Crowning a 2026 Division 5 Boys Basketball Champion
The smallest schools. The biggest stage.
Let’s crown Michigan’s first ever Division 5 boys basketball champion.
What if basketball had a division 5? Mocking a girls tournament.
What if division 5 existed in Michigan High School Basketball? Beyond the Bridge puts together a full D5 girls tournament based on 2026 results.
Made For Each other: Ishpeming vs. Loyola
Two teams. three games. There’s more to this rivalry than David vs. Goliath.
Buy in: The Rise of L’anse Athletics
How L’Anse athletics went from forfeits and frustrations to one of the best U.P. turnaround stories.
Modeltowner Turnaround: Adam Ely gains buy-in
Tearing things down and starting over was never in the cards for Gwinn Girls coach Adam Ely.
Rich Ledy Transforming Marquette Basketball: Will now face #1 team in Michigan.
Marquette Varsity Coach Rich Ledy has transformed the UP’s only division 1 school. He will now face the biggest coaching game of his life.
Heart and Sole: Sarah Harvey’s incredible day.
Ishpeming bowler Sarah Harvey reinvented her game on short notice, with a little help from her teammates.
Turned Around: A Season That Ended Mid Sentence
The patriots hadn’t planned to come back to the UP without a Div 3 state title, but the world had other plans.