Marlington boys rally to defeat Salem

Perhaps it was a good thing the Marlington boys basketball team had only one game on its schedule last week, particularly given the snow and bitter cold that blanketed much of Ohio.

And perhaps it was that same storm that inspired a second-half blizzard of points as the Dukes overcame a cold start to defeat Salem 71-51 at home Jan. 30 in Eastern Buckeye Conference play.

While the final margin suggests a comfortable win, the path there was anything but. Marlington found itself in a double-digit hole just two minutes into the third quarter against the EBC’s last-place team.

The game began evenly, with Salem edging Marlington by a basket at the end of the first quarter. The Quakers built on their 19-17 lead in the second period, eventually taking a 38-30 advantage into halftime.

Salem appeared to pick up where it left off to start the third quarter, hitting a 3-pointer to take a 41-30 lead, its largest of the game. That sequence seemed to spark the Dukes, who responded with a rally.

Marlington, fueled by the shooting of Cameron Evanich and Cole Jones, closed the third quarter on a 19-9 run and trailed by just one, 50-49, at the buzzer.

What followed was a dominant final quarter as Salem’s offense went cold and Marlington caught fire, outscoring the Quakers 22-1 to secure the 20-point victory.

Evanich finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Dukes (4-11, 2-5). Jones added 19 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Carter Frank contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks as Marlington snapped a four-game losing streak. Salem (3-11, 0-8) was led by Ty Manion with 18 points and Deontay Steele with 16.

Girls basketball

Like their counterparts, the Lady Dukes also played just one game last week. It was not an EBC contest, and visiting Canton Central Catholic proved inhospitable, defeating Marlington 65-31.

The Crusaders, ranked 17th in the state in Division VI, were led by Grace Finefrock’s all-around performance of 16 points, seven assists, seven steals and six rebounds. Lily Belden added 14 points and seven rebounds as Canton Central Catholic improved to 14-4.

Individual statistics were not available for Marlington, which fell to 7-9.