By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com
MARION — Playing a conference game on the road is always a challenge, but it was made even more difficult for the Pentwater girls basketball team Monday night when the Falcons had only seven girls dressed for the game.
One of those was an eighth grader brought up to provide one more reserve on the bench in the West Michigan D League contest at Marion.
The Falcons couldn’t clear the hurdle against the Eagles, suffering a 36-23 loss that saddled them with a two-game losing streak as the season approaches the finish line.
“It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to field a full squad tonight, but the effort was awesome, and hopefully, we can get some kids back soon,” said Pentwater coach Joe Gorton. “I am incredibly proud of the effort my squad put in tonight. They refused to pack it in at halftime and came out to outscore the Eagles in the last two quarters.”
Gorton turned to eighth grader Emma Werkema-Grondsma to fill a spot in the lineup for her first varsity experience with almost no warning.
Marion asserted its command over the depleted Falcons early, busted out of the gate for a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and then gained a 14-3 advantage in the second for a whopping 28-5 halftime lead.
Pentwater didn’t fold, as Gorton said, and came charging back, outscoring the Eagles 7-2 in the third and 11-6 in the fourth in a combined 18-8 second half.
Sam Schaefer and Werkema-Grondsma led the Falcons with seven points apiece while Mandi Sayles added six.
The Falcons saw their record for the season fall to 7-4 overall, 6-4 in the league. Pentwater travels to Muskegon Catholic Central on Wednesday.
