MARCH MAGIC: Cougars outlast Saline in 2 OT, advance to Sweet 16

The deeper the drama, the better South Lyon East’s girls basketball team tends to play.

In Friday’s MHSAA Division 1 district final, the Cougars rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to topple Northville, 52-45, to win the school’s first district championship since 2015.

They followed suit on Monday, upending Saline, 65-61, in a double-overtime thriller after trailing by four with just over three minutes to play.

Now 24-1, East will take on defending state champion Belleville Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Northville High School for a chance to earn a regional title.

Invaluable commodity

“These girls have one of the most important things you can have in life: perseverance,” said East Head Coach Rob Leadley. “Whenever they’re in a tough situation, they don’t give up. They keep playing.”

And winning.

On Monday, the Cougars were led by the dynamic backcourt duo of junior Mack Reid (27 points) and senior Nyla Lake (23 points).

This is Reid’s first season playing for East after transferring from Bloomfield Hills Marian, where she started as a freshman and sophomore.

(Check out a video clip of two late and-1’s by East’s Mack Reid by clicking here.)

Reid’s heroics against Saline included two and-one layups in the two extra sessions.

Composure under pressure

How does she stay so composed when the Cougars’ season is on the brink?

“I think it all comes down to the year-round work you put in at practice and training on your own,” said Reid. “Building self confidence comes from working hard.”

Practically every opponent East has faced this season has held a height advantage against the Cougars, whose tallest player may be 5-foot-8-ish.

“We’ve had so many games this year that haven’t been good match-ups for us,” Reid said. “I think we’ve been successful because we play with so much heart. We’re not as tall as most teams, but we’re quicker and we use that to our advantage.”

Reid has been honing her skills since she started playing basketball at the age of 4 on her family’s Little Tikes hoop.

“I’ve always had a pretty good work ethic when it comes to basketball and school,” she said. “When I was younger, my dad and I would go to the gym in the morning and he’d rebound for me. And we have a shooting machine at home, which helps. I like working on my craft and trying to get better every day.”

Dramatic ending

East led 26-18 at the half before the Hornets buzzed back to deadlock at the game at 34-34 at the end of the third quarter.

Trailing 45-43 late in regulation, both Reid and Lake split two free throws each to knot the game at 45-all.

The Cougars had the ball late with a chance to win, but Saline’s Ayla Stager blocked a mid-range shot to send the game into OT.

Reid tallied seven of the Cougars’ 15 points in the second overtime to help seal the outcome.

“These kids just work hard,” said Leadley, when asked how the Cougars overcome their height disadvantage. “We have some strategies we use, but in the end, it’s all about them working their tails off.”

Saline was led by sophomore Halle Powell’s 21 points and Keira Roehm’s 19. Roehm, the MHSAA Division 1 all-time leader in three-point shots made, buried six triples against East.

Senior Brooke Moyer was a vital piece of the Cougars’ attack, netting 13 points. Moyer  was 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.