30———The Games———30

Detroit Northeastern, Warren Woods and Gladwinstormed to MHSAA titles 30 years ago

In an effort to promote educational ath-letics by showcasing some of the greatteams of past years, the Michigan HighSchool Athletic Association instituted a pro-gram called “Legends Of The Games” in1997. This year, 1975 champions DetroitNortheastern, Warren Woods and Gladwinwill be honored at halftime of the Class CFinal.

Can it be 30 years since Gladwincoach Ruth Ann Joslin’s bluetowel hit the basketball courts

throughout northern Michigan? SinceWarren Woods’ postgame celebrations atguard Kathy Bieniek’s parents’ home?Since the boy vs. girl scrimmages at DetroitNortheastern, where the cheerleaders andgirls basketball players good-naturedly imi-tated one another throughout one extraor-dinary season?

Cold signs of the times will tell us that,yes, it’s been all of three decades. Of the

three teams being honored at this week-end’s “Legends of the Game” festivities,only Gladwin still has a place to call home.

Detroit Northeastern no longer exists,and Warren Woods consolidated withWarren Tower to form current schoolWarren Woods-Tower.

Time goes on, buildings close, seasonsend. But, memories live on for members ofthree teams who made their one and onlyMHSAA Finals appearance count in theFall of 1975.

At Detroit Northeastern, the Falconsentered the 1975 campaign with one mis-sion: perfection. Close would no longercount, not when one loss in each of theprevious two seasons meant an end to theseason.

In 1973 and 1974, the first two years ofthe MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament,The Falcons lost just one time, each com-

ing in the tournament to eventual championDetroit Dominican. The one-point loss toDominican in the 1974 Regional was par-ticularly tough to swallow.

Once again, Northeastern brought anunblemished record into the tournament,running its mark to 19-0 entering the 1975Semifinals vs. Dominican. This yearbelonged to Northeastern, however, as theFalcons got revenge with a 75-69 victoryand a trip to the Finals vs. Framington OurLady of Mercy.

“After all we’ve been through, winningthis time really feels good,” Northeasterncoach Brenda Gatlin told reporters after-ward. “We set our goal this season to winthe state title.”

Little doubt that Mercy had that samegoal after coming up on the wrong side of a59-58 score to Dominican in 1974. The twoteams had faced each other earlier in theseason, with Northeastern coming out on

Photo courtesy of Jeanne Tafoya

Warren Woods head coach Carol Susalla discusses strategy with the teamduring the Warriors’ 1975 run to the Class B MHSAA championship.

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Kathy Flynn of Gladwin dishes off a pass during the 1975 championshipseason. Flynn was chosen as the team’s top defensive player as the FlyingG’s captured their first and only MHSAA crown in any sport.

31———The Games———31

top by nine points.There was much

more at stake in therematch, and North-eastern, led by sistersHelen and SheilaWilliams, were not tobe denied. TheWilliams sisterspoured in 51 points inthe 67-62 victory, thefirst MHSAA girls cagecrown for a DetroitPublic School Leagueteam. Helen led theattack with 31 points,while Sheila added20, while guardsKatharine Reid andSylvia Jackson ran thefloor and applied tena-cious defensive pres-sure.

“Everybody knowsabout Sheila andHelen, but it was thedefense we got from ourguards in the second half that did the jobfor us,” Gatlin said afterward.

It was a fitting finish for the 21-0Falcons, who could consider the missionaccomplished.

“I’ll always remember how the cheer-leaders and men’s basketball team helpedus out throughout the year,” Jackson said.“The men played us in scrimmages. Theyplayed us hard and made us tough. Thecheerleaders and our team would imitateeach other and have a lot of laughs. Wewere a family.”

Just up the road in WarrenWoods that same Fall, KathyBieniek’s parents welcomed anextended family on many occa-sions.

“One of my fondest memo-ries is all the celebrations atKathy Bieniek’s house,” recallsJeanne Mason, a guard/forwardon the Warriors’ Class B cham-pionship team. “Her parentswere so kind.”

Much more hospitable thanthe Warriors were to opposingteams en route to a 21-2 recordunder Coach Carol Susalla. LikeNortheastern, Warren Woodswas facing a formidable task inreaching the its destination,defeating a favored Fentonteam, 42-40, in overtime in the

Regional Final, thenadvancing to theFinal with a 54-44 winover Jenison.

