The Lady Reds ran the state championship trophy over to their fan section and Mariah Sain held it high for all to see.
Photo courtesy of LocalSportsJournal.com
Photo courtesy of LocalSportsJournal.com
By Scott DeCamp
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON – Maurice Sain has had a very unique vantage point in recent months. He’s watched very bad and very good things happen in the Greater Muskegon community he adores.
As Muskegon Heights Police Chief, Sain is a leader for those on the front lines fighting crime and trying to keep the community safe. It’s been a rough stretch as the city grapples with youth gun violence.
As an assistant coach for the Muskegon High School girls basketball team, Sain had a front-row seat and brought a calming presence as an inspiring and uplifting story unfolded with the Lady Reds. He watched his daughter, senior standout Mariah Sain, lead on and off the court.
The Muskegon squad made history and left a legacy by becoming the first girls basketball team in Muskegon County history to capture an MHSAA state championship. Muskegon capped the feat with a roll-up-your-sleeves, gutsy comeback victory over Detroit Renaissance, 34-29, in the March 21 Division 1 title game at The Breslin Center in East Lansing.
The resilient manner in which the Lady Reds pulled it off was fitting of the community in which they live. In the DNA of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights is a blue-collar mentality. Respect is always earned and never given. Largely, our community is composed of underdogs with something to prove.
High school sports are not life or death. However, they can be an incredible platform for teaching life lessons. They can bring communities together and unify groups that may otherwise not be so closely associated.
That’s what we saw with the players and coaches on the Lady Reds team, as well as the throngs of people who traveled along Muskegon’s state tournament trail: Mona Shores for districts, Ithaca and Alma for regionals; Hudsonville for the quarterfinal; and Michigan State University’s Breslin Center for the semifinals and finals.
During the run to glory, Mariah Sain and Muskegon head coach Bernard Loudermill referenced their team being a “positive light” for the community during an otherwise challenging time.
While Muskegon and Muskegon Heights are technically separate cities, we’re all one. Loudermill, Maurice Sain, and Muskegon athletic director/boys basketball coach Keith Guy are all proud Muskegon Heights alumni, who have been welcomed by Big Red Nation.
We’re all connected. When we’re happy for each other’s success and pull for one another, and when we all push in unison for a common cause, truly remarkable things can happen. That’s what the Lady Reds’ 26-2 storybook season showed us.
“I think bringing our two communities together for the tournament run was really a positive thing for our communities during a time where recent gun violence had negatively impacted both communities,” Maurice Sain said. “Our young ladies understood the opportunity they had to change that narrative by competing at a high level on the highest stage of high school basketball.
“Muskegon County has always been supportive of high school sports and with the success of the Lady Reds, they were able to bring us all together.”
It wasn’t just the fans in the stands along the way, wearing Muskegon’s cardinal and white school colors, Muskegon Heights’ orange and black, or any others represented on the palette.
Near and far, many people were pulling for the Lady Reds. After all, who doesn’t love a feel-good, underdog-style story such as this?
Prior to the season starting in early December and along their journey, Loudermill & Co. poured in much work to become a singular unit and remain one that would be able to persevere and overcome adversity while keeping eyes on the prize.
Loudermill noted that the Lady Reds endured the ups and downs of injuries, personality conflicts, relationships needing repair, and segments of the community not truly believing in their “Breslin Bound” rally cry.
“The girls never stopped believing in each other and never stopped working to win a state championship,” Loudermill said.
A thousand invisible mornings led to this moment. Pouring sweat in the very humid Muskegon High School pool room following a 3 ½-hour practice.
Hours spent in the training room, rehabilitating injuries, then forgetting those injuries even occurred when it’s time to lace up those sneakers and compete for your sisters. Countless meetings and team-bonding exercises.
This did not happen overnight. And it was not by accident.
When Muskegon trailed a similarly athletic and physical Renaissance squad 15-2 early in the second quarter and 27-21 with just under five minutes remaining in the championship game, the Lady Reds had to keep digging deep.
They were equipped to do so. The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.
It was Mariah Sain and senior backcourt mate Cece Bonner making plays and leading the squad. It was junior center Dy’Nasti Bell finding her second wind in crunch time even though it seemed her tank was nearing empty. It was senior Jaila Martin, hobbled all season after knee surgery, accepting her reserve role and emerging as a game-changing force when her team needed her most. It was sophomore sharpshooter Antanique Sargent, who made a huge impact in the title game with defense and intangibles despite not scoring a single point.
Every player and coach served a purpose. They didn’t do it for themselves. They did it for their team, for their community.
When the Lady Reds received their state championship medals and it was Mariah Sain’s turn, father Maurice Sain stopped his daughter briefly and put an imaginary crown on her head.
When Loudermill handed the state championship trophy to his players, they immediately ran it over to their fan section and held it high for all to see. It was a fitting gesture by the Lady Reds, who acknowledged the support that the community has given them.
Lessons were learned, in real time.
“Just keep working, to fight through adversity,” Mariah Sain said. “I feel like (in) that game, we fought through adversity. It was a lot of highs in that game, but it was a lot of lows.”
Our community has certainly endured its share of highs and lows. In Loudermill’s mind, we are all blessed to have a shining light known as the 2025-26 Muskegon girls basketball team.
In the grand scheme of things, basketball is way down the list in terms of life’s priorities. But, again, what a vehicle it has been for bringing people together for a common good.
What a ride it’s been.
“At the end of the day, all praises go to God for giving us this moment to make history with the Lady Reds basketball program,” Loudermill said.
