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Quakers find a way in the final minute
By ERIC FORTUNE
SALEM
The Salem Quakers essentially overcame everything that could have worked against them in their Division II sectional semifinal against the Lakeview Bulldogs.
Salem had already lost the services of Jon Gerace for two tournament games, saw 11- and eight-point leads in the first half evaporate, along with committing three turnovers in the final 30 seconds of play.
At the end of the day somehow, some way, the Quakers were able to make just enough plays to eke out a 57-55 victory over the Bulldogs. The last couple included a critical block by Mitch Davidson and the winning fast-break basket by Turner Johnson.
Lakeview helped. The Bulldogs (8-15) shot just 2 of 8 from the line in the final minute when the Bulldogs were clinging to a 53-50 advantage.
Lakeview was 4 of 17 from the foul line. Still, it felt like the Bulldogs were poised to steal the game after Chris Muir (game-high 25 points, five 3-pointers) split a pair from the line with 30 seconds to make it 55-52. The Quakers (11-12) had managed just two field goals in the previous three minutes of play.
But Lakeview took its last lead, the ball ended up in the hands of Josh Young who made the Quakers’ first 3-pointer of the night to tie it up.
“I saw Chase [Ackerman] or whoever it was coming down,” Young said. “It was a loose ball. It soaked into the middle and then they got it to me. I saw they were closing in, but it’s been my job all year to shoot 3s.”
Ackerman led the Quakers with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Lakeview had a chance with 7.7 seconds left to regain the lead, but the inexplicable happened as Drew Munno’s shot was blocked by Davidson, who got it to Ackerman then to Johnson on the run for a game-winning shot.
“Chase told me as soon as one of them touches it, run down the court and get open,” Johnson said.
For Salem coach Rich Hart, the final possession really couldn’t have gone much better.
“The defensive possession we switched out,” Hart said. “We figured they were going to throw the lob in to Muir. So we put Chase on him and [Zach] Bezon on [TJ] Lynch. Mitch was our helper on the man taking it out. It worked but we left Munno open a little too much. Mitch came in and got the block. Then he had the wherewithal to get it up the court.”
Early on, the Quakers seemed poised to run the Bulldogs off of the court opening up a 10-0 advantage as the Bulldogs didn’t get their first points until the 3:30 mark of the first.
“We came out slow, but once we started to get a feel for the game, we started making some shots,” Lakeview coach Ryan Fitch said. “We started making more passes on offense. I felt like our first four or five possessions were one pass and try to make a play.”
The Bulldogs got it within one at the half, 26-25 and from there the game was a back-and-forth affair until the craziness of the final minute.