Caro at Kingston – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 16, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the BleacherDenizenMobile is pointed at Kingston High, where the host Kingston Cardinals will met the visiting Caro Tigers in a contest between two division leaders in the Big Thumb Conference. Caro enters the game with a 14-2 overall record and lead the Conference’s White Division. Kingston is perfect at 18-0 and leads the Big Thumb Blue.

There is actually a new BleacherDenizenMobile today; as I was in Frankenmuth, I decided to turn the old car in and get a new lease. Mike Young Chevrolet was up to the task and your Bleacher Denizen is now driving a new BleacherDenizenMobile!! I started this evening by driving to Kingston in the new car!

I have seen Kingston play earlier this season. Molly Walker is a returning All-State player who is Kingston’s all-time scoring leader. She is a complete player who excels at all phases of the game. She handles the ball well, is tough to stop when she drives to the basket and is a good passer. She is also a threat from the three point line. On defense, she is simply a menace to her opponents. She is quick and aggressive in the perimeter defense and tall enough to rebound well and defend near the basket when needed.

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

Vanessa Osborn is a freshman guard who handles the ball and passes well enough to run the point. She is also a strong three point shooter. Talia Harringon is another versatile defender who is a factor on the perimeter or in the post. She is a dependable passer and a solid three point shooter who can also score in the paint. Lilah Kiley, Norah Kiley and Hailey McGuire are tough perimeter defenders. Grace McGarvie plays tough in the post.

Caro Coach Jay Riley was generous with his time and gave me this information about his Tiger players!

Brooklyn Osborn is a fine perimeter defender and a versatile scorer who can slash to the basket or score from the three point line. Braylon Guttierrez is a scrappy, hustling perimeter defender who excels at on-ball defense. Margaret Miller is a quick perimeter defender who can shoot from the three point line. Normandy Geiger is a fine three point and midrange shooter who is tall for a perimeter defender and quite athletic. This allows her to be fearsome at the head of the press when Caro chooses that defense.

Emilia Fulton is a skilled point guard who creates shots for herselves and her teammates. She is an excellent passer who is a threat to hit the three point shot. Violet Tetil ordinarily plays in the post where she is a solid scorer, defender and rebounder, but is injured and will not play today. Ashlyn Osborn and Kaitlyn Osborn are good perimeter defenders.

I got to the Kingston gym in time to see the JV game. Kingston got off to a 10-4 lead after one quarter and lead 20-12 at halftime. Kingston outscored Caro in the third quarter 10-3 to extend its lead and kept pulling away until they had a 47-23 win when the final buzzer sounded.

Aaliyah Thompson led the Caro JV scoring with 6 points. Jordyn Thomas added 5 points. Taelor Stephens put in 4 points. Kaitlyn Osborn, Ashlyn Osborn, Aubree Kocher and Maggie Hildinger each tallied 2 points.

Kendall McGuire led the Kingston JVs with 15 points. Payton King joined her teammate in double figures with 12 points. Emma Freeland contributed 6 points. Josie Binder and Olyvia Woidan each added 4 points. Helene van Rijn, Ellie Bostian and Olivia Sherrod each scored 2 points.

Before the game started, there was some confusion and the National Anthem did not play when the announcer introduced it. I was standing near the announcer and volunteered to sing the anthem so the game could proceed. (As I actually spent many years as a professional musician, I was glad to be able to help.) Fortunately, the gym did not clear out when I started singing!

It is now time to look at the results of this game through the occasionally observant eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the ancient times when he was considered to be “young.” It seems that the Bleacher Denizen preferred a creative defensive style that did not involve staying between his man and the basket. The Coach became upset when the Bleacher Denizen’s defensive assignment started scoring layups at what he considered to be an alarming rate.

As the opponents’ scoring statistics went up, unfortunately, the Bleacher Denizen’s playing time went down as the coach started looking for players who approached defense less creatively.

The opening tap is knocked out of bounds and Kingston gets the first possession. The Cardinal miss a three point shot from the wing. Talia Harrington pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cardinals and hits a fifteen foot shot from the side to give Kingston a 2-0 lead.

Brooklyn Osborn hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble for Caro to tie the game. Vanessa Osborn tosses the ball to Molly Walker, who hits a threeball from the side for Kingston. Caro misses a threeball from the wing. Vanessa Osborn throws in a threeball from the side to give Kingston an 8-2 lead.

Caro commits an offensive foul. Kingston misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Cardinals get another opportunity. Emilia Fulton steals a Kingston pass into the lane for Caro. Grace McGarvie steals a Caro pass into the lane for Kingston. Normandy Geiger knocks the ball out of bounds; Kingston retains possession. Vanessa Osborn hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the baseline to boost the Cardinal lead to 10-2.

