Gray's defense leads Bedford over Monroe; SMCC back in first
MONROE – Victoria Gray torments opposing defenses with her 6-foot-2 frame and athleticism around the basket.
The junior’s long reach makes her just as troublesome on the defensive side of the ball.
Gray led Bedford’s girls basketball team with 14 points as the Mules rolled over Monroe 52-25, extending their record to 10-1 overall and 6-0 in the SEC Red.
Monroe’s defense had trouble defending Gray inside the paint, but the real headache was caused by her play on the defensive side of the ball.
“Her reach is so long,” Bedford interim coach Bill Cappi said. “Some of those extended presses she’s getting deflections and in our man-to-man she’s down there defending the paint getting a lot of blocks.”
Bedford’s defensive effort was frustrating for Monroe coach Trent Moody.
More: Crowd gives Monroe boys the spark they need to knock off Bedford
“Our problem all year has been turnovers and we had quite a bit that led to points the other way,” he said.
Aubrey Hensley gave Gray a hand on the offensive side of the ball, knocking down three 3-pointers in the first half and logging 11 points help give the Mules a 27-9 halftime advantage.
Bedford didn’t let off the gas in the second half; Gray scored 5 points during a Mules’ 10-2 run just after the intermission.
Sophia Bussell’s nine points led Monroe while freshman Aubrey Cowan added eight points.
Despite the loss dropped his team to Moody is preaching patience.
“It takes time to become a successful program like Bedford, but we are on our way,” he said.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Summerfield doubles up
OTTAWA LAKE – Jaeli Jones (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Mia Miller (11 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles for Summerfield in a 43-36 win over Whiteford Thursday night.
“I thought we did a real nice job in the fourth quarter of rebounding and not giving up any second-chance points,” Summerfield coach Mickey Moody said. “I can’t say enough about our bench tonight as they gave us great minutes.”
The Bulldogs improved to 9-6.
Annie Gapp had a big game for Whiteford (7-5) with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t have much support for her offensively,” Whiteford coach Nick Brillhart said.
Summerfield’s junior varsity improved to 11-2 with a 34-17 victory. Makenzie Wolfe scored 10 points.
SMCC back in first
MONROE – St. Mary Catholic Central moved back into a tie for first place in the Huron League by knocking off Riverview 54-37 Thursday night.
SMCC and Riverview are 7-2 in the league with Airport at 6-2.
“Very good win against a very good team,” SMCC coach John Durbin said.
Brooke Mossburg hit six 3-pointers and scored a game-high for the Kestrels, who are 12-3 overall. Macy Carlton added 10 points.
SMCC took the junior varsity contest 30-26.
Bad stretch sinks Ida
IDA – Ida turned the ball over 10 times in the final four minutes of the first quarter and fell 50-25 to Lenawee County Athletic Association leader Blissfield Thursday night.
The turnovers led to a 10-0 Blissfield run and a 19-6 lead for the Royals after the opening period.
Jessica Scrader fought through foul trouble to lead Ida (9-4) with 11 points. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Blue Streaks.
Blissfield also won the junior varsity game 50-33. Addie Swiderski scored 11 points for Ida.
Dundee struggles
ADRIAN – Dundee fell into a 35-14 hole at halftime and never recovered in a 54-21 loss to Adrian Madison Thursday night.
“We’re working through injuries and adding new players to the mix,” Dundee coach Jay Briggs said. “The girls played with heart tonight and continue to work extremely hard.”
BOYS BASKETBALL
Worley lifts State Line
CLINTON TOWNSHIP – Cooper Worley sank a pair of free throws with 6 seconds remaining to give State Line Christian a 47-45 win over Faith Clinton Thursday.
“They beat us at our place by 25 in December,” State Line coach Nathan Nash said. “Our defense keeps improving. I’m really proud of our guys for sticking with it. It’s fun to watch the progress.”
Worley led the 6-10 Patriots with 18 points, including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
PREP SWIMMING
Monroe makes progress
ANN ARBOR – Monroe continued to show progress Thursday during a 139-46 loss to Ann Arbor Huron.
“The boys have all been steadily improving all season,” Monroe coach Erin Dowen said. “It was nice to see them perform so well, despite being tired from the strong training they've done over the last few weeks.”
Josh Riggs and Alec Adams were the top point earners and Luke Lindsay and Caeden Blackwell swam well for the 2-4-1 Trojans.
JUNIOR HIGH BASKETBALL
Bedford sweeps Monroe
TEMPERANCE – Bedford swept Monroe Wednesday with the seventh grade winning 37-11 and the eighth graders posting a 16-8 victory.
Leaders for Bedford included Delaney Brown. Jenna Hakki, Olivia Schenavar, Addison Hall, Ellen Majewski and Lilly Vidra.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Local Sports: Bedford, Summerfield, SMCC girls earn wins
