Game of the Week: Portland defeats Williamston for first time in seven years

WILLIAMSTON, Mich. (WILX) - The Portland girls are the defending Division 2 State Champions from last season. They only had two losses and one was to Williamston, a team they’ve struggled with for years. That gave the Raiders all the motivation they needed to get the job done Friday night over the Hornets 36-24.

“The girls were very excited for this game. They were very dialed in. They wanted this game pretty bad and we showed up tonight with our intensity,” said Portland head coach Jason Haid. “A lot of shots didn’t fall for us tonight, we didn’t execute offensively, but defensively I mean we dug in and made things happen and that’s why we won.”

Portland lost three seniors from last year’s state championship squad. Challenging themselves against tough teams from the start of this season will give them a good perspective on what they’re capable of again.

“Our schedule this year is going to be tough and teams are going to want to beat us because of what we were able to accomplish last year,” Portland senior Ashley Bower said. “Playing Williamston today... I mean it’s really going to help motivate us and just show us that we can beat good teams.”

“We know that Williamston is a great team. They’re coached by a great staff,” Portland senior Breckyn Werner said. “We just have to work hard everyday and push and just prove that we can win it again and that state championship we deserved last year.”

That’s now two in the win column for the Raiders and their first win over the Hornets in seven years.

“I mean it feels great,” Bower said. “We haven’t beat Williamston in a long time, so to come out with a win tonight and play the way we did is just amazing.”

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