Goodrich Finishes Winter Season with Perfection, Completing Undefeated Title Run
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 21, 2026
EAST LANSING – Kayla Hairston approached the Division 2 bracket poster with two hands on the Goodrich nameplate, getting it positioned on the final line in the only way she and her teammates knew how to do things – perfectly.
The Martians defeated Tecumseh 55-44 on Saturday in the night’s concluding Girls Basketball Final at the Breslin Center, finishing off a 29-0 season.
“Playing Tecumseh, the team that knocked us out last year, and beating them for the state championship felt amazing,” Hairston said. “We came to Breslin and we emphasized that we don’t want to be at Breslin, we want to be here for a state championship, and that mindset is what got us here.”
It was the third title for the Goodrich girls team, and first since the program won back-to-back Class B titles in 2012 and 2013. The Martians’ victory also prevented Tecumseh from repeating as the Division 2 champ.
“It’s definitely special,” Goodrich senior Tanner Schramm said. “Coming out and getting this win today against Tecumseh is big, because we lost to them last year thinking we could win it all last year. Coming out and winning today feels even better.”
Hairston finished with 21 points in her final game at Goodrich, while Baylor Lauinger had 14 and Schramm had eight. Lauinger added five rebounds and four steals, both team highs.
Avery Zajac led Tecumseh with 19 points, while Addi Zajac had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Everything was difficult for Tecumseh, however, as it was held to its third-lowest scoring output of the season.
“I thought our kids were just awesome today,” Goodrich coach Jason Gray said. “Tecumseh’s a very good team, and we thought there were certain things that they had advantages on, and certain things that we had advantages on, and we really kind of leaned on our advantages tonight. All year, our defensive pressure has been a key. We don’t always trap and run all over the floor like that, but we do press to the ball. Tonight was probably one of the best (games) we played all year long.”
Goodrich’s unrelenting defense had Tecumseh sped up throughout the first half, as the returning champ had as many turnovers as points through 16 minutes and trailed 29-14 at the break.
Three Martians – Kat Federick, Baylor Lauinger and Kaylee Eickhoff – had three steals apiece by halftime, and the team had scored 22 points off turnovers.
All of that success came despite star senior Schramm being saddled with foul trouble and spending a majority of the half on the bench.
“We really couldn’t run anything,” Tecumseh coach Kristy Zajac said. “We were really trying to pound it into the post to Addi, and our guards were getting pressured so much, and we kept turning the ball over. You can’t turn the ball over in big games like this. That kind of made our offense struggle all together.”
Tecumseh (26-3) settled down in the second half, but the hole was too deep. Even when it did get the game back to a 10-point deficit in the final seconds of the third, Schramm hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to extend the lead and wipe away any Tecumseh momentum heading into the fourth.
“That was tough,” Kristy Zajac said. “We were working our way back little by little, then they hit that 3, and that was the dagger. This crew never gives up. I told them in the timeout that we were down to Chelsea by 11 with a minute to go and we came back and won that game – they fight and they fight, and they battle and battle until the last buzzer sounds, and I thought they did that tonight. They just made more shots than we did and played a little bit better.”
Schramm’s shot came off a set play for the Martians, even though Gray didn’t have to call a timeout or even signal to Hairston and Schramm to run it.
“Kayla knew exactly where she was going to go: She was either going to get a layup or she was kicking it to Tanner,” Gray said. “Tanner knew that ball was coming, and Tanner knew that shot was coming. It really gives the kids a lot of confidence when they know they’re supposed to be taking the shot and they’re not questioning it. That 3 was huge, but it was by design. Our kids were ready for that moment.”
From there, Hairston and the Martians left no doubt. The senior scored eight points over the quarter’s first 1½ minutes as Goodrich built a 19-point lead and put the game away.
“It feels great, but I give it all to my teammates,” Hairston said. “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my 3-point shot, so them just having my back and telling me that’s my shot and not to give up on myself, even though I’ve been missing, it just means a lot. For them to set me up and get me those open shots, it means a lot.”
PHOTOS (Top) Goodrich’s Kayla Hairston (12) drives to the basket as Tecumseh’s Addi Zajac (40) goes for a block during Saturday’s Division 2 Final at Breslin Center. (Middle) Goodrich’s Kaylee Eickhoff (10) makes a move on the baseline with Avery Zajac defending. (Photos by Keionna Banks and Lilanie Karunanayake/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 6
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 13, 2025
January signals the start of a two-month trek for basketball teams as they push through the heart of winter toward March, the playoffs, and hopefully a trip to East Lansing to finish the season.
It’s also when we start pointing toward our Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) and the data we’re calculating on every MHSAA team in the state to seed our District brackets, which will begin play March 3.
This season, for the first time, those brackets will be seeded in their entirety (not just the top two teams) – making every result that much more important. We detail several of last week’s below, and more matchups coming up as girls hoops teams approach the season’s midpoint.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Grass Lake 53, Detroit Renaissance 49 (OT) Earlier games against tough larger opponents no doubt prepped Division 3 Grass Lake (5-3) to hand the Division 1 Phoenix (10-1) their first defeat, as part of the Rocket Hoop Classic at Westland John Glenn.
2. Rockford 51, Tecumseh 45 The Division 1 Rams’ impressive weekend run of Saturdays continued as they improved to 10-1 by downing a previously-undefeated Division 2 contender in Tecumseh (7-1) at The Platform in Grand Rapids.
3. Tecumseh 53, Chelsea 41 Although it did lose its first game to finish the week, Tecumseh (7-1) earlier earned a significant win to open Southeastern Conference White play by handing Chelsea (6-1) its lone loss.
