Manistee girls fall to Greenville in final tune-up before the start of WMC action

 

MANISTEE – The Manistee Mariners got off to a good start on Friday night against Greenville, but it didn’t last too long.

 

Playing at home for the second night this week, the Mariners actually held the lead at the end of the first quarter and trailed by two at halftime once again. However, in the end, Greenville had itself a 51-37 victory over the host Mariners.

 

This time there the Mariners weren’t able to rally in the second half, as they had in Wednesday night’s win over Mason County Central.

 

Avamae Fett had a hot hand early for the Manistee, using her size and strength inside to score eight points. She finished the game with 15 points.

 

Reese Shively and Hattie Driver each added a basket as the Mariners took a 12-6 lead at the end of one.

 

But the tide began to turn, if ever so slightly, in the second quarter when the Yellowjackets went on a stunning 10-0 run that erased Manistee’s lead and gave them a four-point advantage, 16-12. The Yellowjackets eventually moved out to a 24-18 lead late in the quarter, but Fett got down low again for a basket that left Manistee trailing, 24-20 at half.

 

“We played a good first half of basketball,” Manistee coach Kenn Kott said. “I was really pleased with the things we were doing in the first half. Defensively, things kind of broke down in the second half and we allowed them to do too many things that they wanted to do, instead of the other way around.

 

“I think as far as our offense went, they kind of put it to us where they didn’t allow us to do the things we wanted to do.”

 

Madalyn Wayward buried a 3-point bucket at the start of the third quarter that made it a two-point game again, 28-26, but it seemed the Mariners could never get over the hump and regain the lead.

 

Greenville worked into a seven-point lead, 39-32 at the end of the third.

 

Then came a devastating 10-1 run by Greenville at the beginning of the fourth quarter that all but sealed Manistee’s fate.

 

Manistee was only 6-of-19 at the free throw line.

 

Fett also ripped down 10 rebounds.

 

“She’s a nice force for us inside,” Kott said. “The big thing with her is we have to learn when to get the ball to her when she is open. We’re starting to get there on that. We’re not there. We make some poor decisions at times. I think she can definitely help us out down the road.”

 

Wayward added six points for the Mariners.

 

The Mariners dropped to 1-1 on the season and will travel to Oakridge next Tuesday for their first West Michigan Conference Lakes Division matchup.