Strong play down the stretch lifts Salem boys basketball to win over Londonderry

LONDONDERRY – In rivalry games, the outcome is typically decided by which team does the little things better.

On Friday evening, the Salem High School boys basketball team went on the road with playoff seeding on the line and made all the extra-effort plays down the stretch, coming back from a seven-point halftime deficit in a hostile environment during a thrilling 51-45 win.

The Blue Devils (15-2), who sit alone in the second slot in the Division I standings, received a team-high 14 points from senior forward Kyle Poulin. Senior forward Benjamin Laycock was a force on both ends for Salem, finishing with 11 points, as he blocked multiple shots and altered numerous other attempts with his solid rotations and long arms.

“I was proud of the way our kids stayed with it all night,” Salem coach Rob McLaughlin said. “Kyle stepped up in the second half, and he was the key offensively when we started running stuff through him. Benjamin has been our defensive stopper all year. He allows our guards to get out and pressure. He has made great strides from last year to this year in what he brings to the table. He has been outstanding for us all year.”

Senior guard Ethan May rose to the occasion for the Lancers (12-4), tallying 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, as he finished with three 3-pointers. Senior forward James Buttafuoco (15 points) scored nine second-half points. Londonderry currently sits in a tie for fourth in the standings.

“Ethan is a guy that I wish I could keep coaching for many years to come,” Londonderry coach Nate Stanton said. “He plays with a chip on his shoulder and is very fun to coach. I love having him on the court.”

The Lancers led 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, and then built their largest lead of the night at 21-10 with two minutes left in the half on a fadeaway jumper by May. Salem finished the first half with four straight made foul shots, trimming the deficit down to 21-14 heading into intermission.

Salem started getting into a little rhythm in the second half, pouring in 37 points during the final 16 minutes. Junior Trevor DeMinico and senior Zackery Caraballo did an outstanding job applying intense pressure on Londonderry’s backcourt, forcing numerous steals by getting into the passing lanes.

DeMinico threaded the needle with a transition bounce pass to Caraballo for a layup with 7:03 on the clock in the third, pulling Salem to within 23-18. A layup by Poulin with three seconds left in the third sent the Devils into the fourth only down 32-29.

Whatever McLaughlin said to his team in between the third and fourth worked, as the visitors scored 22 fourth-quarter points. Laycock converted a layup on a backdoor cut off an inbounds pass by DeMinico with 7:39 left. Laycock was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, but Poulin corralled the rebound for a layup, giving the visitors the lead at 33-32, which was their first advantage since 2-0.

“We told our players that we were going to have to grind out possessions against Londonderry,” McLaughlin said. “It was not going to come in surges; we knew we were not going to get 12-2 runs. Our defense, which has been our calling card all year, saved us. I went in at halftime and we gave up 21 points, which put us on pace to give up in the 40s. We are going to win most of those games that are in the 40s.”

Junior guard Michael Ference had a quiet night offensively for Salem, but he rose to the occasion when the lights were the brightest. DeMinico was at the line with 1:34 left, and made the first free throw but missed the second. Ference exploded into the rebounding action, grabbed the ball and finished through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play, extending Salem’s cushion to 47-39 with 1:32 left.

May refused to accept defeat for the hosts, as he buried a left-of-the-arc 3 through contact with 1:06 left, and then drilled a contested left-baseline trey with 40 seconds on the board, cutting the deficit down to 48-45. Salem clamped down defensively on the final possessions and hit enough free throws to secure the win.

“I thought we came out strong and had a good first half overall,” Stanton said. “In the second half, we got a little satisfied and missed some assignments. We missed rebounds and gave them extra looks. We could not score toward the end, which is tough. The credit goes to Salem. I thought they had an excellent game plan defensively with trapping us. I am glad we have another week to go over some stuff before the fun starts in March.”

Salem finishes up the regular season on Tuesday at Bedford (6:30 p.m.), while Londonderry will travel to Goffstown on Tuesday (6:30 p.m.) and close out the regular season Friday (6:30 p.m.) at Nashua North.