RallyNorth.net

Salem press douses Londonderry

Friday, January, 30 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

LONDONDERRY - Admittedly, the Salem High press hasn't yielded much all year.
There's a reason E.J. Perry had his boys stick with it.
And Londonderry High found out why last night. Salem cranked up the full-court heat in the third quarter and suffocated the host Lancers on their home turf. The 20-6 eight-minute burst turned a 50-50 matchup into a Blue Devils' runaway, 55-46.
"We converted an awful lot off the press and it felt good to do it in a big gam like this," said Salem's returning Eagle-Tribune Super Teamer Josh Jones. "If we can get points off the press like that it's huge. And it's something we haven't been doing."
Both Mike Kimball (game-high 21 points) and Jones (18 points, 6 boards, 4 assists)feasted in the frontcourt, cashing in off nine Lancer turnovers in the quarter alone.
Back-to-back Kimball hoops, Alex LaRosa's (30 minutes, 0 turnovers) rainbow triple and a Joe Gallant layin pushed the advantage to 12, 40-28, headed to the final quarter.
The eight-minute third might have been Salem's best period of the season.
"I think we showed how good we can be when we play defense in that quarter," said the junior captain LaRosa. "The defense made it happen, finally."
Londonderry went long-range in the fourth, trying to scrap its way back behind Matt Sanborn's three-pointers. But the Lancers, now 4-6 and 3-4 in Class L would get no closer than six in the waning moments.
"This one was a team win," said Salem coach E.J. Perry, whose club after a slow start has moved to 6-2 in the Granite State. "To play that kind of defense, everyone has to be involved. And they did that tonight."
The sophomore Gallant continues to make strides for Perry's club, chipping in eight points.
David Feinstein paced the Lancers, who had won two straight coming into last night.