Heading into the second half of last week’s boys basketball state playoff game, Salisbury needed to chip away at a double-digit deficit.

But Scranton Prep had other plans. The Cavaliers went on a run to start the half and never looked back en route to a 57-42 win that ended the Falcons’ 24-win season.

“We were down 11 at halftime,” said Salisbury head coach Jason Weaver. “We had a chance to get back into it and then they went on that 9-0 run to start the third quarter and we’re down 20.”

The Falcons cut the lead to 37-21 near the middle of the third quarter, but another 9-0 run gave SP a 46-21 lead with a minute left in the period.

Salisbury cut the lead to 15 again when a Drew Petrie three-pointer made it 51-36 late in the fourth, but it was too late to mount a comeback.

“They are one of the best defensive teams we have ever seen,” said Falcon senior Bryan Gonzalez. “Kudos to them. They hit their shots when they needed to.”

The Falcons couldn’t get to the basket like that do against most teams, and the Cavaliers were quick enough to get in the face of outside shooters.

“They were able to step in and take away our penetration,” said Weaver. “We were a little slow reversing the basketball and things we can get in other games weren’t there.”

Steven Lozada led Salisbury with 12 points in the loss, while Gonzalez chipped in with 11.

Chicky Skoff had a game-high 20 points for Scranton Prep.

Salisbury entered the game against Scranton Prep coming a state playoff win over West Philadelphia, 54-45 in the first round on Saturday, March 7.

Lozada poured in 25 points against West Philly, while Petrie added 10.

The Falcons finish the season 24-4 overall, the most wins in Weaver’s 18 years at the helm. This year’s senior class helped change the direction of the program.

“There might not be banners or titles, but we set a new standard in Salisbury basketball,” said Gonzalez. “When I was a freshman there were 30-40 parents in the gym. Now there’s almost 200 people. We almost put Salisbury basketball back on the map.”