The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Saline takes No. 2 Pioneers to wire
Win streak snapped after Pioneers roar back from 25-4 hole
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 21, 2008
For one incredible quarter, the Saline boys' basketball team might have been the best team in Michigan.
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But after watching the Hornets take a stunning 25-4 lead after that first quarter Tuesday, the Ann Arbor Pioneer Pioneers showed over the final three periods why they were the team carrying the No. 2 state ranking and undefeated record, catching and eventually passing Saline for a 56-52 win.
"I don't think we lost the game. I think Pioneer won it," Saline head coach Jay Plitzuweit said afterward. "Our kids played hard and showed a lot of guts all the way through. They gave a great effort. I'm happy."
Two free throws by Hornet senior Jake Santure tied the game at 52 with 45 seconds to play, but the Pioneers would hit two free throws on their ensuing possession to retake the lead. Saline was unable to find the basket on either of their final two trips down the court, while the homestanding Pioneers hit two more foul shots to ice the game and snap the Hornets' six-game winning streak.
Saline fell to 10-9 and 9-6 in the Southeastern Conference despite connecting on their first six three-pointers and committing a single turnover in building their 21-point lead at the end of the opening period, the largest deficit faced by the Pioneers this year. Jacob Fosdick and Tyler Bagbey hit three triples each for the Hornets in the quarter while senior center Kyle Larsen scored seven points of his own.
"We took them by surprise," Plitzuweit said. "Defensively we were very actively and offensively, we spaced the floor really well against their trap and hit our open shots."
But Saline would score just two more points over the next three quarters combined than they put on the board in those first eight minutes. While increased Pioneer pressure on the perimeter kept Saline's shooters in check, center Zach Williams made life difficult for Larsen and the Hornets inside. Saline would finish the game outscored 40-16 in the paint and having shot just 9-of-25 (36 percent) on two-point field goals compared to a blistering 8-of-12 (66 percent) from behind the arc.
"Williams is without question the best defensive post player we've faced all year," Plitzuweit said. "He did a very good job of playing Kyle 1-on-1 and allowing the rest of the defense to focus on our other kids ... Their defensive pressure was relentless. They kept coming after us."
Despite their offensive troubles, Saline was able to hold the explosive Pioneers largely in check in the second and third quarters, maintaining a 34-16 lead at halftime and 42-30 entering the fourth quarter. But the Pioneers would finally break loose for 26 points in the final eight minutes to escape with the victory.
Fosdick would lead Saline in both points and assists with 16 and 5, respectively. Larsen posted a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 of Saline's 18 rebounds. Bagbey finished with nine points, followed by Santure with five, Cord Trott with four, and Drew Green with three.
Next Wednesday at 6 p.m., Saline will travel to Bedford to take on the winner of a first-round game between Adrian and Monroe in a district tournament semifinal and the first playoff game of Plitzuweit's Horne tenure. But for the time being, Plitzuweit is more concerned with his team's first trip to Bedford, for their regular season finale against the Mules Thursday night.
"If we win that game, that'll give us 10 wins in our conference. I think that would be a real good accomplishment for our team," he said. "We're not thinking about Districts yet. It's one game at a time."
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