The Saline girls’ basketball team took part in Martin Luther King Classic at Saginaw Valley State University Monday and came up on the short end of a tough loss to a strong DeWitt team 58-44.

The loss was the second straight for the Hornets, dropping to 6-2 overall on the season.

The game was close throughout until the Hornets were forced to send the Panthers to the line in the fourth and pulled away for the win.

“We played a tough opponent and showed up for the moment on a big stage,” Coach Leigh Ann Roehm said.  “I have a ton of respect for the Dewitt program. They are well coached and have great, college bound players. While you always want to win, we showed up today.

The opening quarter went back and fourth with DeWitt taking a 14-13 lead after one.

Saline struggled in the second and the Panthers outscored the Hornets 19-12 to take a 33-25 lead into halftime.

The Hornets continued to battle in the third but were unable to cut in to the DeWitt lead and trailed 46-37 after three and would not be able to rally in the fourth.

Keira Roehm led the Hornets with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Kadyn Maida had another big game with 13 points and three steals. Hadley Griffin added nine points and two rebounds, while Ayla Stager chipped in with three points and eight rebounds.

Kate Stemmer had a rough night finding the basket but was still a big part of the Saline offense with seven assists and three steals.

“This game is going to really help us down the stretch as we head into the thick of our season,” Roehm said. “We learned a lot, are ready to get to work, and will continue to improve.”