It was a striking statement, though it was said so casually.

Moments after he nailed a three-pointer with 55 seconds left to snap a tie game in an eventual 62-57 win over Londonderry on Friday, Jan. 5, Salem’s Josh Jones confirmed that even three games into the Class L boys basketball season, the Blue Devils are thinking big.

Of course, shots like his game-clincher are as big as they get for the sophomore.

“Yeah, we had to make a statement,” Jones said of Salem’s come-from-behind win, one in which it rallied from as many as 10 points down early in the fourth quarter. “We want to be the No. 1 team. We want to win this championship.”

Of course, the road to the Class L title is a long one, and it continued Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 1-2 Exeter. But considering the intensity, fervor and poise it played with on Londonderry’s raucous home floor, Salem showed that Jones’ statement wasn’t a passing one.

The 6-foot-3 guard, despite playing the entire fourth quarter with four fouls, scored a game-high 26 points to negate the 21 Matt Travalini scored for Londonderry, and Salem’s Stephen Savage, stopped most of the game, moved into the blocks and exploded for seven straight markers at one point in the fourth to finish with 17.

Mike Kimball, who found Jones in the corner for his game-breaking three-pointer, chipped in with nine points, and back-up point guard Josh Frederico put in some quality minutes in replacing Chris Voukides, who fouled out late in the third.

It seemed everywhere Salem coach E.J. Perry looked he got a contribution. But that, like wins this season, is nothing new.

“These guys work every day, and it’s not the first guy or the second guy, it’s up to the 14th, 15th guy,” Perry said. “When (Shawn) Stoodley got in there, he did the job. Kimball was unbelievable as a sophomore just stepping up and making shots.

You have a back-up point guard who has to play 12 minutes in Frederico, but all the time he put in was unbelievable.

“And that’s just what we expect,” he continued. “Our first guy goes down, our next guy steps up.”

Still, it’s hard to argue any team could find a replacement for Jones. Shaggy-haired but able to make as clean a cut as you’ll find in the state, Jones – a week removed from scoring 57 points in three holiday-tournament games in Lawrence, Mass. – hit from everywhere against Londonderry: off screens, from the elbows, through the lane.

Perry said the sophomore can all but write his ticket to the collegiate level. For now, he’ll gladly take him as a second-year player.

“What’s that mean – sophomore?” Londonderry coach Jim Zorbas asked. “He’s out on the floor. I don’t care what he is. He plays for Salem.”