BY JAMES COOK
TRAVERSE CITY -- Kalkaska pressed to get to the Class C regional final, with a little detour to the Netherlands.
McBain got there in part by van -- Vanderhoef, Vanhouten and Vandervulgt.
Neither wasted any time Tuesday showing which two of the four regional teams would advance to the title game.
McBain jumped out to a 16-3 lead after one quarter en route to a 66-19 rout of Lincoln-Alcona, while Kalkaska scored the game's first dozen points in a 67-28 win over East Jordan to remain perfect for the season.
The two will meet in a 7 p.m. showdown Thursday at Traverse City West to determine which powerhouse will go on to the quarterfinals. The teams have not faced each other this season.
"Neither of us have really played too many common teams, either," McBain coach Todd Hamlet said. "But it's going to be a battle Thursday. They're not undefeated for nothing. We've got to come out early and see where we stand up to them.
"I expect them to put more pressure on than we saw (against Alcona). But we've got to attack that pressure."
Kalkaska's press and inside-outside balance on offense gave East Jordan fits. The Red Devils won the opening tip, and then trailed 12-0 with 5:17 gone in the game.
Maribeth Poindexter scored East Jordan's first points, hitting a triple with 2:26 to go in the first quarter. By that time, Netherlands foreign exchange student Mariska Bruggenthijs had scored six points inside and Chelsea Matley and Kelli Guy added a half dozen from the outside.
"They've got a well-rounded team," East Jordan coach Steve Hines said. "They've got an inside game. They can shoot it from the outside. They defend, they press. You can see why they're 24-0.
"We played them twice before and knew what they were going to go. They are an outstanding defensive team and put a lot of pressure on us. They were hitting on all cylinders."
That defense quickly translated into points.
"It worked pretty good coming out and I think they got frustrated at first," Guy said. "Hopefully we can start out the same way Thursday."
After a long jumper by Valeria Peters pulled East Jordan to within 15-5, the Blazers scored the next 16 points, many coming off fast breaks that resulted from defensive pressure. The 6-foot-3 Bruggenthijs even led a fast break that ended up with her dishing off to Matley for a layup.
Guy led all scorers with 19 points, and added six assists, four steals and hit five 3-pointers. Matley had 12 points, nine assists and six steals, while Bruggenthijs had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Jamie Myas contributed eight points, five rebounds and four assists and Sophia Menistrina had six points and six boards off the bench.
"Kelli is a phenomenal player as a freshman," Hines said of Guy. "It'll be interesting to see how good she gets by the time she's a senior."
Shaina Peters and Grace Howes led East Jordan (10-14) with eight points each, and Tanner McCune had six.
McBain led 16-3 after one quarter and 34-9 at halftime before reeling off 24 points in the first 7:19 of the third quarter to get a running clock with 41 seconds left in the stanza on a Danielle Hoekwater bucket.
Annemarie Hamlet and Macy Vanderhoef each scored nine points in the first half. Hamlet ended with 15 points, six assists and four steals, while Vanderhoef had 14 points. Ashley Vanhouten and Sarah Westdorp had nine points each. Hoekwater led the team with seven rebounds.
The Ramblers' other Van -- senior Megan Vandervlugt, a key reserve in last year's run to the state title game -- only played about half the game.
"She's been hurt," Todd Hamlet said. "She's got an MCL tear that we've been trying to hide. It's awful hard to hide when we're playing full-court pressure. She's at about 70 percent."
Last year's team lost to Flint Hamady in the state title game, but the Ramblers have three starters -- Vanhouten, Hamlet, Vanderhoef -- back from that team and have been toughened by an intense schedule.
"I've got a couple girls who were there, so hopefully we can get some recall," Hamlet said. "But we're a young team. We've got three sophomore who see a lot of playing time. Hopefully our leaders can step up and the sophomores can follow."
"Their record is so deceptive," Kalkaska coach Dave Dalton said. "They've lost to nobody but rated teams -- and rated teams in higher divisions."
Kalkaska is unbeaten and hungry for the third girls basketball regional title in school history, while McBain hopes it can make a return to Breslin.
"They have a lot more size than we do," Dalton said of the Ramblers. "They're always bumping and bodying. A lot of it is going to depend on how it's officiated. If they let them bang and push like they do, then it's going to be harder for us. But I think we've got a little more speed. They have a really great point guard; Hamlet, she's really tough.
"They have four or five girls that are taller than our second tallest player. That is going to be a factor. We're going to have to really rebound. But we've been answering the bell all year."