4. Paw Paw 71, Kalamazoo Christian 61 Paw Paw (7-1) is a one-point defeat from a perfect start and ended the same for Kalamazoo Christian (7-1).
5. Ewen-Trout Creek 56, Lake Linden-Hubbell 41 This could end up a decider in the Copper Mountain Conference as E-TC (9-1) took an important step by handing the Lakes (7-2) their first league loss.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Dexter (6-4) The Dreadnaughts’ four defeats came to teams that are a combined 34-3, and that may have made their record a bit deceptive before handing Saline its first loss of the season last week 55-30. Doing so kept Dexter in a first-place tie with Temperance Bedford in the SEC Red heading into Tuesday’s first of two meetings this season with the Kicking Mules. Dexter also handed Mio its lone defeat, 56-48 on Dec. 28, as it builds off last season’s 17-8 run that included a District title.
Grand Haven (7-1) Coming off a four-place league finish but 18-6 overall record last season, Grand Haven could be poised to make a move in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red. A 60-48 loss to league-leader Rockford on Jan. 3 is a good barometer early, and the Buccaneers bounced right back by downing Hudsonville 57-36 last week. They also handed Midland what remains its only defeat, 50-35 on Dec. 14, and earned a notable 55-22 victory over Ludington – a Division 2 Regional finalist last year.
DIVISION 2
Detroit Country Day (10-0) Country Day just missed eliminating Division 2 champion Detroit Edison in a Regional Semifinal last season, falling 59-57, and the Yellowjackets have stormed through the first half of this winter with wins over Grass Lake, Dexter (both noted above) and last week previously-undefeated Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 49-39 and reigning Division 1 champion West Bloomfield 66-59. Country Day travels to Frankenmuth tonight for what should be a telling matchup, and a Feb. 21 meeting with Renaissance should provide another solid test with the postseason approaching.
Grand Rapids West Catholic (8-1) The Falcons enjoyed a big weekend, first downing O-K Gold rival Grand Rapids South Christian 62-49 on Friday and then 2024 Division 1 quarterfinalist Holt 56-46 on Saturday at The Platform. Expectations were high again this season after West Catholic missed making the Division 2 Final last year with a two-point Semifinal loss. The Falcons’ lone defeat this winter was to Parma Western during the first week, and no other opponent has come within single digits.
DIVISION 3
Lawton (6-1) The Blue Devils have climbed from three to nine to 13 to 16 wins over the last four seasons, respectively, and might be lining up to take another step with their only loss so far to Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep. Lawton bounced back last week to hand Saugatuck its only defeat, 50-43, and will have a chance to move into the lead in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley on Friday when it sees leader Kalamazoo Christian for the first of two meetings.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (9-0) The Kestrels have a one-game league in the Huron League as they seek to repeat as champions. An early 64-40 win over Riverview was key to that start, and they’ll see one-loss New Boston Huron tonight for the first of two meetings this season. Only Flat Rock, falling 38-30, has come within single digits of catching SMCC, which finished 19-5 overall a year ago. One of those losses came in a split with Carleton Airport, and St. Mary already has defeated the Jets 65-48.
DIVISION 4
Fowler (7-1) The Eagles are a 46-43 loss to undefeated Pewamo-Westphalia from being unbeaten instead, and they’re surely looking forward to that rematch Feb. 5. In the meantime, they’ve kept in contention in the always-tough Central Michigan Athletic Conference with wins over Laingsburg and Portland St. Patrick, and defeats of Alma and last week Lansing Christian also were notable. Circle a Jan. 21 matchup with Division 1 Holt as another that could be telling as Fowler attempts to return to Breslin for the sixth-straight season (not counting 2020, which ended prematurely due to COVID-19).
St. Ignace (8-1) The Saints already have rebounded from their lone loss this season, defeating Sault St. Marie 57-46 on Friday after losing the first meeting 50-49 on Dec. 3 – with Friday’s victory also ending a five-game losing streak against the rival Blue Devils. St. Ignace – 18-8 last season – also owns a solid 56-40 win over Harbor Springs and is tied for first in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference with Brimley with their first of two meetings scheduled for Jan. 23.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Detroit Renaissance (10-1) at Detroit Cass Tech (8-2) – Renaissance leads the Detroit Public School League Blue and Cass Tech is second and a game back after the Phoenix won the first meeting 57-48 on Dec. 9.
Tuesday – DeWitt (8-1) at Haslett (7-1) – Picking which game this week was bigger for the Vikings was tough, as they will come off this matchup with their longtime rival to take on St. Johns (8-1) in a key Capital Area Activities Conference Red clash Friday.
Friday – Berrien Springs (7-0) at Niles Brandywine (9-0) – These two are tied for first in the Lakeland Conference as the first round of league games comes to close, and they’ll meet in the league finale next month as well.
Friday – Temperance Bedford (6-1) at Saline (8-1) – The Hornets may be coming off their first loss, but they will have plenty of opportunities to make noise in the SEC Red starting with this matchup against the league’s co-leader.
Saturday – Mio (5-1) vs. TBD at St. Ignace – The Thunderbolts remains one of the most intriguing teams in the state regardless of division, and a matchup with the host Saints (8-1) at the B.C. Pizza Classic no doubt would draw a few eyes.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) East Lansing’s Sydney Black (11) winds up to send a pass to teammate Navaeh Vasquez while Holt’s Breanna Cornelius attempts to deflect it during the Rams 65-52 win Friday. (Middle) Birmingham Seaholm’s Addy Flynn (24) works to get past Davison’s Gracie Wright during the Maples’ 36-34 overtime victory Thursday. (Holt/East Lansing photo by John Johnson. Seaholm/Davison photo by Terry Lyons.)