The Saline Reporter
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Hornets survive Adrian comeback to advance to final
Maples cut 20-point Saline lead to six, but Hornets prevail
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
The Saline boys' basketball team survived a furious fourth-quarter Adrian rally to turn away the Maples 50-41 in a district semifinal Feb. 27 at Bedford. Saline drew Lincoln after the Railsplitters downed Tecumseh 57-53 on the other side of the bracket.
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"We're going to face a very good team on Friday," said Saline head coach Jay Plitzuweit, who denied that the big Adrian run to close the game might have helped Saline's focus for a final against a team the Hornets swept in the regular season.
"We don't think we're better than anyone here," he said. "We're not about to overlook anyone."
Saline appeared to be cruising to an easy win over the Maples, up 20 points with less than six minutes to play, before Adrian caught fire with three three-pointers in a two-minute span. Adrian would add another basket, a free throw, and a breakaway layup following a Saline turnover to cap a 15-1 run and come within 47-41 with 1:12 left to play.
But after missing the front end of back-to-back one-and-one opportunities moments earlier, Saline center Kyle Larsen hit one-of-two from the line with 52.5 to play to stop the bleeding. Adrian was unable to convert on the other end, and Larsen would hit two more to put Saline back up nine and seal the win.
"You have to play differently with a sizable lead," Plitzuweit said of the Adrian comeback. "They were desperate and we were a little tentative against their press. If it had been earlier in the game, I think we'd have been more aggressive."
The 20-point lead was built largely on the strength of Larsen's play inside. The senior scored 15 first-half points as Saline surrounded him with four players on the perimeter and found him repeatedly in single coverage inside.
"We really spread the floor, and Kyle was able to go one-on-one and take advantage," Plitzuweit said.
The result was a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 26-17 lead at halftime after the Hornets held Adrian scoreless for the second quarter's final 4:55.
Back-to-back threes from Jacob Fosdick stretched the Saline lead to 38-21 with 3:33 to play in the third, and another three from Drew Green would help the Hornets would score the first six of the fourth quarter for a 46-26 lead with 5:58 to play.
"We did it defensively," Plitzuweit said of the huge lead. "They do a real good job of attacking the basket and getting inside, but we were able to keep them away from the basket and frustrate them a little bit."
Larsen claimed his 15th double-double of the season with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Fosdick joined him in double figures with 10 points, while Jake Santure added eight points and seven rebounds. Green and Gabe Helmuth scored three points each with Cord Trott contributing two points and a team-high three assists. Tyler Bagbey grabbed four rebounds and had two assists.
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