SALEM — Multiple inches of snow fell, then sleet and eventually a cold rain Tuesday night as fans and players of both the Salem and Charlestown High basketball teams made their way to Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse Tuesday night.
What wasn’t falling — at least for the majority of the first three quarters — for either squad in this Division 3 second round playoff matchup were their shots.
Then came the final eight minutes of regulation … and at long last, Salem got rewarded.
Finally getting the ball to drop when they needed it, Salem got a game-high 33 points from junior superstar Elian Rodriguez and held off the Townies, 53-50, before a large and very vocal gathering.
“Honestly, it’s just grit,” said senior forward Cesar Mesa Castillo, a lockdown defender with a vice-like handshake. “Every day we talk about this not being our last practice, not having the next game be our last one. Tonight we just caught together and fought to the end until the clock said zero.”
A last-ditch three-point attempt from Charlestown fell short of the basket as the Witches (now 21-2) began celebrating.
“At the end we realistically came down to us making one more play than they did,” said Salem head coach Tommy Doyle. “That was a great high school basketball game, a war. We got a few stops in a row late, but they punched right back and did not quit, cutting it right back to a one-possession game. Luckily we were able to come out on top.”
“It’s kind of our brand,” captain Nate Lane said of Salem’s commitment to defense. “Shots aren’t going to fall every night; that’s why we make defense our thing. The defensive end is where we thrive, and that’s how we get into runs offensively.
“Shots won’t always fall, but we’ll always pick each other up.”
Salem, the No. 2 seed in the draw, will play its final home game of the season Friday (7 p.m.) in the state quarterfinals when it hosts No. 10 Cathedral (15-5). The winner advances to the Final Four early next week.
Knotted up at 37-all after three quarters, the Witches began the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run to take their biggest lead of the night (48-40) and never surrendered it. Rodriguez splashed a 3-pointer from the left elbow, did a stutter-step drive for two more points, then attached the rim again for a lefty lay-in and later drained two free throws to help highlight the run.
Elian took nearly half (31) of Salem’s 64 attempts from the field to go with four steals, three assists and a trio of rebounds.
The 3-pointer he drained in the final quarter was followed by him putting his left pinky and thumb up to his ear; he was, he said afterwards, “taking care of a business call” by draining that triple.
“Elian was getting points downhill by getting to his spots and finding his shots,” said Doyle. “We weren’t knocking down our threes (going 5-for-28), so we had to find other ways and get stops. For a while in that fourth quarter, we were able to.”
Freshman center Cleto Deng — who had an eye-popping 18 rebounds and three blocked shots while going up against Charlestown’s twin duo of big men Jeremy Baez (6-foot-6) and Lenyn Ramos Pena (6-foot-3), started the fourth quarter scoring by converting an easy pass inside from Lane (12 points).
“Cleto was a big part of us getting key stops and rebounds (33 as a team) that we needed,” said Doyle. “He’s gotten better and better during the course of the season, and you know what you’re getting with him: points, rebounds and blocked shots every time out. It’s unbelievable what he’s been able to do for us in the middle as a freshman.”
“I told Cleto before the game, ‘They do have a couple of big widebodies, but you’re a dog. Show them you’re one of the best freshman in the state … and he did,” said Rodriguez.
Another ninth grader, Jamison Hanson-Armstrong, converted a steal and layup to give Salem that eight-point edge. He, along with Cesa Castillo, were particularly dogged on defense.
It was tied at halftime, 25-25, with neither squad able to gain more than a 4-point edge over the other during the first 16 minutes of play. Both clubs missed their fair share of shots and committed unforced turnovers, key factors in the low scoring.
Rodriguez had nine points after one quarter and drove to the hoop before dishing off to Deng for an easy bucket just before the buzzer sounded, giving Salem a 16-15 edge. The Witches and Townies went back and forth trading in the lead in the second quarter, with the visitors up by three (25-22) before Rodriguez hit just his team’s second triple of the half, burying it from the elbow to knot things up.
Normally both proficient shooting from international waters, Salem made just 2-of-11 threes in the opening half, missing seven straight at one point.
Charlestown and its shoot whenever and from wherever offense didn’t fare any better, canning just 1-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc; 6-foot-6 big man Jeremy Baez did most of the offensive damage for his team, producing eight points in the first two quarters.
Salem 53, Charlestown 50
Division 3 second round playoffs
At Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse, Salem
Charlestown — Kamari Day 2-0-4, Jerry Brown 3-1-7, Lenyn Ramos Pena 6-0-12, Khayoree Peters 4-0-12, Jeremy Baez 5-1-11, Oscar Herrara 0-0-0, Ander Ramirez 2-0-4. Totals 22-2-50.
Salem — Matt Kenney 0-1-1, Nate Lane 4-3-12, Cesar Mesa Castillo 0-0-0, Cleto Deng 2-1-5, Elian Rodriguez 13-3-33, Sean Murphy 0-0-0, Jamison Hanson-Armstrong 1-0-2. Totals 20-8-53.
Halftime: Tied, 25-25.
Three-pointers: C, Peters 4; S, Rodriguez 4, Lane.
Records: S, 21-2; C, 15-8.
Contact Phil Stacey
@PhilStacey_SN