By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
LAPEER — The Wolves ended the season to OAA Red foe West Bloomfield in the MHSAA Division 1 Girls Basketball Regional 7 Final at Lapeer High School, 47-42, March 12.
“Nothing really shocked us in terms of the teams and what they threw at us,” Clarkston Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach Aaron Goodnough said about the regional playoffs against the Lakers and Utica Eisenhower. “They were kind of similar in the way that they played, and they like to keep the pressure on you. We never got into a flow on offense. We were climbing up hill the entire time. We had foul trouble, we had still had a lead a half time after getting through our foul trouble.”
The Lakers opened the night with a 3-pointer from junior Sheridan Beal.
Clarkston responded with a pair of 3-pointers from junior Elliana Robak and a basket from sophomore Brooklyn Covert to take the lead.

The first quarter ended with another pair of 3-pointers this time from Covert with 28 seconds remaining and another from Beal at the buzzer with Clarkston leading 15-11.
The Wolves continued to hold onto the lead during the second quarter, finishing 23-21 with one point from Covert from the free throw line.
“In the second half we just could not get into any flow on offense,” Goodnough said, adding going into the game the team was confident. “We knew exactly what we wanted to do on defense and for the first half we did it. For the second half, we just got sloppy and let them have some easy open buckets that we were exactly trying to guard against. I told them it’s a race to 50. Whoever gets to 50 first is probably going to win the game as it turned out neither one of us did because we both played pretty darn good defense.”
Robak led with 18 points. Covert scored 13 points and senior Elia Morgner had six points.
The Wolves defeated Utica Eisenhower in the regional semifinal on March 10, 48-33. Robak led with 18 points. Covert had 12 points and Morgner had eight points.
“I think we may have caught them off guard a little bit,” Goodnough said. “We handled their pressure – and that’s how they break teams down is they throw a lot of girls running at you and try to hit gaps, steal passes and tip things then transition. We had our share of turnovers, but we also returned the favor on the other end. We got some easy buckets just by moving the ball the way that we wanted to. Defensively we held them to exactly what we wanted to. We knew their center would be their main source of offense. We just wanted to pressure everyone else. Overall, I was very pleased with the game.”
Goodnough added Morgner led during both games.
“She was great defensively. She scored some big buckets when we needed them in both games,” he said.
He shared senior Ellery Hernandez had the toughest defensive assignment both games.
“She really stepped up,” he said. “Ellie was great, too. “We could have gotten her more open shots, but she was very aggressive in both games.”
The Wolves finished the season with an overall 18-8 record.
“I was pleased,” Goodnough said. “My largest regret is we just wanted to get past this spot. This is my third regional final. We just really wanted to get past this spot with this group. As I told the girls there is no reason we can’t be back to the same position next year, we just need to get a different result.”
They finished the season 9-1 in the OAA Red to claim the league championship.
“It is a huge accomplishment,” Goodnough said. “It shows you are getting improvement throughout the year. It’s a huge deal. It’s the first time someone has won the OAA Red other than West Bloomfield or Southfield in six years. There is no reason we can’t be there again next year. It’s something to build on for sure. We just want to get past that hump.”
The Wolves bid goodbye to seniors Hernandez, Morgner, Keira Zorski and Marley Mazur.
“This is the first group I have had that has gone from freshman to senior for me,” said Goodnough, who took over as head coach in 2021. “They are close to my heart for sure. As I told them when we had our parting conversation, we have been through a lot – on the court, off the court. They have been through personal things in their lives, we’ve been through injuries. Elia, Ellery and Marley were so banged up with bruises all over the place. They gave it their all – all the time. It will be a group I can call back on and have them talk to teams in the future and this is what it takes, the dedication, the kind of leadership it takes to have a winning program long term.”

  Clarkston Athletics, Girls Basketball