BASKETBALL: Maida, Roehm Lead Saline Over Bedford, Put Hornets Back in SEC Mix

Keira Roehm and Kadyn Maida blew up in the fourth quarter to lift Saline to a 38-32 win over Bedford Friday.

The win lifted Saline back into the race for the SEC Red championship. Saline improved to 10-2 with games remaining against Huron and Skyline. Bedford lost its first conference game and is 10-1, with games remaining against Dexter and Pioneer (2). Dexter lost to Pioneer Friday to fall to 9-3.

Friday’s game between Saline and Bedford was tense. Bedford jumped out to a 9-0 lead minutes into the contest. Saline clawed to within one by the end of the first quarter. The second quarter featured just three points - one for Saline and two for Bedford. The teams battled to a 21-21 tie after three. Saline finally took over in the final three minutes - avenging the early season loss at Bedford.

Coach Leigh Ann Roehm said it was a great win for her team.

“We were just talking about how special it is to have rivalry games. A lot of people have never experienced the rush and adrenaline that happens with a true rivalry game with two teams that go head-to-head, every year, very competitively, with lots of respect for each other. There’s lots of crowd and lots of noise and lots of emotion playing for an SEC conference,” Roehm said. “And we stepped up in the moment. It’s a special one. It’s one they’ll remember and years down the road talk about.”

Saline will have to win out and get some help from Dexter and/or Pioneer to win the SEC Red. But even if they aren’t able to win the conference, it’s a big win.

“From the beginning of the year, we’ve wanted to be the most improved team in the state. And if you look at us from day one to now, wow, have we improved,” Roehm said. “That’s a really great Bedford team that we held to 13 points in the first half and we did a great job in the second half.”

Down 9-0 early, Roehm called a timeout. She wanted to reground the team and ensure her team didn’t get emotional about the poor start. She got a big boost from her daughter Keira Roehm who challenged her team to get those points back at the end of the timeout.

“Keira said, they just went on their run, now we’re about to go on our run,” Roehm recalled. “The players took that emotional lift and we’ve been needing some emotional lifts.”

Roehm opened the scoring with a three.

Stemmer and Maida completed the seven-point run with layups.

After a Bedford basket, Roehn hit another three to cut Bedford’s lead to 11-10.

In the second quarter, Saline managed just one point - on a free throw by Maida - and held Bedford to no points until a buzzer-beating putback gave Bedford a 13-11 lead.

Coach Roehm credited both teams’ defenses but said the Hornets just couldn’t cash in on some good looks.

“It was a defensive battle, but I thought we were getting great shots. They just weren’t falling,” Roehm said.

In the third quarter, Bedford scored first to take a 15-11 lead. 

Maida had back-to-back buckets to tie the score. 

Hadley Griffin hit a big three to give Saline its first lead of the game, 18-15. After a Bedford basket, Maida hit a three to make it 21-17.

Unfortunately for Saline, Bedford scored four points to end the quarter and the game was tied at 21 as it went to the fourth.

Keira Roehm spent the first four minutes trading points with the Mules. She scored first on a layup to make it 23-21. Bedford replied with a couple of free throws and then scored to make it 25-23 for Bedford.

Roehm made another layup to tie the score at 25. The Mules scored again to jump in front. 27-25.

With 4:03 remaining in the quarter, Roehm drained a three to put Saline in front 28-27. Bedford replaced with two free throws to go up 30-29.

Saline went up for good with a quick rush to the basket by Maida with 2:49 to play.

After a big defensive stop, she made another layup for a 32-29 lead. With 1:01 to play, she made her third straight basket to give Saline a 34-29 lead. Bedford got a little closer with a couple of free throws. Maida replied with two of her own free throws. Bedford got one more free throw and then Roehm went 2-for-2 to give Saline the 38-32 lead.

“Keira and Kadyn - wow, they took everything on their shoulders and made the big plays in the end, taking it to the rim, knocking down threes and making the free throws,” Roehm said. “I was really impressed with the underclassmen. They were like, we can do this. We have the confidence. That was great to see them step up.”

Kadyn Maida finished with 18 points and three assists while Roehm had 15 points and two assists. Hadley Griffin finished with three points, five rebounds and three assists. Kate Stemmer had two points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists. Ayla Stager led Saline with seven rebounds.

Coach Roehm shined a light on the defensive effort of her leading scorer.

“Kadyn’s defensive effort deserves a shout-out as well. She banged all night in the paint and still had the stamina to come get it done at the offensive end. Her last two transition buckets showed off her athleticism and were crucial to our momentum,” Roehm said.

Keira Roehm was credited for turning it up whenever Saline really needed the points.

“In addition to her big 4th quarter, Keira kept us in the game in the 1st half with two first-half 3s. Then in the second half, she was really able to get to the rim. Keira keeps stepping up in big moments. In our last three close games, she’s scored 9+ in the 4th quarter. She is at her best when the pressure is on,” Roehm said.

Roehm praised Stager’s rebounding and defensive effort against a much bigger girl.

“Ayla Stager was a hero tonight. As a sophomore giving up 4 inches to their D1 post, she banged and battled and really did a great job keeping her off the paint and stopping her from getting to the rim. She crashed the boards hard every possession. We don’t win without Ayla tonight,” Roehm said.

Saline is 15-3 overall.

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