It was do-or-die for Salem Hills following its third quarter with Juan Diego on Tuesday. The Skyhawks led by five at halftime, but were outscored 20-8 in the third quarter to give the Soaring Eagles a seven-point lead.
With its back against the wall, Salem Hills pulled out a 12-0 run in the final four minutes for a 57-50 road win over Juan Diego.
Salem Hills lost its first three games of the season, but Tuesday’s win now makes nine consecutive victories for the Skyhawks.
“I think we believe in the culture that we have, and we believe in the players that we have, and we know the kind of team we had,” said Salem Hills head coach Blake Francom. “So, it was just believing in the process and believing in each other, that was the big thing.”
It was that continuity that gave the Skyhawks their halftime lead. Juan Diego plays fast and utilizes its size and athleticism in transition, but Salem Hills managed to slow the pace and get the ball into the half-court.
One of the biggest issues Salem Hills had to deal with was Juan Diego’s Deng Deng. At 6-foot-8, Deng has already racked up more than 45 blocks this season and is second in the state in total blocks. He had four in the first quarter alone.
While Deng helped protect the inside, Salem Hills still managed to get quality shots, particularly from Elijah Gasser, who led the team with 17 points.
“(The message was) not to be scared of him, not shy away,” Gasser said. “Shot-fake, bump into him, create some contact in space and go up strong and finish over him. He blocked a lot of shots; he’s tall and long, but don’t let him affect our other shots.”
Salem Hills moved the ball around and stayed disciplined, but Juan Diego’s strength in transition kept it a five-point game at halftime.
The third quarter is when things started to fall apart for the Skyhawks.
The Soaring Eagles struggled from beyond the arc in the first half and didn’t make a single 3-pointer until right before halftime. That changed in the third quarter as Juan Diego hit four 3-pointers, including two from Sam Vansice, to take a 43-36 lead.
Things weren’t going well offensively either for Salem Hills. They weren’t getting many shots in rhythm, and Juan Diego started to set the pace.
“I think the crux of it was we just were really inefficient offensively, which affected what we did defensively, which shouldn’t happen,” Francom said. “A lot of, just, miscommunications. We were late to guys we know are shooters, and then a couple guys that haven’t been great shooters made some threes, too. That happens when you let a team get some flow and some rhythm.”
The beginning of the fourth quarter was more equal, which wasn’t going to get Salem Hills any closer to a win. It wasn’t until the last few minutes of the quarter that the Skyhawks made a strong defensive stand.
The swing of momentum was largely thanks to hustle plays, many of which came from center Steven Taylor. Taylor had an offensive rebound with a put-back, took a charge and had a steal with a layup, all in the final minutes.
Gasser also had a big momentum-swinging play with a steal-and-scoop late in the game.
“I think it really started on the defensive end, and we were able to turn defense into offense and get a few layups,” Gasser said. “We had a couple of guys hit big shots, and we were able to hit free throws down the stretch.”
In all, Salem Hills kept Juan Diego scoreless through the final four minutes while it went on a 12-0 run for its ninth consecutive win.
“The whole group had, just, tremendous toughness,” Francom said. “Steven (Taylor) obviously had a really difficult matchup with Deng. Deng’s a super tall, athletic kid and Steven made some huge plays down the stretch. All of our guys played tough, and I’m just super proud of the toughness.”