DETROIT — Bedford's bid to get beyond a girls state basketball quarterfinal for the first time was denied Tuesday night, as the Kicking Mules lost to Wayne Memorial 55-37 in a Michigan Division 1 quarterfinal played at the University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall.
The Mules (24-3) were within 15-14 before Zebras star senior guard Colleena Bryant netted a bucket 3:39 before halftime that triggered a decisive 12-2 run.
The Zebras closed the half ahead 25-16, then broke things open with a 17-9 third quarter for a commanding 42-25 lead.
“I think we got tired,” 21st-year Bedford coach Bill Ryan said of the Mules' third-quarter dropoff. “We weren't able to go deep enough into the bench tonight, and they made plays.
“Number 24 [Bryant] is dynamic. She was exactly what we had worried about. She got downhill and just sees the court so well and makes all her teammates better.”
The biggest factor in the game was Wayne Memorial's 20-7 edge in turnovers forced out of its full-court pressure defense, an advantage that stood at 17-2 entering the fourth quarter.
“It's tough to try to simulate that type of pressure when you don't face teams that play that way [during season],” Ryan said. “Our kids are two and three-sport athletes, and we prepared to the best of our ability. There's no doubt that was the biggest factor in the game for us.”
It was the final game in the superb career of Bedford's 6-foot-2 basketball and volleyball all-stater Victoria Gray, who will play the latter sport at Indiana University.
“That's going to be a huge void,” Ryan said of Gray's upcoming graduation. “She was such a nice luxury to have. She cleaned up the boards and gave us easy offense at the other end. She has a great motor, and is a great kid. She's the ultimate competitor and a tremendous talent.”
In her prep swan song, Gray led Bedford with 17 points and 16 rebounds, and exited as the program's top career scorer and rebounder.
“I knew it wasn't going to be easy for me to score points and get rebounds, but at that point it I thought it was all or nothing,” Gray said of her eight-point third quarter. “I just tried to do what was best for our team. Obviously, it wasn't enough, but I tried my best.”
Afterward, Gray took a moment to reflect.
“I just took one last look around when we were coming off the court,” she said. “It was kind of surreal. I played this sport for 13 years, and to know this was my last time taking off my Bedford jersey and my shoes, I couldn't be prouder than to have played for a school like this.”
The Kicking Mules also got seven points from Gray's sophomore sister, Anna Gray, and five points and eight rebounds from senior point guard Aubrey Hensley, who played in only the team's final 11 games after rehabbing from foot surgery.
Bryant topped Wayne Memorial with 20 points, and senior teammate McKenzie Nelson added 18 points and six rebounds to lift the Zebras to 21-6.
“The game of basketball is about runs, so I just try to keep my group together and let them understand that,” Zebras coach Jarvis Mitchell said. “My kids stuck to the game plan, and I'm very happy with their execution.
“We made some slip-ups, like teenagers will do, but the most important thing was, when we made a mistake, we came back and player even harder.”
Two years ago, Wayne Memorial defeated Bedford 59-35 in a D-1 regional final.
Tuesday's season-ending loss closed a four-year stretch in which Bedford has posted an 88-13 overall record. This was the seventh quarterfinal appearance for the Mules.
Bedford did achieve one strategic goal it had coming in — defending the arc — limiting the Zebras to a 2-for-21 performance on 3-pointers. But, paced by Bryant (10 of 19 shooting), they were 20 of 55 (36 percent) from the field overall, and a sizzling 13 of 15 (87 percent) at the foul line.
“I was proud of how we defended the 3-point line,” Ryan said, ”but unfortunately we gave up too many buckets on the baseline trying to take away the 3-point shot.”
The Mules, who edged Wayne Memorial 30-28 in rebounding, were 14 of 33 (42 percent) from the field, including 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. They were 7 of 17 at the line.
Bedford, which fell to eventual 2024 D-1 champion West Bloomfield 54-32 on this same court in last year's state quarterfinals, had reached previous quarterfinals under Ryan in 2009, 2019, and 2021, plus two others earlier in 2002 and 2003.
First Published March 19, 2025, 1:00 a.m.
