WILMINGTON — Four players reached double figures as Salesianum bounced back from a loss over the weekend with a 77-63 victory over Caravel on Feb. 7 at Father Birkenheuer Gymnasium.
The offenses were a bit sluggish at the outset of the game, but the Sals put it in a higher gear once the second quarter began. Anthony Smith got the momentum started with a three-pointer from the wing, and he followed that up with a layup that came after a steal by teammate Zach Swartout. Smtih also hit a free throw to extend his own personal scoring streak to six before the Buccaneers put up two points on a spin move by John Clemmons along the baseline.
Caravel would add just eight more points before the half, however, while the Sals were just getting started. They opened up a 22-point lead at the break thanks to three-pointers from Isaiah Hynson, R.J. Johnson and Kareem Thomas. Thomas also had a traditional three-point play along the way.
The lead grew to 25 early in the third on a baseline drive by Johnson, but the Bucs started cutting into the lead after that. They followed Johnson’s bucket with a 6-0 run on three layups, the last coming from Miles White, who stole a Sallies pass and went three-quarters the length of the floor for two. White and teammate Dominique Wyatt scored the remainder of Caravel’s points in the third, which ended with the Sals on top, 51-32.
The Bucs kept the scoring going to open the fourth. Wyatt hit again, and Trevor Webster made two free throws, getting the Sals’ lead down to 15.Swartout was the next Sals player to step up, sinking a three-pointer, then grabbing a rebound at the defensive end and going coast to coast for two more.
The lead was 21 for Salesianum with 5:59 to go, and Clemmons, one of the Bucs’ top scorers, fouled out. But Caravel responded with a flourish. A Mekhi Carmon free throw ignited the offense, and after a steal a few minutes later, White scored on a layup to cut the Sals’ advantage to 60-47.
Thomas got free for a dunk, but White answered with a triple. Thomas did it again, finding some space and throwing down another big slam with 3:06 to go. That was Salesianum’s final field goal, but 13 free throws in 16 attempts over the final few minutes were more than enough to counter the Bucs’ made shots.
Hynson led the way with 18 points. He was joined in double figures by Johnson (15), Smith (14) and Swartout (12). The Sals (10-7) host Saint Mark’s on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in their final regular-season home game.
For the Bucs, Wyatt had 20. White contributed 17, and Zane Bohn added 10. Caravel (10-5) welcomes Delaware Military for a Thursday night game at 7:15.
All photos by Jason Winchell.