema is fouled and hits two free throws for Bath to cut the Michigan Center lead to 24-18 with just 4.6 seconds left in the half.

Mayrese Vieau races up the court and hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line just before the buzzer sounds to end the half.

Michigan Center enters halftime with a 26-20 lead. Your Bleacher Denizen goes out on a limb and predicts the Michigan Center will still have a 26-20 lead with the third quarter opens.

As there is not an organized halftime activity, I hope you will enjoy these songs from my You Tube Channel!!

Here is an original tune, “A Man Like Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

“Bring it on Home to Me” is a blues standard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flgzousiL9g

Your Bleacher Denizen smugly looks at the scoreboard at the beginning of the third quarter and notes that the Cardinals still have a 26-20 lead. A couple fans in the stands intervene and prevent the Bleacher Denizen from injuring himself by patting his own back too aggressively!!

Michigan Center inbounds the ball to open quarter number three. McKynley Gaddy passes to Mayrese Vieau, who hits a layup for the Cardinals. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Kara Straub drives and hits a layup for the Cardinals. Addi Duflo throws in a threeball from the wing for the Bees. McKynley Gaddy gets into the lane and hits an eight foot shot for Michigan Center. Addi Duflo drives and dishes the ball to Audrey Dunckel, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to trim the Cardinal lead to 32-25 with 6:02 remaining in quarter number three.

Michigan Center misfires on a threeball near the top of the key. Bath misfires on a threeball from the side. Michigan Center throws its outlet pass too far and out of bounds. Bath misses a three pointer from the wing. Eva Arambula gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Anna Poppema is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to shave the Michigan Center lead to 32-27 with 4:59 remaining in quarter number three.

Michigan Center misses a seventeen foot shot off the dribble from the wing. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. Africa Beltran blocks a Cardinal layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Michigan Center gets the ball back. Kara Straub gets into the lane and banes in a ten foot shot from the side to boost her Cardinals to a 34-27 lead.

McKynley Gaddy blocks a Bee layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath gets another opportunity. Karsyn Smith draws a charging foul from the Bees. Michigan Center misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. McKenzie Withers snags the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. McKynley Gaddy passes to Kara Straub, who spins and hits a layup to give Michigan Center a 36-27 lead.

McKynley Gaddy’s tough defense in the lane forces a Bath traveling violation. Michigan Center travels on a drive to the basket. Reese Wright knocks a Bee pass out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Kara Straub steals a Bath fumbled pass. McKynley Gaddy is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to boost Michigan Center to a 38-27 lead with 1:30 to go in quarter number three.

Bath misses a driving layup. Aubrey Dunckel dives and ties up the ball for the Bees. The Possession Arrow is artistically folding napkins and misses the play; the ball is awarded to Michigan Center. For the second period in a row, Michigan Center beats the buzzer as McKynley Gaddy inbounds the ball to Kara Straub, who hits a jump shot from the free throw line just in time.

With three quarters in the books, Michigan Center has a 40-27 lead.

Bath inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Bees miss a driving layup. Eva Arambula gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a three pointer from the corner. McKynley Gaddy drives and dishes the ball to Reese Wright, who throws in a threeball from the corner for Michigan Center. Bath misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Michigan Center is fouled on a ten foot shot in the lane and misses two free throws. With 6:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cardinal lead remains at 43-27.

Kara Straub pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. McKynley Gaddy inbounds the ball to Ella Best, who hits a three pointer from the corner for the Cardinals. Bath misses a threeball from the side. Africa Beltran knocks the ball away from Michigan Center and is fouled as she retrieves the ball. Bath misses a threeball from the side. Africa Beltran steals a Cardinal pass. Anna Poppema hits a fifteen foot bast break jump shot from the side to shave the Michigan Center lead to 46-29.

Kara Straub drives and hits a reverse layup for the Cardinals. Bath misses a driving eight foot shot in the lane. Reese Wright throws in a threeball from the side for Michigan Center. Bath misses a three pointer from the wing. Michigan Center misses a three pointer from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and Bath gets the ball. Karsyn Smith blocks a Bath ten footer from the baseline.

Michigan Center misses a layup. Mayrese Vieau gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Michigan Center misses a layup. Bath fouls on the rebound. Mayrese Vieau gets into the lane, pivots and hits a layup for the Cardinals. Bath misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Macey Pascoe hits a putback for Bath. Anna Poppema steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Macey Pascoe hits a putback for Bath and is fouled. She misses her free throw. With 2:41 left on the clock, Michigan Center has a 53-33 lead.

Michigan Center is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Africa Beltran passes to Anna Poppema, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Bath. Michigan Center is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Bath misses a layup.

Michigan Center misses a three point shot from the corner. Kara Straub pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Michigan Center misses a layup. Harper Williams hits a three pointer from the top of the key for Bath. Aliyah Moore passes to Ella Best, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Michigan Center. Bath misses a threeball from the wing just before the final buzzer decides to end the game.

Michigan Center wins this non-league game by the final score of 56-39.

Anna Poppema led the Bath scoring with 17 points. Africa Beltran chipped in with 7 points. Macey Pascoe put in 5 points. Aubrey Dunckel added 4 points. Addi Duflo and Harper Williams each tallied 3 points.

Kara Stroud led the victorious Michigan Center team with 18 points. Ella Best supported her teammate with 9 points. Mayrese Vieau and Reese Wright each contributed 8 points. McKynley Gaddy scored 6 points. McKenzie Withers put in 5 points. Karsyn Smith had 2 points.