{"id":222615,"date":"2026-03-16T21:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/222615\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T21:01:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:01:14","slug":"oakland-signee-cece-bonner-spark-plug-point-guard-who-keeps-muskegon-girls-basketball-machine-rolling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/222615\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland signee Cece Bonner spark-plug point guard who keeps Muskegon girls basketball machine rolling"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY SCOTT DECAMP<\/p>\n

LocalSportsJournal.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Injuries have hampered Camiyah \u201cCece\u201d Bonner before. If you expect one to stop Bonner now, then you don\u2019t know her very well.\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Muskegon\u2019s menacing, goggle-wearing, 5-foot-6 \u00bd senior point guard missed the entire fourth quarter in her team\u2019s 48-30 win over Midland in last Wednesday\u2019s Division 1 regional final at Alma.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Now that Muskegon (23-2) is one win away from the Breslin Center, taking on familiar foe Grand Haven (23-3) in Tuesday\u2019s 7 p.m. state quarterfinal at Hudsonville, you\u2019ll be hard-pressed to keep Bonner off the floor. The Lady Reds are seeking their first state semifinal appearance since the 2018-19 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know she\u2019s extremely tough and she definitely won\u2019t miss the quarterfinal game because of her resiliency,\u201d Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill said. \u201cShe\u2019s been through a lot, as far as the perseverance and resiliency she\u2019s shown for four years \u2013 you can\u2019t even describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonner did not play her freshman season because of injury. As a junior, she appeared in only two games because of a knee injury.<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The most important thing that the 18-year-old daughter of Jerome Watkins and Monica Bonner does is set the tone for her team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a true point guard. When you have teammates like (6-3 junior Division I prospect) Dy\u2019Nasti Bell, you have a dominant post; and you have a dominant guard (Miss Basketball finalist Mariah Sain), as a point guard it\u2019s your job to make sure they\u2019re eatin\u2019,\u201d Bonner said. \u201cFor example, Mariah, she\u2019s our scorer so it\u2019s my job to make sure that she\u2019s getting the shots she needs and making sure we\u2019re calling the right plays.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was terrified (about Bonner\u2019s injury aggravation), but she got right back up and she\u2019s a really strong woman,\u201d Bell said.<\/p>\n

In fact, Muskegon showed some depth with Bonner on the bench. The Lady Reds outscored the Chemics, 9-2, in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Bonner said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part is, we\u2019re goofy. We can all play with each other, we can all have fun, just be in the moment \u2013 even to the coaches. But when it\u2019s time for business, we mean business for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a defensive-minded player, so I\u2019m going to disrupt you, I\u2019m all up in your face, I\u2019m making you uncomfortable, and I\u2019m getting straight to it so my team can just feed off of me,\u201d Bonner said.<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

Teammates advise: Don\u2019t sleep on Bonner on the offensive end. She definitely has her moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer role on the team is very important. Not only can she score the ball, but she sees the floor very well,\u201d Sain said. \u201cOnce they try and take me out of the game, (Bonner) is another threat \u2013 you can\u2019t take both of us out of the game at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Bell: \u201cI call Cece my point guard. She\u2019s one of those players who knows where to get the ball, when to get the ball, to where it needs to go. She\u2019s a very important key for me, for the team. I think that her being overshadowed (offensively) shouldn\u2019t bother her or anybody else because regardless she\u2019s going to do her job. If she knows her importance on the team, I think that\u2019s all that really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seriously as she takes basketball, Bonner gets it done in the classroom, too. She carries a 4.0 GPA.<\/p>\n

In terms of her collegiate future, Bonner received offers from other D-I programs but she felt Oakland was a great fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d Bonner said about the Oakland campus, located in Rochester in Metro Detroit.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne funny thing, they were playing my favorite song when I got in the locker room, so I was like, \u2018Yeah, this is the one,\u2019\u201d Bonner added with a big grin, referring to the song \u201cBest of Me\u201d by Anthony Hamilton.<\/p>\n

Before heading off to Oakland, Bonnner and her teammates have some unfinished business.<\/p>\n

Grand Haven stands in Muskegon\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t make that mistake twice.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrand Haven, the (lesson) was learned. We hadn\u2019t seen a team (play) the zone they ran on us,\u201d Bonner said. \u201cWe hadn\u2019t 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\u2019ve got to do and we\u2019re coming in stronger and better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I think of Muskegon, I think of family. We\u2019re all together \u2013 no matter who\u2019s against us, we\u2019re all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

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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)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BY SCOTT DECAMP LocalSportsJournal.com Injuries have hampered Camiyah \u201cCece\u201d Bonner before. If you expect one to stop Bonner…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-222615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}