Davison Faith upsets Rochester Hills, advances to MACS finals
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
LAKE ORION — Kara Moore has been a blessing and beyond for Davison Faith Baptist’s girls basketball team this winter. She has helped the Eagles right the ship after one of the worst seasons in school history.
The senior guard has also helped Davison Faith reach the state finals of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I tournament in one of the state’s greatest turnaround stories of the season.
Moore, an all-state transfer from Saginaw Community Baptist, finished with a game-high 15 points, but was all over the floor and her two free throws, block and rebound in the final 21 seconds Friday helped the Eagles stun top-ranked Rochester Hills Christian 31-28 in a defensive state semifinals battle at Lake Orion Baptist.
“She’s made a huge difference,” said Davison Faith Baptist coach Craig Myers. “We were 3-16 last season. With her, we are a completely different team.”
It was the farthest tournament run for Rochester Hills Christian, a senior-laden team that started four seniors for a bulk of the season. The Eagles simply went ice cold from the field in the contest.
Davison Faith Baptist slowed the tempo to build a 4-2 lead after the first quarter. Rochester Hills Christian (22-2), whose only other loss was to a large Christian school in Florida last month, used a 10-6 surge in the second quarter to go up 12-10 at the half.
Faith Baptist regained the lead through three quarters, posting an 11-6 run in the frame to go up 21-18.
In the fourth quarter, Faith Baptist led by as many as five points, 29-24, with 2:45 to play before the Eagles staged one last comeback.
Senior center Megan Steiner’s putback closed Rochester Hills to within 29-28 with 59 seconds left. Moore responded with two free throws with 21 seconds left, and the top-seeded Eagles misfired on two three-pointers and turned the ball over on their final two possessions inside 20 seconds to become the upset victim.
“I know they were favored, but we came to win,” said Myers. “I knew their size would be a problem for us. We were able to overcome that. I thought defensively we did a good job. We didn’t let them get a good (3-point attempt) off there at the end.”
Three years ago, Rochester Hills Christian finished 1-15. Steiner led the way with 10 pints, while fellow senior Caroline Milsk scored six for RHC.
Davison Faith Baptist will face five-time defending state champion Troy Bethany Christian at 1 p.m. Saturday at Clarkston Springfield Christian. Bethany Christian rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to upset Carson City Fellowship Baptist 38-37 in the other state semifinal.
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Category: High School, Prep Wraps, Rochester Hills Christian
Thanks for the article on our team Dan, my name is actually Miller though.