Canton holds off
fiesty Marian squad

Dec. 9, 2009, 12:45 a.m.

  With No. 1-rated Detroit Renaissance on deck for Thursday night, it would have been easy for Canton to look past its opponent in Tuesday's non-conference game.

  The only problem was, Tuesday's opponent was state power Birmingham Marian -- just another hot coal in the Chiefs' walk-through-hot-coals pre-conference schedule.

  Canton, ranked No. 5 in Division 1 by the Detroit Free Press, improved to 2-0 with a 47-41 victory over Marian, but it wasn't easy.

  The Chiefs led by just two with just over a minute to play when Alyssa Cottrell hit Melanie Pickert with a perfect back-cut pass that led to a layup and a four-point lead that the Chiefs wouldn't relinquish.

  "We had a solid first half, but our third quarter wasn't as good," said Canton coach Brian Samulski, referring to the third stanza when Marian outscored the Chiefs 16-10. "In the fourth quarter, we went with more of a defensive line-up and it paid off."

  Canton led 15-12 after one quarter and 27-23 at the break. Marian took a 39-37 lead into the final eight minutes, but the resilient Chiefs responded with a solid final quarter.

  Sophomore Robyn Mack enjoyed a stellar night, scoring a team-high 13 points, which included one triple. Kari Schmitt was her typical productive self, scoring nine points to go with 10 boards, while Sara Schmitt twined seven points and five boards.

  Kayla Bridges also had a solid game, netting six points.

  Rachael Melcher led Marian with 16 points.

  Canton made 8 of 17 free throws; Marian was 5 of 11 from the stripe.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or [email protected].