Salem roars back from late 11-point deficit to stun Canton
Salem’s Mitch Paspal blocks a shot by Canton’s Jaylen Tramble during Tuesday’s 51-49 Rock victory.
For the second time in a month, Salem’s basketball team has recorded an Are you kidding me!? comeback.
On Tuesday as part of a girls/boys hoops doubleheader, the Rocks scored the game’s final six points in 40 seconds to earn a 51-49 comeback victory over the visiting Cobras.
On January 6, Salem shocked Northville, 60-59, after overcoming a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Salem trailed 45-34 with 5 minutes and 45 seconds remaining in Tuesday’s contest.
Williams steps up
The primary hero was Darrel Williams, who scored 17 points — five coming during the final-40-seconds rally — but the senior had plenty of help.
Down 49-45 with 40 seconds left Tuesday night, Williams secured a pass from Luke Creighton on the right wing and calmly drained an all-net three-point shot to bring the Rocks to within 49-48.
Creighton then stole the inbounds pass along the baseline, just to the left of the basket and shoveled the ball to Williams, who, without dribbling, banked in a right-handed shot from underneath the basket.
“On the three, I saw my man Darrel — “Darrel Time” — and it was an ice cold shot, all net,” Creighton recounted. “We needed that three. Then we pressured their inbounds pass, I got the ball, saw Darrel to my right — he was right there — and he finished with a layup.”
“When I saw Luke stole the ball, I knew we needed a bucket right away, so I shot it and it went in,” Williams added.
Salem Head Coach Ryan Nimmerguth praise Creighton and Williams for their poise in crunch-time.
“It was just players making plays,” Nimmerguth said. “Luke’s a winner. We were just going for steals and he made a play. And Darrel’s shot was huge, obviously. He’s not afraid of missing big shots in the moment.
“It was a great Park game.”
Following a Canton timeout, the Cobras put the ball in the hands of their star guard Jaylen Tramble, who, while attacking the basket with six ticks on the clock, was stripped of the ball by Salem’s Mitch Paspal, who dribbled the length of the court before getting fouled with just over two seconds to play.
Paspal’s steal was pivotal
Paspal made the second of two free throws, extending Salem’s lead to 51-49.
Tramble got off a desperation heave from near half court, but it hit high off the backboard as the clock expired and Salem celebrated its second near-miraculous victory in 2026.
The result left both teams with 4-3 records in the KLAA West Division. The Rocks improved to 11-3 overall while Canton stands at 8-5 heading into Friday’s showdown at Plymouth (weather permitting).
“This win was huge,” Creighton explained. “For our senior class, we had never beaten Canton. We didn’t play our best game the first time we played them this season, but we put it all out there tonight.”
Paspal was a game-changer at both ends of the court, picking up four blocks on defense and 13 points on the offensive end.
Stone contributes 10
Junior point guard Landen Stone was also clutch for Salem, netting 10 points, including a pair of triples.
Tramble was magnificent for Canton, scoring 22 points and dishing out six assists. Drew Putnam also contributed, netting 10 points — six on a pair of treys.
Along with providing next-level hustle, Canton senior Zach Quigley added four points and five rebounds.
Tramble’s and-one gave Canton a 37-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Cobras Tramble and Alex Wassel made late buckets to put Canton ahead 49-45 after Salem stormed back to knot the game at 45-45.
“It was a great Park game,” Nimmerguth said, summing up another rivalry classic.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
