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Quakers tame Indians

Above, Salem’s Jon Null goes up for a score against Girard on Tuesday in a Div. II sectional opener on Tuesday. (Photo by Gary Leininger)

SALEM — Salem boys’ basketball coach Jeff Andres would like to bottle how his team plays in the fourth quarter of games because when the situation calls for it, the Quakers can take their play to another level.

Such was the case again during Tuesday night’s Div. II sectional opener against Girard in John A. Cabas Gymnasium. The Quakers led the stubborn Indians 38-32 after three quarters but went on a 15-1 run to start the fourth quarter en route to a 61-41 triumph.

“We did a great job turning it on in the fourth quarter and we started hitting our shots,” praised Andres. “We’re never out of it, whether it’s a close game or we’re down, these guys know they’re going to keep fighting until the end, and I’m really proud of them.”

It marked the Quakers’ fifth win in their past six games, with many of those triumphs featuring explosive offensive fourth-quarter performances.

Girard coach Craig Hannon felt his young team just couldn’t stem the tide during Salem’s hot fourth-quarter.

“It’s kind of been our bugaboo all year where we’re in a game for 23 or 24 minutes and then give up a big run,” said the Girard head coach. “We got sloppy with the ball and I think they wore us down a little bit.”

With the win, Salem is now 16-7 on the season.

With the setback, young Girard, which starts four underclassmen, fell to 3-14.

Salem once again featured excellent offensive balance as three Quakers finished in double figures and two others just missed double digits. Leading the way was senior Hunter Griffith (15 points), junior Jon Null (14 points) and junior Cade Rohm (10 points), while teammates Drew Weir and Brock Young added nine and seven markers, respectively.

“That (always attacking the rim) is the main part of my game,” said Null, who enjoyed an outstanding overall performance scoring and rebounding. “I definitely thrive inside,” he added.

“We had great offensive balance again tonight,” praised Andres.

Pacing the Indians was sophomore guard Thomas Cardiero with a game-high 17 points, while Nick Cario finished with 13 markers and Gus Johnson had six points.

Salem was unable to shake the pesky Indians in the first three quarters, as the Quakers held narrow quarter-stop leads of 10-7, 20-19 and 38-32.

But the fourth quarter belonged to the Quakers.

“It was a little tight in the first half,” said Andres. “But we turned it up (in the fourth quarter) and it had a little different feel to the game.”

The Quakers forced four turnovers out of the Indians in the fourth quarter, some which ended up in fastbreak points. The hosts outscored Girard 15-1 in the first three minutes of the final frame to go out to a 53-33 lead following a layup by Null with 5:03 left.

“We get deflections (on defense which leads to points),” observed Andres. “We tell the kids that (getting deflections for turnovers in the backcourt) is an under-rated statistic and we’re good at that, and this kid right here is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching,” said Andres, while pointing to Null.

“I think they got us tired, pushed out on us defensively,” said Hannon. “We had some turnovers but I think they forced those with their length and athleticism.”

Salem took its biggest advantage at 22 points (57-35) with 2:29 remaining and closed out the win. The Quakers outscored the Indians 23-9 in the final stanza.

“We knew we really needed to close it out,” said Null. “In my opinion, it shouldn’t have been as close as it was, but we really closed it out in the fourth quarter.”

Salem advances to a Division II sectional championship game slated Friday night against Louisville at 7 p.m. in John A. Cabas Gymnasium. Louisville advanced Tuesday with a 63-44 win over Notre Dame Cathedral Latin.

“It’s a tournament win and you survive and advance and that’s all that matters,” said the Salem coach. “We have a couple common opponents (with Louisville), they played a couple of our EBC counterparts. They’re physical, but they’re coming to our place and I’ll take on anybody with the group we have in the locker room.”

Girard, which began its season late due to the Trumbull County COVID-19 shutdown on sports, is hoping to pick up some additional regular-season opponents to play next week.

“We’re trying to look for some extra games but they are not on the schedule,” said Hannon. “We’re working on something and I’m hoping (to play some more games).”

GIRARD: 7-12-13-9–41

SALEM: 10-10-18-23–61

GIRARD SCORING: Jordan Grant 0-0-0, Nick Cario 4-3-13, Ashton Pozega 0-0-0, Thomas Cardiero 8-0-17, Bobby Alegras 1-0-3, Gus Johnson 1-3-6, Ryan Fitzgerald 1-2-4, Jordan Johnson 0-0-0. TEAM TOTALS: 15, 8-11: 41

SALEM SCORING: Hunter Griffith 6-2-15, Sam Walter 0-0-0, Landon Cooper 1-0-2, Jon Null 5-4-14, Brock Young 3-1-7, Drew Weir 3-3-9, Davin Koskinen 2-0-4, Cade Rohm 2-5-10, Ross Davidson 0-0-0. TEAM TOTALS: 22, 15-20: 61.

Three-point goals: Girard 5 (Nick Cario 2, Thomas Cardiero 1, Bobby Alegars 1, Gus Johnson 1); Salem 2 (Hunter Griffith 1, Cade Rohm 1)

Total fouls: Girard 14, Salem 11.

Fouled out: Ashton Pozega

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