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The Ford girls basketball team is in a good place right now.
The Falcons won for the fourth time in five starts on Wednesday when they beat Dakota 61-43 in a Macomb Area Conference crossover game.
“The energy was amazing,” said senior Madison Bettys, who was one of four Ford players to score in double figures. “One of our main focuses is slowing the ball down, moving it, distributing it and just having fun.
“We had to work for it. The first day of tests was drilled into us. We pride ourselves on staying composed while working hard for 32 minutes.

The game was tied at 10-10 when Ford went on a 26-6 run that started in the final minute of the first quarter and ended with back-to-back 3-point baskets by Sydney Garon and Kailee Gallich. Dakota scored the first six points of the second half, but Gallich capped that run with another 3 and started an 11-0 surge that put Ford ahead by 23 points.
“They played really hard today,” Falcons coach Matt Joseph said. “They run the floor really well. Our balance is a key for us. We’re sharing the basketball and our length really helps us. We don’t have to rely on one kid to score.”
Bettys agreed.
“We can count on everything,” he said. “We trust our colleagues. Everyone plays their role. It’s such a fun atmosphere.”
Dakota coach Phil McCune was impressed with the Falcons.
“Ford is well coached and they have five kids on the court all the time who work together and believe in the team concept,” he said. “If they keep doing what they’re doing, they’ll go far.”
Balanced scoring isn’t the only thing that makes Ford hard to beat. Eliana Karas was the only starter not in double figures, but she got some of the highest praise from Joseph.
“Elly played her best game of the year,” Joseph said. “He accepted the challenge. He played very well. His defense and rebounding are outstanding.
“Maddy is very strong and physical and when she’s jumping and running and jumping like that she’s an animal — in athletic terms. Kailee Gillich did a great job running the show. Anayya (Davis) gives teams problems with his length and his ability to finish. Sydney Garon gave us some great minutes and Emily Leusby came off the bench and hit some big buckets in the second half. I was really pleased with the way we played.”
Bettys and Davis led Ford with 15 points each, Gillich scored 12 and Garon finished with 11.
Dakota is trying to integrate four new starters into the lineup and the Cougars have struggled at times.
“Every game we try to drill different things in practice to get us ready for certain things,” McCune said. “We are not perfect yet. It is a process. Tonight we didn’t take care of the ball the way we should have. Our defensive rotations weren’t there. I told them to look at the film and look at the effort that Tambre Williams and Gracie Maloney are giving. When we have five people doing that, we’re in a good situation.
“We have four new starters and they’re still trying to figure things out. We know it’s going to take time to get in. We have to play better as a team and believe in ourselves.”
Williams led Dakota with 12 points and Samone Andrews scored 11.
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Ford 14 22 15. 10—61
Dakota 10 8 16 9—43
Ford (4-1): Sydney Garon 11, Kailee Gillich 12, Madison Bettys 15, Anayya Davis 15, Eiliana Karas 4, Emily Leusby 4. Totals: 23 (7) 8-20—61.
Dakota (2-3): Gabby Brooks-Foster 6, Samone Andrews 11, Teagan Malloy 2, Enddiea Reese 2, Tambre Williams 12, Brooklyn Garavaglia 6, Gracie Maloney 4. Totals: 17 (2) 7-11—43.
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