DEARBORN - The Saline High School girls basketball team had already absorbed an early collection of offensive body shots and was still standing. Although the Hornets had some catching up to do, if they could just get in a couple of punches of their own early in the third quarter, they could remain within striking distance of state-ranked Inkster. But when Saline failed to land any damaging shots when it had the chance, the Vikings once again pounced, building an insurmountable lead that turned into a 67-47 season-ending loss for the Hornets in the Class A regional semifinal Tuesday night at Dearborn Edsel Ford.

Inkster, which led by 11 at halftime, used a 22-3 scoring surge in the decisive third quarter. The Vikings led by as many as 32 points before Saline rediscovered its scoring touch in the final eight minutes.

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"We said that next big punch was coming right at the beginning of that third quarter and that would decide if it was going to be a game or not," Saline coach Jason Pickett said. "At that point, that's when the wheels came off a little bit." Saline (12-11) went just over 5 minutes without scoring in the third quarter. The Hornets - who were led by Kaitlin Ward and Natalie Folk, who each scored nine points - found difficulty scoring in the post against taller Inkster defenders and couldn't establish any rhythm from the perimeter. And after not being able to capitalize on six straight possessions when Inkster didn't score, Saline's chances at cutting into the deficit quickly disappeared. "We thought we were in it and all we needed to do was get a couple of points and we'd be back in the game," said Saline senior Madeline Winters, one of five Hornets players to finish their prep careers Tuesday night. But with every missed chance, Inkster (20-2) began to make the most of its possessions, eventually pulling away. Inkster's Crystal Bradford took charge, scoring 13 of her game-high 21 points in the third quarter, finishing as one of five Vikings players in double figures. By the time the third quarter was over, a deficit that started at 11 was 30, nearly tripling in only eight minutes. Despite the overwhelming obstacle in front of them, the Hornets never surrendered, scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter. For a team that overcame a series of injuries last season and that only last week celebrated a district championship that had been a goal all season, losing to the state's No. 4-ranked team served as a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season-long run. "We got everything we thought we would see and our kids handled that for the most part," Pickett said. "But we missed some opportunities to get some more baskets, but our kids played tough and they didn't back down tonight. "If you realize how much our seniors sacrificed, I don't think they have anything to be bittersweet about." Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com.