By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com

LUDINGTON — He’s been so busy planning for the trip — working on buses, food, hotels and tickets — that Ludington girls basketball coach Warren Stowe doesn’t feel like he knows too much about Detroit Edison, the Orioles’ opponent in Friday night’s 7:30 p.m. MHSAA Division 2 state semifinal at the Breslin Center.

Well, that’s not entirely true.

Stowe is certainly aware that Edison is 17-3 this season, and that the Pioneers defeated No. 4 and defending state champion Portland, 53-35 in the quarterfinal at Williamston.

And he knows that the Pioneers come in as the top ranked team in Division 2.

“They’ve had one of the best basketball programs in the state for a number of years,” said Stowe. “I know that they’ve got supreme athletes, and on top of that they’re good basketball players that are going to play basketball not just in college, but at the high college level.

“We’ll have our hands full, but it’s the state semifinals and you wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Ludington pulled away from fifth-ranked Frankenmuth in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Eagles, 16-12 in the final eight minutes for a 30-27 victory at Cadillac on Tuesday.

It’s still two teams of 16 and 17-year old girls playing a game. Granted, it’s a big game.

“We are who we are,” Stowe added. “We have to maintain our identity, and that’s that. We’ve settled in to becoming one of the better defensive teams in the state in my opinion, and what a great opportunity for us to play probably one of the more talented offensive teams in the state.

“It’s an opportunity to see if we can slow them down, and then we’re going to have to score more than 30 points to win. There’s no doubt about it.”

For tickets, go to the MHSAA website. The game will also be available on the NFHS Network.