Goodrich Wins Matchup of Undefeated Contenders to Earn Chance to Finish Unbeaten
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 20, 2026
EAST LANSING – Goodrich hopes to become the next Division 2 champion Saturday at Breslin Center.
But in the meantime, the Martians can lay claim to being the state’s last unbeaten team heading into the final day of the season.
In a matchup of 27-0 teams, Goodrich earned the right to play for its first championship since winning the second of back-to-back crowns in 2013, claiming a 47-41 win over Grand Rapids South Christian in a Friday Semifinal.
Goodrich (28-0) will try to dethrone 2025 champion Tecumseh, which eliminated Goodrich in last year’s tournament, at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.
The Martians made it to Breslin Center undefeated largely because of its stout defense all season, and that was on display against South Christian.
“We were able to do what we’re looking to do every game,” Goodrich head coach Jason Gray said. “And our defense really showed up tonight. They hit a couple of big 3s late against us, but in general, that’s about as good of a job as you can do defending that team.”
The Martians limited South Christian to 16 of 42 shooting from the field, but seven of those field goals came during the first quarter.
Over the last three, Goodrich held the Sailors to 9 of 29 shooting. For the game, South Christian was 3 of 18 from 3-point range.
“Pressure defense pushed us out a little bit,” Sailors head coach Erika Brown said. “We couldn’t get into our normal dribble-drive where we could turn the corner and get into the paint tonight. We weren’t seeing the post as well as we probably could have.”
Goodrich dominated the second quarter and built a big lead during the fourth before holding off a late South Christian comeback.
Leading 36-28 going into the fourth quarter, Goodrich stretched the margin to 14 at 43-29 with 4:59 remaining on a 3-pointer by senior Kayla Hairston.
The Sailors had an answer though, reeling off nine straight points to cut its deficit to 43-37 with 3:13 remaining. The last six points of that run came courtesy of senior Lizzie Woithuis, who drained back-to-back 3-pointers.
“We just knew what we had to do,” Hairston said. “They went on a little run, but that didn’t change our mindset. They didn’t make us rattled. They didn’t stress us out. We just had to play our style no matter what.”
Hairston delivered maybe the biggest rebound of the game after missing two free throws with 58.3 seconds left and Goodrich up 44-39.
After the second miss, she tracked down the rebound near the baseline and got the ball out to junior teammate Baylor Lauinger, who was fouled and hit two free throws with 48.4 seconds remaining to make the lead seven.
Goodrich held firm defensively and hit one more free throw to hold off South Christian.
Hairston scored 17 points, and Lauinger added 11 points for Goodrich.
Goodrich held a 28-19 lead at halftime after a 10-2 run. It was a different story to start the third quarter, as South Christian went on a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 31-28.
But the Martians scored the last five points of the third quarter and had too much of a cushion for South Christian to overcome.
Sophia Prins, a four-year varsity standout, scored 13 points to lead the Sailors and finish off a tremendous high school career.
“Overall, we can’t let this one game define us,” Prins said. “We have to look back at how good we performed every single game up to this point of the whole season.”
PHOTOS (Top) Goodrich’s Kayla Hairston splits a pair of South Christian defenders driving to the hoop Friday. (Middle) The Martians’ Sydney Place (11) and Sailors’ Sophia Prins watch Place’s shot fall as the official signals a 3-pointer. (Photos by Keionna Banks and John Castine/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 26, 2026
The frostiest winter in recent memory disrupted about half of last week’s girls basketball schedule across Michigan.
But there are still plenty of highlights to pass on – and we can look forward to a busy February for many teams as snowed-out games are worked into the open dates remaining. Stay tuned.
“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. Holt 40, DeWitt 37 The Rams (9-2) avenged an 11-point loss to the Panthers (10-2) from Dec. 16 and reset the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue race with DeWitt and Holt now with one loss in league play.
2. Gaylord St. Mary 58, Indian River Inland Lakes 35 The Snowbirds (10-1) stand alone atop the Ski Valley Conference standings after Inland Lakes (9-2) also entered this matchup tied for first.
3. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 54, Farmington Hills Mercy 22 OLSM (11-2) solidified its place atop the Catholic High School League Central after also defeating second-place Mercy (9-2) by 12 points on Jan. 2.
4. Goodrich 53, Saginaw Heritage 37 The Martians (13-0) won a matchup of league leaders and handed Heritage (10-3) its only double-digit defeat this winter.
5. Midland 65, Detroit Edison 46 The Chemics (9-3) loaded their nonleague schedule with several annual statewide contenders and earned a notable win in downing the Pioneers (4-4).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Haven (10-0) The Buccaneers are looking good to push for a first Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title since 2012-13 as they continue to build off last season’s 22-4 overall finish. They’ve started 3-0 in league play but with a tough week ahead hosting Muskegon (9-1) on Tuesday, and then Rockford (8-1) on Friday with first place on the line. Only O-K Black contender Spring Lake has gotten within single digits of catching Grand Haven, with the Bucs winning that Dec. 19 matchup 35-28.