“At the same time, during this trying time of a lot of violence in the community, just giving them the moment to really bring the community together because there was a lot of community support from Muskegon Heights as well as Big Red Nation at Breslin this past weekend. That’s that unified moment right there.”
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON – Maurice Sain has had a very unique vantage point in recent months. He’s watched very bad and very good things happen in the Greater Muskegon community he adores.
As Muskegon Heights Police Chief, Sain is a leader for those on the front lines fighting crime and trying to keep the community safe. It’s been a rough stretch as the city grapples with youth gun violence.
As an assistant coach for the Muskegon High School girls basketball team, Sain had a front-row seat and brought a calming presence as an inspiring and uplifting story unfolded with the Lady Reds. He watched his daughter, senior standout Mariah Sain, lead on and off the court.
The Muskegon squad made history and left a legacy by becoming the first girls basketball team in Muskegon County history to capture an MHSAA state championship. Muskegon capped the feat with a roll-up-your-sleeves, gutsy comeback victory over Detroit Renaissance, 34-29, in the March 21 Division 1 title game at The Breslin Center in East Lansing.
The resilient manner in which the Lady Reds pulled it off was fitting of the community in which they live. In the DNA of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights is a blue-collar mentality. Respect is always earned and never given. Largely, our community is composed of underdogs with something to prove.
High school sports are not life or death. However, they can be an incredible platform for teaching life lessons. They can bring communities together and unify groups that may otherwise not be so closely associated.
That’s what we saw with the players and coaches on the Lady Reds team, as well as the throngs of people who traveled along Muskegon’s state tournament trail: Mona Shores for districts, Ithaca and Alma for regionals; Hudsonville for the quarterfinal; and Michigan State University’s Breslin Center for the semifinals and finals.
During the run to glory, Mariah Sain and Muskegon head coach Bernard Loudermill referenced their team being a “positive light” for the community during an otherwise challenging time.
While Muskegon and Muskegon Heights are technically separate cities, we’re all one. Loudermill, Maurice Sain, and Muskegon athletic director/boys basketball coach Keith Guy are all proud Muskegon Heights alumni, who have been welcomed by Big Red Nation.
We’re all connected. When we’re happy for each other’s success and pull for one another, and when we all push in unison for a common cause, truly remarkable things can happen. That’s what the Lady Reds’ 26-2 storybook season showed us.
“I think bringing our two communities together for the tournament run was really a positive thing for our communities during a time where recent gun violence had negatively impacted both communities,” Maurice Sain said. “Our young ladies understood the opportunity they had to change that narrative by competing at a high level on the highest stage of high school basketball.
“Muskegon County has always been supportive of high school sports and with the success of the Lady Reds, they were able to bring us all together.”
It wasn’t just the fans in the stands along the way, wearing Muskegon’s cardinal and white school colors, Muskegon Heights’ orange and black, or any others represented on the palette.
Near and far, many people were pulling for the Lady Reds. After all, who doesn’t love a feel-good, underdog-style story such as this?
Prior to the season starting in early December and along their journey, Loudermill & Co. poured in much work to become a singular unit and remain one that would be able to persevere and overcome adversity while keeping eyes on the prize.
Loudermill noted that the Lady Reds endured the ups and downs of injuries, personality conflicts, relationships needing repair, and segments of the community not truly believing in their “Breslin Bound” rally cry.
“The girls never stopped believing in each other and never stopped working to win a state championship,” Loudermill said.
A thousand invisible mornings led to this moment. Pouring sweat in the very humid Muskegon High School pool room following a 3 ½-hour practice.
Hours spent in the training room, rehabilitating injuries, then forgetting those injuries even occurred when it’s time to lace up those sneakers and compete for your sisters. Countless meetings and team-bonding exercises.
This did not happen overnight. And it was not by accident.
When Muskegon trailed a similarly athletic and physical Renaissance squad 15-2 early in the second quarter and 27-21 with just under five minutes remaining in the championship game, the Lady Reds had to keep digging deep.
They were equipped to do so. The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.
It was Mariah Sain and senior backcourt mate Cece Bonner making plays and leading the squad. It was junior center Dy’Nasti Bell finding her second wind in crunch time even though it seemed her tank was nearing empty. It was senior Jaila Martin, hobbled all season after knee surgery, accepting her reserve role and emerging as a game-changing force when her team needed her most. It was sophomore sharpshooter Antanique Sargent, who made a huge impact in the title game with defense and intangibles despite not scoring a single point.
Every player and coach served a purpose. They didn’t do it for themselves. They did it for their team, for their community.
When the Lady Reds received their state championship medals and it was Mariah Sain’s turn, father Maurice Sain stopped his daughter briefly and put an imaginary crown on her head.
When Loudermill handed the state championship trophy to his players, they immediately ran it over to their fan section and held it high for all to see. It was a fitting gesture by the Lady Reds, who acknowledged the support that the community has given them.
Lessons were learned, in real time.
“Just keep working, to fight through adversity,” Mariah Sain said. “I feel like (in) that game, we fought through adversity. It was a lot of highs in that game, but it was a lot of lows.”
Our community has certainly endured its share of highs and lows. In Loudermill’s mind, we are all blessed to have a shining light known as the 2025-26 Muskegon girls basketball team.
In the grand scheme of things, basketball is way down the list in terms of life’s priorities. But, again, what a vehicle it has been for bringing people together for a common good.
What a ride it’s been.
“At the end of the day, all praises go to God for giving us this moment to make history with the Lady Reds basketball program,” Loudermill said.
“At the same time, during this trying time of a lot of violence in the community, just giving them the moment to really bring the community together because there was a lot of community support from Muskegon Heights as well as Big Red Nation at Breslin this past weekend. That’s that unified moment right there.”
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