The Martin girls’ varsity basketball team put a stop to that brief bad patch it endured earlier this week by thumping Fennville 55-17 Friday evening.
The boys’ squad ran into a 4-1 Blackhawk outfit that has lost only to perennial powerhouse Benton Harbor. The ‘Hawks prevailed by a 59-35 count. Martin boys now are 2-3 overall.
The Lady Clippers, now 3-2 overall, held Fennville scoreless the entire first quarter and raced out to a 35-5 advantage at the half. They coasted the rest of the way, hopefully putting behind them the taste of a one-point loss to Saugatuck Monday and a double-digit defeat Wednesday at the hands of Watervliet.
Freshman Makala Goddard dropped in a career-high (thus far) 15 points and she was matched in individual high-point total honors by senior Bri Warner.
Collin Coburn 14 netted points and Mitch Jager counted 12 against a pretty good Fennville outfit Friday night.
“This game showed our biggest flaws and Fennville took advantage of them,” coach Brad Moelker lamented. “We’ve been so top heavy with our scoring that Fennville was able to key on Mitchell and Collin. We’ve had players kind of take turns as that third scorer, but none of them we able to do that tonight.
“I did think we battled well the entire night. We were really only down 13 for most of the fourth until they hit some shots in the last couple minutes.”
The coach said Charley Martin had the biggest challenge of the night, being matched against a center much bigger and did a great job of making it difficult for him.
“Cole Altman is continuing to grow before our eyes. Although he only hit two of his shots, he was always in the right spot.
Coburn scored 23 points and Jager added 20, but the Clippers fell short last Wednesday against Watervliet.
“We did a pretty poor job of coming out with intensity,” reflected coach Bard Moelker. “Watervliet did everything they needed to in the first half to control that game. When we finally started clicking there wasn’t enough time. We were a completely different team in the second half, but we need to play that way from the tip.
Coburn had a well-rounded game with 7 boards and 5 assists to go with his 23 points. Jager hit six threes for the second time this year.
“Nice thing is this is a long season and we get to use this experience to better ourselves each day,” Moelker added.
The Lady Clippers will get a respite for a spell and won’t be back in action until next Friday evening, when they travel to Kalamazoo Christian. The boys also will play there next Friday.
