Salem celebrates milestone-filled night in win over Plymouth
Salem’s Lainey Claramunt (back) and Julia Steinhebel double team Plymouth’s Annie Flavin during the first half of Friday night’s 39-28 Salem win.
Milestones were dropping like shots in a pre-game layup line Friday for Salem’s girls basketball team.
On Friday the 13th, Salem’s No. 13, Julia Steinhebel, broke the school’s all-time record for career three-point shots made (81) in the Rocks’ 39-28 triumph over the host Wildcats — and the junior still has the rest of this season and her entire senior year to add to it.
If that wasn’t enough history for one night, Salem Head Coach Rod Wells notched his 200th career victory.
At the end of the eventful night, the Rocks, who have won five of their last six games, owned a 10-10 overall record and 7-6 mark in the KLAA West. Plymouth slipped to 14-6 and 8-5, respectively.
Sweat equity
When asked what the three-point record meant to her, Steinhebel replied: “I think it shows how much work I’ve put into my shooting,” she said. “Even when I was younger, I’d tried to get at least some shots up everyday.”
The best shooting advice she’d offer an elementary-school hoopster: “Bending your legs when you shoot and square your shoulders to the basket.”
You never would have guessed Steinhebel was on the verge of breaking the record during pre-game warm-ups.
“I wasn’t shooting very well; I think I missed every shot I took,” she said, smiling. “Usually when that happens, though, it means I’m going to shoot well during the game.”
Which she did, netting a team-high 12 points on four triples. The rest of the Rocks’ scoring ledger was remarkably level as Elissa Antoun scored eight, Lainey Claramunt added seven (including a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first quarter), and Natalie Lawler and Stella Stotz both chipped in with six.
“Julia is one of the best shooters in the state,” Wells asserted. “The last three or four games before tonight, teams were face-guarding her and she got a little out of rhythm. I didn’t say one word to her before the game tonight about shooting, and she came out on fire.”
Rocks’ defense was a brickwall
Salem’s defense was top shelf against the Wildcats. After building a 21-17 halftime lead, the Rocks held Plymouth to two third-quarter points (both free throws) to pull away 30-19 with eight minutes to play.
“I thought our defense was phenomenal tonight,” Wells said. “Stella (Stotz) did a great job guarding their really good shooter (Mackenzie Dicken). Offensively, we wanted to slow it down … play our pace, and the girls did a great job showing patience.
“The best thing about this team is that they all play for one another. Nobody cares who scores, as long as we win.”
Annie Flavin led the Wildcats with 11 points. Dicken scored nine.
Wells admitted during the beginning of his career, 200 wins wasn’t even on the radar.
“My first year I coached at Ann Arbor Skyline, and the school had just opened, so I only had freshman (playing against varsity teams) and we went 0-21,”
The next year, Wells took the girls basketball coaching reins at another brand-new school — Arbor Prep — where he registered his first win in the team’s first game.
“Did I ever think back then I get to 200 wins? Absolutely no way!,” he said, smiling. “I was too nervous about getting my first win at Arbor Prep (a 47-18 win over Holt Lutheran).”
Within the first six years of Wells’ tenure at Arbor Prep, the Gators advanced to the MHSAA Final Four twice, winning the Class C state title in 2016.
He led Salem to its its second-ever MHSAA Final Four in 2023.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
