Northwestern Lehigh and Salisbury are both known for being able to put up impressive point totals, but they are also both capable of shutting down opponents.

It was Salisbury’s defense that saved the day for the Falcons as they took control in the second half and grabbed a 56-41 win on their home court last Friday.

Early on it was more a case of shots just not falling as the two teams combined for just 15 first quarter points.

After one quarter Salisbury held a 9-6 lead. Between the end of that first quarter and the start of quarter number two, the offenses came alive and started to roll.

In the second quarter, both teams were shooting well, but Salisbury hit from beyond the arc to take a 27-18 lead into halftime.

Salisbury’s Steven Lozada finished with a game-high 23 points, 16 of which came over the final two quarters. While Lozada handled things on the offensive side, junior Julian Makhoul handled much of the defensive work for Salisbury.

Rebounding also played a role, especially with the Falcons (14-1 overall; 10-2 Colonial League) pulling down offensive boards for second chance opportunities.

With 3:44 left in the third quarter, Lozada pulled down an offensive rebound and drove toward the basket for a layup to make it 37-23, the Falcons’ largest lead of the night to that point. The basket also capped a quick 10-0 run for Salisbury that took just under two minutes off the clock.

“They rebound the ball well,” said Northwestern Lehigh head coach Patrick Wanamaker. “And then they take a lead and they’ve got really good guards and spread you out. All that being said, we were a couple rebounds away from a two-possession game in the fourth quarter, so the execution just wasn’t there.”

Northwestern opened the fourth quarter by putting together its first extended run of the night when it outscored Salisbury 9-2, cutting the lead to eight with 3:37 left to play.

The Falcons made five of seven foul shots down the stretch to put the game away.

Brady Krimmel and Malachi Coleman both scored 11 points to lead Northwestern.

“I don’t think we were ready,” said Wanamaker. “I don’t know if it was a mental thing or a physical thing, if we’re tired. I’m not sure.

“I thought we had an opportunity to come down here to a good environment, and I don’t know that we gave our best effort tonight, and I think it showed at times on the court.”

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Tigers that started with a 59-45 win against Kutztown in a nonleague game.

Returning to league play, Northwestern downed Wilson 62-58 with Cannon Fitch scoring a game-high 17 points and going 12-for-14 from the foul line. In a 72-43 win over Pen Argyl, Mason Bollinger was the high scorer with 18 points. Zimmerman scored 15 and Coleman finished the game with 14.

The Tigers opened this week with a 65-45 win over Palisades with Krimmel scoring 21 and Bollinger getting 18.

Northwestern (11-5; 10-2) is currently seeded third in the District 11 4A standings, just behind Allentown Central Catholic. Salisbury holds the top spot with both the Falcons and Tigers having clinched spots in the district playoffs. In the Colonial League, Northwestern leads the West Division, but Salisbury jumped over them in the overall standings to take second place behind Notre Dame - Green Pond.

Northwestern is back home Friday night to host Lehighton (11-5, 8-5). The Indians trail Northwestern by three games in the Colonial League West Division.