SALEM — After rallying from a double-digit deficit in the second half, the Salem boys basketball team came all the way back to notch a 72-55 win over Wakefield in a non-conference battle at Salem High School Friday night.
Both Salem and Wakefield came out battling in the beginning of the first. Throughout the quarter, both teams were going back and forth until the Warriors caught fire and a lot of their shots from beyond the arc started falling. Behind Ethan Margolis’ 10 points in the frame, the Warriors scored 19 points. However, Darlin Santiago allowed the Witches to stay in the game with eight of his team’s 16 points to end the first trailing by only three points.
The second quarter began with the Warriors coming out still hot. Behind a number of turnovers from Salem, the Warriors were able to extend their lead to 32-22 by the halftime break.
The woes for the Witches continued as the first half wore down, as they only added on three points off a 3-pointer from Santiago, and the rest of their shots just were not finding the bottom of the net.
The Witches opened the third by cutting the Warriors’ lead to single digits, which ignited a fire for the Witches. That fire allowed for Salem to shift the momentum in its favor by going on a 16-0 run to start the half. They were able to take an 11-point lead over the Warriors after being down 10 points going into the half.
“We talked about effort and energy,” said Salem coach Tom Doyle. “We weren’t getting back in transition defense. We were missing some easy shots, which is OK because we’re going to miss shots. At the same time, they’re scoring in transition. It was great to see us turn it around.”
The fourth quarter looked very reminiscent of the third, as the Witches continued to build on their lead due to a role reversal for the Warriors. The Witches were profiting off turnovers by the Warriors and allowed them to build upon their lead. Every time the Warriors were able to score, the Witches answered right back with a score of their own. Whether the Witches cast a spell on the Warriors or not remains to be seen; however their adjustments at half time allowed them to mount a comeback after being down by double digits.
Salem (14-3) hosts Peabody Tuesday (6) in its season finale.
