The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Saline edges by Tecumseh, 39-34
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 10, 2008
The Saline boys' basketball team got off to a fast post-holiday start in the record book Thursday, even if Tecumseh wouldn't let them do so on the basketball court.
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The Hornets struggled at times with the Indians' methodical, Princeton-esque brand of basketball, seeing a 12-point second-half lead dwindle to 33-32 with 1:55 to play, but a timely Jacob Fosdick three-pointer helped Saline hold off the home team 39-34 and improve to 3-4 overall, 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference.
"We didn't shoot well coming off the long break and playing Tecumseh's slow-down style," said head coach Jay Plitzuweit, "but the kids played with a lot of energy and found a way to win. It's exciting we played that hard. To win that game is a good step for Saline basketball."
The Hornets broke a 19-all tie with a 12-0 run over the final 4:40 of the third quarter, a run started by a Fosdick and helped by two more treys, one from Drew Green and one from Fosdick, that gave the Hornets their largest lead at 31-19.
The Indians responded with a basket at the third-quarter buzzer and opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run as Saline scored only a single Green basket over the period's first six minutes. With the lead down to a single point, however, Fosdick's three extended the lead back to 36-32 with 1:38 to play.
The Hornets clamped down on defense, forcing a series of Tecumseh turnovers, and single free throws from Kyle Larsen and Fosdick pushed the lead to 38-32 with 20 seconds remaining. Another Indian miss and Jake Santure free throw with 8.8 seconds to play then sealed the win.
"In the first half, I was happy with the shot selection, but we had some that just didn't go in," Plitzuweit said. "They were really focused on taking Kyle away and in the second half we hit some big outside shots."
Larsen was held to eight points, well below his season average, but Fosdick helped take up the slack with 10, the only Hornet in double-digits.
Cord Trott added eight points for Saline, followed by Green with seven and Santure with six. Green added four rebounds and four assists.
But Saline was at its best on the defensive end, where they forced the Indians into 19 turnovers and came up with 11 steals to Tecumseh's one.
"Against a team like that, the key is to stay disciplined, and I thought we played fundamentally sound and very disciplined defense tonight," Plitzuweit said. "We played with a lot of energy and forced them to take a lot of tough shots."
The Hornets struggled in the early-going as the Indians held them without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the game and built a 10-1 lead. But a Santure three-pointer broke the drought and two Larsen free throws after the first-quarter buzzer brought the Hornets within 10-8.
Saline would take its first lead, 12-10, on a Trott basket with 4:10 to play in the half. The two teams would trade scores from there before a Santure basket gave the Hornets a 19-17 halftime lead.
Saline's next home game will be 7 p.m. Tuesday against defending SEC Red champion and rival Ann Arbor Pioneer.
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