HUDSONVILLE — After starting their state championship defense with a pair of losses in their first five games, the Hudsonville girls basketball team has found its groove.

The Eagles dominated Grandville 69-38 Friday night to move to 9-2 on the season and 5-0 in O-K Red conference play. Friday’s win was Hudsonville’s sixth straight, all coming by at least 14 points.

Hudsonville broke the game open early, finishing the first half on a 32-2 run that spanned 12:30 of game action. The Eagles led 16-8 after one quarter before outscoring Grandville 23-0 in the second frame. The score was 54-27 after three quarters.

“Once we started to really move the ball we found open shooters and knocked down shots, we know we can do that,” Hudsonville coach Casey Glass said. “Our defensive pressure and intensity is what amplifies our offense, so I thought that was good all the way around as well.”

Maddie Petroelje led the way for Hudsonville with 19 points, including five makes from behind the arc. Jaci Tubergen and Alaina Diaz both scored 10, while Mikayla Meyer, Alison Aliva, Mikynn Vanderbeek and Kinsley Hatfield each chipped in five.

Although the two early season losses might have raised some eyebrows after Hudsonville’s 27-1 state title run last season, those losses came against elite competition. The Eagles suffered a 56-51 loss to Midland Dow (9-1) and took 67-48 loss against Detroit Edison — which is a combined 65-2 over the last four seasons, with both defeats coming to out-of-state competition.

Glass said he sought out the toughest competition for his team early on. Having his squad see where they stack up against those teams — and what they have to improve on throughout the year — means more than a loss or two on the schedule, he said.

“We amped up our schedule at the beginning of the year to play difficult teams and it wasn’t about wins and losses,” Glass said. “It was about getting ourselves ready for the O-K Red. With how we’re playing and what we’re doing right now, it’s a testament to that schedule being as difficult as it was.

“I knew going into it, we don’t have to be undefeated. Other people, they read too much into the losses. The wins and losses (in the regular season), it doesn’t matter at the end. It’s the last team standing.”

Expectations have been sky-high for the Eagles this year after bringing back the majority of last year’s title team. The girls have handled it well so far, Glass said, keeping the focus on this year’s team.

“We talked about it at the beginning of the year – the state champs were last year’s team,” Glass said. “The reality of it is we have a different team than we had last year. We have some new girls that are playing different roles, we lost some kids.

“Every year you’re fighting to try to be the last team at the end. There’s only one team that’s going to do that. Our success lies in how hard we play, the team bonds, the things we have. That’s where our success is going to lie at the end of the season. If we’re the last team standing, that’s an added bonus to everything.”

Hudsonville has cruised throughout O-K Red play so far, with a 5-0 record and a half-game lead over West Ottawa, which is 4-0 in league play. The two teams are scheduled to square off next Friday in Holland. Before then, the Eagles will travel to Jenison on Tuesday, while the Panthers take on Rockford.

While his team looked strong in conference play so far, Glass knows every game in the O-K Red can be a battle — especially with the target that comes with a state championship.

“We’re going to get everybody’s best game every time we step on the floor, and we know that,” he said. “We pride ourselves in really focusing game-to-game and prepping for the next team and how we’re going to play. Just playing every night like tonight, giving the best effort we can every time we step on the floor.”