It makes sense that Hometown Life would be questioned at the front door.
The Romulus women’s basketball team has dominated the Western Wayne Athletic Conference for years. And if his first four league games say anything about what lies ahead, the Eagles are likely to win another conference title.
They already have a 56-point win over Dearborn Heights Annapolis, beat Dearborn Heights Robichaud by 53 points and (honestly) beat Melvindale, 74-1.
The closest league game they have played so far was a 66-28 win over Garden City. And while it’s not Cougars coach Michele Tyree’s best team, mostly due to their inexperience and youth, it is a competitive team.
“Which newspaper are you with? The Garden City ticket taker asked Thursday night.
“Hometown life. The Observer,” we replied.
“Wait, why YOU here ! ?” said the ticket taker, absolutely puzzled.
Yeah, Romulus is the crown jewel of WWAC, everyone knows that, even the person who admits fans into Garden City games, but the Cougars have the queen of the league.
It’s senior Siena McNitt, who is averaging 21.8 points per game despite Garden City being just 3-4.
Hometown Life profiled the shooting guard this offseason after she was named one of Michigan’s Top 100 Players. Less than an hour after the story was posted online, she received her first offer (from SUNY Canton in New York).
Now she has offers from Schoolcraft College and Oakland Community College to go with it.
In addition, it has attracted the interest of many, many other small schools. A local school even called her “the perfect fit for our team,” despite never meeting the coach in person or setting foot on campus.
More offers will come. His tweet thanking Hometown Life for dropping by Garden City win 58-26 on Redford Thurston has received likes from five other colleges pursuing her.
With the way McNitt has been playing, it’s no surprise that so many scouts are watching her closely this winter.
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“Siena does everything you could have asked of her and more as a senior who has been in college since her freshman year,” said Grade 11 coach Tyree. “She’s scoring, and I was actually hoping she would be able to average around 18, and she’s up around 21 right now. She’s doing a great job.”
So how does McNitt do it?
In multiple ways.
Against Thurston, she buried a 3 point just 4 seconds after the first warning. And she continued to show that range throughout the night.
But she gets most of her points scoring in transition.
Many people around Garden City will tell you that McNitt is a better football star than a basketball player, including his father, who played basketball at Redford Union but was himself a recreational league football player at the ‘era. Although she would rather play basketball than soccer at the top level, she uses this soccer stamina to get past defenders en route to lay-ups.
The Cougars are probably the second or third best team in WWAC, and they are so good because of the quality of their defensive play all over the court. The long arms of Amia Sykes and Cheyenne Buhro make trapping difficult for opposing guards who aren’t used to dealing with that kind of pressure in the backcourt. And once Garden City secures that flight, McNitt leaves. Very few are able to catch it.
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“With the press, that really helps us,” McNitt said. “It was a great experience. It was fun to play in college. Now we’re starting to bond, and everything is falling into place.”
McNitt is also a regular setter and ball handler. Try to determine which is his dominant hand. She uses both to a level unheard of for most high school students.
But she is better when she plays away from the ball. The way she shakes her defender open, whether out or down, is something only experienced players can do.
And the shooter is gifted, that’s for sure.
In fact, she’s only 140 points out of the 1,000 for her career.
Garden City might not overtake Romulus in the league race. And in his district is Redford Westfield Prep, one of the favorites to win the Division 2 state title. Winning material will have a bounty. But getting that career-high for McNitt should be doable, especially with the Cougars on a two-game, four-game win streak ahead of the rematch with the Eagles. The young players have gained much-needed experience and the other starters now understand their roles. This team is starting to click.
So to answer the original question: why is Hometown Life covering a Garden City game?
To see Queen McNitt score a career-high 34 points, of course.
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter @folsombrandonj.