Salisbury semifinalists in Bash at the Beach Tournament

Some Lehigh Valley basketball teams take time off in the summer offseason. Some like to go all in.

The Salisbury High School boys basketball team did the latter and competed in both major summer tournaments, which this year happened to be on back-to-back weekends.

The Falcons came out and had a successful first tournament, the Bash at the Beach, two weekends ago, which fully took place inside the gymnasium at Executive Education Academy Charter. Salisbury opened the tournament with a loss in the Small School Division bracket, but bounced back to advance to Sunday and into the semifinal round of the elimination bracket playoffs, before falling to Bethlehem Catholic, the team that beat them in their opening game.

“We played Becahi twice, so we were challenged against a really good opponent from the EPC on multiple occasions,” said head coach Jason Weaver. “We had a lead in the second game but we couldn’t close it out.

“That would have been a good one to get to then advance to the championship game. But still a great effort from the guys. Garrett Leiner played well in those games and Keaton Frye played great defense on their big man.”

In that first game of the tournament Friday evening, July 17, the Falcons lost 55-48.

The Falcons bounced back on Saturday to win their next game over Pen Argyl via forfeit. The Green Knights also forfeited against Notre Dame (Green Pond) earlier in the day. On Sunday morning,

Salisbury matched up once again with the Golden Hawks, but this time held a lead late. They could not hold onto it in the end. Becahi fell to Southern Lehigh, who lost to Notre Dame Green Pond in the final.

Weaver highlighted a couple of standouts for his program throughout not only the Bash at the Beach tournament, but the entire summer.

“Garrett Leiner had a very solid summer for us,” Weaver said. “He played in every single game throughout the summer and never really wanted a break. He improved with his ballhandling skills and attacking the basket.

“On the JV level, Iovani Lopez took control. He attacked the hoop, handled the ball well and played with toughness and composure, a great summer for him and really looking forward to what he could bring to us.”