Marblehead boys hoop fall to Salem in OT

SALEM – Trailing 71-70, and with just 6.9 seconds remaining in overtime, the Marblehead boys hoop squad drew up what it felt would bring the squad the winning shot against Salem last night.Yet the Headers (8-2) missed on short jumpers by forward Mike Dusenberry and center Malik Abu right before the final buzzer, and Marblehead fell to Salem, 71-70, on the road.Click here for more pictures of last night’s game”The play was designed for (guard) Matt (Temme), and (Mike) Dusenberry attacked the rim,” said Headers coach Wayne Hanscom. “We had our chances, but they didn’t work out.”Marblehead, which had trailed by 11 late in the third quarter, and battled throughout, took a 70-68 edge with 54.2 seconds to go, courtesy of a three-point play by captain Tommy Stockwell. He collected a teammate’s miss under the Witches basket, putting it through the net and getting fouled on the play. He added the free throw to give Marblehead the two-point lead.Yet Salem’s Antonio Reyes took matters into his own hands only seconds later. He took the inbounds pass, drove through the Headers defense, and made the shot. He as well was fouled on the play, and his free throw gave the Witches the one-point advantage.”He’s been coming up big all year for us,” said Salem coach Tommy Doyle of Reyes, who led all scorers with 29 points, and who also hauled down 12 boards. “He’s a point guard on offense, and plays center on defense.”Reyes, who also contributed seven steals, made a very big one with 36 left in regulation. Marblehead overcame a strong outside game by Salem, as well as a sluggish first half performance to move ahead 62-58 on back-to-back three pointers from Abu and Temme (the Headers’ leading scorer with 21).Salem’s Jake Salamida blocked a pass deep in the Marblehead end with 42.9 seconds left to bring the Witches to within 62-60, and Reyes stole the ball from Dusenberry as he was trying to look for an open teammate in the Headers end. Reyes went in for the layup that sent the game into the extra frame.Salem led 50-41 going into the final quarter, but Marblehead battled back to force a 50-50 deadlock. Included in that run was a lofting three-pointer by Adu (his first of two on the evening) to bring the squad to within 50-48 with 6:19 left. Temme, who was held scoreless in the third quarter after notching 16 first half points, moved the Headers into the 50-50 tie with a pair of free throws.Both clubs struggled in the early going, before the Witches (8-2) took advantage of Marblehead miscues for a quick 14-5 edge. The Headers missed open shots, couldn’t collect offensive rebounds, and turned the ball over at a rapid rate.”Salem was much more aggressive than we were in the first half,” added Hanscom. “They had 16 more offensive rebounds than we did, and they’re tough to defend. They’re quick, and they can hit the three. “Yet guard Phil Coughlin drilled a pair of threes right before the end of the quarter to bring the Headers to within 17-14. Temme (ten points in the second quarter) gave Marblehead its first lead by connecting on a three-pointer midway through the period to put the Headers on top, 22-21. Salem eventally moved ahead, and held a 32-28 halftime edge after Reyes hit a three with only seconds remaining in the half.