Saline Girls’ Stay in Title Hunt with Win Over Bedford

The Saline girls’ basketball team did their part, but now they need some help for a shot at the SEC Red title after the Hornets knocked off league leading Bedford 38-32.

The win moved the Hornets within one game of the Mules in the SEC Red standings, but the Hornets will need the Mules to be knocked off by either Dexter or Pioneer in its final two games next week. Saline will also need to defeat Huron and Skyline in its final two games for the title shot.

Things did not start well for the Hornets with Bedford scoring the first nine points of the game, but Saline answered with a Keira Roehm triple and baskets by Kate Stemmer and Kadyn Maida to cut the lead to 9-7. Bedford would hold an 11-10 lead after one.

Neither team could buy a basket in the second quarter. Call it good defense of bad shooting, the only basket of the quarter was scored with a tip-in by Bedford at the buzzer and the Mules held a 13-11 lead at the half.

Maida got the Hornets offense going with seven points in the third quarter and a triple by Hadley Griffin left Saline tied with Bedford at 21 after three.

Roehm would catch fire in the fourth scoring the first seven points and her tiple put the Hornets up 28-27 and Maida took over from there.

Maida scored drove the lane for three straight baskets for a 34-31 lead and she sank a pair of free throws to push the lead to 36-31 with 33 seconds left.

Bedford split a pair of free throws and Roehm sealed the win with two free throws for the 38-32 final.

“Maida and Roehm really took over in the 2nd half, especially the 4th quarter. Kadyn scored 8 and Keira 9 to seal it for us,” Coach Leigh Ann Roehm said. “It was cool to watch them play off each other, both assisting each other for big buckets. Both were perfect from the line in the 4th as well.”

Maida finished with a team high 18 points, while Roehm added 15.

Griffin finished with three points and five rebounds and Stemmer two points, six rebounds, five steals, and four assists. Ayla Stager battled hard underneath for the Hornets and grabbed a team high seven rebounds.

Saline improved to 10-2 in the Red and 15-3 overall.

Photos by Mike Williamson