WILMINGTON – Howard trailed Salesianum by four points in the middle of the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats took control down the stretch on the way to a 59-52 victory over the Sals on Feb. 4. Salesianum’s three-game winning streak came to an end with the defeat.
The game drew a capacity crowd to Howard, and the fans were into the action all day. The Sals opened with a six-point lead, finding success inside on repeated occasions. Howard trailed by as many as seven late in the first, but the Wildcats tied the game early in the second on a field goal for Chase Simmons, and they took a 16-13 lead when Ronald Handy drained a three-pointer, the final points of an 8-0 Howard run.
The game was tight from then on. Salesianum held a three-point lead at halftime, and the margin was no bigger than four points until the final minute. Howard held a 39-36 lead late in the third, but R.J. Johnson scored after a steal to pull the Sals to within one, which is where things stood as the fourth quarter began.
Latrell Wright opened the fourth with Salesianum’s lone three-pointer of the afternoon, and Kevin Coleman hit a second-chance mid-range jumper the next time down the floor to give Salesianum a 43-39 lead. Howard’s Kaden Brown had a shot blocked but picked up the loose ball and scored to end the Sals’ 10-0 scoring run, and Nick Baysah tied the game.
Coleman scored on a stuff with just over four minutes to go in the fourth, restoring a four-point Sals advantage. The Wildcats fought back again, tying the game on a goaltending call with three minutes left.
Howard took advantage of a Salesianum turnover, tying the game on a Brown layup, and after another miscue by the Sals, Zi’Yon Henderson-Conkey scored in transition. The Sals got a free throw back, but Baysah extended the Howard lead with a big three-pointer. Kai Abplanalp got the Sals’ final points with a minute to go, but none of the team’s shots would fall after that. The Wildcats, on the other end, hit five of six free throws down the stretch.
Brown led the Wildcats with 14 points, with Baysah adding 11 and Handy 10. Howard (12-3) remains home for their next three games, with McKean visiting Thursday at 4:45 p.m.
For the Sals, Johnson had 17, and Wright scored 11. Salesianum (4-11) is home on Friday night for a date with archrival Saint Mark’s at 7 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.