Girls Basketball | Salem shoots well to hand West Branch second EBC defeat
SALEM — Salem hit a barrage of 3-pointers but it came down to the Quakers' efficiency at the foul line in a 44-39 victory over visiting West Branch on Saturday.
Salem (14-2, 8-2 Eastern Buckeye Conference) made 10 3-pointers in the game, from six different players.
The Quakers also sank 6-of-9 at the foul line to West Branch's 4-of-9. After two of Salem's misses at the free-throw line in the final minute, the Quakers were able to secure an offensive rebound.
"You live or die on the perimeter," said West Branch coach Walt DeShields. "We took the inside away from them to force them to shoot from the perimeter. Give them credit, they shot the ball very well."
Salem didn't have a player score in double figures. Of the eight players who scored, Alivia Davidson-Chuck led with nine points.
"With their size, we knew that scoring inside would be difficult," said Salem coach Sarah Hamilton. "Our shooters really stepped up and got the job done."
Sophia Gregory led the Warriors (14-4, 7-2) with 20 points.
Salem led 16-12 after one quarter, 25-17 at halftime and 31-27 with eight minutes remaining.
After a Quaker 3-pointer, the Warriors went on a 12-5 to run to close to within a point, 36-35, on a basket by Sydney Mercer with 2:13 remaining.
West Branch forced a turnover and had a chance to take the lead at the foul line, but both shots were missed.
"Missing the foul shots was huge," said DeShields. "If we even make just one of them that changes the whole complexion of the game. We have the lead and just need to make one stop."
On the ensuing possession, Salem's Rylee Hutton was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 47.3 seconds to go. She made the first two, but the third was missed and the Quakers' Abby Perry got the rebound.
Salem made three more free throws down the stretch.
'We had a tough week last week [losing to Marlington] but our girls put that behind them and responded," said Hamilton. "We came out strong with a lot of tenacity. We kind of let them back in but we kept our composure down the stretch and got the job done."
Marlington is 8-1 in the EBC race, followed by Salem and West Branch. The Dukes play host to West Branch on Feb. 9.
"To get beat by them, especially twice, hurts. Both games came down to the wire," said DeShields. "We still have a lot of basketball left. We have three games left and we have a week to get ready for Canton South and we still control our own destiny trying to win an EBC title."
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Salem defeats West Branch in EBC girls basketball
