BY SCOTT DECAMP
Injuries have hampered Camiyah “Cece” Bonner before. If you expect one to stop Bonner now, then you don’t know her very well.
Muskegon’s menacing, goggle-wearing, 5-foot-6 ½ senior point guard missed the entire fourth quarter in her team’s 48-30 win over Midland in last Wednesday’s Division 1 regional final at Alma.
Bonner aggravated an ankle that she had previously injured. Bonner appeared to be in pain but said she could have returned to the game had she been needed.
Now that Muskegon (23-2) is one win away from the Breslin Center, taking on familiar foe Grand Haven (23-3) in Tuesday’s 7 p.m. state quarterfinal at Hudsonville, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep Bonner off the floor. The Lady Reds are seeking their first state semifinal appearance since the 2018-19 season.
“I know she’s extremely tough and she definitely won’t miss the quarterfinal game because of her resiliency,” Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill said. “She’s been through a lot, as far as the perseverance and resiliency she’s shown for four years – you can’t even describe it.”
Bonner did not play her freshman season because of injury. As a junior, she appeared in only two games because of a knee injury.
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner (4) is introduced with the starting lineup prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
In two full seasons with the Lady Reds, the Oakland University signee has totaled 521 points, 228 rebounds, 166 assists, and 100 steals. This season, Bonner is averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 3.0 deflections per contest.
The most important thing that the 18-year-old daughter of Jerome Watkins and Monica Bonner does is set the tone for her team.
“I’m a true point guard. When you have teammates like (6-3 junior Division I prospect) Dy’Nasti Bell, you have a dominant post; and you have a dominant guard (Miss Basketball finalist Mariah Sain), as a point guard it’s your job to make sure they’re eatin’,” Bonner said. “For example, Mariah, she’s our scorer so it’s my job to make sure that she’s getting the shots she needs and making sure we’re calling the right plays.
“It doesn’t bother me (not getting a lot of shots) because when crunch time comes and I know that I can score at will, then I know that I need to score and I can get shots off easily or I can get to the rim easily or create a better shot for somebody else. I read the game and react to it.”
Against Midland, with Bonner on the bench icing and resting her ankle, her teammates picked up the slack and helped the Lady Reds cruise to a comfortable victory. In her absence, players like sophomore Antanique Sargent and juniors Timera Hunter and Dajuneek Piggue helped pick up the slack with valuable backcourt minutes.
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner sizes up her defender during a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
“I was terrified (about Bonner’s injury aggravation), but she got right back up and she’s a really strong woman,” Bell said.
In fact, Muskegon showed some depth with Bonner on the bench. The Lady Reds outscored the Chemics, 9-2, in the fourth quarter.
Sain scored four second-half points after erupting for 21 in the first half. Bell posted another double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. In limited minutes, Bonner finished with five points and five assists. Sargent stepped up with five points and three steals.
“We have a deep bench and we stress that a lot in, like, practice that others have to step up. We go at it (in practice) just like we would in a game against opponents. I believe practice prepared us for that for sure,” Bonner said.
“The best part is, we’re goofy. We can all play with each other, we can all have fun, just be in the moment – even to the coaches. But when it’s time for business, we mean business for sure.”
It’s on the defensive end where Bonner really gets to business. As much as she enjoys running the offense and distributing for teammates, Bonner loves to pressure the basketball and make life miserable for opponents.
“I’m a defensive-minded player, so I’m going to disrupt you, I’m all up in your face, I’m making you uncomfortable, and I’m getting straight to it so my team can just feed off of me,” Bonner said.
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner shoots a free throw during a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Teammates advise: Don’t sleep on Bonner on the offensive end. She definitely has her moments.
“Her role on the team is very important. Not only can she score the ball, but she sees the floor very well,” Sain said. “Once they try and take me out of the game, (Bonner) is another threat – you can’t take both of us out of the game at the same time.”
Added Bell: “I call Cece my point guard. She’s one of those players who knows where to get the ball, when to get the ball, to where it needs to go. She’s a very important key for me, for the team. I think that her being overshadowed (offensively) shouldn’t bother her or anybody else because regardless she’s going to do her job. If she knows her importance on the team, I think that’s all that really matters.”
Seriously as she takes basketball, Bonner gets it done in the classroom, too. She carries a 4.0 GPA.
In terms of her collegiate future, Bonner received offers from other D-I programs but she felt Oakland was a great fit.
“When I visited Oakland, I just felt like I was at home. You know, I love the city. When I went there, the coaches made me feel like I was at home. It was beautiful,” Bonner said about the Oakland campus, located in Rochester in Metro Detroit.
“One funny thing, they were playing my favorite song when I got in the locker room, so I was like, ‘Yeah, this is the one,’” Bonner added with a big grin, referring to the song “Best of Me” by Anthony Hamilton.
Before heading off to Oakland, Bonnner and her teammates have some unfinished business.
Grand Haven stands in Muskegon’s way of a trip to the Breslin. On Jan. 28, Grand Haven edged Muskegon, 47-46, in an intense regular-season game that felt like a state quarterfinal should.
In that game, Muskegon got off to a rough start and trailed 25-11 at halftime before storming back. Bonner and the Lady Reds know they can’t make that mistake twice.
“Grand Haven, the (lesson) was learned. We hadn’t seen a team (play) the zone they ran on us,” Bonner said. “We hadn’t seen a team do that and I feel like it made our big realize just how important she was because they were running a high 2-3 cutting off the wings. For next time, we know what we’ve got to do and we’re coming in stronger and better.
“When I think of Muskegon, I think of family. We’re all together – no matter who’s against us, we’re all together.”
Featured photo at the top: Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner (4) initiates the offense during a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner and teammates wait to take the floor for their Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner (4) is introduced with the starting lineup prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner (4) tucks in her shirt prior to a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner (4) prepares to fire a pass during a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner, middle left with goggles, listens during a timeout in a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon girls basketball players, including senior point guard Cece Bonner (4), leave the floor for the halftime break during a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner ices her ankle on the bench the fourth quarter of a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)
Muskegon senior point guard Cece Bonner (4) gets a hug from athletic director Keith Guy after a prior to a Division 1 regional girls basketball final against Midland Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Alma High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)