By David Fleet
Editor
Lake Orion —A fourth quarter rally was not enough for the Goodrich Martians Boys Varsity Basketball team (22-5) as the Ferndale Eagles (19-8) took the Division 2 quarter-final meeting at Lake Orion High School 71-66
“We played well enough to win the game,” said Martian Veteran Head Coach Gary Barns following the game. “I’m just so proud of these boys. Gavin Hart, Josh Waun and Jack Locey played their tails off. We got to the final eight in high school hoops this year, we are pretty proud of that accomplishment.”
“We had so many injuries from the game,” said Barns. “We were able to patchwork our lineup together. It was tough, but we had some kids step up, Landon Williams, Zack LaGat, Caden Kolanowski, Caeden Rossell and Carson Raether. They kept the ship afloat and tied for our side of the Flint Metro League. Then the win over Flint Powers was huge going to the Regional, defeating a good Richmond and Cros-Lex team.”
“We felt we could compete with Ferndale, but there were times the ball did not bounce our way,” he said. “But our kids did not quit, they had great resilience and stayed on task. I’ve not had a group of seniors that are as competitive as this one. They are articulate and tremendous young men, a great example of what Goodrich athletics is all about. I’m very proud of them.”
The Eagles jumped out to a 39-30 halftime lead over the Martians. Then ran up a 56-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“We threw a different defensive look at the Eagles going into the fourth quarter,” said Barns. “Our kids never quit, we had to go offensive-defense and they started missing free throws. With two minutes to go down six we still had a shot.”
Ferndale was the top ranked team in Class B.
“To stay with this team and make it close is a tribute to our kids. They just never quit, they are warriors.”
Goodrich statistics
Gavin Hart: 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists; Jack Locey: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block shot; Josh Waun: 11 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist Landon Williams: 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists