Chiefs ride Bridges' big night to 20-point road victory at Mercy

  It's still November, but Kayla Bridges was in late-season form for Canton's girls basketball team Tuesday night at Farmington Hills Mercy.

  Bridges, a senior forward who is headed to Wayne State University to play hoop, gave the Marlins fits in the paint the entire night, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds to spearhead the Chiefs' 57-27 season-opening game.

  Bridges also sparkled from outside as she drained a pair of triples.

  "Kayla had a real nice game," said Canton coach Brian Samulski, whose team is ranked in the top five in Class A in most pre-season polls. "She's shooting the ball real well from the perimeter. She did a nice job inside and got to the free-throw line a lot. It was all good for 'Bridge' tonight."

  The Chiefs' super-tight defense resembled a giant red Snuggie, forcing the Marlins into 17 turnovers.

  Mercy hung tough early, knotting the game up at 6-all four minutes in on a Candice Leatherwood lay-up.

  But Canton countered with a Bridges three, four straight free throws from CarolAnn Sexauer and a putback bucket by Sara Schmitt to grab a 15-6 lead they would never relinquish.

  The Chiefs led 29-19 at the half and 41-27 with eight minutes to play.

  "Overall, for the first game, not bad," Samulski said, when asked to assess his team's performance. "I didn't think our transition defense was good in the first half, but the girls got better as the game went along.

  "I thought the kids competed and played hard, which is the most important thing. Mercy is a good team, which is why we put them on our schedule. They're going to be one of the better teams in the Catholic League this year."

  Sara Schmitt enjoyed a solid night at both ends of the court, too, registering 10 points and six rebounds. Sexauer and Kari Schmitt both contributed eight points.

  Abby Lovat led the Marlins with 12 points, half of which were the result of two triples. Leatherwood chipped in with nine.

  Canton struggled at the free-throw line, sinking just 11 of 22 attempts, but in the end, it didn't factor into the outcome.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.

Canton's Kari Schmnitt hustles the ball up court against Mercy's Abby Lovat. (Ed Wright photo)

Rachel Winters grabs a rebound during second-quarter action. The freshmen was solid playing in her first varsity game. (Ed Wright photo)

Robyn Mack handled most of the ball-handling responsibilities for the Chiefs. (Ed Wright photo)

Sara Schmitt lays in two of her 10 points. (Ed Wright photo)

Kayla Bridges was nearly unstoppable in the paint for the Chiefs. (Ed Wright photo)