SUPREME COURT ‘JUSTICE’: Tramble leads No. 3-ranked Chiefs over Northville

Canton’s Justice Tramble is well on her way to inventing a new basketball position: point center.

Not only did the 6-foot-1 senior rule the paint area Thursday night against Northville, she often brought the ball up the court and distributed it like an assist-first playmaker.

Following an off-season when the South Carolina State commit worked relentlessly on her game (and she was pretty darned good as a junior), Tramble (19 points, 14 rebounds) was the catalyst in the Chiefs’ 44-29 victory over the Mustangs.

Now 6-0, Canton is ranked No. 3 in Class A by MaxPreps.com. The Chiefs are ranked behind only Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and Saline.

Excels at all three levels

“What makes Justice special is she can play at all three levels at a high rate,” said Canton Head Coach Kayla Bridges. “She’s probably the only center in our league who can bring the ball up the court, shoot the three and dominate around the rim.

“Justice has a great mentality. I honestly don’t know too many people who love basketball and is passionate about the sport as she is.”

When asked what aspect of her game has improved the most since last season, Justice didn’t hesitate.

“My leadership,” she said. “This is my last year. It’s time for me — and, really, for everybody on our team — to do whatever it takes to win.

‘Team has heart’

“This team has heart. We really want to go for it all this year. We have girls stepping up and making plays who maybe didn’t play much last year.”

One of those players is freshman McKinsey Berlin who, obviously, didn’t play at all last year, but you wouldn’t have known by watching her play Thursday night.

After coming off the bench to net just two points in the first half, the freshman was a difference-maker in the final eight minutes, helping Canton break open a close game with seven points — one on a corner three-point shot, the rest when she drained all four of her free-throw attempts.

“McKinsey is very talented, very skilled, especially for being a first-year high school player,” Bridges said. “Even though the game is coming at her fast, she’s doing a great job and playing at a level few freshmen play at.”

Hustle, relentless effort

Despite being outsized, Northville used hustle and relentless defensive effort to hang for the Chiefs for most of the first three quarters, cutting a 28-17 deficit to 28-22 on a three-point bomb delivered by freshman Sophia Fraas.

The Mustangs displayed a high level of toughness, too, epitomized when sophomore guard Carly Pelon stepped in front of a fast-dribbling Tramble to draw a charge.

Northville was hurt by off-the-mark shooting — both beyond the arc and close to the rim.

Frass led the Mustangs with seven points while Peyton Sivier added six.

Sophia Bowman and Nikki Grech both contributed four for the visitors.

Big win over Dakota

The Chiefs’ ascension to the upper-ranks of Michigan girls basketball this season was fueled by their 55-52 victory over highly-regarded Macomb Dakota on Dec. 19.

“I don’t like to put too much into rankings,” said Bridges, who played a key role for Canton’s formidable teams over 10 years ago. “I knew we’d have a solid team this year because we had a lot of returners back who got a lot of valuable experience last season.

“We didn’t have the best record last year, but a lot of our losses were really close, which gave us an opportunity to learn.

“I think we grew up a little over the off-season. Our decision-making has been better and the girls are embracing a defensive mentality.

“Northville really tested us for most of the game tonight. They’re definitely a hard-working group. This was our first game at home in a while, so maybe the girls had some pre-game jitters. Once we woke up, we started to play our game.”

In addition to Tramble and Berlin, Canton’s top scorers were Marisa Cribari and Ava Murphy, who both contributed four points.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.