Lady Hornets Fall at Pioneer

The Saline varsity girls’ basketball team looked better than they did the first time they faced Ann Arbor Pioneer, but the Hornets wound up on the losing end of things, falling 43-40 at Pioneer Friday night.

Saline fell to 5-10 overall and 2-5 in the SEC Red. Pioneer improved to 7-7 and 5-2 in the SEC Red.

Katie Crysler scored 12 points to lead the Hornets. Melissa Needham and Britten Clark each scored six points for Saline. Brittany Kaplan led Pioneer with 13 points. Emily Turner scored eight points.

Saline head coach Jeff Waltz said it was disappointing loss for a team coming in off a big upset over Bedford.

“I thought the effort was there. We worked hard. But we didn’t execute tonight. We had a lot of turnovers and missed baskets today,” said Waltz. “We’re a team that’s improving. We’re didn’t have our best game today, but we were still right there with a chance to tie the game at the buzzer.”

Saline senior Alli Cope’s long three-pointer from near half fell wide of the hoop.

Crysler’s six-point first quarter propelled the Hornets to an early 8-4 lead. By the end of the first half, however, Pioneer’s high-pressure defense was causing trouble and turnovers for the Hornets. The teams went to the locker rooms tied at 19.

The Hornets ran into a hot shooter to open the third quarter. Kaplan fired up her team with a three-point basket from the corner. After a free throw bucket by Saline’s Amanda Price and then two points from the charity stripe by Clark, Kaplan made it 24-22 Pioneer with another long shot from the arc. Clark answered the shot with a powerful drive to the hoop making it 24-24. Kaplan hit another three pointer to put Pioneer back up.

A couple weeks ago, the Hornets wilted when a Pioneer shooter dropped a couple three-point bombs in a close game. But Hornets kept battling, getting baskets from Ellis and Crysler to take the lead. Pioneer’s Desiree Cougill and Saline’s Needham traded baskets, giving Saline a 30-29 lead late in the third. Needham’s late three-point attempted at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

The fourth quarter started Hornet Emily Reyst’s midcourt steal and layup. But Cougill scored the game’s next five points for a 33-32 Pioneer lead. Crysler tied the game up with a free-throw basket for the Hornets.

With 5:20 to play, Pioneer’s Alexus Pace-Patterson, who shot down the Hornets with timely long range shooting three weeks ago, sank a long field goal for a 35-33 lead. Janese Honeycutt made it 37-33 with a basket. Needham and Turner traded baskets as Pioneer led 39-35 with less than three minutes to play.  Saline’s price made it a two-point game with a layup with 44.6 seconds to play.

The Hornets looked like they might get the ball back after Turner missed the first half of a one-and-one, but Pioneer’s Brianna Worthing battled for the loose ball, forcing a jump ball that allowed the Pioneers to keep possession. A few seconds later, Turner made both her shots for a 41-37 lead with 29.4 seconds to play.

Saline cut the lead to three on a free throw basket by Crysler. The Pioneers increased their lead to five with 19.1 seconds to play after two free throws by Worthing.

The Hornets continued to battle. Clark made it a three-point game with a power move to the basket.

Saline got the ball back with 4.1 seconds left. Cope’s three-point attempt from just inside midcourt fell wide.

hosts Adrian Tuesday and visits Skyline Friday.