Martian cagers still atop GAC Red despite loss to Hamady

The Goodrich varsity girls basketball team ran into a buzzsaw on Oct. 11.
Hamady, the top-ranked team in Class C, went on a 16-0 run in the second quarter on their way to a 61-50 win against the Martians. With the loss, Goodrich fell to 9-3 overall and 8-2 in Genesee Area Conference Red Division action. The Martians remain in first place in the GAC Red.
The Martians got off to a good start in the first quarter, with Kortni Elsworth scoring seven of her team-high 18 points in that period to lead the Martians to a 17-12 lead after the period.
However, the Hawks heated things up on the scoreboard in the second quarter, outscoring the Martians 18-8 during the period, including the 16-0 run, to take a 30-25 lead at halftime. Goodrich shot only 1-of-6 from the field during the second.
‘We were never able to fully recover,? Goodrich coach Jason Gray said.
The Martians tried to keep pace in the second half, but could not quite overtake the Hawks.
In addition to Elsworth’s 18 points, the Martians received a solid contribution from Autumn Haggadone, who scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Tara Garman also had eight rebounds to tie Haggadone for the team lead.
Jillian Zirnhelt and Amy Ramiller added eight points each for the Martians, while Casey Tubbs led the team with five assists.
The Martians had more success in their Oct. 6 game against visiting Byron, earning a 76-45 victory.
Goodrich asserted control of the game from the start by outscoring the Eagles 36-9 in the first quarter.
‘We had a really good start,? Gray said of the Martians? first quarter. ‘We played some great pressure defense.?
Elsworth led the Martians with 17 points, while Zirnhelt and Ramiller added 11 points each and Tubbs contributed 10 points. Haggadone led the Martians in rebounding with 10.