Fulton vs. Morrice – – Girls Basketball – – MHSAA District Tournament First Round – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 4, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Fulton is hosting tonight’s Girls Basketball District. In the first game, Fulton’s Pirates will play the Orioles from Morrice. While we wait for the game to begin, I hope you will enjoy this piano solo video of “Feed the Birds” from “Mary Poppins” (from my You Tube Channel.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2KWzZEUZA

The Fulton Pirate girls enter this game with a 12-10 regular season record. Kaya Canfield is an athletic perimeter defender who can score on slashes to the basket or make shots from the free throw line. Her twin sister Jaci is also a strong perimeter defender and versatile scorer. Dayten Lambert is a fine perimeter defender who has an excellent three point shot. Olivia Leavitt and Sophia Akin are big threats from the three point line as well.

Kalyn Duflo runs the point where she is an excellent ball handler and passer. She has a solid midrange shot and can shoot the threeball. She is a determined, aggressive perimeter defender as well. Addison Warnke and Lexi Sorah provide depth in the post where they are strong defenders and rebounders. Brooklyn Kanous puts the “E” in energy when she defends on the perimeter. She creates a lot of turnovers and seemingly never has to slow down.

Aubrey Rogers is one of the most complete girls’ basketball players I have seen this year. She is tall and athletic and very competitive, so she is a defensive factor anywhere on the floor as her combination of quickness and height make things tough for any opponent. She is almost impossible for just one player to stop when she slashes to the basket and she is a good jump shooter from midrange or three point land as well. She is also an excellent rebounder. She scored her 1000th point earlier this season.

Payton Goodine is a point guard who defends well on the perimeter. She is a solid ball handler and passer. She has an effective floater in the lane and shoots well from the midrange; she is also a threat from the three point line. Alexa Rose defends and rebounds well in the post. Isabelle Nieto is a quick, speedy perimeter defender.

It is now time to review the events of this contest through the aging, but occasionally observant eyes of an elderly Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play in the days of yore. Your Bleacher Denizen unfortunately never realized that his coach was being critical when he talked of my “Matador Defense.” (That term can be googled if necessary.)

There was one final time when I waved my arm and yelled “OLE” as my opponent dribbled past me that was apparently my coach’s last straw. My playing time never did recover from that.

Fulton wins the opening tap. Sophia Akin drives and dishes to Jaci Canfield, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give the Pirates the first three points of the game. Alexa Rose hits a layup for Morrice. Sophia Akin drives and dishes the ball to Kalyn Duflo, who hits a threeball from the side to give Fulton a 6-2 lead.

Kaya Canfield draws a charging foul from Morrice to negate an Oriole layup. Fulton misfires on a triple try from the side. Kaya Canfield ties up the rebound for Fulton. The Possession Arrow and its Quilting Bee Committee are in sewing world and miss the play; the ball is awarded to Morrice. Morrice throws a pass out of bounds. Fulton misses a driving layup. Olivia Leavitt gets the long offensive rebound for the Pirates. Aubrey Rogers steals the ball for the Orioles and hits a fast break layup to whittle the Pirate lead to 6-4.

Sophia Akin drives and dishes the ball to Kaya Canfield, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Fulton. Kalyn Duflo knocks the ball away from Morrice, but the Orioles are able to recover. Morrice misses a three pointer from the wing. The Orioles get the offensive rebound. Morrice misses a three pointer from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets the ball. Sophia Akin drives and dishes the ball to Olivia Leavitt, who hits a three point shot to boost Fulton to an 11-4 lead.

Morrice misses a twelve footer off the dribble in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton takes the ball. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Kaya Canfield gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Jaci Canfield hits a putback for Fulton. Isabelle Nieto passes to Adyson Baisley, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the wing to shave the Pirate lead to 13-6.

