WILMINGTON – Salesianum’s basketball team likes to challenge itself early each season against some powerful regional competition, and that was the case on Jan. 3 when Malvern Prep (Pa.) visited Father Birkenheuer Gymnasium. The Friars came out firing, sinking eight three-pointers on the way to a 78-54 win over the Sals.
Salesianum, playing at home for the only time in a seven-game stretch, ran a minute off the clock before R.J. Johnson hit a mid-range jumper. A Malvern Prep turnover on their first possession resulted in a three-pointer for Dominic Downs, giving the Sals an early 5-0 lead. The Friars scored the next four points before Johnson drifted outside for a triple and followed that up with a steal and another field goal to put the Sals on top, 10-4.
Malvern Prep, however, was just getting started. They scored the next 13 points, the final nine of which came on a three for Taig McErlane and a pair of triples for Nick Harken. That closed out a prolific quarter for Harken, who finished with 10 points as the Friars took a 17-16 lead after one.
Salesianum scored the final six points of the first – including a buzzer-beating tip by Downs – and the first three of the second when Brady McBride (St. John the Beloved Parish) hit from outside the arc. The Friars remained hot from the field, led by Harken, who had seven more in the second quarter. When he wasn’t connecting from deep, he was getting open underneath and taking advantage of some crisp passing. One back-door cut resulted in a jam for Harken. The Friars closed out the half on a 9-4 run.
Six different Friars scored in the third quarter as they maintained a modest lead. The Sals trailed, 56-47, when Marvin Reed converted an old-fashioned three-point play, but six straight free throws for the Friars pushed the margin to 18 with a little more than five minutes remaining. Very little stood in the way of the Malvern Prep offense all evening, particularly in the fourth quarter.
The Friars’ Harken led all scorers with 26, while Reed added 17.
For the Sals, Latrell Wright had 16, and Johnson had 12. Ten different players scored. Salesianum (1-7) is back in action on Sunday against Bonner and Prendergast (Pa.) at 1:30 p.m. at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia as part of the Chris Evans Memorial.
All photos by Mike Lang.
