Little by little, Grand Blanc pulled away from the Goodrich varsity boys basketball team Tuesday, Dec. 21.
The end result was a 56-46 win for the Bobcats against the Blackhawks in a non-league game. With the loss, the Martians dropped to 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Genesee Area Conference Red Division.
Goodrich coach Gary Barns said the Bobcats (4-0) are one of the more highly regarded teams not just in Michigan, but in the Midwest.
Grand Blanc has two players who will be playing Division I college basketball next season: Zach Gibson (28 points, 12 blocks) will attend Rutgers University in New Jersey, while K’Len Morris (15 points) will be attending the University of Michigan.
The fact the Martians were within striking distance of a top team like the Bobcats was of little consolation to Barns and the Martians.
‘We thought we were good enough to beat them,? Barns said. ‘We did a pretty good job on Morris. Gibson was obviously a tougher task.?
The Bobcats? size advantage was evident in the number of trips they made to the free throw line. Grand Blanc was 18-of-34 from the charity stripe (52.9 percent), while Goodrich converted 6-of-7 free throws (85.7 percent).
Grand Blanc took a slim 15-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, and led 27-22 at halftime.
Michael Skinner led the Martians with 12 points, while Basil Wilson added eight points and Keith Brotherton seven.
Barns said while the Martians are not satisfied being 3-2, he understands the team has played some tough competition early in the season.
‘We have a very tough non-league schedule,? he said. ‘We think that will make us better.?
The Martians do not return to action until Friday, Jan. 7, when they host LakeVille. However, they will still be busy during the holiday break, Barns said.
‘We have a scrimmage set up to go down to Avondale (in Auburn Hills) and play some teams from Oakland County,? he said. ‘We’ll see if we can get better.?
Barns said the Martians? main focus during the break will be to prepare themselves for the upcoming Genesee Area Conference schedule.
‘Our defense has played pretty good,? he said. ‘We’re looking to stay fundamental. We’re going in the right direction, and we’ll continue to work hard. We realize when we get back, it will be about the league.?