Brooklyn Osborn drives and hits a layup for Caro. Kingston misses a layup. Vanessa Osborn steals a Caro pass. Emilia Fulton steals the ball for the Tigers. Caro misses a driving layup. Molly Walker drives and hits a layup for Kingston. Talia Harrington knocks the ball out of bounds; Caro retains possession. The Tigers misfire on a threeball from the wing. Emilia Fulton pulls down the offensive rebound for Ca

ro. Emilia Fulton drives and hits an eight foot shot in the lane for Caro. Talia Harrington drives and is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. She hits two free throws to give Kingston a 14-6 lead with 2:34 remaining in the opening quarter.

Brooklyn Osborn drives and banes in a ten foot hook shot from the side for Caro. Ashlyn Osborn steals the ball for the Tigers. Norah Kiley steals the ball for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a layup. Caro misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Talia Harrington throws in a threeball from the side for the Cardinals. Caro misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Talia Harrington hits a fast break layup to give Caro a 19-8 lead.

Vanessa Osborn steals the ball for Kingston. The Cardinals miss a layup. A Tiger dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Hailey McGuire passes to Molly Walker, who hits a three pointer from the wing for Kingston. Caro misses a driving layup. Brooklyn Osborn pulls down the offensive rebound for the Tigers. Caro misses a three pointer from the top of the key as the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares as loud is it can.

After one quarter, Kingston has a 22-8 lead.

Caro inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. Vanessa Osborn knocks a Tiger pass out of bounds; Caro retains possession. Molly Walker steals the ball for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Brooklyn Osborn hits a ten foot shot off the dribble from the baseline to cut the Kingston lead to 22-10.

Vanessa Osborn passes to Molly Walker, who throws in a threeball from the corner for Kingston. Talia Harrington knocks the ball away from the Tigers, but Caro recovers. Molly Walker steals the ball for Kingston and hits a fifteen foot shot off the dribble from the baseline for the Cardinals. Vanessa Osborn gets her hand on the ball, but a Caro dribbler maintains possession. Hailey McGuire steals the ball for Kingston. Talia Harrington passes to Molly Walker, who sinks a threeball from the top of the key to give Kingston a 30-10 lead.

Caro misses a reverse layup off the dribble. Kingston misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Cardinals get another opportunity. Kingston misses a three point shot from the wing. Lilah Kiley gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a three point shot from the side. Molly Walker keeps the offensive rebound from going out of bounds and taps it to Grace McGarvie to give Kingston another possession.

Kingston misses a three point shot from the corner. Normandy Geiger hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow for Caro. Kingston misses a threeball from the wing. Talia Harrington steals the ball for the Cardinals. Margaret Miller knocks the ball away from Kingston and Normandy Geiger picks it up for Caro. The Tigers miss a threeball from the corner. The Cardinals reciprocate and miss a threeball from the corner. Emilia Fulton drives and banks in an eight foot hook shot from the side to shave the Kingston lead to 30-14.

Kingston misses a three pointer from the wing. Normandy Geiger passes to Brooklyn Osborn, who throws in a threeball from the side for Caro. Kingston misses a three point shot from the side. Talia Harrington hits a putback to give Kingston a 32-17 lead.

Lilah Kiley knocks the ball away from Caro and Molly Walker picks it up for Kingston. The Cardinals miss a fifteen footer off the dribble from the side of the lane. Molly Walker pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cardinals and passes to Grace McGarvie, who hits a layup for Kingston to give the Cardinals a 34-17 lead.

Vanessa Osborn steals the ball for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a twelve foot fast break jump shot off the dribble from the baseline. Lilah Kiley is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws for Kingston with just 4.2 seconds left in their half. Caro misses a long heave as the second quarter arises from the speaker cabinet to end the second quarter.

Kingston has a 35-17 halftime lead. Your Bleacher Denizen confidently predicts that the score will be 35-17 at the start of the third quarter as well.

Brooklyn Osborn has 11 points to lead the Caro scoring at halftime and Emilia Fulton has 4 points.

Molly Walker has 16 points to lead the Cardinals. Talia Harrington has 11 points and Vanessa Osborn has 5 points.

As our readers cannot hear what is happening in the gym at halftime, I hope you will enjoy this cover video of “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHucLvxuQx8

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

Halftime is over and the third quarter is ready to begin. Your Bleacher Denizen smugly notes that Kingston does still have the 35-17 lead and nearly injures both shoulders trying to pat himself on the back. Fortunately, a couple fans intervene and unwrap the Bleacher Denizen before the ambulance has to be called!

