Late defensive clampdown pushes Mustangs past Saddlelites in fourth-quarter rally

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Birmingham Marian’s Molly McLeod (30) gets off a shot as Warren Regina’s Emersen Holder (2) and Sara Wilking (15) defend. The Mustangs defeated the Saddlelites 48-39 in the CHSL game played on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at Marian. PHOTOS BY KEN SWART — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP

Birmingham Marian’s Ruby Jansen (34) shoots for two of her game-high 24 points between Warren Regina’s Megan Grzywacz (23) and Sara Wilking (15).

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By Michael J Wallwork

For MediaNews Group

BLOOMFIELD HILLS >> The Marian Mustangs rallied in the fourth quarter for a 48-39 win over the Warren Regina Saddlelites Tuesday night.

Regina led 34-32 after three quarters, but Marian clamped down defensively, holding the Saddlelites to just five points on two field goals over the final eight minutes. The Mustangs took the lead for good with 2:47 remaining when Ruby Jansen drained the first of two free throws.

Kennedi Marsh rebounded the second free throw and scored a quick put back to give Marian a 42-39 lead, and the Mustang defense would make it hold up.

Jansen led all scorers with 24 points, including scoring 14 straight points for Marian from the middle of the third period until her free throw that gave the Mustangs the lead for good.

Regina had led for much of the first half. After Marian raced to a 6-0 lead, the Saddlelites got things going, draining a series of 3-pointers to build a 22-13 lead by the middle of the second quarter, which would be the biggest lead either team would have all night, matched only by Marian’s final margin.

Marian called timeout, then went on a run of its own, scoring the next 12 points and holding Regina without a field goal for nearly seven minutes.

“I just stressed that we have to know our personnel. We have to know who we are guarding, and we have to be disciplined. I told them that the theme of the day was discipline,” Marian assistant coach Joya Puryear said. “I was trying to explain to them that his is going to be a game of contain and contest. They did a great job of it. They followed the game plan,” she added.

Regina’s offense was led by Emersen Holder, who finished with 22 points, including five 3-pointers. But the Saddlelites struggled to get anyone else going, and no one else reached double figures for Regina.

“We did not have a good shooting night,” Regina head coach Joe Charrette said. “They made shots, and we didn’t. They got second shots, and we didn’t do a good job of keeping them off the glass in the second half,” he added.

Marian got a game high 24 points from Jansen and 10 points from McKenley Reid. The Mustangs also had a sizable edge in rebounds, out rebounding Regina 37-29 led by nine each from Jansen and Marsh.

Marian (3-9 overall) picks up their first league win, moving to 1-6 in the Catholic High School League Central Division West.

“It feels great,” Puryear said. “We want to turn around and do it again. So we just want to continue to work hard in practice, watch film, and take what we didn’t do well or the areas of improvement here into our game against Father Gabriel (Richard).”

The Mustangs travel to first place Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard on Friday.

Regina (6-5, 2-5) is back on the court Friday when they host Dearborn Divine Child in another league contest.

“It’s just a disappointing loss,” Charrette said. “But my kids played hard,” he added.