Bedford rolls into District finals; Monroe's season comes to an end

TRENTON – "That girl does not get another rebound!"

No one could blame Rick Niemi for being upset.

The former St. Mary Catholic Central girls basketball coach watched Bedford’s Victoria Gray gobble up nearly every rebound against his Trenton team Wednesday night.

So, he called a timeout in the third quarter and ordered his players to focus on Gray.

That didn’t slow the Bedford sophomore at all.

Gray pulled down 19 rebounds and scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Mules to a 48-27 victory in the semifinals of the Division 1 District at Trenton Wednesday.

Photo Gallery: Bedford vs. Woodhaven in District semifinals

“Good luck with that,” Bedford coach Bill Ryan said with a grin when told of Niemi’s plea to his players. “She’s special.”

Gray is one of the big reasons Bedford was able to advance in the state tournament on a night that its offense struggled.

The Mules will play the host team in Friday’s District finals at 7 p.m. Trenton ended Monroe’s season with a 40-18 win in the second semifinal Wednesday.

Bedford got off to a solid start Wednesday, scoring 16 points in the first quarter, but managed just two baskets in the second period and one of those came in the final minute.

Woodhaven was able to creep back within 20-14 at the intermission.

Part of the problem was that Gray and fellow starter Payton Pudlowski were in foul trouble for much of the first half.

“We brought more energy and a little more composure in the second half,” Ryan said. “Part of that was getting our starting five back on the floor.”

Gray scored 11 of her 17 points and Pudlowski netted all 9 of hers after the intermission.

Another key was Nyah Mullins, who pried the lid off the basket with a 3-pointer early in the second half. She scored all 5 of her points in the third quarter.

“Nyah has hit some big shots for us this season,” Ryan said. “She has been dynamite over the last 10 games. It took a lot of courage to take that shot on a tough night for her shooting.”

And Ryan gave a nod to back-ups Grace Fulop and Kadie Morse, who stepped up with Pudlowski and Gray in foul trouble.

“I am proud of those girls who filled in,” he said. “Grace had to play some important minutes and Kadie just keeps getting better. She is not afraid.”

Bedford takes a 22-1 record into the District finals Friday to play 18-4 Trenton, the champion of the Downriver League.

Trenton’s defense overwhelmed Monroe, holding the Trojans to just 8 points in the first half.

“We’ve practiced hard the last couple of days,” Monroe coach John Mason said. “I thought we would come out a little better tonight.”

Photo Gallery: Monore vs. Trenton in District semifinals

Jillian Roberts and Alana Aulph scored 5 points each to lead Monroe, which finished with a 6-17 record.

“It’s been a fun season, but we have a lot of work to do,” Mason said. “We have to get in the weight room and get in the best possible shape that we can. You can’t just pick up a basketball in November and expect to compete.”

BEDFORD: Fulop 1 0-0 2, Pudlowski 3 3-9 9, Hensley 3 0-0 6, Behnke 3 (1) 1-1 9, V. Gray 6 5-6 17, Mullins 2 (1) 0-0 5. Totals 18 (3) 9-11 48.

WOODHAVEN: Justice 1 0-0 2, Dabbs 2 (1) 1-2 6, E.Henegar 3 2-3 8, Chinemelu 3 1-2 7, J. Henegar 1 2-4 4. Totoals 9 (1) 8-11 27.

TRENTON: Tanguay 0 0-2 0, Gonyea 1 0-0 2, Chappelle 1 (1) 0-0 3, Thomas 7 (4) 0-0 18, Bynum 8 1-2 17. Totals 17 (5) 1-4 1 40.

MONROE: Meier 0 0-2 0, Roberts 2 (1) 0-0 5, Merkle 0 1-2 1, Leach 2 0-0 4, Aulph 2 (1) 0-0 5, Kelley 1 0-2 2, Bussell 0 1-3 1. Totals 7 (2) 2-9 18.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Bedford rolls into District finals; Monroe's season comes to an end