Both schools fail to advance to Class B state title game
EAST LANSING -- With a trip to the state championship game there for the taking, both Goodrich and Hemlock let one bad final quarter ruin three great earlier quarters of hard work and execution.
In Friday's first Class B semi-final, Goodrich let a 34-29 lead over Dearborn Divine Child slip through their fingers, as the Falcons rallied to send the game to overtime tied at 41. After being tied yet again at 45 through one extra session, the Martians were finally vanquished when a last-second, three-point attempt by Taylor Gleason clanged off the back iron, sending Divine Child to the finals with a 54-52, double-overtime victory.
"We saw there how strong fundamentally they were," said a dejected Jason Gray, Goodrich head coach. "They had a great gameplan tonight, very committed to that gameplan."
"Like I said, it was a great experience and we achieved so much this year," said a red-eyed Samantha Zirzow, who led the Martians with 16 points. "We got so much respect since we came this far, it's the first time we've been here and we are so proud."
While Goodrich had not one, but two overtime sessions to try and recover from a poor fourth quarter, the Hemlock Huskies were not afforded such a luxury. Holding a 22-16 lead entering the final frame, in a defensive-themed battle, the Huskies suffered a complete meltdown at the hands of Three Rivers over the final eight minutes of play. The Wildcats outscored Hemlock 12-2 in the fourth quarter, and earned a stunning, 28-24 victory. Three Rivers' Morgan Stuut scored exactly half of her team's points, with 14, while Hemlock's Shelby Herrington led the Huskies with a dozen.
Hemlock's head coach, Brandon Kalina, took full responsibility for his team's collapse.
"Did it get away from us? Most definitely," he said. "I probably let it get away from us a little bit too fast. I should have grouped the girls a little bit."
