Rocks' gutsy comeback repelled
by Wildcats in District opener

BY ED WRIGHT
March. 2, 2010, 7:55 a.m.

  Hidden beneath the final score of Monday night's Salem-vs.-Novi  District girls basketball game was a stunning comeback, a game-changing foul call and the final showing for three difference-making senior captains.

  After coasting to a 25-15 halftime lead, the Wildcats withstood a fast-and-furious second-half Salem rally to post a 46-39 home-court victory.

  A momentous and debatable charging call against Salem -- the second crushing offensive foul called against the Rocks in their past two District games -- triggered its eventual downfall.

  The game was the high school finale in the Rock-solid careers of senior captains Sara Stone, Brett de Bear and Rachel Norman, all three-year contributors.

  After Novi's inside catalyst Kelsey Masserant converted a short power move 1:20 into the third quarter, the Rocks reeled off a remarkable 17-2 run to seize a 32-29 lead with 6:05 remaining in the game.

  The pivotal play in the game unfolded with 5:25 on the fourth-quarter clock. Leading 32-31, de Bear threaded through the Wildcat defense and scooped in a right-handed layup while drawing contact from a Novi defender.

  The potential three-point opportunity was wiped out, however, when the referees whistled de Bear with a charging foul.

  Novi promptly answered with a Madeline Sinkovich triple from the top of the key to go up 34-32. The Wildcats would never trail again.

  In addition to re-assigning three players in the Rocks' man-to-man defense, Salem coach Fred Thomann delivered one primary message to his team during halftime.

  "I told them if you're talking it, you've got to start walking it," said Thomann. "The girls did a great job of walking it in the second half.  They really stepped up in the second half and did a great job.

  "The basket that got taken away from us was huge because what would have been a three-point play for us ended up being a three-point play for them at the other end. I thought we finished strong tonight, which is all you can ask of a team. They played as hard as they could."

  Stone played the second half like she was on a mission, scoring 11 of her game-high 17 points while pulling down all six of her rebounds.

  She ignited the rally with a soft 15-foot jumper to bring Salem to within 27-17 with 5:48 left in the third quarter.

  de Bear then sandwiched five straight points around a Caroline Johnson spinning, driving layup to pull the Rocks to within 29-22 with 2:50 left.

  Salem junior Heidi Schmidt followed 26 seconds later  by burying a 17-foot "J" before Stone  scored the quarter's final four points on a coast-to-coast layup and powerful inside move to bring the Rocks to within 29-28.

  The fourth quarter started the way the third quarter ended as Stone gave the Rocks their first second-half lead, 30-29, with a sweet jumper following a defense-defying spin move.

  Schmidt padded the cushion to 32-29 with 6:05 to play when she eluded her defender on the perimeter and drove through the heart of the Novi defense, banking in a five-footer.

  Novi's Alyssa Armiak countered with a successful drive to the hole with 5:36 left to bring the hosts to within 32-31. Eleven seconds later, de Bear was called for the charging foul.

  Thirty five seconds after Sinkovich sank her three, Stone hitting another driving layup to knot things up at 34-all.

  But Novi's Jessica Cingel calmly drained two free throws at the other end 36 seconds before Johnson stroked what may have been the shot of the night: a 20-foot three-point dagger from the right wing that extended Novi's advantage to 39-34.

  Single free throws from Stone on successive trips down the floor brought Salem to within 39-36, however, Salem wouldn't score again until Schmidt banked in a 21-foot three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to account for the game's final points.

  de Bear finished with 10 points for Salem while Schmidt contributed seven, all in the second half. Norman closed out her fine prep basketball career with five points.

  Johnson, a senior guard, was solid all night for the Wildcats, finishing with 22 points. Masserant added eight.

  "We finished one game out of the division lead and we were two points away from playing in the conference championship game, so it was a good year," Thomann said, reflecting on his team's 13-8 record. "It seemed like we were knocking on the door all season, but we just couldn't push it open.

  "Sara Stone was one of the best players I've coached here at Salem. She had a great four-year varsity career. It's a shame she had to leave the floor tonight with a first-round loss for the second year in a row."