Goodrich polishes off perfect season with MHSAA girls basketball title
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EAST LANSING — Goodrich put the finishing touches on one of the most dominant girls' basketball season in state history on Saturday, March 21.
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The Martians completed their perfect season with a 55-44 win over Tecumseh in the MHSAA girls basketball Division 2 championship game at Breslin Center. Goodrich (29-0) is the first team to win 29 games in a season, per the MHSAA record books, passing a glut of schools that finished with 28 wins because of the MHSAA game limits.
They are the first school to complete an undefeated season and win a state title since Pittsford in 2016-17.
The Martians built a big lead in the second quarter thanks to their defensive pressure against a young Tecumseh team and cruised to the finish line from there. Senior guard Kayla Hairston led Goodrich with 21 points and 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, while junior Baylor Lauinger had 14 points, four steals and a block.
Both teams took the first quarter to find their footing. Goodrich narrowly led 7-3 after one thanks to a pair of steals that led to transition layups for freshmen Kat Fredrick and Sydney Place.
The Martians' pressure-heavy defense started to lean on Tecumseh's ballhandlers in the second quarter. Goodrich forced 14 turnovers in the first half, with 10 coming on straight steals, allowing the Martians to get going with easy buckets in transition.
Goodrich closed the first half with a 15-4 run to lead 29-14 at halftime. The run started with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Hairston. Lauinger finished a layup, and then Hairston called her own number with a hesitation in the lane for a wide-open layup.
Tecumseh's offense picked up in the third quarter, but Goodrich matched them every step of the way to maintain a 41-28 lead entering the fourth quarter. Hairston put the finishing touches on an outstanding high school career by scoring 11 straight Goodrich points to open up a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter.
It is the third state championship for Goodrich, which won consecutive Class B titles in 2012-13. Tecumseh finished as the runner-up after winning the D-2 title in 2025.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Goodrich girls basketball finishes perfect season with MHSAA D-2 title