Kingston ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s ego trip and tosses the ball inbounds to open quarter number three. The Cardinals misfire on a threeball from the side. Grace McGarvie guards a Tiger player closely and forces Caro to call time out to avoid turning the ball over for being closely guarded for five seconds. Vanessa Osborn gets her hand on the ball, but the Tigers recover. Molly Walker quickly cuts off the baseline to force Caro to brink the ball back out. Brooklyn Osborn passes to Emilia Fulton, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup to trim the Kingston lead to 36-21.

Kingston misses a three point shot from the side. Molly Walker chases down the long offensive rebound in the corner to earn another opportunity for the Cardinals. Normandy Geiger blocks a Kingston layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Caro gains possession. The Tigers miss a layup. Normandy Geiger pulls down the offensive rebound for Caro. Molly Walker steals the ball for Kingston. Vanessa Osborn hits a six foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane to boost the Cardinal lead to 38-21.

Talia Harrington steals a Caro pass in the lane for Kingston. The Cardinals miss a fast break layup. Grace McGarvie pulls down the offensive rebound for Kingston. The Cardinals miss a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Tigers take possession. Braylon Gutierrez drives the baseline and is fouled on a layup. She sinks two free throws to shave the Cardinal lead to 38-23 with 3:24 remaining in quarter number three.

Na’Hayla Watkins steals the ball for Caro. The Tigers miss a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Caro gets another opportunity. Brooklyn Osborn catches the inbound pass and hits a three point shot from the side to cut the Kingston lead to 38-26.

Kingston misses a three point shot from the side. Lilah Kiley dives to tie up the rebound for Kingston. The Possession Arrow loves Ms. Kiley’s hustle and awards the ball to Kingston. The Cardinals fumble a ass out of bounds. Margaret Miller drives and hits a layup for Caro. Molly Walker passes to Vanessa Osborn, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Kingston. Molly Walker gets her hand on the ball, but Caro recovers. Emilia Fulton passes to Addyson Fowler, who hits a three point shot from the side to chop the Kingston lead to 41-31.

Kingston misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Molly Walker gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Brooklyn Osborn knocks the ball out of bounds; Kingston retains possession. The Cardinals miss a three point shot from the side. Talia Harrington gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals and scores a layup barely after the buzzer ends quarter number three, so it doesn’t count.

After three quarters, Kingston has a 41-31 lead.

Caro has the ball to start the fourth quarter. Molly Walker steals the ball for Kingston. Talia Harrington passes to Molly Walker, who hits one of her two free throws for Kingston. Grace McGarvie blocks a Caro jump shot from the free throw line. Caro recovers.

Vanessa Osborn steals the ball for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Carow misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Emelia Fulton snares the long offensive rebound on the wing and immediately launches and hits a threeball from the wing to chop the Kingston lead to 42-34.

Kingston misses a three point shot near the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Kingston retains possession. Talia Harrington passes to Molly Walker, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Kingston a 45-34 lead.

Caro misses a three point shot from the wing. Kingston begins running time off the clock while looking for the perfect shot. Brooklyn Osborn gets her hand on the ball, but Kingston recovers. Na’Hayla Watkins blocks a Kingston eight foot shot in the lane. Emelia Fulton hits a fast break layup for Caro to trim the Kingston lead back to 45-36.

Kingston misses a threeball from the top of the key. Molly Walker ties up the rebound for the Cardinals. The Possession Arrow is quite impressed with her hustle and determination, so it awards the ball to Kingston. Grace McGarvie passes to Talia Harrington, who hits a layup for the Cardinals. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 2:09 left on the clock, Kingston’s lead is at 47-36.

Caro misses a three point shot from the side. Talia Harrington passes the ball to Molly Walker, who hits a layup, is fouled and makes her free throw. Vanessa Osborn knocks the ball out of bounds; Caro retains possession. Caro misses an eight foot banked shot off the dribble from the side. Molly Walker is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side. She hits one of her two free throws to give Kingston a 51-36 lead with 1:12 left in the game.

Caro misses a three point shot from the side. Kingston throws a lob pass out of bounds. Caro misses a layup. Ashlyn Osborn steals the ball from Caro. Norah Kiley knocks the ball out of bounds; Caro gets the ball back. Caro misses a three point shot from the wing. Kingston runs out the clock.

Kingston holds off a spirited comeback by Caro and wins this game by the final score of 51-36.

Brooklyn Osborne led the Caro scoring with 16 points. Emelia Fulton joined her teammate in double figures with 11 points. Addyson Fowler tossed in 3 points. Braylon Gutierrez, Margaret Miller and Normandy Geiger each added 2 points.

Molly Walker led the Kingston scoring with 25 points. Talia Harrington supported her teammate with 13 points and Vanessa Osborn pitched in with 10 points. Grace McGarvie had 2 points and Lilah Kiley scored 1 point.