The Goodrich varsity basketball team did all they could, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to repeat as Genesee Area Conference Red Division champions.
In their final regular season game Feb. 25, the host Martians defeated Lake Fenton 58-46, finishing the year with a record of 11-5 in the league and 14-6 overall.
However, the Martians? hopes for a second straight division title were dashed that same night when Montrose defeated Mt. Morris 70-67, giving the Rams the division title with a record of 12-4 in the league, one game ahead of the Martians.
Goodrich now turns its attention to the state playoffs. The Martians faced LakeVille in the district semifinals Wednesday, March 2 at Flint Powers Catholic High School.
The Falcons (8-12) defeated Montrose 62-56 in the district opener Feb. 28 at Powers, knocking off the GAC Red champion Rams, who finished with a 14-6 overall record.
Goodrich coach Gary Barns said LakeVille has three players, point guard Ryan Streichert, shooting guard Randy Norris, and forward Jeremy DesGrange, that will cause the Martians the most concern.
In addition, Barns said LakeVille coach Richard Griest is retiring at the end of the year, so he expects the Falcons will play with a great deal of intensity.
‘We’ve defeated them twice already this season,? Barns said of LakeVille. ‘It’s very hard to beat someone three times.?
Before the game against Lake Fenton, Goodrich’s 10 seniors were honored at their last home game. Senior captains Kirk Elsworth, Craig VanWagoner and Michael Skinner were recognized along with the following senior players: Charlie Richards, Keith Brotherton, Wayne Coulman, Brett Bowers, Kenny Cramb, Ben Wilson, and Andy Klumpp.
The game started out relatively slow, with the Martians holding a 10-8 lead after the first quarter. However, Goodrich slowly took command of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Blue Devils 11-6 in the period to take a 21-14 lead at the half.
Goodrich’s superior depth helped the Martians pull away in the second half for the win. Lake Fenton’s Corey Jacobs led all scorers with 21 points, but only five other Blue Devils got into the scoring column.
Meanwhile, the Martians received more balanced scoring in the game, led by Skinner’s 11 points and five rebounds. Elsworth added eight points and nine rebounds, while Klump contributed eight points. In all, 10 Martians scored in the contest.