Saline Girls’ Pull Away for Big Win Over Rival Dexter

The Saline girls’ basketball team used a big third quarter run to pull away from rival Dexter for a 56-39 in a key SEC Red matchup Friday night.

Saline held a 22-20 halftime lead and the teams went back and forth to start the third with Dexter taking a 31-30 lead with a three-pointer.

It would be the last lead the Dreadnaughts would have the rest of the night.

Harper Backus put the Hornets back on top and Saline went on a 14-0 run for a 44-31 lead after three quarters.

Saline sealed the win from the line in the fourth to move to 3-0 in the SEC Red.

Backus was dominant in the paint for the Hornets with a double-double of 15 points and ten rebounds. Twelve of her points came in the decisive third quarter.

“The third quarter was Harper Backus’s quarter. We did a great job feeding her the ball, executing plays and getting her looks,” coach Leigh Ann Roehm said.

Halle Powell led Saline with 17 points and six rebounds and was stellar from the line in the fourth to hold off any chance of a Dexter rally.

Keira Roehm sparked the Hornets in the first half when Backus was on the bench with foul trouble and finished with 14 points and four assists.

Myla Talladay and Megan Sweet were both keys in the paint for Saline with Talladay picking up seven points and five rebounds, while Sweet chipped in with three points and seven boards.

“This was an incredible team win. I loved our toughness and the way we just got after it on the glass,” Roehm said. “We did an excellent job defending their talented guards and handled their pressure very well. Today’s game was a game that started to solidify our identity as a team.”

Earlier in the week the Hornets took down Woodhaven 54-41 in a non-league contest.

Backus was again a force in the paint for Saline with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds.

Roehm hit four triples and finished with a strong all-around game of 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Powell added 11 points, seven boards, and five assists. Talladay chipped in with four points and three assists, Ayla Stager two points and three rebounds, and Sophie Roth two points.

The Hornets improved to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the SEC Red.