RallyNorth.net

Salem's 23-0 run devastates Pinkerton

Saturday, February, 09 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

Beau Cassidy knocked home a short baseline jumper to give Pinkerton a 12-10 lead after a quarter.

The junior marksman's next hoop was a 20-foot, 3-point bomb. In between, defending Class L champion Salem High rolled off your text-book 23-0 barrage, covering nearly 11 minutes, including a scoreless second quarter. The Blue Devils weren't tested again, solidifying their spot at the top of the standings (12-0 in Class L) with an impressive, 69-48, romp over the Astros before about 500 fans at the Hackler Gymnasium.

"Defense," said Salem junior Mike Kimball, summing up the improbable run, which went from just under a minute to play in the first quarter to the 6:05 mark of the third, when Cassidy finally shattered the lid on the Pinkerton hoop.

"We D'd up tough and played the best we have all year. This is a rivalry game and we just came out and put it on them." Kimball, who tossed in 13 points on the night, kick-started the avalanche with a three, an 18-foot, toe-on-the-line two and a pair of free throws.

"I thought we dominated the boards in the second quarter, but we just couldn't get anything to go," said Astros coach Pete Rosinski.

About the only thing Salem didn't do was rebound, and that only lasted until both Pinkerton big men, Ben Proulx and Zach Mathieu, went to the bench with two fouls.

Their absence was a license for Salem to fast-break, and the Devils did just that, rolling up layup after layup with Josh Jones, Josh Frederico and Kevin Sledge hitting the open men repeatedly.

Trailing 33-12 early in the third, Cassidy provided the Astros a glimmer of hope, hitting four triples to help slice the margin to 39-31, but the hole was just too deep, and Salem cruised to its 17th straight in-state win.

"Give credit to our guys on defense for setting the tone," said Blue Devils coach E.J. Perry. "I like the way we ran and got a lot of easy shots."

Jones led four Blue Devils in double figures, hitting all eight free throws in an 18-point, 10-rebound night. Dan Kinney chipped in 17 points, while Shawn Stoodley had a double-double of his own, tossing in 15 points and hauling in 10 caroms.

Cassidy's 18 points paced Pinkerton, which had won three of its last four games prior to last night.