Pace, pressure, a buzzer-beater (and a dunk!) lead Salem over Saline
Ezekiel Chinyadza hits a soft floater over a Saline defender during Friday night’s 71-62 Salem victory.
The second Salem senior Liam Reynolds secured an outlet pass near mid-court with no Saline defenders between him and the rim late in the third quarter of Friday night’s Rock home opener, a buzz rapidly flowed through the gymnasium, kind of like the seconds before a SpaceX rocket is launched at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
One of the top track & field high jumpers in the state last year, Reynolds didn’t disappoint the home crowd, throwing down an eye-popping one-handed dunk to help offset a Hornet rally that had closed a one-time double-digit deficit to 40-38.
The dunk — combined with a buzzer-beating three-point rainbow triple to close the third quarter from Darrel Williams — helped propel Salem to a 71-62 victory, improving its record to 2-0.
(To check out a video of Liam Reynolds’ dunk, click here.)
Williams’ buzzer-beater sparks run
While there was no denying the crowd-pleasing slam sparked the Rocks’ close-out, Salem Head Coach Ryan Nimmerguth said Williams’ three may have been his team’s biggest shot of the night.
“I always talk about finishing quarters strong because when you come to the bench excited, it can create momentum heading into the next quarter, and Darrel’s shot definitely did that,” added Nimmerguth.
(To check out a video of Darrel Williams’ buzzer-beating three, click here.)
There were individual highlights aplenty for the winners during their home opener, but their head coach emphasized how a tremendous team effort dictated Friday’s win.
“We played extremely well as a team tonight,” Nimmerguth said. “I thought we moved the ball really well; we had to in order to crack their defense, which led to some good scoring opportunities down the stretch.”
Passion for defense
Nimmerguth also praised his team’s relentless defensive intensity — a statement not frequently shared by high school basketball coaches.
“This team loves to play defense, they love to get after it,” Nimmerguth said. “And defensive intensity often leads to good looks on offense.”
That was never more apparent than late in the first quarter when Salem’s Nye Turner and Landen Stone trapped a Hornet in the corner while the Rocks were implementing a in-your-face full-court press.
Stone stole the ball and two passes later, Reynolds finished with a relatively easy layup.
Salem’s most impressive trademark may be its depth as nine players scored — four (led by Mitch Paspal’s 13 points) eclipsing the double-digit mark.
Reynolds and Ezekiel Chinyadza scored 12, while Williams added 11.
Hustle points were huge
Salem senior Jaxson Wisniewski tallied a modest four points, however, both of his buckets were the result of tenacious put-backs after battling for offensive rebounds.
“We have eight guys who I can throw out there at any time and feel comfortable,” Nimmerguth said. “And our ninth through 13th guys are really good, too. The struggle for me is finding everyone enough minutes.”
Saline posted a few SportsCenter-worthy highlights as well, particularly 6-foot-6 senior Chris Cotuna, who threw down two dunks that accounted for half his eight-point night.
Tate Woodman led the Hornets with 17 points.
The Rocks, who defeated host Flat Rock 75-54 on Tuesday, led 34-28 at the half and 55-46 after three quarters.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
