Goodrich’s varsity boys basketball team got a firsthand look at a state title contender March 5.
The Chargers completely dominated the Martians on their way to a 72-26 victory in their district final matchup at Powers. The Martians finished their season with a 15-7 record.
Goodrich coach Gary Barns said his team played hard all night against Powers, but the Martians just ran into a buzzsaw.
‘They’re, in my estimation, one of the top five teams in the state,? Barns said of the Chargers. ‘They have a real opportunity to play in the state championship game. It was a great experience. Our kids got to play in front of a large crowd.?
In the first quarter, the Martians actually held their own for a stretch before the Chargers pulled away, Barns said.
‘In the first four or five minutes, we had the tempo the way we wanted it,? he said. ‘Then we missed a couple shots, and they (Powers) can score very quickly. We were down 5-4, and the next thing you know, we were down 20-6.?
Wayne Coulman led the Martians with seven points, while Basil Wilson added six points and five rebounds, Craig VanWagoner five points, and Kirk Elsworth and Michael Skinner four points apiece.
Goodrich will be losing plenty of experience from this year’s team, graduating 10 players. However, the Martians still have plenty of room for optimism in the future, based on their records at other levels of play.
The Martians? junior varsity team went 17-3 this year, while the freshmen went 20-0, the eighth graders went 12-0, and the seventh graders went 11-1.
‘The cupboard’s not bare,? Barns said. ‘We’re going to be a little younger.?
The Martians were well-represented on this year’s all-Genesee Area Conference Red Division team, selected by the league’s coaches. Skinner was a unanimous choice as first-team all-league, while Elsworth made second-team all-league and VanWagoner and Klumpp were picked for the honorable mention squad.