Birmingham Groves plays briefly in the fourth quarter of a Division I girls basketball regional semifinal game at Detroit Renaissance on March 9.
After Wayne Memorial’s Morgan Smith scored in transition and prepared to take a shot, the senior yelled, “Come here! Come here!” and waved to her teammates, telling them to huddle up.
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“I just told them to remember to be strong, sit down and hit D and get the rebounds,” Smith said she told them in the eventual 80-65 win. “They got a lot of rebounds, so I knew we had to do a better job of defending, rebounding, pushing the ball in transition, getting layups and moving the ball.”
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That’s the unfair advantage the Zebras (21-2) have in this tournament.
All five starters are seniors, including fourth-year starter Maria Cross and Smith, who has started the past three seasons.
Wayne Memorial’s Kaylee King scores during a Division I girls basketball regional semifinal game Monday, March 9, 2026, at Renaissance High School in Detroit.
They also have experience withstanding opponents’ rushes before getting out of hand because, well, they’re always dancing in the playoff race this time of year.
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“It’s a great feeling, knowing you can trust your teammates, especially having an all-senior starting five,” Smith said. “You just know we’re all ready, we’re all veterans. You just know you can trust anybody on the court.”
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This came into play in the final stages.
Smith scored seven of his 11 points as Wayne outscored Groves (18-7) 17-6 midway through the fourth quarter. She stole the ball from distance, scored in the low post and drained a 3-pointer after being fouled on a transition layup.
The Zebras also get 6-foot-2 forward Kaylee King back on the floor. She hit a jumper, scored twice near the basket, and broke through again to score a team-high 18 points.
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Kroos stepped up as a playmaker and defender, while defender Mika Darling also played a key role in the win.
Wayne Memorial’s Morgan Smith scores in transition during a Division I girls basketball regional semifinal game at Renaissance High School in Detroit on Monday, March 9, 2026.
“Well, that’s a four-year player for you,” longtime coach Jarvis Mitchell said. “You have to put the game in their hands and say, ‘We’re going to live or die with you.'” It’s like, ‘We believe in you.’ We know you’ve been through this, so what are you going to do? It’s your season,’ so of course I’m happy to have them.”
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That’s not to say the Falcons didn’t fight back.
Groves is known for its Grinnell College-style system, using full-court pressure to force turnovers and take as many 3-pointers as possible, an approach that helped it earn the Oakland Activities Association’s White Award.
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“You can’t prepare for something like this,” Mitchell said. Advertisement
Wayne Memorial’s Maria Cross hits a three-pointer during the Division I girls basketball regional semifinals at Renaissance High School in Detroit on Monday, March 9, 2026.
Groves hit 12 three-pointers, including three each from Jesse Roy, Mallory Killian and Julie Odebo. Harlem Simpson contributed two points and scored a team-high 20 points.
“We didn’t know they were going to be this hot,” Smith said. “But in the tournament, that’s how it is sometimes. We just wanted to defend, put our hands up and try to contain them.”
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This worked. After King scored, Wayne never trailed again. The closest Groves came was cutting the deficit to two points early in the second quarter, but the Zebras went on a 12-3 run to take a 37-26 lead into halftime.
Groves played hard, but Wayne maintained control throughout, which is what you’d expect from such an experienced team.
Wayne Memorial’s Micah Darling scores a layup during a Division I girls basketball regional semifinal game at Renaissance High School in Detroit on Monday, March 9, 2026.
With Renaissance atop the regional tournament, the Zebras are two wins away from reaching the state semifinals at MSU’s Breslin Center for the sixth time since 2018, including a 61-42 loss to Rockford last year.
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Hopefully their leadership can help them advance to next week’s quarterfinals at Detroit Mercy.
“We know we have experience with this,” Smith said. “We were in the Final Four last year. We knew we just had to step up and take care of the basketball. As seniors, as captains, we knew that was our responsibility, so we had to go out there and do that.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in the metro Detroit area for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Wayne Memorial girls basketball team defeats Birmingham Groves 80-65
