The Martin girls’ varsity basketball team claimed its second triumph in an many tries in this young season Friday with a 60-47 verdict over visiting Black River.
Wayland, meanwhile, evened its season record at 1-1 with a 39-25 decision over Hopkins in a neighborhood non-league rivalry encounter. The Wildcats lost their opener Tuesday in overtime to Caledonia at the same time Hopkins lost in OT to Forest Hills Central.
Junior forward Harmony Laker rolled her ankle in the first offensive possession of the game for Wayland. It was a close game until the beginning of the second quarter when the Wildcats pulled away. Addi Sikorski topped Wayland’s scoring with 11 points. Reese Coughlin and both added seven.
It was the second straight time the Clippers have scored 60 points in a ballgame. They put up 61 in the their debut against Coloma. But coach Ben Schipper lamented his squad’s performance in the first half, leading only 20-18.
“Tonight we found a way to win when we didn’t play our best,” the coach commented. “Black River came out and gave a great effort tonight and really pushed us. Our team lacked energy and execution in the first half and Black River took advantage of that. They took away our fast break and we did the opposite by not getting back on defense.
“I was really happy with the way our girls responded to our halftime talk. We outscored them 13-3 in the third quarter, thanks to Macy Thorne’s 7 points and Liz Reinke’s 6 points. The two of them gave us the spark we needed. Defensively, we did a much better job of getting back in transition and scrambling out of it. We also put a big emphasis on taking away the drive lanes and I felt much better about that execution.”
Senior ace Makala Goddward finished with 14 points, including four three-point field goals. Avery Jager went to work early, scoring 4 quick points. Liz Reinke had all 8 of her points in the second half and Macy Thorne had 7 of her 9 in the second half as well to help seal the win.
Black River, which beat Fennville earlier this season, fell to 1-1.