There is a new sheriff in town and their gym is on Wyoming between Curtis and Six Mile. The Mumford Lady Mustangs won their second straight Detroit Public School League (PSL) girls varsity basketball city championship, outlasting former powerhouse Martin Luther King 59-49.
During the boys quarterfinals last week at King, Mumford head coach Kareem Hogan was sitting in the stands admiring the 25 city title banners that hang in King’s gym, hoping to have Mumford’s gym decorated with banners one day too. The torch seems like it has been passed to Hogan and he is building his alma mater into a city power.
“This win means everything,” said Hogan. “I’m a Mumford alum, class of 1998, and I love my school. I’m so proud that these girls but the work in to help our school become legendary.”
King had won the previous six girls city titles under now retired head coach William Winfield. Mumford has won the last two and with a young team, will not be going anywhere soon.
“I think it’s our time now,” Hogan said. “I have eight players coming back and we’ll be back next year. I think we’re headed in the right direction.”
Mumford (15-3) won by 10, but King (14-2) made it a tough game in the second half, even taking a 44-43 lead in the fourth quarter after being down by as much as 15. But senior Tiaira Earnest played a great game and made some big plays down the stretch to make sure Mumford would repeat as PSL champs. She had 17 points and Adoreya Williams had a game-high 18 for the Lady Mustangs.
“I wasn’t making the shots early on and I had to get it out of my system and go with it and had that big run,” Earnest said. “We knew that King only had one ballhandler (Del’Janae Williams), so we felt if we took her away from the game, we could win. So we just had to apply as much pressure as we could.”
Williams went down with a knee injury late in the fourth quarter, which Mumford took full advantage of. Cherelle Mathis also fouled out of the game for King and there was no real threat for the Lady Crusaders on the floor, allowing Mumford to pull away late. Williams led King with 15 points. Danielle Camp chipped in 10.
Now that Mumford has completed one goal of winning its league city, they have their eyes set on a state championship in a couple of weeks.
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