Adyson Baisley steals the ball for the Orioles. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for the Pirates, but her momentum forces her into an over and back violation. Jaci Canfield taps the ball away from an Oriole dribbler. The ball goes out of bounds and Morrice gets another possession. Jaci Canfield ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and its Spring Cleaning Committee are excited about the play and award the ball to Fulton. The Pirates misfire on a triple try from the side. Kaya Canfield hits a putback for the Pirates and is fouled. She misses her free throw. With 2:53 to play in the opening quarter, Fulton has a 15-6 lead.

Aubrey Rogers hits a three point shot off the dribble from the wing for the Orioles. Fulton misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Morrice misses a ten footer from the side. Aubrey Rogers chases down the long offensive rebound for the Orioles. Brooklyn Kanous harrasses Morrice into committing an offensive foul. Morrice blocks a Pirate shot; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Pirates get another possession.

Fulton misses a threeball from the corner; the rebound goes out of bounds and Morrice gets the ball. Kalyn Duflo steals the ball for Fulton. Fulton misses a layup. Alexa Rose hits a fast break layup for Morrice to trim the Fulton lead to 15-11.

Jaci Canfield steals the ball and hits a layup for Fulton. A Morrice dribbler turns the ball over. Isabelle Nieto knocks the ball out of bounds; Fulton retains possession. Fulton throws a crosscourt pass too high and it sails out of bounds. Sophia Akin knocks the ball away from Morrice; Olivia Leavitt dives on the ball to tie it up. The Possession Arrow and its Gardening Committee miss the play and give the ball back to Morrice.

Payton Goodine passes the ball to an Oriole teammate who is fouled on a layup and misses two free throws with just 17.2 seconds to go in the first quarter. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. A Morrice pass goes out of bounds as the first quarter buzzer announces its presence.

After one quarter, Fulton has a 17-11 lead.

Fulton inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the side. Morrice misses a fast break layup. Fulton misses a threeball from the corner. Kaya Canfield gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses an eighteen foot shot from the side. Dayten Lambert gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates.. Fulton misses a layup. Aubrey Rogers hits a threeball off the dribble from the wing to cut the Fulton lead to 17-14.

Brooklyn Kanous passes to Olivia Leavitt, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Fulton. Brooklyn Kanous knocks the ball away from an Oriole dribbler and it goes out of bounds. Morrice retains possession. The Orioles miss a three point shot from the wing. Aubrey Rogers gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a three point shot from the corner. Adyson Baisley gets the offensive rebound for Morrice. The Orioles miss a layup.

Aubrey Rogers harasses Fulton into losing control of the ball; Isabelle Nieto ties up the ball for Morrice. The Possession Arrow and its Bake Sale Committee are pleased with the Oriole hustle and award the ball to Morrice. Payton Goodine passes to Adyson Baisley, who hits a three point shot from the side to cut the Fulton lead to 20-17.

Dayten Lambert passes to Kaya Canfield, who hits a layup for Fulton. Olivia Leavitt steals the ball for the Pirates. Aubrey Rogers steals the ball for the Orioles and hits a ten foot fast break shot from the side of the lane for Morrice. Fulton misses a layup. Morrice misses an eighteen foot shot near the top of the key. Aubrey Rogers pulls down the offensive rebound and passes to Adyson Baisley, who hits a jumper from the free throw line to chop the Fulton lead to 22-21.

Aubrey Rogers knocks the ball away from a Pirate dribbler and out of bounds; Fulton retains possession. Adyson Baisley knocks the ball away from a Pirate dribbler and out of bounds; Fulton again retains possession. Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. Lynnae Podolak’s tough defense forces a Morrice traveling violation. Alexa Rose knocks the ball away from Fulton and Isabelle Nieto picks it up for Morrice.

Jaci Canfield steals the ball for Fulton. The Pirates miss a driving layup. Morrice is whistled for an offensive foul. Briana Binkley knocks the ball out of bounds; the Pirates retain possession. Fulton misses a driving layup. Dayten Lambert hits a putback for Fulton. Brooklyn Kanous steals the ball for the Pirates. Kaya Canfield hits a three point shot from the wing to push Fulton to a 27-21 lead.

