Last Friday was a busy day for the Salisbury boys basketball.

It also featured a pair of polar opposite results.

The Falcons had earned a spot in the Lehigh Valley Boys High School Summer League Small School title game, but also were competing in the A-town Throwdown Tournament.

Their first game of the day was an afternoon tournament match up against Overbrook High School from the Philadelphia area. Salisbury players, coaches and fans went directly from that game to the summer league final, which was played Friday evening at Whitehall High School.

After losing by double-digits to Overbook, the Falcons were facing another loss in the summer league championship game before things turned around late in the third quarter and through the fourth.

Down 12 points in the second half, a three-pointer from Drew Petrie cut into the lead and turned the game’s momentum in the Falcons favor.

Salisbury went on to win the game 39-37 to earn it’s second straight summer championship.

“We played a game two hours ago against Overbrook in the tournament and we lost by 20,” said Falcon head coach Jason Weaver. “The way this game started I thought the same thing might happen. We kept our composure. We kept our heads in the game and we kept chipping away. We had done that when we played them last time and I’m just proud of our toughness. We got punched in the mouth and we recovered.”

“I think we played great,” said Steven Lozada, who led his team with 11 points in the win. “We win games when we play as a collective - defensively, offensively, passing the ball, helping each other up, step in when one of us gets caught up.

“I try to preach to stay in the middle, not get too high and not get too low. We stayed focused and we continued to play the best we can.”

After leading 5-0 early in the game, Salisbury saw Southern Lehigh battle back and take its first lead midway through the quarter. The Spartans built the lead to 21-13 at halftime and were ahead 26-14 early in the third quarter before Salisbury made its run.

The Falcons scored six straight points on a Lozada lay up, a pair of Drew Petrie free throws and a Keaton Frye basket to cut into the lead.

But the momentum-changing play was a deep three-pointer from Petrie as the horn sounded to end the third quarter.

“That was huge,” said Jay Makhoul, who scored nine points in the game. “That helped us get momentum.”

“We had gotten a couple stops by then,” said Lozada. “That just lifted us and it did take the lid off the basket.”

The shot got Salisbury within four points, 28-24, and gave the whole team confidence as Lozada and Garrett Leiner both hit three-point shots in the decisive fourth quarter. Leiner scored five of his seven points during the final quarter.

A Lozada basket put the Falcons ahead 38-35 with under two minutes left in the game.

Southern Lehigh’s Mikey Fry had a chance for a three-point play to tie the game but missed the free throw.

A few seconds later the Spartans had the ball back under their own basket with a chance to take the lead but Makhoul stole the ball to help seal the win.

“Jay started attacking, getting to the basket,” said Weaver. “He didn’t settle. Sometimes he wants to shoot threes. He can make threes, but when he attacks the basket he’s really effective. And he’s a good foul shooter. I’m just proud of the way he attacked the basket.”

The Falcons raised their second trophy of the summer as they won the Cedar Beach Showcase last month with a victory over Southern Lehigh in the title game.

While the two teams see a lot of each other during the summer and winter, Makhoul said he enjoys taking on the Spartans because they’re a good team.

“The challenge is there every single time,” he said. “I like it.”

The summer league title is the second straight for the Falcons, who won the league’s Small School Division playoffs in 2024.

They played last week’s title game without one of their top players as Bryan Gonzalez missed the game. He’s one of the team’s leading scorers, one of its best defensive players and a vocal leader who Weaver called ‘a glue guy’ for the team.

The successful offseason will make Salisbury one of the favorites in the Colonial League this season.

“It’s been an awesome summer,” said Weaver. “These guys are great to coach. I just hope it translates to winter time. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back.”

Salisbury rolled over Lehighton in the summer league semifinals, while Southern Lehigh got past New Jersey’s Warren Hills in last Wednesday’s semifinals.

The league wrapped up regular season play last Tuesday, July 22, then held playoffs over the next three days.

Here’s a look at scores from the final regular season games and this year’s playoffs.

Friday, July 25

Bi School Division

Parkland wins by forfeit over Northampton

Small School Division

Salisbury 39, Southern Lehigh 37 (Steven Lozada 11 points)

Thursday, July 24

Big School Division

Semifinals

Parkland 68, Nazareth 47 (Jude Ruisch 23 points)

Northampton 67, Wilson West Lawn 59 (Jake Raysley 16 points)

Wednesday, July 23

Small School Division

Semifinals

Salisbury 73, Lehighton 43 (Steven Lozada 17 points)

Southern Lehigh 40, Warren Hills 30

Big School Division

Quarterfinals

Nazareth 33, Executive Education 32 (Gavin Kershner 16 points)

Northampton 75, Dallas 52 (Brady Simock 18 points)

Tuesday, July 22

Small School Division

Southern Lehigh 45, Warren Hills 41 Mike Fry, Morgan Capuano 15 points each)

Saucon Valley 49, Catasauqua 40 Noah Weiss 13 points)

Brandywine 48, Northern Lehigh 37 (Landon Fenstermacher 19 points)

Big School Division

Dallas 47, Central Catholic 44 (Pat Flannigan 11 points)

Central Catholic 52, Whitehall 48 (Yariel Gonzalez 32 points)

Nazareth 45, Bangor 24 (Zachary Noel 14 points)

Wilson West Lawn 61, Executive Education 41 (Correll Akings 17 points)

Allen 54, Emmaus 45 (Xayvon Wimberly 11 points)

Easton 48, Freedom 44 (Saboor Houser 28 points)

Parkland 68, Liberty 23 (Marcus Temchatin 14 points)

Finals Standings

Small School Division

Team W-L

So. Lehigh 11 - 0

Salisbury 10- 2

Lehighton 8 - 3

Warren Hills 5 - 7

Saucon Valley 5 - 6

Catasauqua 4 - 8

No. Lehigh 4 - 8

LV Academy 3 - 9

Brandywine 2 - 9

Due to teams playing an unequal amount of games, final positioning was determined by head to head competition in some cases.

Big School Division

Team W-L

Parkland 11 - 1

Wilson West Lawn 10 - 2

Northampton 9 - 2

Executive Educ. 10 - 2

Nazareth 9 - 3

Dallas 7 - 4

Allen 6 - 6

Central Catholic 6 - 6

Notre Dame GP 6 - 6

Easton 4 - 8

Emmaus 4 - 8

Whitehall 4 - 8

Liberty 2 - 10

Bangor 1 - 11

Freedom 0 - 12