Salem girls basketball starts fast, holds off Goffstown to get win (video)

GOFFSTOWN - The Salem High School girls basketball team knew that no matter what it did Friday night, Goffstown wasn't going to go away easily.

So despite leading by as many as 10 points in every quarter, the Blue Devils had to grind to the final buzzer.

While Salem was just 3 of 8 at the free throw line in the final minute, the Blue Devils were able to secure a 61-54 win over the Grizzlies thanks to their efforts on the offensive boards and some solid defense down the stretch.

The Grizzlies, who dropped their sixth game in a row, went on a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter to cut Salem's lead to 58-54 with 35.3 seconds remaining, but couldn't get any closer.

"It’s hard because they’re on a losing streak and we knew going in, they were going to be a caged animal and they wanted to get that win," Salem coach Ricky Oliver said. "That was going to be a big challenge because we knew they would not stop. I’ve been in that situation. You’re just hungry to get it and you’ll try anything. They are good. They’ve got some great outside shooters that extend the defense and we had to change our defense a little bit to calm that down."

The Blue Devils (12-3) got 16 points each from Carly Saif and Jordyn Franzen, while Christine Aboujaoude added 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Stella Hazelton also hit three 3s for nine points, all in the first half, as Salem made seven 3s as a team, five of which came in the first quarter.

That sharp-shooting helped the Blue Devils take a 17-7 lead but Goffstown (8-6) responded with a 7-0 run to get within three points early in the second. Salem came back with a 10-run of its own to take a 27-14 lead, but the Grizzlies ended the half with an 8-0 run to make it a five-point game at halftime.

"We played hard," Goffstown coach Steve Largy said. "We’re getting effort, it’s not a question of that. It’s our execution and being physical on the defensive glass. That’s been trouble for us all year.

"We’ve got execute the game plan early on. Everyone knows Salem is a great 3-point shooting team, that’s not a surprise. You see film and you don’t understand just how good a shooter some of these kids are. They figured it out as the game went on and we stopped that. Then we made runs, but we just couldn’t close out possessions on the defensive glass. We’d make that run and then we’d give it back."

Salem adjusted at halftime and started finding ways to get to the basket, with Saif getting 11 of her points in the second half.

"We knew that when Stella hit the first two or three (3s), that they were going to pick her up," Oliver said. "So we tried to make her a decoy, knowing that she’d still get open shots because they’d be tired of running around, chasing her. And then we went to the inside game."

Kelly Walsh, who finished with a game-high 20 points, scored on the first possession of the second half to get Goffstown within three points, but Salem went on a 13-5 run to take a 40-29 lead.

A pair of 3-pointers for Sofia Piriz and Olivia Brannen (14 points, three 3s) before the end of the third quarter made it an eight-point game, 45-37, going into the fourth. Aboujaoude hit back-to-back baskets for Salem midway through the quarter to put the Blue Devils up 58-45, but the Grizzlies weren't done.

Two baskets by Walsh, sandwiched around a 3 by Emma Strong, made it 58-52 with 1:40 to go, and after Salem's Briana Boucher missed the front end of a one-and-one, she fouled Goffstown's Shannon Gifford at the other end. Gifford made both free throws to make it a four-point game and the Grizzlies extend the game by sending Salem to the free throw line.

Aboujaoude missed another one-and-one, but DayLee Rivera grabbed the rebound and was fouled. The junior hit one of two, and after a Goffstown turnover, Boucher made the first of two free throws, with Rivera again grabbing the rebound and getting fouled with 5.6 seconds to go.

The Grizzlies are scheduled to go on the road Tuesday, as they head to Portsmouth for a 7 p.m. start, while Salem is off until Feb. 15, when the Blue Devils head to Manchester Central for a 6:30 p.m. tip.