Salem’s 3-pointers too much for Revere girls

REVERE – Salem’s three-pointers in the third quarter were the difference as they held on for a 51-41 victory over Revere (0-2, 0-2 NEC Large) at Roland Merullo Fieldhouse on Monday night.Maritza Scott led the Witches (2-1, 2-1 NEC Large) with 16 points and she hauled seven rebounds. Brianna Rodriguez contributed 13 points. Jaclyn Panneton pulled down 12 boards.”When we came out in the third quarter, we took our shots with confidence,” said Salem head coach John Fortunato. “Fortunately we hit enough of them, but it was definitely a defensive battle.”The two teams were locked in a defensive battle until Hannah Van de Stadt provided the Witches with a 19-16 advantage on a three from the top of the key early in the second half. Salem was able to extend their lead on treys by Rodriguez and Nicole Sadoway. Salem went on a 10-4 run to end the third quarter as they took a 29-20 lead into the final eight minutes.Salem continued to lengthen their lead into double digits. They held a 42-32 advantage within the last two minutes before Revere’s pressure defense created problems for Salem to move the ball beyond half-court.Jennifer Fajardo (13 points) cut Revere’s deficit to seven on a three-pointer. After Salem sank four free throws, Revere guard Adanna Hector made a couple of treys to keep Revere within two possessions at 46-41. Salem widened the lead to 48-41 after two more free throws from Scott. Natasha Iacoviello’s three-point attempt bounced off the rim with under a minute left and Rodriguez came down with the rebound to squash Revere’s hopes of a comeback.”We pride ourselves on our defense and we had a stretch in the fourth quarter where we were holding them to just one chance,” said Fortunato.Early in the game, Revere was able to get several good looks inside off of second chance baskets. Revere center Tiphani Harris (eight rebounds) gave Salem’s interior defense trouble with her physicality. Harris and Fajardo were able to collect rebounds and score inside. Salem adjusted by putting Scott on Harris to prevent the Patriots’ offense from getting more opportunities within five feet of the basket. Instead, Salem forced Revere to take tough contested shots inside the paint.In the second half, Salem caused the Patriots to turn the ball over 11 times. The inside plays of Scott and Panneton helped open lanes for passes to their guards on the perimeter. This helped the Witches break Revere’s zone defense.Despite Revere closing the gap late in the game, Salem was able to knock down some free throws mainly by Rodriguez and Scott.The Witches were able to enter the break with a road victory in a very competitive conference.