Flint Powers rolls past overmatched Mt. Morris
FLINT -- Just when it seemed that someone would finally provide resistance to the machine-like dominance of the Hamady girls basketball team, the Hawks simply flipped the switch and reminded everyone why they are competing for a third consecutive state title.
Trailing on their home floor by an 18-15 score against rival Beecher in Monday's District Quarterfinal, the Hawks gathered themselves after a time-out and eliminated any concerns that their quest for a "three-peat" would hit an unexpected snag. Hamady closed the half on a 13-0 run, and never looked back. The Hawks prevailed by a 52-31 final, led by the always-outstanding play of senior stars Arlesia Morse and Porsha Fluker.
"They are big-game players, so I pretty much allow them to be the coaches out there on the floor," said Hamady head coach Keith Smith. "They know the system like the back of their hand, so I pretty much feed off their read, to be honest."
"We knew Beecher was gonna come out and play hard, because they always do when we play against them," said Morse. "But at the end, we just came out and we kept playing until the end, and we came out with a victory."
"This is just gonna prepare us for Regionals," said a clearly-confident Fluker, whose team needs two more victories to get out of Districts. "You know, to have somebody to push us to want it more, and tonight they made us want it more."
In other Class C action, Nouvel Catholic Central easily outdistanced St. Charles by a 60-32 final. It was a banner night for Panther senior forward Jessie Franz, who topped the 1,000 point mark for her high school career earlier in the game.
In Class B, Flint Powers had no trouble on Mt. Morris' home floor, defeating the host Panthers by a lopsided 53-11 final. And over in Class A, a matchup between rivals Arthur Hill and Saginaw went the way of the Lady 'Jacks, who earned the 68-56 triumph.
