Mercy basketball cruises past North Farmington, wins third-straight district title

Alexis Roberts knows how deep Mercy’s basketball team is. 

As the team’s senior point guard, leading a roster with six other seniors, her job is to get the ball to the hot hand, which, she said, can change from night to night. 

“Anybody can get hot at any given moment,” Roberts said. “It’s finding the open player and trusting them with the ball.” 

Offensively, Roberts herself was the hot hand, leading Mercy (14-3) to its third-straight district title — the team’s ninth in the past 10 years — beating North Farmington (6-10), 56-32, Friday night at Novi High School. 

Roberts led the team with 14 points, two rebounds and four steals, distributing the ball from the half court to players like senior Ellie Tisko, who tied Roberts’ lead with 14 points, adding two steals and a rebound; and Madeline Kenney, who recorded eight points, three rebounds and two steals. 

That depth came in handy early. 

North Farmington came out firing, as Heaven Rogers and Sela Lefler ignited a quick 5-0 run to start the game. But one made basket from Kenney turned the tides, starting a 17-2 run to take a 10-point first-quarter lead. 

The Marlins offense continued to build momentum from there, using a 6-0 lead at the end of the first half to keep an 11-point lead going into halftime. 

North Farmington head coach Jeff Simpson knew his team was the underdogs coming into the district final, facing “one of the top teams in the state.” Despite the deficit, he felt the Raiders were in as good of a position as they had been all season.

“That first half might have been our best half all season. We were playing, we were executing our game plan, shooting the ball, we were defending them well and then it got away right at the tail end of the first half,” he said. 

That six-point swing by the Marlins continued into the second half, starting the third quarter on a 12-2 run, helped by five points and a steal by Roberts. “She’s really good at knowing when to push and when to go slow,” Mercy head coach Gary Morris said of his senior point guard. “She’s also very aware, if we have a hot shooter, trying to get her touches or try and take advantage of a situation where we maybe feel we have an advantage, whatever position that might be. She’s just been very smart, a very experienced player.” 

Holding onto a 20-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Mercy capped off its district title with a 7-2 run led by Kenzie Williamson, who scored five points and added two steals in the final quarter. 

Rogers led North Farmington with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Lefler added 10 points and four assists. 

As Mercy celebrated a district title, along with its 12-game win streak, Roberts continued to have her goals. She wants this veteran group to continue to play together, to continue to prove to the rest of the state that the Marlins can play with anybody. 

But 17 games into a season that has been affected by COVID-19 in every way possible — something that Mercy was not immune too, Morris said — Roberts is just thankful for the opportunity to still play. 

“It’s really a blessing because not everybody has the same opportunity,” she said. “We have to take advantage of every opportunity we have and just take it one game at a time and just keep going.” 

Mercy/North Farmington will take on Groves in the regional semifinal 7 p.m. Monday at Detroit Renaissance. 

Contact reporter Colin Gay at cgay@hometownlife.com or 248-330-6710. Follow him on Twitter @ColinGay17. Send game results and stats to Liv-Sports@hometownlife.com.