BY SAPNA PATHAK
It began the night as Salem High’s Davis Gym. It finished as official headquarters of “Savage Nation.”
And it’s now home to the No.1 seed in this year’s playoffs.
The road to the top spot was marked with an impressive overtime win against two-time defending champion Central.
In front of a near-capacity crowd of around 1,100 fans clad in blue and white or green and white, Salem beat Central, 67-58, on Friday, Feb. 23.
“We went nuts (in the locker room),” said a smiling Salem head coach E.J. Perry after the game. “We knew (Central head coach) Doc (Wheeler)’s team was going to make us work for it. These guys have really grown up this year.”
As usual, leading the way for Salem was senior Stephen Savage, whose face was proudly displayed on a poster reading “Savage Nation” by Blue Devils fans. Though Savage took time off before the game trying to get over the flu, the guard finished with 21 points.
The Blue Devils erupted for 15 points in the extra session, opening the frame with a Josh Jones 3-pointer, a Savage steal and a Mike Kimball layup. Savage’s 21st point, a foul shot, gave Salem a 58-52 lead with 2:28 remaining.
“They played defense the whole night,” said Savage. “I knew it would be a tough night, but we were as ready as we could be. Coach would take me out the last two minutes of every quarter, but I was itching to get out there.”
Kimball scored nine points off Perry’s bench, posting his final points on a layup good for a 60-54 Salem lead. The Blue Devils outscored Wheeler’s squad, 8-4, from the free-throw line in overtime.
In a game defined by physical intensity, Central’s William Brooks fouled out in overtime, while Salem’s 6-foot-4 center Brian White was benched in the fourth quarter; Savage also flirted with four-foul danger the final eight minutes of the game.
“Whitey (Brian White) was really going, but he isn’t good at avoiding fouls,” said Perry.
“There was no question, though, I wasn’t going to take him or Savage out because it was such a close game.”
With one loss apiece before the matchup, Central fought the Blue Devils to a 16-15 lead after one quarter. The second frame featured the Little Green’s well-known defense; they led Salem by seven points – the biggest lead of regulation – at halftime.
Jones and White ignited the Blue Devil offense to pull even after three periods, 37-37, before senior Chris Voukides sank one of the most important shots of the night with 3:31 left in the fourth quarter.
Voukides converted a four-point play to tie the game before the powerhouses battled back-and-forth into overtime. He finished with 14 points, including six free throws in overtime.
Leading Central was 6-foot-2 junior Mike Stys of Hooksett, who finished with a game-high 25 points. Sophomore Will Bayliss, who played a tough man-to-man battle with Voukides all night, combined with Hooksett’s Josh Last for 23 points.
With starter Nick Loomis and Kevin Sledge hurt, Perry got some much-needed support from Jones, who scored 11 points, and White, who pulled down 13 rebounds.
“This was a great game of high school basketball,” said Perry. “Doc’s team has such great man-to-man (defense), we knew we had to just play the game of our lives.”