The girls basketball state tournament starts today, and among the games is a rematch between Brighton and Hartland in the first round of a Class A district at Howell.
Each team won on the other’s home floor during the regular season.
“The first time, they simply dominated us,” Hartland coach Don Palmer said of the Bulldogs. “The second time we jumped them and won by two. Who knows what’s going to happen (tonight)?”
The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post starting at 6:50 p.m.
Both teams have evolved over the course of the season. Hartland’s Emily Messner has become a force on offense and defense while mostly eliminating the foul trouble that has plagued her in the past. This, in turn, open things up for senior Graysen Cockerham and sophomore Whitney Sollom.
“They’ve been pretty steady,” Palme said of Cockerham and Sollom. “We’ve had games where Abby Ratkowiak steps up, and we’ve had games where Nikki Dompierre and Syd Caddell stepped up. So our young kids are playing better.”
Brighton is a team of young kids. Coach Paul Ash uses five sophomores extensively, including post player Sophie Dziekan.
“She seems to have her way with us,” Palmer said. “The first time she had 13 in a low-scoring game and the second time she had 17 in a low-scoring game.”
In that second game, a 39-37 Hartland win, Dziekan hit a pair of 3-pointers, in contrast to her usual work on the inside.
In each game, the home team got off to what could charitably be called sluggish starts. Brighton led 22-8 at halftime at Hartland, and Hartland led 15-4 at the half in Brighton.
“We can’t be down by 11 points at halftime,” Brighton coach Paul Ash said. “That’s too big of a hill to climb.”
A key to the Hartland defense is Sollom, who is 6-4 and an intimidating defender.
“She reminds me of (Howell grad Erin) Honkala,” Palmer said. “Her presence was always on defense. We could get past that first wave (of defenders), we could run our stuff and have a high-percentage shot, and she blocked it or altered it. It’s a nice option to have. It covers up a lot of miscues on defense.”
It’s Brighton’s third trip to Howell in as many weeks, the first two losses by six and two points, respectively. Hartland beat Howell in its only trip to Howell this season.
“I think they have to have confidence because they beat us pretty thoroughly,” Palmer said of the Bulldogs. “We have to have confidence because we beat them in their building. It’ll be interesting.”
