Mercy! Girls squad makes history with CHSL title win

The girls on ’s 2010-2011 varsity basketball team hadn’t been born the last time the school won the Catholic League title back in 1983.

How did it take nearly three decades for the Marlins to recapture the title? Even coach Gary Morris isn’t quite sure.

“It’s really almost amazing that they would have gone that long without winning one,” Morris said, at practice this week. “They won it in 1983, and we got there in 2006 and lost in the Catholic League final, but that was the first time they’ve been back. For a program with a good basketball tradition it’s pretty surprising.”

That drought ended on Sunday, with the Marlins (15-4; 5-3 CHSL) beating rival Ladywood in the CHSL A-B finals. It was the culmination of a terrific season, in which the journey was just as exciting as the destination. 

Mercy played 10 league games this season and not a single one was decided by more than seven points.

 “The Catholic league is tough,” senior co-captain Janelle McQueen said. “A lot of good defense, all these teams are really tough and coach always said to us, any team can win on any given night.”

Morris, in his seventh season as the Marlins coach, said this season was the toughest he’s ever seen. Nowhere was that more evident than with the four-way tie among Divine Child, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Ladywood and Mercy going into the playoffs. 

“The Central division is a very good league, year in and year out,” Morris said. “This year was as balanced as I’ve ever seen it.”

At one point during the season, the Marlins actually had a losing record in the conference. 

“We lost our season opener to Canton, and then we won our next seven, then we lost three straight conference games,” Morris said. “So we’re 2-3 at Regina (in January).” 

Mercy co-captain Abbey Lovat said the second game against Regina was the turning point of the season.

“In the Regina game, we were coming off a three-game losing streak, and it was kind of a point where we could let this season slide away or pick up our heads and go for it,” the senior said.

And the girls went for it. They needed a last second jumper by Alexa Bahoura to tie the game at 45 and send it into overtime. Then McQueen scored nine of Mercy's 10 points in overtime. Her two free throws in the game’s final 10 seconds sealed the win.

“We get that basket at end of regulation and send it to overtime, then win in overtime, and we’ve been winning ever since,” Morris said. 

What gave them the edge in all the close games during the year? Lovat said it was simple.

“I think the reason we pulled it out is because we had really good team chemistry,” Lovat said.  “We love each other and have a lot of heart, lot of passion, and we leave it all out there.”

Catholic League rivalry

It seems fitting that the Catholic League final came down to Ladywood and Mercy.

The rivals met in 1983 when the Marlins last won the league title and faced each other in 2006, during Mercy’s only other final appearance in the past 30 years.

Their two match-ups this season were close; Mercy lost at Ladwood 61-56 towards the end of January, then beat the Blazers 58-55 on Feb. 9. Less than two weeks later, the teams faced off in the CHSL A-B championship game at University of Detroit-Mercy’s Calihan Hall.

The Marlins erased a 31-19 half-time deficit, outscoring the Blazers 18 to seven in the fourth quarter. Mercy won the game 46-42.

“I think playing them (Ladywood) three times, we’ve obviously scouted them, we know their stuff, and they know our stuff. It came down to making plays,” Lovat said. “I have friends on their team, it’s amazing to be like – we did it.”

Crowds for all three matchups were intense, and Mercy fans showed up in big numbers at Calihan Hall. This rivalry, Bahoura said, goes deep.

 “It’s a game we prepare for,” she said. “The fact that we won two out of three times was a great thing for us.”

Hard road ahead

The only easy thing about Mercy’s draw in Districts is a first round-bye. The District itself is very tough, and the Marlins will likely have to get past two 10-win teams to make the regionals.

Mercy plays the winner of the West Bloomfield (16-4; 11-3 OAA White) and North Farmington (9-9; 6-8 OAA Red) game on March 2 in the District semifinals and, barring an upset on the other side of the bracket, will likely play a good Farmington Falcons (16-3; 13-0 OAA Blue) team.

The Districts are based on geographical location and the Class A Farmington district just happens to feature three very good teams.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Morris said. “Having gone through the schedule we’ve gone through, we hope that’s prepared us for anything we’re going to see.” 

However, he added, “It’s March Madness, so to speak. It kind of sometimes takes on a life of its own, everybody is 0-0 now.”

The girls agreed that if they are going to make a run through Districts, defense is the key. In the regular season, the Marlins only scored over 60 twice. Offensively, the team doesn't feature a lot of big scorers. In games where they held their opponents to under 40 points, they racked up a perfect 9-0 record. 

“We need to keep up our intensity on defense,” McQueen said. “That’s going to be the reason we win these games.”

With the Catholic league title under their belts, Morris doesn’t want to stop adding to the banners in Mercy’s gym.

“I’d like to think we’re going to be very competitive in the District,” he said, smiling.