Not-so-perfect; Ferndale Loses 65-57 to Plymouth

WESTLAND - The Ferndale boys varsity basketball team can cross one thing off its Christmas list - an undefeated season. The Eagles (3-1) lost their first game of the year to Plymouth 65-57 on Tuesday afternoon at the John Glenn Basketball Tournament.

Ferndale's slow start allowed the Wildcats (2-3) to build a 12-point lead by halftime and while the Eagles turned up their intensity in the second half they couldn't cut the lead under six in the fourth quarter.  

Jordan Guinn, who led the Eagles with 23 points, was frustrated after the game about missed opportunities down the stretch. The Eagles failed to capitalize on three Plymouth turnovers in the game's final 90 seconds. The senior missed two 3-pointers that would have made it a one-possession game.

"I could put it (the loss) on my shoulders," Guinn said. "Maybe instead of pulling up I could've called for the screen or hesitated and went to the rack to get back to the line, maybe things would've been different."

The team looked like it ran out of steam at the end of the game. Coach Tom Staton said that's sometimes the nature of tournaments that run during winter break.

"I hate these Christmas tournaments, man," he said. "Guys don't go to sleep, you got to be in here in the morning and we didn't wake up until the second quarter."

Ferndale's tenacious pressure defense wasn't nearly as sharp as it was a week ago against Avondale. The Wildcats easily broke out of the Eagles full-court press and traps for most of the game.

Normally, the Eagles get steals by jumping into passing lines and forcing ball handlers to make bad decisions, but that wasn't happening on Tuesday. Plymouth pushed the ball quickly up the floor for wide-open looks all game.

"They were just a tad more fundamental than us and were working harder on defense than us," Guinn said. "They maybe shot three jump shots in the second half and had 20 fast-break points, wide open lay-ups and we missed assignments on defense. We could've played a lot better."

Anthony Garland was the only other Ferndale player to finish in double-digits, he scored 10 points. He also had three rebounds and two assists. DeAndre Williams had five points and eight rebounds. 

The key now for Ferndale is figuring out how to get focused earlier in games.

Twice this year, against Waterford Mott and Avondale, the Eagles went into the fourth quarter facing large deficits and came out the winner. The team found out Tuesday it can't always count on flipping that switch in the last eight minutes.

"I definitely think we learned some things today," Staton said.

Ferndale now has two weeks off and doesn't play again until after winter break. The Eagles resume their season with games against conference rivals Troy (home; Jan. 4) and Berkley (away; Jan. 7).