'No secrets anymore': Dansville girls basketball places itself among best in Division 3
DANSVILLE — Megan Zeitz thought it would be challenging.
After being among the key contributors on a team that reached the Division 3 state quarterfinals last season, the junior guard wasn't sure if the Dansville girls basketball team could duplicate that success.
Coach Mike Sykes also had his questions about how the season would go — especially with the Aggies losing a major component from last year's team to graduation in 1,000-point scorer Erin Sherwood.
But those concerns have been erased.
Dansville has built on its strong finish with a dominant start. The Aggies added to that Friday with a 44-26 home victory over Laingsburg that pushed their record to 9-1 and 6-0 in the CMAC
The Aggies, who are ranked No. 2 in Division 3 by the Associated Press, have a two-game lead atop the CMAC and have recorded eight of their victories by nine points or more.
"Right off the start we started going (and winning)," Zeitz said.
"I think we're still riding off of what we did last year when we made it to the quarters," Sykes added. "This particular group of girls knows how to win."
The lone loss for the Aggies came at a holiday showcase on Dec. 29 to Division 2 state-ranked Dearborn Divine Child, which plays in the challenging Catholic High School League and is off to a 10-2 start. Dansville has won three straight since and has a Michigan Power Rating total of 0.679, which ranked fourth in Division 3.
The MPR calculates wins, losses for games between MHSAA teams and factors in 25% of the team’s winning percentage, 50% of its opponent's winning percentage and 25% of its opponent’s opponent's winning percentage.
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All of that has led to teams now chasing Dansville.
"I think some of them understand what it means," Sykes said. "I tell them you just put a bull's eye on your back. You're not that Dansville team from five or six years ago. People are gunning for you and they want to beat you these days. We've got to bring it every night.
"I think it's going to be like that all the time and we're going to get everybody's best. There's no secrets anymore, I don't think."
Kourtney Mack said knowing they are being chased is nerve-wracking at times, but also a confidence booster.
Friday was an example of that for the Aggies, who found themselves in a tight contest with Laingsburg after a slow start. They dug deep to pull away with Mack and Zeitz leading the way.
Zeitz scored all 11 of her points in the second half, while Mack had a team-best 13 points.
"We came through as a team and we pushed through that," Mack said. "I feel like in the beginning we didn't show as much of wanting it, but then in the second half we came with aggression and wanted the game more than they did."
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Dansville knows it will need to keep playing with that aggression and take the best shots from opponents as it looks to have success in March again.
"We're just going to keep going," Sykes said. "We know we got a big one coming up in a couple weeks. That second game against Pewamo-Westphalia is going to be big for us. We just got to keep doing what we're doing and hopefully we stay healthy and you know, wish for the best."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Dansville girls basketball building off state quarterfinal run
