Cin’D’erella Story: Underdog Northville advances to district final
Northville senior Nikki Grech lays in two of her team-high 17 points.
There is an inspiring version of Cinderella emerging this week in the Salem High School gymnasium, but she wears Nikes, not glass slippers.
Overlooked entering the MHSAA Division 1 district tournament because of its six-win regular season, tenacious Northville has defied the doubters.
On Wednesday night, the Mustangs upended 17-win South Lyon East, 48-41, to advance to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final at Salem against 20-win Canton.
They did it with a combination of relentless defense, self belief and an early scoring burst.
The triumph unfolded just 48 hours after Northville dispatched 18-win South Lyon in the district opener.
To check out video highlights of Wednesday’s game, click here.
Underdog mentality
“This feels great,” said Northville senior forward Miranda Link, who scored four of her nine points in the final three minutes. “I think being the underdog gives us more energy. Really nobody expects us to win except us, so that makes us want to win even more.”
Link was one of many catalysts on the defensive end of the court for the winners — an unheralded role she embraces.
“Defense is the biggest part of my game,” she said. “I don’t always score a ton of points, but I’ll get a few blocks, some steals and deflections.”
Northville was paced offensively by senior Nikki Grech, who netted 17 points to go along with poised ball-handling during the game’s tense final moments.
“This week has been a lot of fun, definitely the best part of our season,” Grech said. “Nobody expected us to be here, but we’re still here and that feels good.”
Offensive explosion
After scoring just 10 first-half points in their first-round victory over the Lions, the Mustangs scored 12 in the first four minutes of Wednesday’s game.
Grech knocked down two momentum-igniting threes, sophomore point guard Carly Pelon contributed two driving layups — the first a left-handed up-and-under dazzler — and freshman Sophia Fraas hit a deep-corner triple.
The Cougars, who finished with a solid 17-7 record, rallied from a 15-11 first-quarter deficit to deadlock the game at 24-all at halftime.
East grabbed a 35-32 lead mid-way through the third quarter, but Northville scored four straight, including a pair of all-net free throws from Link, to take the lead for good, 36-35.
A corner three from Lauren Marnocha extended Northville’s lead to 46-39 with 4:30 remaining; however, the turnover-plagued Mustangs managed to score just two more points, which was enough thanks to their relentless defensive effort.
Defense rules
“Our coaching staff told the girls before the game that defense was going to win it tonight, and that’s what happened,” said Northville Head Coach Shaun Dicken. “Honestly, the way we’ve been playing the past couple weeks, we knew we could play with anybody in this district, so we may be surprising some people, but we’re not surprised.”
Dicken said his team’s defensive philosophy is not complicated.
“We don’t back down,” he said. “Instead of sitting back in the paint, we like to pressure the ball.
“We scout the teams we’re playing and help on the opposing players who can score. If they have a player who’s going off, we make adjustments.”
Energy keeps building
Among the Mustangs’ Wednesday night defensive leaders were Caroline Meloche, who helped hold East star Anna Lassan to 12 points, and junior Sophia Bowman, who also dished out a couple of eye-popping passes in the first half.
“Our energy is extremely high right now,” Link concluded. “We’re ready to go when practice starts and ready to go once the games start.”
The Mustangs are gradually making believers out of their legion of doubters — one defensive stop at a time.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@hometownlife.com.
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