Long and Goodin combine for 34 as Newaygo beats Fremont 62-19

LocalSportsJournal.com

NEWAYGO — State ranked and Central State Activities Association Gold leader Newaygo welcomed Fremont to town Friday night and registered a convincing 62-19 victory over the Packers.

The Lions made quick work of the Packers, zooming out to a 19-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was 43-10 at the half and 58-18 after three quarters.

“We knew what to expect,” Fremont head coach Wes Zerlaut said. “Newaygo is a talented team that plays with a great deal of effort, and gets a lot out of their pressure defense.

“We prepared for their full court press, and I felt that we handled that much better in the first half than we did the first time that we played team.

“However, we didn’t turn transition opportunities into points on the scoreboard. We had missed uncontested layups, and unforced errors in open space that added up and put us in a big deficit early.

“As I told the girls, I was pleased with the improvement we showed in handling that pressure, but unless you put it in the basket at the end of the play, it doesn’t show up on the scoreboard.”

Jaxi Long led the Lions with 22 points, five assists and six steals while Emerson Goodin finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

“Unbelievable effort by the girls tonight. I thought the whole team really competed in all four quarters,” said Newaygo head coach Nate Thomasma.

“Defensively, I thought we were able to dictate the tempo and offensively we hit some shots that always help, Thomasma said.

“Seniors Fisk, Long, Goodin and Swinehart all played well on senior night for us. They are not only great players but they are great leaders. They really have stepped up for us,” said Thomasma.

Haley Zerlaut had six points to lead the Packers.

Newaygo raised its record to 15-1 overall and 10-0 in the CSAA Gold. The Lions are next scheduled to see action at Howard City Tri County on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Fremont fell to 2-14 overall and 2-8 in the CSAA Gold. The Packers are next scheduled to see action at Grant on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in another conference game.