BIG LEXI’S BIG 25
BIG LEXI’S BIG 25
#1 WEST BLOOMFIELD (17-1)
Most recently, West Bloomfield blew out Lake Orion by over 45 points, Oxford by 56 points
and Clarkston by 40 points. WB also had another big win over my #23 ranked Stoney Creek for
the second time this season and they should easily win their Rochester matchup on 2/27. Their
last true test before playoffs begin won’t be until their last regular season game of the season on
2/29 when they face my #24 ranked Grand Blanc.
#2 ANN ARBOR FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD (20-0)
This is a team that didn’t get the respect they deserved from me and a lot of the state last season
because they lost early on to Lansing Catholic (another school who was HEAVILY doubted by
everyone in the state until they went on to WIN STATES last season). I’m not making the same
mistake this season. Father Richard has 3 ranked wins so far this season over the defending state
champs #22 Lansing Catholic, #7 Arbor Prep and #14 Lowell.
Most recently, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard won their second consecutive Catholic
League Bishop Division Championship. FGR was led by Vanessa Rodriguez with 29 points and
was LIGHTS OUT from beyond the arc going 5/5 from 3. She steps into her shot perfectly off
the pass and gets the ball into her shot pocket perfectly off the dribble and step back, very
smooth and fundamentally sound game for Vanessa.
FGR faces Renaissance on Thursday for the Operation Friendship Game. BIG D1 vs D2
matchup that will put the final test on FGR heading into playoffs.
#3 ROCKFORD (19-1)
Most recently, Rockford had their BIGGEST win of the season in a revenge rematch game
against East Kentwood, the only team to give Rockford a loss this season. Rockford won 62-54.
Sienna Wolfe led the way with 24 points and Anna Wypych dropped 20 points in the win. Wolfe
and Wypych both dominated in the paint with grit and strength but played the inside outside
game well, hitting big shots in big moments, as well. Rockford took accountability for the loss
against East Kentwood by saying that it wasn’t their best shooting night, hustle night, defensive
night and rebounding night so they made it a point of emphasis to do those things in the rematch
game to come out with the win. This win puts Rockford back on top of the OK Red Conference.
Rockford’s last test before playoff time will be against my #10 ranked Holland West Ottawa.
#4 DETROIT EDISON (24-2)
DEPSA’s win over my #8 ranked Arbor Prep on 2/13 was a big confidence booster for the team.
Being able to bounce back after back-to-back losses and continue getting wins against some of
the best teams in the state is monumental. DEPSA beat Arbor Prep 58-46 and even had another
significant win most recently against my #13 ranked Wayne Memorial and did it in dominant
fashion, winning by 24 points. This gave DEPSA their 4 th win over ranked teams in the state with
multiple other key wins from top out of state teams. DEPSA’s battle tested regular season isn’t
over yet though. They will face my #5 ranked Belleville on 2/23 and my #14 ranked
Frankenmuth on 2/29. I keep DEPSA ranked above Belleville for now for having a more battle-
tested schedule with more wins against ranked teams.
#4 BELLEVILLE (17-1)
Most recently, Belleville had blowout wins over Dearborn on 2/16 and Churchill on 2/20. Their
biggest game of the season comes right before their conference playoffs when they face my #4
ranked Detroit Edison on 2/23. When getting into the nitty gritty comparison vs Edison,
Belleville has only 1 loss and it’s to an out of state team, meanwhile Edison has 2 losses- 1 to an
out of state team and 1 to my #1 ranked West Bloomfield. Belleville and Edison have also played
some of the same teams. Belleville beat Wayne Memorial (in their second matchup) by 28 points
vs Edison’s 24 points. Belleville also beat Detroit Country Day by 20 points vs Edison’s just 9
points. However, I decided to keep Belleville at the #5 spot for now and DEPSA at #4 because
DEPSA is much more battle-tested with 4 ranked wins compared to Belleville’s 2.
#6 DETROIT RENAISSANCE (18-1)
Most recently, Renaissance is bringing mayhem onto every team they’ve faced since getting
their first and only loss of the season to my #4 ranked Detroit Edison. Renaissance had an 80-
point win over Osborn, a 40-point win over Cass Teach and a 14-point win over Mumford.
Renaissance’s last regular season game is on 2/27 vs Dakota.
