December shapes up to be a month of tests for the Hartland girls basketball team.
The latest comes Friday, when the Eagles (1-0) play host to a traditional state power in Saginaw Heritage. The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post, starting at around 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link.
“They’ve won a couple of state championships, at our cost,” Hartland coach Don Palmer joked. “Year in, year out, it’s a pretty solid program.”
The Hawks (0-2) are led by guards Lauren Gunn and Zar’ria Mitchell.
“I saw them play against Frankenmuth (last week) and I thought their guards were very good,” Palmer said, “We’re going to have to lock those kids down and make some of their role players step up if we’re going to be in this.”
Hartland has no shortage of talented guards, led by Amanda Roach, who had 21 points against Grand Blanc in last week’s season-opening win, and Gracey Metz, who scored nine points and played superior defense.
Click here for the archived broadcast!
“I think we’ll match up with them,” Palmer said. “The Mitchell kid is small, about 5-3 or 5-3, but she has an extra gear and can go where she wants when she wants. Our bigs are going to have to step up and make her shoot over them.”
The Eagles have four players who are four-year varsity players in the starting lineup. They are inexperienced in the post, where senior Kate Jacobs and sophomore Sarah Rebowski are sharing time getting used to varsity speed. Jacobs, listed at 6-3, and Rebowski (6-0) will play a key role on defense,’
“Rebounding is going to be a key for us all year,” Palmer said. :If we can hold our own on the defensive end, we can get out on the (fast) break a little bit. These kids want to play fast, and they’re good at it. I’m not sure I’m in love with ti, but they like it and it’s what they do best.”
Friday’s game is one of only eight home games on the schedule, the rest being KLAA West home games. But it’s a game, one the Eagles players, and coaches, are happy to see on the schedule.
“We’ve had 25 practices and one game,” Palmer said. “It’s a lot of practice. They don’t like it, and I certainly don’t.”
Hartland begins league play at Northville next week and plays Detroit Country Day and Kalamazoo Central between the holidays.
Friday’s game will also feature tributes to former Hartland coach Mike Joseph, who recently retired as coach of the Eagles girls golf team, something Palmer jokingly expressed concern about.
“I just hope they play,” he said of his team. “If they know Coach Joseph is in the building, they might go over to him and genuflect or something.”
