The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Saline falls at Huron, 56-38
Rats extend losing skid as Hornets go cold from beyond the arc
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 24, 2008
It started off like another barnburner. Unfortunately for members of the Saline boys' basketball team, their game at Ann Arbor Huron Jan. 17 finished like something else.
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The Hornets' Dec. 13 meeting with the River Rats had been a one-possession game deep into the fourth quarter and looked like it might go the distance again after a wild first quarter that finished with Saline trailing 17-15.
But it was almost all Rats from there as Saline scored just 23 points across the remaining 24 minutes and fell 56-38.
The loss dropped Saline to 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference.
"I thought our kids did a really good job of moving the ball against Huron's zone, but we missed a lot of open shots and we became frustrated," said Saline head coach Jay Plitzuweit. "That frustration affected other aspects of our game and things snowballed on us."
Senior center Kyle Larsen was as usual a focal point of the opposing defensive efforts and finished the game with 14 points, a team-high but a handful below his average.
But unlike other games this season in which Larsen has been held in check, as in the Hornets' upset of Chelsea, where he scored seven, Saline wasn't able to take up the slack elsewhere. The Hornets finished the game shooting only 20 percent (4-20) from behind the three-point arc.
"Our offense took a step forward in cleaning up our turnovers and getting good looks at the basket. We didn't take a lot of shots with a hand in our face," Plitzuweit said. "But our shots weren't falling."
The result was that after the 15-point opening quarter, Saline scored just seven in the second to fall behind 30-22.
The lead stretched to 43-31 by the end of the third period and the Hornets were unable to mount a challenge in the fourth.
"Huron has several kids with the ability to score and are a strong offensive team, but we were able to slow them down a little bit," said Plitzuweit. "Defense isn't our problem. We're a good defensive team. But we're not a great one. We're still working to get better defensively while taking care of the ball and scoring some points."
Following Larsen on the Saline scoresheet was Drew Green with nine points, Tyler Bagbey with five points, Gabe Helmuth with four, and Cord Trott and Jacob Fosdick with three each.
Larsen led the team with seven rebounds, while Bagbey grabbed five.
After starting league play 3-1, Saline has now lost three straight to fall under .500. But with those losses coming against quality teams in Dexter, Pioneer, and Huron, Plitzuweit believes the Hornets can learn from their struggles and be better for them in the end.
"I really believe that adversity reveals character," he said. "When times get tough, what are we going to show that we're about? It's a challenge. It's a great opportunity for us to bounce back and show our toughness and togetherness as a team."
Saline will look to move forward Friday night when the Hornets take on Bedford 7 p.m. at home.
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