Coach Josh Hood

(3-20-25) Today in a Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 State Semifinal Girls Basketball game Brandywine lost to Ypsilanti Arbor Prep on two free throws with just 2 seconds remaining in the game 41-39.

Brandywine came into today’s game 26-0, in earlier tournament games the Bobcats beat Kalamazoo Christian in the regional final and Calvin Christian in the quarterfinal before losing to Arbor Prep. It is the Bobcats’ second loss to Arbor Prep at the Breslin Center in as many years, having lost to the Gators in the 2024 state championship game.

In the other Division 3 semifinal game today Calumet (public) lost to Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (private). That sets up a Division 3 private school state title game on Saturday.

What Brandywine Girls Basketball Coach Josh Hood said after the loss…

“We’re really proud of our two-time defending public school state champion. And nobody talks about it, but I’m going to say it: we’re the only school since the regional championship to beat private schools. We’re the only public community school since the regional finals in our division to beat private schools.

It’s not sour grapes ― Arbor Prep has a great program, Scott is a phenomenal coach; he does an unbelievable job ― but we’ve got 13 girls that are hurting really bad that we’ve had since kindergarten, developing them, working with them. We don’t wait until their freshmen to go get them or for them to show up and play the game at a level.

I’m a math guy, so I’m pretty good with numbers. In the fall sports 13 of the 16 small-school state champions, 13 out of 16, were parochial schools or private schools. The runners-up, 12 out of 16 — 25 out of 32 state champions and runners-up in Division 3 and 4.

Nobody talks about this. I’m taking the high road, OK? The game was decided at the end. We needed to make shots; I’m not talking about the game itself. I’m just talking about the real problem we have here. Until somebody does something, it’s not going to change.

So, what we’ve got is girls from our community who have busted their tail for 12 or 13 years to get to the pinnacle, to get to here, and now all of a sudden, we lose again to a prep team. It’s ridiculous, and I’m sick of it. Nobody talks about it. I love those girls, and I’ll go to battle for them. Again, two-time defending public school state champions, because they’re the last public school standing.”