No matter what lineup is on the floor or how much experience it has, coaches will always want to call plays. But for Dexter High School girls basketball coach Mike Bavineau, those days might be numbered.

“It was funny because at one point in the game I stood up to tell Riley McDonald what defense I wanted them in and she was like ‘I already got it,’” Bavineau said. “I said ‘Jeez do I even have to be here?’”

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With five seniors in the starting lineup Tuesday night when the Dreads took the floor against Manchester, Bavineau said his job is a little easier with that much leadership on the floor.

“They’ve played so much basketball, they’ve played together for so long, they know what to do. They know how to feed off of each other,” Bavineau said.

Seniors Makenzie Svirah, McDonald, Emma Kill, Kathryn Pisano and Teia McGahey were not only the starting five, but are the only seniors on the roster. Together they scored 34 of the teams 47 points in Dexter’s 47-35 win over Manchester.

Svirah led the way with 10 points, Kill added eight and McDonald pulled in nine rebounds.

“It helps a lot to have that much experience on the floor for one, plus we’ve been playing together for a long time now. They know what to do and you can trust each other a lot,” McDonald said, echoing her coach’s thoughts.

The group has played together for so long that running their sets can be done without even talking to their coach.

“For a lot of us, it’s hard to hear when we’re out there because we’re so into the game, so for us to be able to know and make calls is insanely good for us,” McDonald said. “It’s nice to know that we can set up and not have to have our coach tell us.”

That experience played a big role in the win Tuesday when Manchester started the second half with a 12-2 run that cut the Dexter lead to five. Drawing on lessons of the past, the team came together and settled down.

“Our main goal was to keep our cool and composure. I think we really showed that,” Svirha said.

All five members were part of last year’s team that won 17 games a season ago, but fell in the district semifinals.

The Dreadnaughts are now 3-0 on the season.

Matt Durr covers sports for AnnArbor.com