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Salem’s size, defense too much for Niles
By Steve ruman
NILES
When the Division II Warren district tournament pairings were determined two weeks ago, Salem coach Rich Hart had two choices: play a first-round home game with the possibility of facing Poland in round two, or jump to the other side of the bracket and open the tournament on the road.
Hart chose the latter of the two, and as a result the Quakers had to travel 25 miles Tuesday to Niles.
The decision paid off, as the Quakers defeated the Red Dragons 64-52 in a sectional semifinal.
Salem (10-13) will now face Canfield in a sectional final contest, while Niles ends its season at 12-10.
Trey Toothman (14 points) and D.J. Pullie (13 points) led a balanced Salem attack, but it was Jake Bezon and Garrett Dickey — who combined for eight points — who earned a lot of praise from Hart. The two teamed up to defensively harass Niles sharpshooter Cameron Kane, who was limited to 16 points. Kane entered the contest averaging an area-best 27 points.
“We did a lot of good things tonight on both ends,” Hart said. “We had a few kids who played very hard defensively, that was their badge of honor tonight. We wanted to make [Kane] work hard. We were going to switch on him every three or four minutes, and try to make the other players beat us.
“Bezon and Dickey did a great job.”
Early on, it looked as though the game would be nip-and-tuck throughout. Salem held a slim 9-8 lead after one period of play, then the second quarter saw the lead change hands on seven occasions.
Salem held a 27-25 lead at intermission, but the Quakers outscored the Red Dragons 22-13 in the decisive third quarter to grab a lead which was never seriously in doubt.
The Quakers used a 9-0 run in the early stages of the third quarter to build up their lead. During the stretch, four different players scored, including three baskets on offensive rebounds.
The Quakers outrebounded Niles 45-31.
“That was something we emphasized all week long,” Hart said. “We felt we could use our size to our advantage.”
Niles coach Ron Price said that Salem’s play did not catch his club off-guard.
“We knew that with their brutal schedule and with some of the athletes they have, they were going to be a huge challenge,” Price said. “We didn’t have our A game tonight, and you have to have it come tournament time.
“Sometimes it’s not that you played bad, but that the other team was that good. You have to give Salem credit. They did everything they needed to do. They’re good and they are a very well-coached team.”
Salem’s choice to open the tournament on the road paid added dividends. The Quakers will now face Canfield in a game which will be played Saturday at Boardman. The contest was originally slated to be played Friday at Canfield, but was moved because Canfield had already committed to host a state-wide speech tournament.
“The best thing is that we don’t have to play Canfield at their place,” Hart said. “I’m really pumped about the debate team.”