The reward forthe Warriors’ hardwork was a date withdefending champTecumseh, whichbrought a 45-gamewinning streak intothe contest.

“We saw themplay in the Semifinalsand felt they weregood, but not unbeat-able,” Susalla toldreporters. “I think thekey was slowing thegame down and notletting Tecumseh runits fast break.”

The result was 18points from center

Debbie Waschewski, and 16 from Bieniekin a 46-43 Woods victory. Bieniek poured in35 in the Semifinal win over Jenison, andWaschewski had come up big with a cou-ple of buckets in the overtime vs. Fenton.

The Warriors led by three after a quar-ter and at the half, and led by just two with19 seconds left, then survived a pair ofmissed free throws and a missed tip under-neath to take the school’s first title.

In the northern regions of the state,meanwhile, the Flying G’s of Gladwin werealso making a run at the school’s first

MHSAA crown in any sport.Coach Ruth Ann Joslin’s teams were

perennial contenders for the title, and witha 48-33 win in the Class C Final overHopkins, she and the school had their firstchampionship.

The win gave Gladwin a 25-1 mark, andan capped an eight-year run that sawJoslin guide the team to a 110-10 record,but the real start to the 1975 season cameat the end of 1974.

“We lost the Quarterfinal game the yearbefore,” Joslin said. “It was a horrible lossfor us.The team met the next day to vote ona team MVP and turn in uniforms. At thatmeeting, they told me that would neverhappen again and proclaimed that, ‘We willbe state champions next year.’

“We all set out to ensure that wouldhappen. We worked all summer ondefense, and our man-to-man went fromexcellent to fantastic; our opponents onlyaveraged 20 points a game.”

Kathy Flynn was instrumental as theteam’s defensive stopper, while Amy Huberled the team from point guard. Lisa Woodsaveraged 15 points per game, and BeckyKern dominated the boards during the sea-son.

In the title game vs. Hopkins, Woodsnetted 18 points while Flynn and JulieRandal added 10 apiece.

Guard Cheri Jo Card recalled the inten-sity of the team, and how it mirroredJoslin’s approach – and the signal for theteam to step it up a notch.

“You could always count on CoachJoslin to throw her blue towel on the floor if

someone was notwhere they shouldhave been,” Cardsaid. “It showed heremotion and droveus to play hard anddo our best no matterwhat else was goingon.”

It might also havesignified trouble foropponents through-out that magical1975 season.

— Rob KaminskiMHSAA Web Site

and PublicationsCoordinator

Photo courtesy of Jeanne Tafoya

Photo courtesy of Gladwin High School

Warren Woods’ Rhonda Nielson pulls down arebound during the 1975 campaign.

Gladwin coach Ruth Ann Joslin accepts the 1975 Class C cham-pionship trophy in front of her team and fans.

57 ——The Games———57

WARREN WOODS

Carol Susalla Johnson, CoachLisa Barrowman AlfonsiLinda Edgeworth Robert, F/CTaryn Hoisington Maurer, ManagerJeanne Mason Tafoya, G/FJill Manardo Bates Julie Smith Tracy, FKaren Grove Cossu, G

GLADWIN

Ruth Ann Joslin, CoachKaren Bolton, Assistant CoachCheri Jo Card, G/FPhyllis Bowen Jacobson, G/FDiane Conner Rellinger, GJulie Crandall, F/CBecky Kern French, FLisa Woods Duran, F

DETROIT NORTHEASTERN

Cynthia Appling, GNatasha Bowden, GPatricia BowenShelia Calhoun Akers, GVanessa Calhoun Marshall, GSandra Hudson, GSylvia Jackson, FKatharine Reid Mitchell, GBrenda Robinson Wright, F/CSheila Williams, F/CHelen Williams Kilgore, F

BACK ON THE COURTExpected to be in attendance for today’s ceremonies are the following:

Legends of the Games – continued from page 31

Detroit Northeastern

Warren Woods

Gladwin

“The team wasn’t just a team, we were like familyand Ms. Brenda Gatlin wasn’t just our coach, shewas like a mother to us.” – Cynthia Appling,Detroit Northeastern

“It had taken the dedication and hard work ofeach player and both coaches to get us where wewere. We took the court, played our best, andwon the 1975 Class C championship.” – Cheri JoCard, Gladwin

“We had such an unselfish team; the teammatesreally cared about each other and it showed inthe game.” – Karen Grove Cossu, Warren Woods