The second quarter ultimately proved to be Goodrich’s downfall as the Martians? varsity basketball team lost their first game of the season.
Four New Lothrop players scored in double figures as the host Blue Devils defeated the Martians 69-62. The Martians fell to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the Genesee Area Conference, while the Blue Devils remained undefeated at 5-0 and 4-0.
The Martians kept pace with the Blue Devils through the first quarter, trailing by only three points, 14-11, at the end of the period. However, it was in the second period that the Martians? shooting went cold.
Goodrich made just two field goals during the second, and scored only seven points overall during the period. Meanwhile, New Lothrop’s Brent Ruddy scored eight points (making two three-point shots in the process), as the Blue Devils took command of the game with a 27-18 lead at halftime.
‘We were content to live by the long shot and we didn’t make it,? Goodrich Coach Gary Barns said. ‘They held us to one shot. We also didn’t rebound well defensively.?
Senior Matt Christensen did his best to keep the Martians within striking distance in the third period. Christensen scored 14 of his team-leading 21 points in the third, including two three-pointers, as the Martians trimmed the Blue Devils? lead to 46-40 after three.
‘We started chipping away and got it to two points with three minutes left, but maybe our inexperience showed,? Barns said. ‘We started throwing the ball away, and to their credit, they capitalized.?
The Blue Devils stepped up with some key free-throw shooting to put the game away. Jason Kneiper made seven free throws and Ryan Praski six as the Blue Devils clinched the victory.
New Lothrop had a significant advantage in free-throw attempts. The Blue Devils made 28-of-34 free throws (82.4 percent), compared to 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) for the Martians.
In addition to Christensen’s 21 points, freshman Andrew Patrick scored nine points for the Martians. Ruddy and Praski scored 16 points each to lead the Blue Devils, while Michael Vincke and Brandon Baryo added 12 apiece.
Goodrich’s one-two punch of Patrick and senior Jake Smigiel proved to be too much for Atherton to handle Dec. 15. Patrick scored 19 points and Smigiel added 18 as the Martians defeated the Wolverines 75-63.
Senior Dan Eisinger led the Martians with nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end, while sophomore Robert Short dished out six assists and had seven steals for the Martians.