By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– The Salem Academy Girls Basketball team hasn’t been in too many dogfights this year to this point.
To be exact, just one game out of the nine that they’ve played have been close all season. That was back on December 12 against Monroe.
But with the eve of their PacWest Conference slate beginning, the Crusaders probably played their best game of the year against a league opponent in Dayton to close out the Crusader Classic on Saturday.
Salem Academy were tied with the Pirates with ten points, tied at 26 with Dayton at the half and tied with the Pirates at 39 going into the fourth quarter.
“We had one other close game this year, and that’s a new experience for us this year. A lot of new kids who haven’t experienced Varsity Ball yet, so being in that situation is really good for their confidence,” said Salem Academy Head Coach Derek Imig.
The Crusaders had a brief lead going into the fourth, leading Dayton 39-37, but that was when the Pirates began to pull away.
A 16-3 fourth quarter in favor of Dayton proved to be the difference maker between the two squads on this night.
“We talked about that. Just trying to build that consistency, playing to our potential the first three quarters and then playing the last eight,” said Imig. “So just not losing our minds, communicating, trusting each other. It’s baby steps.
Baylie Imig led the Crusaders with 24 points and connecting on four three-pointers as Salem Academy will host Amity on Monday.
Hadley Hughes led the Pirates with 17 points as Dayton travels to play Santiam Christian on Monday.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
