They weren’t particularly game-defining plays, but there were two calls at the end of quarters that showed head coach Jason Weaver’s confidence in newly-acquired sophomore guard Jack Reichenbach.

With the final seconds of the first half ticking away, Weaver put the ball in Reichenbach’s hands near midcourt. A pick-and-roll freed up Reichenbach to attack the rim, earning two shots from the free throw line. The same play was called at the end of the third quarter, but this time he pulled up for a foul-line jumper that kept Salisbury in cruise control at 48-27.

Those were four of Reichenbach’s 13 points, eight of which came in the first half, in Salisbury’s 56-44 victory over Catasauqua (0-3, 0-2) on Thursday night. Reichenbach was paired with Dylan Belletiere’s team-high 16 points for the Falcons (3-0 overall, 2-0 in Colonial League), who led from the opening tip.

“It’s a simple pick-and-roll, and I just attack and see what I have,” Reichenbach said. “Both of those times I had great shots…I’m much more comfortable driving to the hoop because I feel like I’m much more athletic than most people under the rim. I like to really rise up and get layups.”

For Reichenbach, it was a rough start to his playing days in blue and white. He played in limited action in the Falcons’ season-opener against Blue Mountain due to foul trouble, but since then he’s been improving on the hardwood. The sophomore scored 10 points against Pen Argyl last Tuesday before those 13 against the Rough Riders two days later.

There was no playing in the summer, at least for Salisbury. Nor was there much time to gel as a team. Still, the transition has been smooth for the second-year player.

“The first game was a little rough,” Reichenbach said. “It was the first time playing with these guys in an actual game. The Pen Argyl game was better, and then this game was much better. I think every practice and game we’re all getting used to each other more.”

It wasn’t the ideal start for both teams. The Falcons made just four of their 18 shots in the first quarter, but still managed to hold an 8-5 lead after eight minutes.

The next eight minutes were a different story. Unlike the first quarter, the Falcons did a much better job penetrating and slashing to the basket. There was also a much more steady post presence from that moment on, with Jaxon Costello connecting on a number of solid moves in the paint.

“Jaxon is huge,” Reichenbach said. “He helps us out by coming in and cleaning up the boards and getting offensive putbacks. Those couple of plays that he had were huge for us.”

Reichenbach scored six in that second quarter, while Belletiere did his part to help Salisbury balloon its lead to 26-10 at halftime. That lead grew to as many as 24 points in the third quarter before the Rough Riders went on a mini run to open the fourth quarter, led by three Shaquan Mason 3-pointers. Catasauqua got to within 49-38 with 3:54 left.

Mason led all scorers with 21 points. Tevon Weber posted a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds for Salisbury.

“We didn’t win the Pen Argyl game by much, but we were up for most of the game,” Reichenbach said. “Our third quarter was pretty bad. But this game, I think we played the whole game pretty well.”

Results from Tuesday’s game against Northern Lehigh were not available at time of press.