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Bedford edged Saline, 37-35, in varsity girls basketball action at Bedford High School Tuesday, evening the rivals' season series.
The Hornets' comeback attempt was thwarted by a strange, after-the-fact foul call that put star Sophie Canen in foul trouble and contributed to her fouling out of the game.
Saline's overall record fell to 11-2 and 6-2 in the SEC Red.
Canen scored 21 points and had two rebounds and two steals for Saline.
"Sophie Canen truly stepped up when we needed it the most. She caught fire in the 2nd half and led the run that brought us back. She had a gutsy performance," coach Leigh Ann Roehm said.
The Hornets got off to a slow start in the shooting department and Bedford jumped to an early lead with many second-chance points.
"Against a team as good as Bedford, you just can’t get off to the start we did. We have to knock shots down early and do a job on the glass against a poised and big team like Bedford," Roehm said.
The Mules started trying to slow the game down and run the clock off in the third quarter. Saline's shooters, led by Canen, started to heat up, hitting five second-half threes to climb back into the game. The Hornet rebounding was also strong in the second half.
At the end of the third quarter, the official went to the scorer's table to change a foul assessed to Kate Stemmer more than two minutes earlier so that it was assessed to Canen - putting Saline's leading scorer in foul trouble and contributing to her eventually fouling out.
Despite the slow start and loss, Roehm was happy with her team's comeback attempt.
"I was really proud of our effort in the comeback. Our body language never looked like we gave up. Lose or win… I choose this team every day of the week and twice on Sunday. We will learn from this and bounce back," Roehm said.
Payton Maloney had one of her best games of the year with six points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists.
"Payton Maloney came off the bench and gave us a big boost. She had great ball pressure and knocked down two big 3s," Roehm said.
Other Hornets in the scorebook:
- Kate Stemmer 3 points, 5 rebounds
- Taylor Kangas 2 points, 2 assists
- Anna Hesse 2 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks
- Kadyn Maida 1 point
The loss hurts the Hornets' hopes for an SEC Red championship. Dexter leads the SEC Red with an 8-0 record. Saline is 6-2 and Bedford is 5-2. If the Hornets run the table and then defeat Dexter at home Feb. 22, they'll need some help along the way. That help could come from Bedford when the Mules host Dexter Feb. 8.
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