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Davidson’s 37 powers Quakers past Dragons

SALEM–The Salem boys basketball team made sure its final chance to tune up for the postseason wasn’t a wasted opportunity.

Behind a career-high 37 points, 15 rebounds and six assists from junior Mitch Davidson, the Quakers burst out of the gate and led the whole way for an 81-61 victory over Niles at Cabas Gymnasium.

The Quakers conclude the regular season at 10-12, while Niles drops to 5-16.

“I think that’s the best we played on the floor together all season,” Davidson said. “We need to carry this over into the tournament.”

However, the Quakers’ enthusiasm about the victory was tempered by what happened in the fourth quarter.

With 4:20 remaining in the game and the Quakers in control, Salem senior Jon Gerace (14 points, eight rebounds) received his second technical foul for hanging on the rim during a dunk attempt. Gerace, whose first technical was also for hanging on the rim, was automatically ejected from the game.

Ohio High School Athletic Association rules state that a player must sit out the next two games after being ejected, meaning that the Quakers could be forced to forge ahead in the tournament without one of their best players.

“The rule is not in effect for that type of technical, it’s in effect for fighting, profanity and those types of things,” Salem coach Rich Hart said. “This is a glitch in that rule and it’s just an unfortunate situation.”

Hart hoped the OHSAA would consider the circumstances behind the technicals, but he was not optimistic.

“The state never shows any leniency for anything,” Hart said.

Shifting back to the positives, the Quakers found plenty of reasons to be encouraged by what they saw on the court.

Davidson, who has been hampered at times with ankle trouble, looked as spry as he has all season. The 6-4 guard/forward aggressively drove down the lane time and time again. He complimented his driving ability with three three-pointers and was a force on the boards for good measure.

“Mitch has been nickel and dimed with ankle injuries, he sprained one then sprained the other one,” Hart said. “But he’s healthy now and is playing with a lot of confidence. He’s had about two weeks now where he’s really been able to go.”

Davidson got the Quakers off and running with eight points in the first four minutes as Salem sprinted ahead 15-0.

“It all started before the game when our trainer Megan gave me a great tape job. I felt good and just came out hot,” Davidson said. “It just kept rolling from there.”

The Quakers effectively ran the floor and moved the ball all night. Besides the contributions from Davidson and Gerace, Chase Ackerman added 14 points and seven rebounds. Garrett Dickey finished with seven points and six assists.

Salem shot 51 percent and outrebounded the Red Dragons 43-26. The Quakers only turned the ball over seven times.

“We played like we’re capable of,” Hart said. “We did all the things that we need to do. We’re just going to have to play that way without Jon it looks like.”

Niles relied mostly on its three point shooting to hang around until the fourth quarter. Cyler Kane-Johnson (15 points) connected on five triples, while Ty’rese Williams scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jasson Faison added eight rebounds.

The Quakers put the game away with a 10-2 run to begin the fourth quarter, a stretch that was highlighted by a layup and a putback by Davidson.

“It’s tough to come back when you spot a team 15 points right away,” Niles assistant coach Eric Marino said. “Davidson can really play. We’ve done a good job clawing back, but we had to expend so much energy doing it.”

Both teams will now set their sights on the Boardman Division II tournament. Niles travels to Canfield on Tuesday, while Salem hosts Lakeview Tuesday.

“The coaches told us we needed to play this game like it was the tournament,” Davidson said. “We have to try and keep it rolling into next week.”

Game notes

¯Tuesday was Marino’s second game filling in for Niles head coach Ron Price, who is recovering from a heart attack.

“It’s been tough, it’s obviously hard when you lose your leader,” Marino said. “Even though he’s at home, he’s still been involved with the game-planning and everything. Overall, I think the kids have responded pretty well.”

¯Niles won both of its two regular season matchups against Salem’s tournament opponent Lakeview. The Red Dragons won the first matchup 67-47 and won the second game 50-48.

¯Salem won the jayvee game 56-49. Josh Young led the Quakers with 18 points.

NILES: 13-14-22-12–61

SALEM: 21-18-20-22–81

NILES SCORING: Da’Jon Motley 2-1-5, Jasson Faison 3-0-8, Cyler Kane-Johnson 5-0-15, Trent Johnson 1-0-2, Corbin Foy 1-3-6, Donald Daniel 1-0-2, Ty’rese Williams 10-2-23, Justin Beatty 0-0-0, Jaden Elliot 0-0-0, Joe Corson 0-0-0. TEAM TOTALS: 23, 6-16: 61.

SALEM SCORING: Garrett Dickey 3-0-7, Josh Young 0-0-0, Jon Gerace 7-0-14, Turner Johnson 1-0-2, Braydon Gibson 0-0-0, Zach Bezon 3-1-7, Mitch Davidson 14-6-37, Robbie Sarginger 0-0-0, Chase Ackerman 7-0-14, Zack Martin 0-0-0. TEAM TOTALS: 35, 7-14: 81.

Three-point goals: Niles 9 (Kane-Johnson 5, Faison 2, Foy, Williams), Salem 4 (Davidson 3, Dickey).

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