GOODRICH- The Martians varsity basketball team have been down on their luck over the past few weeks.
The Martians saw two heartbreaking losses last week, one to Hamady, and one to Mt. Morris.
On January 17, the Hamady Hawks came to Goodrich and overran the Martians 73-50. The Hawks and the Martians have been long time rivals. Both teams struggled to hold the game, but Goodrich couldn’t seem to find the net as often as hoped.
Charlie Goetz was the Martians point leader, taking 19 points for the evening. Kyle Gianotti added 11, and had seven assists. Goetz pulled down five rebounds.
After the long weekend break, the Martians again faced a league rival at home. Once more, the Martians fell.
The January 21 battle with Mt. Morris would turn the Genesee Area Conference standings as the Panthers took control of the Red Division with a final score of 76-63.
“We got an early 12-0 lead on the game,” Goodrich Coach Gary Barns said. “We changed our defense to a man to man, which I don’t think they were expecting.
“Michael McCormick did very well for us against their defensemen, Kyle Gianotti did well and put some good passes in for us. We knew this was going to be a battle, and that it would probably be won in the fourth quarter,” Barns said. “Mt. Morris took the lead in the end of the third and they never quit. We made some mental errors and some crucial mistakes in the fourth.”
Kori Garman led the Martians for the night, with 22 points. Goetz added 15, while Gianotti added 11.
Gianotti recorded 10 assists for the night. Garman pulled down six rebounds and McCormick totaled five.
From here on out, the basketball season won’t get any easier for the Martians. They faced Bendle on Friday, however no scores were available by presstime.
Next up is Genesee and New Lothrop this week. “The season is not getting any easier for us,” Barns said. “We have ten games left and these teams are still out playing their best against us.
“We are going to do some regrouping and work on our basic basketball. What our team has got is nothing a good old fashion win won’t cure,” he added.
The Martians travel to take on Genesee at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. On Friday, they head for New Lothrop. Game time is also slated for 7:15 p.m., after JV play.