WILMINGTON – Salesianum’s basketball team trailed Middletown by 10 heading into the fourth quarter of their game on Jan. 24 at Father Birkenheuer Gymnasium. The Sals’ Latrell Wright opened the scoring with a three-point shot, but with 1:40 to go, the Sals still trailed by seven.
The final 100 seconds, however, were all action, with Salesianum chipping away at the lead. Wright had the last word, going end to end for a scoop shot with 1.1 seconds remaining that proved the difference in a thrilling 69-68 win in front of a near-capacity crowd. The Cavaliers’ last-second prayer was not close, and the Sals’ seven-game losing streak was history.
The final shot capped a fourth quarter owned by Wright. He had 18 points in the quarter on the way to 27 for the game. But he was not alone in the comeback.
Middletown led, 62-55, when Dominic Downs (Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, West Chester, Pa.) hit a three-pointer. The Cavs got two of those points back, but Wright scored on a triple from the wing, cutting the Middletown lead to 64-61 with 1:06 remaining.
The Cavaliers made one of two free throws, but the miss was rebounded by the Sals and resulted in a dunk by Kabali Kajubi, igniting the Salesianum student section and, more importantly for the team, cutting the deficit to two points.
Middletown again went one for two from the free throw line, and R.J. Johnson got open for the Sals underneath for his only field goal of the second half. Salesianum called a timeout with 23.3 to go, and on the inbounds play, Nasir Logan came up with a steal and laid it in for his only points of the night, putting the Sals on top, 67-66.
Kaleb Ra’lfa made it look easy as he put the Cavailers back on top, driving the length of the floor for a layup. But with 8.3 seconds to go, the Sals had time. Wright took the inbounds from Downs and headed up the left side of the floor. He saw a lane in the middle, drove through traffic and spun a shot off the glass, prompting a celebration among the Sals’ players and students as the clock hit zeroes. The referees, however, put 1.1 seconds back on the clock after the Cavs had called time. Middletown’s attempt from beyond half court hit a fixture above the court, and this time, the celebration could commence in earnest.
Johnson was a force in the first quarter, scoring nine points to help the Sals stay close, but a buzzer-beating three from Isaiah Ngugi gave the Cavaliers a 16-13 lead after one. Middletown extended the lead to four points at halftime, and a big third quarter from King Savior helped them push the lead to double digits heading into the final stanza.
Along with Wright, Johnson (15) and Downs (13) reached double figures. The Sals (2-9) are back home on Sunday for a matinee against St. Elizabeth at 2 p.m.
For the Cavaliers, Jaelen Murphy finished with 19, while Savior had 16 and Ra’lfa added 12. Middletown fell to 5-5 and is home on Jan. 28 against Mount Pleasant at 5:30 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