#7 GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC (17-1)
Most recently, GR West Catholic had a 13-point win over Allendale, which is a game that they
should’ve won by at least 20. Allendale’s record is just 4-13 and GR West Catholic also won by
just 8 over Spring Lake who has a record of 12-6. West Catholic just isn’t playing dominant
enough against competition that is at a lower level than them. However, they still only have 1
loss on the season, so in Week 7’s Rankings, I moved them up 2 spots over East Kentwood who
has 3 losses on the season and Arbor Prep who has 4 losses on the season.
#8 EAST KENTWOOD (15-3)
Most recently, it does seem that East Kentwood’s confidence and level of play has dropped a bit
since their 3-point loss to West Ottawa on 2/2. East Kentwood has been the only team able to
give defending state champs Rockford a loss this season, but when they faced up for the 2 nd time
in the rematch game, it was Rockford who took revenge, beating East Kentwood 62-54. This loss
gave EK their 3 rd loss of the season and forced me to move them down a spot in my rankings.
However, East Kentwood was able to bounce back with a win over a good Hudsonville team on
2/19 & EK still has 3 regular season games before tournament time. The most notable matchup is on 2/23 when they face my #11 ranked Grand Haven.
#9 ARBOR PREP (14-4)
Most recently, my prediction of back-to-back losses for Arbor Prep came true. Arbor Prep
dropped the Edison game, which didn’t affect their placement in my Big 10, however, the loss to
my #15 ranked Detroit Country Day forced me to bring Arbor Prep down to the #9 ranked spot because it was to a team ranked under them and this loss gave Arbor Prep their 4 th loss of the season, tied for the most losses with anyone ranked in my Big 10. Arbor Prep bounced back,
though, and won their game over Romulus on 2/20. They only have 3 games left in their regular
season and of the 3 games, the most notable matchup is against Farmington Hills Mercy on 2/27.
#10 HOLLALND WEST OTTAWA (14-5)
Most recently, Holland West Ottawa’s 7 game win streak was snapped after getting swept on
the season to my #3 ranked Rockford. This loss doesn’t affect West Ottawa’s placement in my
Big 10 because this was a loss to a team already ranked above them and a loss that I anticipated
West Ottawa having. However, their just 4-point win over Hudsonville had me looking at them
sideways, along with their record now showing 5 losses on the season, making West Ottawa the
team with the most losses out of anyone in my Big 10. They only have 3 games left in the regular
season with their most notable matchup on 2/29 vs Holland Christian.
#11 Grand Haven (16-4)
• Close win over West Ottawa & close loss in rematch to West Ottawa, 1 big loss and 1
close loss to Rockford
#12 Goodrich (19-0)
• Close win over Frankenmuth, Hemlock, Grand Blanc & Lake Fenton (2x)
#13 Wayne Memorial (11-4)
• Close loss to Arbor Prep & Belleville, big loss to Bolingbrook, IL, big loss to Pickerington (Ohio)
#14 Frankenmuth (14-2)
• Close loss to Goodrich, big loss to Rockford
#15 Detroit Country Day (13-5)
• Big wins over Clarkston & Stoney Creek, close win over Tecumseh, close losses to
Edison, Renaissance and Montini (Illinois school), big losses to WB and Belleville
#16 Negaunee (17-1)
• Close loss to Ishpeming & close win over Ishpeming in 2 nd matchup
#17 Ishpeming (15-1)
• Close win over Negaunee & close loss to Negaunee in 2 nd matchup
#18 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (18-0)
• Close wins over Troy, Regina and Marian
#19 Byron Center (13-4)
• Close win over Hudsonville, close loss to East Kentwood, big loss to Rockford, close
losses to Forest Hills Northern and West Ottawa
#20 Bedford Temperance (13-1)
• Big loss to FGR, close loss to Salem, close wins over Hemlock and Flushing
#21 Midland Dow (12-2)
• Close wins over Tecumseh and Dexter, close loss to Northview
#22 Lansing Catholic (12-4)
• Close losses to Renaissance, FGR, Mumford and Rockford
#23 Stoney Creek (12-3)
• Close wins over Brighton & Clarkston, huge loss to WB, big loss to Detroit Country Day & amp; Clarkston in 2nd matchup
#24 Grand Blanc (13-3)
• Close loss to Hartland, Lake Fenton & Goodrich
#25 Lowell (10-6)
• Close win over East Kentwood, close losses to Arbor Prep, Byron Center (2 times), EGR
& big loss to FGR