For The Dialog NEW CASTLE – Salesianum, the eighth-ranked team in the state, used six three-point shots in a 38-36 win at William Penn on Dec. 4. It was the season opener for both teams.
The Sals struggled early, falling behind, 10-2, as the Colonials’ defense was stingy. The Sals then hit back-to-back three-pointers, the first one by Darnell Vaughn and the second by Jack Brown, to cut the lead to 10-8. Salesianum trailed, 12-10, at the end of the first but hit three triples in the second quarter, two from Michael Wallace, to take a 19-18 halftime lead. William Penn’s Jordan Harding puts up a shot over Salesianum’s Luke Pastore during the teams’ meeting on Tuesday. (The Dialog/Jason Winchell) The offenses took over in the third quarter as Paul Brown scored his first points of the night and Vaughn scored on back-to-back drives to give the Sals a 27-22 advantage. Penn responded, and Jordan Harding knotted the score at 27 with a three. The teams were tied at 29 before a three-pointer by Chris Cohill as the third quarter ended gave the Sals a 32-29 lead. The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle that saw both teams struggle from the line. The Colonials missed the front end of three one-and-one opportunities and Salesianum in front, 33-32. The Sals finally capitalized as Vaughn and Brown converted inside to give push the lead to 37-32 with 1:38 left. A free throw from Paul Brown made it 38-34. William Penn’s Terin Cochran scored inside with 10 seconds left to cut the deficit to two, and the Colonials still had a chance after Vaughn and Paul Brown both missed the front ends of one-and-ones. Carlos Dean grabbed the rebound on Brown’s miss and drove the length of the floor but missed a layup as time expired. The Dialog/Jason Winchell The Sals (1-0) were led by Vaughn and Paul Brown with nine points each. They host Newark Charter next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. William Penn (0-1) got a game-high 14 points from Harding. They host Hodgson Dec. 14 at 5:15 p.m.