Morrice misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Shelby Austin steals the ball for the Orioles. Payton Goodine hits a fast break layup for Morrice. Fulton misses an eight footer from the baseline. Morrice misses a layup. The halftime buzzer sounds before either team can secure the rebound.

Fulton has a 27-21 lead at halftime.

Kaya Canfield has 9 points and Jaci Canfield has 7 points for Fulton at halftime.

Aubrey Rogers has 10 points for Morrice and Adyson Baisley has 7 points for Morrice.

During halftime, I’d like to feature a couple videos where my good friend Mark Wilcox performs duets with me.

Here’s “This Land is Your Land.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GOgZAHqxI

I’ll let you decide if I’m “Too Old to Cut the Mustard!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GOgZAHqxI

Fulton inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Pirates misfire on a threeball from the corner. Kaya Canfield hits a putback for the Pirates. Morrice misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Payton Goodine steals the ball for the Orioles. Morrice bounces a pass out of bounds. Dayten Lambert passes to Jaci Canfield, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Fulton a 32-23 lead.

Aubrey Rogers passes to Isabelle Nieto, who hits a layup for the Orioles. Fulton misses a three pointer from the corner. Morrice misses a layup. Fulton loses the ball out of bounds while bringing it up court. Jaci Canfield steals an Oriole pass. Fulton misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Jaci Canfield is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give Fulton a 34-25 lead with 4:40 left on the third quarter clock.

Morrice misses a layup. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Jaci Canfield leaps and manages to save the offensive rebound as she falls out of bounds; she is able to hit the ball to her sister Kaya and Fulton gets another possession. Kaya Canfield is fouled on a layup and hits a free throw to give Fulton a 35-25 lead with 4:24 to go in the quarter.

Isabelle Nieto passes to Adyson Baisley, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the side of the lane for Morrice. Alexa Rose steals a Fulton pass and passes to Isabelle Nieto, who hits a fast break layup for Morrice to trim the Pirate lead to 35-29.

Fulton is whistled for a double dribble violation. A Morrice dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Fulton misses a three pointer from the side. Morrice misses an eighteen foot shot near the top of the key. The Orioles get the offensive rebound. Isabelle Nieto hits a fifteen foot shot from the wing the trim the Fulton lead to 35-31.

Payton Goodine steals the ball for Morrice. Kaya Canfield ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and its Bird Watching Club are trying to follow a yellow bellied sap sucker, miss the play and hurriedly award the ball to Morrice. Sophia Akin knocks an Oriole pass out of bounds; Morrice retains possession. The Orioles miss a threeball from the wing. Adyson Baisley knocks the offensive rebound to an Oriole teammate. Morrice misses a layup.

Aubrey Rogers forces a Fulton double dribble violation. Morrice misses a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Orioles get another opportunity. Morrice misses a driving layup. Aubrey Rogers gets her hand on the ball and Fulton loses it out of bounds. Morrice misses a sixteen foot shot off the dribble from the side. Payton Goodine nearly steals the ball for Morrice, but Fulton is able to recover. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the side. Isabelle Nieto hits a fast break layup to cut the Fulton lead to 35-33.

Kaya Canfield is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Fulton with 29.2 seconds to play in the third quarter. Aubrey Rogers drives and hits a layup for Morrice. Payton Goodine knocks the ball away from Fulton and wastes a couple of the precious final few seconds of the quarter for the Pirates. Fulton recovers, but misses a rushed layup at the buzzer.

After three quarters, Fulton has a 37-35 lead.

Fulton inbounds the ball to start out the fourth quarter. The Pirates throw a pass out of bounds. Payton Goodine drives and dishes the ball to Isabelle Nieto, who hits a layup for Morrice to tie the game at 37-37.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Jaci Canfield pulls down the offensive rebound for Fulton. The Pirates miss a layup. Kaya Canfield hits a putback for Fulton to put the Pirates back on top by two points. Morrice turns the ball over. The Orioles steal the ball. Morrice throws a pass out of bounds. Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. Jaci Canfield hits a putback to give Fulton a 41-37 lead.

