Dearborn High girls basketball takes down Trenton w/ PHOTO GALLERY
It was another opening week crossover battle between Downriver and Dearborn area girls’ basketball teams on Thursday night at Dearborn High School.
Holding its season opener, Dearborn High welcomed in Trenton, which was looking to bounce back from a five-point loss to Grosse Ile in its first game on Tuesday.
The visiting Trojans once more found themselves in another low-scoring affair and, unfortunately, on the wrong end of it. Behind a strong start and sharp shooting from outside, the host Pioneers delivered a 44-26 victory.
Most early-season games are never clean and crisp from start to finish. Dearborn head coach Dave Arnold knows as much. But he is happy to come out with a win while knowing they can only get better.
"For our first game, with a lot of younger players, you always think you could've done a little better," Arnold said. "All in all, it was a good first start. And we knew Trenton was going to come out and play better than they did on Tuesday.”
Dearborn set the tone from the opening tip. The Pioneers led Trenton 18-4 after just one quarter of play, which was more than enough cushion against a Trojans team that isn't at full strength to begin the new season.
Dearborn only outscored Trenton by four points over the final three quarters. The three ball was especially resourceful for the hosts as they drained more triples (9) than two-point baskets (8).
"The kids did a really good job executing against the zone," Arnold said. "I was a little afraid when (Trenton) switch to man-to-man that it might get a little spastic. So we have to work on that a little bit now, it's going to be a little up and down."
Trenton coach Chuck Perez talked about the biggest difference that allowed Dearborn to build a big lead early on.
"I think we were missing some defensive assignments early on," said Perez. "At that same time when we were playing good defense, (Dearborn) was still knocking down shots.
"I saw a lot of progress throughout the game, especially in the second half," Perez added. "The girls showed a lot more fire in taking care of the ball and sharing the ball, just a lot of things that we can build on."
Dearborn's Tia Charafeddine was one of just two scorers in double-figures, posting a game-high 15 points. Charafeddine was responsible for three of the Pioneers' nine made 3-pointers. Fatima Kabbani also knocked down three triples for all nine of her points in the game. Christina Fauz chipped in with seven points.
Trenton was led by Aleah Tanguay, who netted 10 points, including one made triple and a 3-for-4 night from the free throw line. Emma Chappelle and Malyah Bynum each finished with six points; Chappelle getting hers on two made 3-pointers.
Trenton will return to action on Saturday for a game against Farmington Hills Mercy at Calihan Hall on the campus of Detroit Mercy at 4 p.m. The Trojans will then hold their home opener on Tuesday, Dec. 6 when they also begin Downriver League play against Allen Park at 6 p.m.
"It's definitely what we want to do to get ready for the Downriver League," Perez said, talking about his team's non-conference slate. "We do it to see where we're at and what we need to work on. It's showing these girls what the elite teams look like around the state and what we need to do to get to that level."
Dearborn will hit the road for three consecutive games. It begins with a trip to Monroe on Tuesday, Dec 6 at 7 p.m. before taking the program’s annual hike to Traverse City to face Traverse City West on Friday, Dec 9 at 5:30 p.m. and Traverse City Central the next day at 1 p.m. The Pioneers' next home game will not be until Dec 14 against Troy (7p).
Arnold further reiterated how valuable it is to open the season with a victory given he has a largely young team with plenty of upside.
"We're pretty happy with it," Arnold said. "A lot of the kids took a big step forward tonight. But it's going to be a roller coaster ride through the holidays. One players get more comfortable with their roles, we'll be fine."
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