NEWARK — Salesianum came out of the locker room for the second half of its DIAA boys basketball semifinal game against St. Elizabeth ready to go, scoring the first seven points of the third quarter before pulling away early in the fourth in a 65-51 win March 7 at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Sals will play for the state title on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Bob against Dover, who defeated Middletown in the other semi.
The Sals had a 25-16 lead in the middle of the second quarter before the Vikings heated up. St. E’s, the top seed in the tournament, outscored the Sals, 13-2, over the remainder of the first half, with Aiden Tobiason nailing a corner three-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Vikings a 29-27 lead at the break.
But the fourth-seeded Sals got a boost in the second half from Kareem Thomas. The senior started the second half with an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Sals back on top. Thomas hit a pair of free throws, and R.J. Johnson drove for a layup in traffic as Salesianum built the lead to 34-39, much to the delight of the hundreds of Salesianum students who packed a section of the end-zone bleachers.
St. Elizabeth, who made eight of 10 field-goal attempts in the second quarter, was successful on just two of 10 in the third. They stuck close to the Sals thanks to six made free throws, along with the second field goal, a Tobiason three-pointer that brought the Vikings back to within three at 43-40. Isaiah Hynson answered with a 17-footer off the glass as the horn sounded.
Tobiason got free for a stuff to open the fourth in front of his maroon-and-gold clad schoolmates, but that was as close as the Vikings would get. A turnover looked like it was going to lead to a Sals fast break, but Hynson was fouled from behind, and the referees ruled it an intentional foul. He made both free throws, and on the ensuing possession, Hynson made a three-pointer, getting the lead up to eight. Thomas followed with another triple.
Tobiason got free for another dunk, but a Johnson free throw with a minute and a half to go in the game closed out a 15-2 stretch for Salesianum. The Sals forced 18 Vikings turnovers, seven in the final quarter.
Thomas finished with 24 to lead the Sals, 19 of those in the second half. Johnson had 16 to go along with a team-leading 10 rebounds and four assists. Hynson (13) and Justin Hinds (10) also reached double figures. Nine of Hinds’ points came on a trio of three-point shots in the first quarter. The Sals improved to 15-8.
Dover is the second seed. The Senators defeated the Sals on Feb. 13, 72-52, but Salesianum was without three starters and head coach Taylor Trevisan. This will be the Sals’ third straight trip to the final. They lost two years ago to Tower Hill and defeated William Penn last year.
Tobiason had 19 for the Vikings in his final high school game, and Steven Nixon Jr. added 12. St. Elizabeth finished one of the most successful seasons in program history at 21-2.
Photos by Mike Lang.