Morrice misses a jump shot. Aubrey Rogers is fouled on a putback. She hits one of her two free throws to trim the Fulton lead to 41-38 with 5:58 left on the clock.

Aubrey Rogers forces a Fulton traveling violation. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for Fulton and draws a foul from the Orioles. Fulton misses a driving layup. Olivia Leavitt gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Dayten Lambert gets the offensive rebound for Fulton. Aubrey Rogers steals the ball for Morrice.

The Orioles misfire on a threeball from the wing. Fulton drives from the side and misses a ten foot jumper. Brooklyn Kanous steals the ball for Fulton. Isabelle Nieto steals the ball for the Orioles. Aubrey Rogers drives and hits a layup for Morrice to trim the Fulton lead down to one point. Lynnae Podolak drives and dishes the ball to Kaci Canfield, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to give Morrice a 43-40 lead with 4:05 remaining in the game.

Aubrey Rogers passes the ball to Adyson Baisley, who banks in jump shot from the free throw line to pull Morrice back to within one point. Aubrey Rogers forces a Fulton traveling violation. Kalyn Duflo steals the ball for Fulton. Shelby Austin and Isabelle Nieto team up to steal the ball for Morrice. Dayten Lambert dives and causes a tie up. The Possession Arrow and its Monday Canasta club decide to award the ball to Morrice. Morrice misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline.

Isabelle Nieto defends aggressively and forces a Fulton double dribble violation. Fulton’s defense forces a turnover when Morrice fails to inbound the ball in the required five seconds. Aubrey Rogers steals the Fulton inbound pass. Morrice misses a fast break layup. Payton Goodine and Aubrey Rogers force a Fulton traveling violation. Jaci Canfield knocks and Oriole pass out of bounds and the Pirates take possession.

Isabelle Nieto knocks Fulton’s inbound pass out of bounds; the Pirates retain possession. Payton Goodine forces a Fulton traveling violation. Jaci Canfield steals the Morrice inbound pass. Fulton misses a layup. Brooklyn Kanous secures the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets another opportunity. Shelby Austin draws a charging foul from the Pirates. Brooklyn Kanous steals the ball for Fulton and is tackled. She hits two free throws to give Fulton a 45-42 lead with 1:32 to play.

Kalyn Duflo draws a charging foul to negate a Morrice layup. Fulton bounces a pass out of bounds. Morrice commits an offensive foul. Payton Goodine gets her hand on a Fulton pass and the Pirates lose the ball out of bounds. Morrice misses a threeball from the corner. Kaylin Brewer is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to cut the Fulton lead to 45-44 with 22.6 seconds to go.

Kalyn Duflo is fouled and hits two free throws for Fulton with 17.3 seconds to play. Payton Goodine drives and hits a layup for Morrice. Fulton inbounds the ball and the final buzzer sounds shortly after.

Fulton wins this District Game by a 47-46 score and will play Fowler in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Aubrey Rogers led the Morrice scoring with 15 points. Adyson Baisley scored 11 points and Isabelle Nieto contributed 10 points. Alexa Rose and Payton Goodine each put in 4 points. Kaylin Brewer tallied 2 points.

Kaya Canfield and Jaci Canfield shared scoring honors for Fulton with 16 points each. Olivia Leavitt chipped in with 6 points and Kalyn Duflo added 5 including two huge free throws near the end of the game. Dayten Lambert scored 2 points and Brooklyn Kanous hit two big-time pressure-packed free throws near the end of the game and scored 2 points.

Webberville and Lansing Christian played in the second game of the night. Here is the play by play of that contest. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/03/05/webberville-vs-lansing-christian-girls-basketball-first-round-mhsaa-district-the-bleacher-denizen-march-4-2024-by-chuck-krafft/