The Martin girls’ varsity basketball team Friday evening powered past Saugatuck 52-25, showcasing once again its greatest strength — defense.
The Lady Clippers, who rarely give up as many as 40 points in a ballgame, improved their season record to 13-1 and most recently have been ranked No. 6 in the statewide Class D Associated Press poll.
Martin Girls won 52-25.
Martin wasted no time in taking command, jumping out to a 20-4 advantage in the first quarter and it was ahead 30-13 at intermission.
Faith Guritz, who just this week celebrated scoring her 1,000th career point, paced the offensive attack with 20 points and she had six rebounds. Senior guard Kiaya Warner had eight points and five assists, Gracie Shettler seven and Jaclyn Hildebrand six. Natalie Yowler gathered 10 rebounds.
“Tonight was the second consecutive game we came out with great energy and jumped to a large lead in the first quarter,” coach Ben Schipper said. “From the tip, we were pushing the ball, shooting confidently, and playing aggressively.”
Guritz scored 11 of her game high 20 points in the first quarter.
Bri Warner gave an outstanding effort on the defensive end holding Saugatuck’s Zoe Meyers to 2 points after she scored 25 points in the two teams’ first matchup earlier this year. She also chipped in five points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“Bri has been playing outstanding defense all year using her length, athleticism and instincts,” her coach said. “Even when she’s not scoring as much as we all know she can, she’s consistently filling up the stat sheet with rebounds, steals and assists. She has really taken her game to the next level as a junior.
“This was another great team win as we once again had more assists than turnovers. We’re very excited that our guards looked for the drive and dish to the post players more so than we have all year. Our offense continues to evolve becoming more and more balanced.”
Even though defense arguably and statistically have been the Lady Clippers’ bread and butter.