Jackson Lumen Christi cruises into girls basketball Division 3 title game
East Lansing — Jackson Lumen Christi certainly didn’t play like a team nervous about its first ever state semifinal game Thursday. On the contrary, Lumen Christi looked beyond comfortable from the start in a Division 3 semifinal against Niles Brandywine. In matchup of two of the state’s top-three teams, Lumen Christi turned the game into a surprising rout from the opening tip, cruising to a 51-33 win at Michigan State’s Breslin Center.
A storied athletic program, Lumen Christi (24-3) will play for its first ever state title in girls basketball when it meets Pewamo-Westphalia at 4 p. m. Saturday in the championship game.
Lumen Christi led 18-3 after the first quarter and 29-10 at halftime, stifling Brandywine defensively with full-court pressure and a stout zone in the halfcourt. “The first 10 minutes of the game, we played lights-out,” Lumen Christi head coach Scott Stine in a vast understatement. The numbers weren’t pretty for Brandywine, which at one point in the second quarter had 10 more turnovers (13) than points (three).
Lumen Christi led 29-10 at halftime and was never threatened in what was a fairly evenly played second half. But by that point, the damage had already been done by Lumen Christi. Lumen Christi was led by one of the country’s top players in the sophomore class, Kenna Hunt, who had 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
“We still have one more game, and we’re going to lock in on that game,” Hunt said. “But it’s truly a blessing to be able to be in this position and get an opportunity to play at the amazing place we are playing right now. ” Senior Lily Ganton added 13 points for Lumen Christi, and it was her performance that really drew praise from Stine.