Salem's Katelynn Krause pulls down a rebound against Divine Child's Mallory Myler. (Ed Wright photo)

Tall, talented Divine Child
pulls away late on Rocks

  It says "Falcons" on the front of their jerseys, but Divine Child's basketball players looked more like ball hawks Tuesday night at Salem.

  The Rocks hung tough with the Falcons through three quarters before succumbing, 41-27, to their visitors' scrappy defense and stellar outside shooting.

  Salem will take a 1-3 mark into Thursday night's cross-campus clash with 1-3 Plymouth. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. in the Wildcats' gym.

  "I thought our girls really competed well," said Salem coach Fred Thomann, whose Rocks trailed just 22-16 at the half. "We played a very good team tonight; they made it to the Regional final last year and they have a lot of players back.

  "Their size and quickness was a little bit better than ours, but we managed to hang in there most of the game. I was very pleased with our effort."

  With the exception of senior guard Heidi Schmidt, the Rocks were mired in a game-long shooting slump. When anyone other than Schmidt was shooting, Salem made just 3 of 24 field goals.

  Schmidt's hot hand kept Salem in it early as she scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half. Schmidt also yanked down nine rebounds.

  Junior guard Bri Berberet was the only other Rock with more than two points as she buried 10, six of which came on a pair of triples.

  A good portion of Salem's shooting woes could be attributed to Divine Child's defense, which switched from a man-to-man in the first half to a suffocating zone during the final 16 minutes.

  The Rocks also played some pretty intense defense, limiting the Falcons to 18-of-48 shooting.

  "I thought our defensive effort was excellent tonight," said Thomann. "We had a little trouble getting through some screens, and they made us pay with their good outside shooting, but overall I thought we defended and rebounded well, especially considering their size."

  Divine Child was sparked by the talented junior guard tandem of Rosanna Reynolds, who poured in 13 points, and Cara Miller, who twined 12.

  The Rocks pulled to within 18-16 with three minutes left in the first half on a pair of Berberet free throws, however, the Falcons followed with a 12-0 run that wasn't ended until Berberet buried back-to-back threes mid-way through the third quarter.

  Salem was torrid from the free-throw line, sinking 5 of 6 attempts. The Falcons did not attempt a free throw.

  Thomann said his team is looking forward to Thursday's encounter with the Wildcats.

  "Whenever we play in a cross-campus game, the kids get fired up and they usually step it up," said Thomann. "It should be a good one."

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

Salem's Jennifer First applies solid defense against Divine Child's Rosanna Reynolds. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem's Kynisha Dean sets up a play during the fourth quarter. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem's Heidi Schmidt converted this tricky reverse layup over Rosanna Reynolds. (Ed Wright photo)

Katelynn Krause (5) plays outstanding defense on this Falcon possession. (Ed Wright photo)