“They say that all good things must end, someday. Autumn leaves must fall.” — Chad & Jeremy, 1964, “Summer Song.”
The good things of winning streaks ended for the Martin boys’ varsity basketball team a week ago against Fennville and Friday evening for the Lady Clippers in a shockingly decisive 52-31 defeat at the hands of a Class C Gobles team that now is 9-0 and overlooked in the Associated Press state-wide poll.
The visiting Tigers wasted no time sticking it to Martin, scoring the game’s first basket in the first five seconds when standout point guard Christiana Hunt stole the tip and took it in for a layup. It was all downhill from there.
Gobles used a devastating half-court trap to pick off passes and fell back into a zone that collapsed on junior Clipper Faith Guritz every time she touched the basketball. Guritz, returning from missing a week’s action with a sprained ankle, was limited to just six points all night.
Martin did not score a basket until just 33 seconds were left in the first period when Jaclyn Hildebrand drilled a three-point shot from the corner. That, a couple of free throws from point guard Kiaya Warner and an inside bucket by Guritz brought the Clippers as close as they would get for the rest of ballgame, at 10-7 at the start of the second quarter.
The rest of the quarter and the rest of the ballgame was a nightmare for Martin in a surprising trip to the woodshed for its first defeat.
Hunt had a dozen points and senior forward Maddy Tiller, who had a knack for being in the right place at the right time for easy baskets, had 10, as the Clippers were down 29-7 at intermission.
Things didn’t improve a great deal in the third, as the Tigers mounted a 37-15 to start the final eight minutes.
Warner was the only Clipper to reach double figures with 12 points. Hildebrand, who nailed a couple of threes, had nine.
Hunt ran the offense with terrific acumen and had 17 points and Tiller added 16. Hunt was a much tougher assignment for defensive specialist Hildebrand, who held Fennville’s top gun to just six points.
Martin now owns a 6-1 overall record this season.
COVER PHOTO: Kiaya Warner finds the going tough here, as did she and all of her teammates every time they got their hands on the basketball.
