A LOT TO LOVE: Belleville frosh scores 33 on Valentine’s Day
Belleville freshman Paisley Stephens drives to the basket against Wayne’s Mariah Cross.
Roses are red, they don’t grow on a tree; Paisley Stephens was on fire on Valentine’s Day, she scored 33.
Needing someone to step up in the temporary absence of injured No. 2 scorer Secrette Carter (sophomore Sydney Savoury is the Tigers’ No. 1 offensive threat), Belleville’s top-ranked girls basketball team found its player — at least for one night.
That someone would be freshman Paisley Stephens, who wowed the large crowd during Friday night’s Valentine’s Day match-up against visiting Wayne with 33 points, eight rebounds and a few did-you-see-that? dimes.
The clutch effort by Stephens, whose career single-game scoring high was 22 prior to Friday, propelled the Tigers to a convincing 62-38 victory, which forged a first-place tie at 11-1 with the Zebras in the KLAA East Division with just one regular-season game remaining.
The team that represents the East Division in the KLAA championship game won’t be decided until Tuesday’s divisional regular-season finales are over.
Northville will be the West Division’s representative in the conference title game, which is set for Feb. 27 on the Mustangs’ home court.
(To check out video highlights from Stephens’ big night, click here.)
Sweet redemption
Wayne defeated Belleville two weeks ago, 57-52.
Stephens said she learned how to play physical basketball against bigger players while hooping in a park near her home against older boys when she was younger.
“I learned how to be more aggressive playing against the boys,” she said. “I usually like to get my teammates more involved by passing more, but with Secrette out, I knew I had to look to score more tonight.
“Tonight I took my time more on the fastbreak, although I still had a couple turnovers. I waited until we had numbers. Once we did, I picked up the pace more.”
Stephens drained four three-point shots, getting open looks from the corner thanks in part to teammate Rylan Buschell’s drives into the paint that drew multiple Zebra defenders.
Drive and dish
When Buschell kicked it out to her freshman teammate, she more often than not chalked up an assist.
“Paisley is a very good player,” said Belleville Head Coach Jason Wilkins. “With Secrette out, we needed someone to step up and score more. We really push Paisley in practice and she delivered for us.
“Not only can she shoot, she has a great handle and is a good defender.”
After securing a 15-5 lead after the opening eight minutes, Belleville put the pedal to the metal in the second quarter, expanding its lead to 23-7 with 1:34 left in the half on an and-one by Christine Chinemelu.
Runaway Tigers
The Tigers led 48-24 after three quarters, thanks in large part to Stephens’ 12-point stanza.
Credit to Stephens’ more-seasoned teammates, who realized the ninth-grader had the hot hand and delivered her the ball.
Sydney Savoury contributed an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Buschell was her usual multi-dimensional self, distributing six assists to go with five boards and five points.
Chinamelu was effective, too, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds.
Morgan Smith led Wayne with 14 points.
Based on the post-season MHSAA brackets, the only way the Tigers and Zebras could meet again this season is if they both advance to the Division 1 state championship game on March 22.
