Lady Cougars earn comeback victory in opener over Saline

Trailing by as many as 13 in the third quarter, the Cedar Creek Lady Cougars rallied and defeated the Saline Lady Bobcats 55-53 to open the season Tuesday night at the Brickhouse.

Creek not only started the Katie Hall era with a nail-biting win in the final stages but saw multiple underclassmen step up when it mattered most.

As part of the third quarter rally that saw the Lady Cougars jump ahead on a 12-1 run, freshmen Alivia Lee and Mary Grace Hawkins combined for 10 points in the frame, knocking down three-point shots to start the comeback.

The crowd erupted as Lee knocked down a buzzer-beating three to end the third as the game was tied back up at 37-37.

“That was huge,” Hall said postgame. “I wasn’t anticipating them to have that kind of spark and impact on this game. You can only hope and wish for that, and I felt like they gained some confidence in themselves. I believed in them. It was a great spark. I was impressed.”

Senior Mallory Smith led the team with 16 points, including 8 in the fourth and a big three-pointer in the third to help in the rally. Caroline James, a sophomore, was second on the team with 8 points, while Hawkins and Leah Sutherland each finished with 7 points.

While the Lady Cougars’ shooting percentages weren’t staggering on the night, the team’s second- half defense turned up the heat in press situations and forced Saline into 24 turnovers, giving Creek easier offense in fast break situations and wide-open shooters in the corner.

But the Bobcats didn’t let Creek’s roaring comeback faze them, trading blows with the Lady Cougars for the duration of the fourth, even retaking a 53-50 lead with 2:15 left in the ballgame. From there, it was all Creek as Smith came up with a steal and ran the length of the floor for a layup to cut it to 53-52 with 90 seconds left, only for Lee to split the defense and bank a layup in to give her team a game-clinching 54-53 lead with 50 seconds left.

With under 15 seconds left, Sutherland ripped the ball away from Saline after an inbounds play and iced the victory.

Creek’s willingness to drive to the basket and shoot free throws and use shiftiness to its advantage in the second half wasn’t by accident.

“That’s what we talked about at halftime,” Hall said. “We were settling for the open three instead of attacking it. I think our defense is what turned it around, and that energy is contagious, and it just elevated offense.

“I really felt like we were getting shots up that we wanted and they just weren’t falling and they were hitting shots and banking in things and getting the shots we wanted them to take and they were making them and we were getting the shots we wanted and missing them.”

Creek hits the road for the first time this season Thursday at Calvin.