GIRLS BASKETBALL: OAA-White champion Stoney Creek turns attention to postseason play
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — What a difference a year makes.
After struggling through an 7-14 record a year ago, Rochester Stoney Creek’s girls basketball program bounced back with vengeance in 2021.
The OAA White Division champion Cougars are 13-1 entering Division 1 district play and enter their district as the slight favorites.
Stoney Creek is eyeing its first district crown since 2016 when current head coach Kellen James was an assistant. The Cougars reached the regional semifinals that season before falling to Fenton (58-46).
Stoney Creek captured district championships in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
“We’re young and we don’t start any seniors,” said James, whose team was bounced in the pre-district round last season. “But these girls keep getting better and better. Our defense has been really good all season. The thing about them is they are coachable kids and they have really bought (into the system).”
After losing to Troy early in the shortened season, 39-36, back on Feb. 25 — games did not begin until February instead of early December and schools were forced to cram 2-4 games a week into their packed schedules — Stoney Creek avenged the Colts on March 12 (49-43) and captured the league crown on percentage points.
Stoney Creek won the league title at 6-1 (.858) with Troy finishing 5-1 (.834) and Rochester Adams 2-2 (.500). North Farmington (3-5, .375) and Bloomfield Hills (0-7) followed suit. Several league games were not made up due to cancellations and scheduling conflicts and nightmares due to the six-week regular season.
“I didn’t expect for us to be 13-1 going into the postseason,” said James. “We didn’t have a summer, and after tryouts we were all shut down for a couple of months. To come back with such a young roster and win a league and have just one loss is a credit to these girls.”
Through its 14-game regular season, Stoney Creek is averaging just 42 points a game an no player on the roster is averaging more than 11 points an outing. The Cougars have won with stout defense, yielding only 31.3 points a game.
Defensively, Stoney Creek has held eight teams to under 30 points, including one to just 17 points, and 12 of 14 teams to under 40 points. Only Troy (43) and Rochester Adams (47) have scored more than 40 points on the Cougars and both of those turned out to be wins for Stoney Creek.
The Cougars also beat Rochester Adams twice by two points each and Rochester by six points to claim a Rochester City championship. Stoney Creek is riding a seven-game win streak entering the postseason.
The Cougars do not start any seniors — and the sole senior on the roster is down towards the end of the rotation. Stoney Creek has started three juniors, one sophomore and one freshman during its impressive win streak, plus a freshman and sophomore are generally the team’s first two players off the bench.
Junior guard Sydney LaPrairie (5-foot-6), junior point guard Ella Demetral (5-7), junior forward Milana Skoric (6-0), sophomore guard/forward Mia Carson (5-8) and freshman point guard Sarah LaPrairie (5-4) comprise the regular starting lineup. The Cougars will routinely run four guards at teams and use its quickness on defense and ability to score in transition to throttle opponents.
Off the bench, freshman guard Erin Flynn (5-8) has become a pleasant surprise and has gained increased minutes as the season has moved along. Sophomore forward Lilley Bosley (5-10), junior guard Kendall Binfet (5-7) and junior Riley Binfet (5-7) have also seen their fair share of minutes.
Bosley is a highly-touted club soccer player who joined the roster this season after working basketball into her busy schedule. Flynn and Sara LaPrairie are two of the better freshmen in the four-division OAA.
“Having Bosley has been great and the freshmen have helped (tremendously),” said James. “We didn’t have Bosley last winter because of soccer, but she’s fast and a great athlete. The freshmen are both good ball-handlers and we are now eight-, nine-, 10-deep with them. The Vinset twins have also helped off the bench. Everyone on this team has gotten better.
“In some games we are able to go deep and play a lot of girls. We couldn’t do that as much last season,” said James.
Senior forward Kendall Kuhl (5-8) is the sole player who will depart the program via graduation. Junior forward Paris Kramer (5-8), sophomore forward Kaeli Butcher (5-8) and sophomore guard Lily Solek (5-8) round out the regular roster.
There are several junior varsity players who will train and compete with the varsity during the postseason. Half of the varsity and junior varsity will be gone on spring break the week of regionals if the Cougars are to advance that far into the state tournament.
The Cougars will face defending district champion Utica Eisenhower Wednesday in the district semifinals with Troy, Troy Athens and Rochester on the opposite side of the district bracket. While top-seeded Stoney Creek has beaten those three teams this season, doing it in the postseason is another story.
“I think we’re the slight favorite because of our record, but it won’t be easy,” said James. “We have to go out there and play the way we have been playing and get the job done. It’s been a few years since we won a district. None of these girls were around when we last won a district.”
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