Bedford's defense takes charge to hand SMCC girls their first loss
TEMPERANCE – Payton Pudlowski got to the meat of the matter.
The senior for Bedford’s girls basketball team broke down Friday night’s home game against St. Mary Catholic Central like a sandwich.
She wasn’t as concerned about the first and fourth quarters. She went straight to what was between those two slices of bread.
“Those are the two biggest quarters to stop them,” she said of the second and third periods.
Bedford did exactly that.
The Mules allowed just 10 points in those two quarters combined and held their guests without a basket for a stretch of more than 15 minutes of game play to walk away with a 48-33 victory.
It was the first loss of the season for SMCC after six victories.
“Once we saw what they wanted to do in the first quarter, we were able to set up our defense,” Pudlowski said.
SMCC hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first quarter to pull within 16-12. The Kestrels didn’t have another field goal until the 33-second mark of the third quarter.
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SMCC’s only points during that stretch were 7 free throws. Bedford took advantage of the lull to build a 19-point lead.
Bedford coach Bill Ryan switched defense after the opening quarter.
“We were running an odd-front press that didn’t have much teeth,” he said. “They seemed to have an answer for that. We’ve been predominantly a zone team, but were play man a lot of the time.”
Ryan’s teams always have prided themselves on defense during his 20-year tenure at his alma mater.
“When we get turnovers, it definitely gets the team hyped up,” Pudlowski said.
Offensively, Bedford displayed a lot off balance.
Victoria Gray led the way with 12 points and Pudlowski (11) , Brooklyn Manard (11) and Nyah Mullins (10) also reached double figures.
It was just the fourth game of the season for Bedford (3-1), which had a game cancelled over Christmas break.
Ryan said SMCC presented a major challenge for the Mules.
“We knew they were well-coached,” he said. “They keep you playing defense for a long time. They’re a good team. They’ve played very well this season.”
Pudlowski agreed.
“We knew St. Mary was 6-0,” she said. “They are used to winning.”
Durbin was pleased to see his team fight back and make the fourth quarter competitive.
“This was a test of our will,” he said. “During a timeout late in the game I told them I wanted to see if they had any fight left.”
The Kestrels resume Huron League play Monday against Flat Rock.
“It’s been a pleasant surprise,” he said of his team’s fast start. “You hope to win every game, but this should help get us ready for the league.”
SMCC won the junior varsity game 24-21.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Bedford girls lock down on defense to hand SMCC first loss
