The Hemlock Varsity Girls Basketball team finished the season with an impressive 20-3 overall record, going undefeated in conference play and capturing the Tri Valley Conference Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The junior varsity team also had a strong season, finishing with a 14-1.
Overall, the program had a successful season in terms of wins and losses. The varsity team defeated two state ranked teams and four teams that went on to win district championships during the course of the season.
One of the challenges the program faced this season was roster numbers, which impacted the team’s depth, the number of teams that could be fielded, and how practices were structured. On the court, the Huskies were a young team and at times struggled with defense, rebounding, and ball security. Injuries late in the season also created additional challenges.
Despite those obstacles, the season included several memorable moments. Road victories against Cass City and Alma stood out, along with a home win over state ranked Beaverton. Another highlight came in a win against Midland Calvary Baptist, when Victoria Hauffe hit a buzzer beating shot to secure the victory.
“Seeing the growth in our younger players throughout the course of the season was the highlight from a coaching standpoint,” said Head Coach Scott Neumeyer. “I’m sure that the players would say that winning our conference again this year was probably a highlight of the season.”
Several players played key roles in the team’s success this season. Victoria Hauffe had another strong season. Sage LaVigne averaged nearly a double double in points and rebounds and set a school record for field goal percentage in a season at 55.8 percent. Maylin Buckley also improved greatly over the course of the season and led the team in three point shooting percentage at 37.2 percent. Taryn Pratt also improved tremendously during the season and gave the team valuable minutes, especially late in the year. Kinsley Conger returned from a serious ACL injury suffered midway through last season and showed a lot of growth as a point guard. Lia Hoffmann, Addison Stockford, and Zoey Reikowsy were also key contributors throughout the season.
The team continued to grow in their understanding of the game, especially on the defensive end of the floor. With a young roster, players are still learning the importance of every drill, every possession, and maintaining focus for extended periods of time. Those areas are expected to improve with experience.
Hemlock’s season came to a close in the district semifinals with a 30 to 27 loss to Ovid Elsie.
Several players received conference recognition for their performance this season. Maylin Buckley, Victoria Hauffe, and Sage LaVigne were named First Team All Conference selections. Hauffe was also named the Tri-Valley Blue Conference Player of the Year.
Hauffe reached a major milestone this season by scoring her 1,000th career point and finished sixth all time on the program’s career scoring list with 1,110 points. She also finished first in program history in career free throw percentage at 79.5 percent, second all time in career three pointers with 206, second in career three point percentage at 36.3 percent, and third all time in career steals with 124. Freshman, Maylin Buckley currently ranks first in program history in career three point shooting percentage at 37.2 percent.
The program also recognized its two seniors, Victoria Hauffe and Addison Stockford. Hauffe was a four year varsity player and a freshman member of the 2023 state championship team. Stockford was a three year varsity player who improved each season and will continue her athletic career playing softball at Northwood University next year.
This season was unique for the program because all players essentially practiced together as one varsity group due to the lack of numbers within the program. While the team was able to play a limited junior varsity schedule, practicing together helped younger players learn the level of commitment and competitiveness required to play at the varsity level.
“We had a group of high character student-athletes who represented our program, our school, and our community well throughout the course of the season,” Neumeyer said. “They were excellent role models for the younger players in our program.”
Looking ahead, the program returns several players with the potential to build on this season’s success.
“The goals for next season are up to the players and how committed they are to improving individually and collectively,” Neumeyer said. “There are a lot of players who have the potential to return, and if they commit to improving in the off season and playing as much as possible, I think they can have a successful season.”
The program extends special thanks to varsity assistant coach Ken Krabill and JV coach and varsity assistant Eric Pratt for their dedication and commitment throughout the season. Additional thanks go to Dana Buckley for keeping the scorebook each game and Mitchell Pitt for serving as the scoreboard operator. The program also thanks the Hemlock Sports Boosters for their continued support of the athletic department and its student-athletes.