By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — The Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball team learned its first lessons in the 62-55 loss to Flint Powers Catholic in the season opener, Dec. 3.
“We lost that game defensively,” said Aaron Goodnough, head coach. “Game one, we’re not at the point where we can correct mid-game. We’ll get there. I think given some experience we’ll get there. We’ve got girls that are very green and the way that we play defense is not anything they’ve even used and we’ve seen it practice. They were trying, they never stopped, it’s game one – it is what it is.”
He added Powers is a good team and the game helped give the Wolves a good look at what they need to work on.
“We’re very evenly matched,” Goodnough said. “Everything I’ve seen in terms of where Powers is and we are. I know Ryan (Trevithick) pretty well. He does the same kind of things with his schedule I do with mine – we’re going to stack it up so we’re ready for the postseason. We lose seven, eight, nine games, it is what it is. We want to be prepared for the end of the year. I was happy they kept playing.”
Within the first minute of the season opener, Wolves junior Elliana Robak and sophomore Brooklyn Covert each scored a basket to take the lead. It was short-lived as the Chargers sank two 3-pointers from junior Kendyl Smith and sophomore Bella Harley.

Powers Catholic held onto the lead throughout the game and the Wolves closed in many times just for the Chargers to pull ahead in points.
The Chargers out scored the Wolves in the last two minutes of the third quarter, 13-6, with two 3-pointers from freshman Evah Smith and senior MaKayla Stewart.
“I’ll be very honest – we’re okay with that if you’re guarding the post correctly, but because we weren’t guarding the post correctly we’re giving them the drive and giving them the kick out,” said Goodnough. “Then, covering the corners then covering the wings. That’s where we’re in trouble because we sank to a spot that we can’t recover in time. Frankly a lot of girls are gonna hit those outside shots and they should. We would be happy to give that up if we were in the right defense but we really just weren’t.”
He added during the second half the Wolves did run their offense higher but then would get into trouble.
“It’s like there’s a force field around the three-point and we just hug it,” he said. “When we start running it out closer to the ‘C’ things open up for us because we’re pretty quick and as long as we see back cuts and we’re getting to our open spots quickly, we’re okay. But it took a half of kind of frazzled offense to figure that out.”
Robak led with 18 points with three 3-pointers.
“She’s so talented she just wants to go do the thing,” Goodnough said. “Well, when they start figuring you out and they were chasing her around and face guarding her, we had to start doing things to get her open to open things up for other people. We’re not seeing the court yet when we do that, we’ll be okay good.”
Covert scored 14 points. Senior Ellery Hernandez and junior Makayla Butki each scored seven points.
Clarkston headed north on Friday for a 67-31 victory over Traverse City Central. Robak led with 25 points. Hernandez scored 11 points and Covert scored eight points.
The Wolves finished the week with a loss to Hartland on Saturday in the Swartz Creek Showcase, 38-36. Covert led in the buzzer beater with 13 points. Hernandez scored 11 points.
Clarkston opened this week against Troy. The girls head to Northville on Friday. Freshman open the night at Hillside Middle School, 4 p.m. JV plays at Northville High School at 5:30 p.m., varsity follows.
JV and varsity head to Father Gabriel Richard on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with JV beginning at 5:30 p.m.

  Clarkston Athletics, Girls Basketball