The young Salem girls basketball team fell to Dover, 55-44, in the first round of the Class L girls basketball tournament on March 4.

“It was a back-and-forth game until the fourth, when Dover stepped up and scored a bunch under tough pressure,” said Salem head coach Elizabeth Briggs. “They switched to a zone in the second quarter and second half, which stymied our offense a bit.”

Caitlin Peters led the offense, dropping in 15 points.

After losing Amanda Saab to a preseason knee injury, Briggs was forced to turn to her more youthful charges, who struggled at times but absorbed valuable experience as well.

“Younger players got significant time. Olivia Conners had to step into a leadership role one year earlier than required. Nora Galvin did as well,” said Briggs. “We will have some veteran players returning.”

Dover advanced to the quarterfinals, losing to topseeded Winnacunnet, 58-48, on Saturday, March 7.

Briggs emphasized the unwelcome loss of Saab did help lead the Blue Devils toward the postseason.

“Our team was redefined in November with Amanda’s injury,” said Briggs. “If the timing were different or later, sure, we would have been exposed as relying on her too heavily. That being said, it was our journey to figure out our identity.”