By SPENCER BATES
SALAMANCA — Entering the halftime interval with nothing to split the sides, the Salamanca boys basketball team had kept pace with its AA challengers Niagara-Wheatfield. What came after the break was a different story entirely.
The Warriors, over the course of the final two quarters, managed to put together an offensive onslaught and left their visitors in the dust en route to a commanding 64-39 victory.
But, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, Salamanca coach Adam Bennett acknowledged the fact that its 36-point second half would not have come to fruition if it were not for the defensive prowess his players displayed at the same time.
“I feel like a broken record sometimes, it starts and ends on the defensive side of the floor,” Bennett said. “That’s the best defense we played here since I’ve been the coach. (Niagara-Wheatfield is) a physical team. They’re a double-A school. We forced turnovers, we got out in transition, we attacked the basket, we didn’t settle for jump shots. I thought they did a good job in the first half of changing their defenses and making us settle from the outside. In the second half, we got to the rim. That’s the big difference.”
Salamanca’s Maddox Isaac (10) and Avery Brown (20) trap a Niagara-Wheatfield player. (Salamanca Warrior Athletics)
But the defensive execution from the Warriors was not limited to the second half alone. On the Falcons’ very first possession of the game, the Warriors pressed, picked up a steal and followed that up with a fast-break layup on the other end. In fact, they grabbed another steal on the Falcons’ second possession of the game and turned that into free throws.
The defensive emphasis was there from the beginning and Salamanca made sure to pull out just about every trick in the book: trapping players, using the sidelines as extra defenders, picking up full-court presses and giving up the body to take some charges. And, sure enough, it worked as it held Niagara-Wheatfield to just 11 points in the second half, with just four having been scored before both teams pulled their starters with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
That kind of multifaceted defense is exactly what Bennett believes will be necessary for his team to carry this level of success throughout the remainder of the season.
“We have to be multiple defensively,” Bennett said. “We work on quite a bit of different defenses. I thought our man was okay in the first half. I thought positionally, we were fine, but we didn’t pressure the ball. So the challenge that we gave these guys in the locker room was, anything that I call in the second half is going to be related to ball pressure. If we’re in man, I want to pressure the ball. If we’re in one-v-one, I want to pressure the ball. If we’re in our full-court press, I don’t want to wait and stand in passing lanes, I want to go get it, and I thought they did a good job of that. … To hold a team to four points for 12 minutes of the second half, a team like that, a double-A school, is an outstanding accomplishment.”
Salamanca’s Payton Bradley (3) puts up a hook shot from inside the paint. (Salamanca Warrior Athletics)
And much to the satisfaction of Salamanca, its defense only became more effective as the game went on and the score started to run away from the visitors. This demoralization is key according to Bennett, as long as his players keep their foot on the gas and hold onto their composure.
“When the other team does get frustrated, we have to have poise,” Bennett said. “I thought we did. I’m really proud of our guys. We didn’t stop pressuring, we continued to play within ourselves and just did a great job in terms of the mental side too.”
Offensively, Salamanca was led in the scoring column by Maddox Isaac, who tallied a game-high 17 points. Just behind him was Avery Brown, who finished with 15 and Jacob Herrick, who recorded 12.
The win marks the Warriors’ third since suffering their one and only defeat of the season, a 66-65 loss to Wellsville in the Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase. Their first two wins on this mini-streak, which were won by a combined 58 points, came on back-to-back days. Now, their most recent win is over a team two classes higher than them.
And while those three games may just be a small fraction of Salamanca’s schedule, the challenges each presented, according to Bennett, will be pivotal to the establishment of this team’s identity for the rest of the campaign.
“We have to be a physical team, we have to be an aggressive team, it’s got to start and end with us on the defensive side of the floor, that’s what we learned in that game against Wellsville in the (DeCerbo Showcase),” Bennett said. “Since then, I’m really happy with the intensity that we’re playing with and with how we’re defending. It’s natural in the game of basketball to put a premium on scoring. But if you put the premium on defending and rebounding, scoring is going to take care of itself.”
Salamanca’s Jaxon Crouse (14) looks to keep his defender out of the paint. (Salamanca Warrior Athletics)
Next up for the Warriors is a big CCAA Div. I clash with the currently undefeated Allegany-Limestone Gators. That game will be played at Salamanca on Jan. 9 with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
AT SALAMANCA
Niagara-Wheatfield (39)
Sheldon 3 3-3 12, Co. Becker 4 1-2 11, Gruarin 2 1-2 6, Gundell 1 0-2 3, Allen 1 0-0 3, Fox 1 0-0 2, Lewis 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 5-9 39
Salamanca (64)
Isaac 6 5-6 17, Brown 6 2-2 15, Herrick 5 0-1 12, Bradley 4 0-0 8, Crouse 2 2-2 7, Hill 1 0-0 2, Drugg 1 0-0 2, Holleran 0 1-2 1. Totals: 25 10-13 64
N-W 14 28 32 39
Sala. 14 28 53 64Three-point goals: N-W 8 (Sheldon 3, Co. Becker 2, Gundell, Gruarin, Allen), Sala. 4 (Herrick 2, Brown, Crouse); Total fouls: N-W 15, Sala. 10; fouled out: Sheldon (N-W, DQ).
