When Salisbury and Bethlehem Catholic met in the District 11 Class 3A third-place game with a state playoff berth on the line, Bishop McDevitt players were in the stands of Allen High School’s Sewards Gymnasium watching their opponent-to-be.

On Friday, Salisbury opened their run in the state tournament against that Bishop McDevitt team, the top seed out of District 3. And while a 75-48 loss ensued in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs, ending the Falcons’ memorable season at 21-7, there was plenty to be proud of this winter season.

“We’ve had back-to-back 21-win seasons,” head coach Jason Weaver said. “I looked and I think it was early 2000 and 2001 the last time Salisbury had back-to-back 20-win seasons. We’ve accomplished a lot.

“I’ll give them credit. They really forced us out of our comfort zone. They forced us to rush on offense, [and] they forced a lot of turnovers. And obviously [James] Williams was tough...We knew he was averaging 20 coming in. He got a lot of good looks, he got stuff off of transition, got offensive boards and he probably shot 80 percent from the field I’m thinking.”

McDevitt advanced to play District 12’s No. 3 seed Archbishop Carroll (23-3) in the second round on Tuesday. Results were not available at time of press.

McDevitt separated themselves with a 10-1 spurt to close out the first half, putting Salisbury in a 38-22 hole at intermission. When the third quarter got underway, it took little time for Williams, who poured in a game-high 30 points, to get rolling again.

After erupting for 21 points in the first 16 minutes, Williams added nine more in the third period to boost McDevitt’s advantage to 59-40 going into the fourth.

“Turnovers led to easy baskets and that’s always a killer,” Weaver said. “I think sometimes in the half court we would force them into tough shots, but then we would give up an offensive rebound. Or we wouldn’t be able to get to the loose ball; they were quicker than us.”

Bishop McDevitt opened the final period with the first field goal. Salisbury never got to within 20 points from that point going forward.

Early on, however, Weaver felt his Falcons had a fighting chance when they sliced McDevitt’s lead to eight points midway through the second quarter.

“We had made some baskets at the other end, and despite turning the ball over I felt we were in the game,” Weaver said. “They went on a 10-1 run to end the half and we were down 16.”

Playing in the Lehigh Valley, Salisbury hadn’t been accustomed to regularly playing teams that possess the athleticism McDevitt had. Tim Kater helped stretch Salisbury’s defense to the three-point line by hitting four shots from long range and adding 16 points for the Crusaders.

“A team like we played tonight, we don’t see very often,” Weaver said. “Allen probably brings that same kind of intensity, as well as Pottsville. But on a game-in, game-out basis we don’t see that. It’s hard to prepare for it.”

“You can’t simulate their athleticism, quickness and length at practice,” senior guard Chad Cooperman said. “It makes it very difficult. They play very well as a team, which is rare for how much talent they have. They always make that extra pass.”

Sophomore Jack Reichenbach (13), junior Blake Jones (12) and senior Tevon Weber (11) led a balanced Falcon scoring attack. Salisbury’s leading scorer, senior Dylan Belletiere, was held scoreless due to a collective defensive effort from McDevitt.

“They were there to watch our game against Becahi, and obviously Dylan had a great game against them,” Weaver said. “They just made him work every time coming up the court. That’s when we started having other people bring the ball up just because somebody was in his face and working him the whole time.”

Four seniors will graduate from this season’s team, Ian Carson to go with the aforementioned trio of Cooperman, Weber and Belletiere. All have left a lasting imprint on the program that has seen plenty of success over their careers, particularly the past two seasons.

“I think they are great examples of what we’re looking for in Salisbury basketball players,” Weaver said. “They work hard. They give everything they have on the court.

“The look on our faces last Friday night when we beat Becahi, that’s my memory that I’ll never forget. I think a lot of people never thought we would win that game, especially after what happened to Blue Mountain.”

Still, there is a bit of disappointment as Salisbury didn’t bring home a league or district championship for the fourth straight season.

“Whenever you don’t win a championship and have 21 wins though, it always seems a little bit disappointing,” Cooperman said. “When you lose to Bangor in back-to-back years it’s always tough. I just hope the younger guys can come out and work hard in the offseason, get in better shape, get quicker, and compete with Bangor and the rest of the league next year because I know they have a lot of natural ability.”