2-14-2026 2:15am

BASKETBALL: Saline Claims First SEC Red Crown in 3 Years with Dominant Win Over Bedford

Saline avenged its only loss of the SEC Red season by beating Dexter, 38-9, Friday, and won the conference.

Saline improved to 16-2 overall and 10-1 in the SEC Red. Bedford fell to 7-3 in the conference. Dexter lost to Skyline and fell to 7-3 in the conference. With Saline having one SEC Red game remaining, the Hornets have clinched sole possession of the SEC Red.

Saline defeats Bedford to win SEC Red Gallery 2/13/26 - thesalinepost

Saline shared the conference title with Bedford in 2022-23. Saline won it outright in 20-21.

Coach Leigh Ann Roehm said she was proud of the team.

"There are very few girls' basketball teams in the history of Saline that have won the SEC Red. It's a really tough conference. So they've etched their names in history," Roehm said.

For Roehm, it goes back to her trust team motto. "It's all about ships." Relationships can build championships.

"You've got to build relationships and build trust from the summer and the fall. And then, that leads to championships," Roehm said. "It's incredible. I couldn't be prouder of these girls."

Remarkably, Saline limited Bedford to just nine points. Saline held Bedford to four points in the first quarter, two points in the second, no points in the third quarter and three points in the fourth.

"I'm so proud of this group. You look at the score, and we lost to that team at their place," Roehm said. "I love the fight and bounce back and the grit and toughness they showed. They didn't play not to lose, they played to win. We gave up hardly any offensive rebounds. We kept their scorers in check. Bedford's a great team that we have a lot of respect for. To hold that team to nine points, that says a ton about our defense."

Saline defeats Bedford to win SEC Red Gallery 2/13/26 - thesalinepost

Roehm said it reminded her of the Saline defense of past days.

The Hornets weren't happy about the loss at Bedford. They came into this game determined to win.

"We knew we could get a conference championship if we got this dub. So we put it right out there. We didn't skirt around the fact that this was for a conference championship. We didn't skirt around the fact this was a team that beat us. This was, 'we're showing up, and we're getting this done,'" Roehm said. "They looked confident the whole time, and they showed up ready to play."

Sophomore Halle Powell had another big game for Saline with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. Senior Keira Roehm scored 11 points and had three rebounds, three steals, and six assists. Harper Backus scored eight points and had 10 rebounds. Sophie Roth scored three points. Aley Stager scored eight rebounds and had three assists. Megan Sweet pulled down five rebounds. Myla Talladay had three rebounds and three blocks.

Powell opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the corner.

Backus scored from inside to make it 5-0. After the Bedford basket, Powell made it 7-2, slicing through the paint to score.

After a Bedford basket, Backus grabbed an offensive board and put it back to give Saline a 9-4 lead.

Powell scored the opening basket of the second quarter to make it 11-4.

After a Bedford basket, Roehm fed a pass to Backus, who scored again from underneath, and Saline led 13-6.

Roehm then dished to Powell in the corner. She made her second three-pointer for a 16-6 lead. Backus added a basket. Saline led 18-6.

It was a pretty slow third quarter. Saline led 22-6 after a basket by Powell.

Late in the third, Roehm found her shot and hit a three. Saline carried its 25-6 lead into the fourth.

Roehm carried that shooting into the fourth with two more threes and a strong drive through the paint.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Roth took a foul while making her shot on a drive to the hoop. Then she made her shot for the three-point play.

Saline visits New Boston Huron (6-9) Feb. 18, Livonia Stevenson (15-3) Feb. 20, and Ann Arbor Huron (3-13) Feb. 24 before returning home Feb. 26 for a game against Brighton (5=14)

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