ROYAL OAK — Months ago, when Farmington Hills Mercy and Shrine athletic directors agreed that their girls varsity basketball squads would play on Feb. 11, it didn’t carry any special significance.
It’d be just another game to fill the void between the end of the regular schedule and the beginning of post-season playoffs.
No one had an inkling that Mercy — without a senior on the roster — would wind up co-champs of the CHSL Central Division with Bloomfield Hills Marian, each 9-1 after beating each other, and would be ranked Division 1 No. 5 by the Associated Press, two notches behind Marian.
Or, that Shrine, while not on the radar of those who compile state rankings and with a new coach, would put together another spotless 8-0 league record for its second straight CHSL Double A Division title.
So when the Marlins and Knights came together for that long-ago scheduled Feb. 11 date this week, not many in the stands realized they were getting a first-hand peek at a pair of viable CHSL champions who will be crowned on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Detroit Mercy’s Calihan Hall.
Mercy last won the A-B championship in 2017 and before that in 2014, always on the sidelines witnessing Marian raise the trophy five of the last seven years.
Shrine is on a roll, winning the C-D championship for the last three years to end a drought that had gone on since 1994.
The A-B playoffs begin Valentine’s Day, Friday, Feb. 14, at Riverview Gabriel Richard. Mercy and Marian both have first-round byes.
Dearborn Divine Child (5-5) meets Macomb Lutheran North (2-8) at 5 p.m. The winner will play Mercy at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Novi Detroit Catholic Central.
The other playoff game pits Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard (4-6) against Warren Regina (0-10) at 6:30 p.m. The winner advances to play Marian at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 on Catholic Central’s court.
The C-D Division will have three playoff games Saturday, Feb. 15, at Mercy High School.
Shrine moves on to the semifinal stage Tuesday, Feb.18, by virtue of a forfeit by Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, which will be on a two-week break at the time and could not field a team.
The other games are:
Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (6-2) vs. Allen Park Cabrini (4-4) at 1:30 p.m. The winner plays Shrine at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Warren Regina.
At 3 p.m., Madison Heights Bishop Foley (8-0 Intersection 1 Division) will play Riverview Gabriel Richard (3-5) followed at 4:30 p.m. by Wixom St. Catherine (5-3) playing Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (4-4). The winners play Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at Regina.
Mercy 54, Shrine 47
The Marlins lost their starting forward three minutes into the game when Ellie Tisko was cited for three fouls, forcing coach Gary Morris to bench her for the remainder of the first half.
Still, Mercy (15-1 overall) managed a 29-22 halftime lead against a spunky, resilient Shrine squad.
Tisko seemed to make up for lost time, firing out from the locker room with a pair of quick field goals to increase Mercy’s advantage to 33-22 and set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Her state champion volleyball partner, Julie Bishop, took over in the fourth quarter, accounting for 11 of the team’s 12 points on two baskets and 7-for-7 free throws. She ended with a game-high 18 points.
Senior Allison LaPoint led Shrine (10-4) with 16 hard-earned points and eight rebounds against a taller Marlins’ backcourt.
Sharpshooter Regan Smith drilled three triples, the third one coming with 51 seconds to play and drawing Shrine to within 50-47.