South Lyon East (12-0) Last week’s win over Walled Lake Western gave South Lyon East as many victories as all of last season and kept the Cougars atop the Lakes Valley Conference standings after they finished third a year ago. Only second-place Milford and 10-win Plymouth have gotten within single digits, and East also has a notable 58-44 win over Southeastern Conference Red contender Saline. A closing run including games with Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, Farmington Hills Mercy and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard will be great tournament prep.
DIVISION 2
Holland Christian (7-3) The Maroons are undefeated in O-K Black play, in part thanks to a 38-34 win over Spring Lake and 55-51 overtime victory over Hudsonville Unity Christian. They are playing for a second-straight league title but also have climbed the statewide Division 2 MPR list in part because of losses to strong opponents Grand Rapids South Christian, Wayland and Grand Rapids Catholic Central – which are a combined 30-3. Holland Christian has another notable nonleague matchup coming up Feb. 3 against undefeated Grand Rapids Covenant Christian.
Wayland (8-1) The Wildcats have strung together seven straight winning seasons and have an opportunity to shake up the O-K Gold this winter. Wayland fell two weeks in its first matchup against still-undefeated Grand Rapids South Christian, but can look forward to a rematch Feb. 10 and games as well against Grand Rapids West Catholic on Feb. 3 and 17. A 51-44 victory over Holland Christian on Dec. 19 avenged last year’s District loss, and a 15-point win over Wyoming to start January also was among the most notable.
DIVISION 3
Beaverton (9-0) After finishing second and four games back of Sanford Meridian in the Jack Pine Conference Division 2 last season, Beaverton quickly has a 2.5-game lead thanks in part to a 67-27 win over Meridian on Jan. 15. Meridian had swept Beaverton last season, and the Beavers also have a victory over St. Louis after splitting with the Sharks in 2024-25. Beaverton has several big nonleague games coming up, including against undefeated McBain, Evart, Standish-Sterling and Jackson Lumen Christi.
Grass Lake (10-1) The Warriors have won seven straight league championships and lead the Cascades Conference East thanks to handing Michigan Center its only league loss, 61-55 on Jan. 15. Grass Lake also has wins over league leaders Hanover-Horton and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, with the only loss to Division 1 contender Rockford. The Michigan Center rematch on Feb. 13 and home game against Parma Western on Feb. 24 will be intriguing as the postseason approaches.
DIVISION 4
Kingston (11-0) The Cardinals are perfect through the first half of this regular season and have celebrated a new all-time leading scorer in Molly Walker. A 53-34 win over second-place Deckerville last week sent Kingston into first place alone in the Big Thumb Conference Blue, and the Cardinals are also the only team to defeat BTC Black co-leader Brown City. The closest an opponent has come is 19 points, and only one has reached 40 points.
Mendon (9-2) The Hornets have won 18 or more games five times since their last league championship season in 2015-16 – including going 23-4 and making the Division 4 Quarterfinals two years ago. But this could be the season they complete the title climb again as they lead the Southern Central Athletic Association West by a game over Climax-Scotts, which they defeated 30-24 last week. Mendon has allowed only two opponents to reach 40 points, in losses to Division 3 Union City (43-27) and Division 1 Sturgis (46-40).
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Gladstone (10-2) at Negaunee (12-0) – Both were league champions last year and could be again, but what makes this matchup especially intriguing is it’s the first since Gladstone defeated the Miners in last year’s District Final.
Tuesday – Brown City (9-1) at Sandusky (10-1) – These two are tied for first in the BTC Black and will meet again Feb. 19.
Wednesday – Morenci (8-1) at Adrian Lenawee Christian (9-1) – The Friday matchup between these two at Morenci was postponed, but they’re set to play this time at Lenawee Christian for first place in the Tri-County Conference.
Friday – Rockford (8-1) at Grand Haven (10-0) – The Rams have won three straight O-K Red titles, and this matchup could go a long way toward helping them secure a fourth in a row.
Friday – Shelby (9-0) at Ravenna (10-2) – They are the only teams still undefeated in West Michigan Conference Rivers play after finishing second and third, respectively, in the league last season.
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PHOTOS (Top) Wayne Memorial’s Micah Darling (23) drives into the lane during her team’s 55-40 win over Livonia Stevenson last week. (Middle) A Bath player puts up a shot as the Bees held on for a 35-33 win over Laingsburg on Wednesday. (Wayne/Stevenson photo by KMS Photography. Bath/Laingsburg photo by Team Arreguin Photos.)