LocalSportsJournal.com
FERNDALE — Originally, the Ludington girls basketball team was scheduled to play Detroit Country Day in the Motor City Roundball Classic Wednesday night.
But that didn’t happen, and instead the Orioles were given the task of facing Division 1 Hartland, considered a powerhouse in high school basketball circles.
The results were not good, as the Orioles struggled to keep up with the Eagles and found themselves buried in a deep hole early, falling to the downstate juggernaut, 51-26 to keep the Eagles perfect in the early season at 4-0.
“We stepped up from playing a very good team, to playing a great team,” Ludington head coach Warren Stowe said. “But, I thought our girls played hard for all 32 minutes.
“I told the girls before the game, at halftime and after the game that this experience will only make us better. I think Keelyn Laird played some of her best basketball. She really held up.”
Keelyn Laird led Ludington in scoring on Wednesday with 12 points in a 51-26 loss to Hartland (Photo/Craig Beilfuss)
Laird scored 12 points to lead the Orioles, who fell to 3-3 with the loss. RyAnn Rohrer added six points.
Hartland’s lineup includes North Dakota commit Amanda Roach, who led all scorers in the game with 18 points.
The Eagles took a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, and outscored the Orioles, 11-4 in the second as they built a 26-10 halftime lead.
It was a much tighter scoring third quarter, but the Eagles still boasted a 8-7 advantage and headed into the fourth period with a 34-17 cushion. Hartland had a 17-9 edge in the final eight minutes.
