Lauren Thompson needed to find a spark for her Dexter team that for a lack of a better word looked a little sluggish in the first half against Saline during Friday’s District final at Pioneer High School. But at halftime, the longtime and successful Dexter coach found her team’s sweet spot – with a little sugar on top.
“Sometimes the moment gets really big and they need something to lighten it up,” said Thompson. “At halftime we talked about how we were going to celebrate at Crumble Cookie and that’s all they needed to hear.”
The cookie certainly crumbled in Dexter’s favor in the second half. The Dreadnaughts knocked down five triples in the third quarter and outscored Saline 18-6 to pull away from the Hornets and cruise to a 49-36 victory to win the D-1 District title.
“In games like this you have to have a moment that separates you, and I was just so proud we had the moment,” Thompson said. “Our threes weren’t hitting early on like they normally do so we tried to be more aggressive under the basket and we were.”
Dexter advances to a very tough Regional where they face Belleville, one of the top teams in the state. The Dreadnaughts and Tigers will tip it off on Monday (March 10) at Howell High School with the winner facing the winner of the South Lyon-Hartland game in a Regional final on Wednesday.
“We believe in this team and anything is possible when they play together and play hard and they do,” Thompson said. “They bring it every time.”
While the offense took a few quarters to find its groove on Friday night, Dexter’s traditionally strong defense was on full display before a good-sized crowd at Pioneer. “We spend most of our practice on defense and it’s something we believe in and our offense comes from our defense,” Thompson said. “I’m super proud of the grit and determination we showed. It’s hard to beat somebody three times in a season, and to beat a team like Saline three times in one season is a huge accomplishment.”
The Dreadnaughts had three players reach double figures in the win. Junior Addison Chase knocked down two triples in that decisive third quarter and finished with a team-high 15 points while sophomore Addy Wylie scored seven of her 14 points in the third quarter and senior Alena Blumberg scored 12 for Dexter. Senior Kendall Cabana also knocked down a triple in the third quarter and finished with six points.
The game started slow offensively for both teams as they tried to find their footing in the early going. A triple by Cabana gave Dexter a 5-4 lead – as it turned out, the Dreads would never trail again. Blumberg’s basket inside gave Dexter a 9-4 lead and the Dreads led 11-6 after the first quarter.
The Dreadnaughts finished the second quarter strong after the Hornets tied the game at 12-12 with 4:30 left in the first half. A Chase jumper made it 14-12 and a triple by Blumberg gave the Dreads a 17-14 lead. A nice drive to the basket by Layla Blumberg pushed Dexter’s lead to 19-14 and a triple by Wylie gave Dexter a 22-16 halftime lead.
While the Hornets were still buzzing around at halftime, the Dreadnaughts pulled away with a dominant third quarter. Dexter outscored Saline 18-6 in the third quarter and turned a close game into cruise control for the final period. A basket by Alena Blumberg gave Dexter a 28-19 lead. Two triples by Chase pushed Dexter in front 37-20 and a triple by Wylie gave the Dreadnaughts a commanding 40-22 lead after three quarters.
