Concord 64, Salem 22
Key players: Concord – Elizabeth Blinn (11 points), Delaney Duford (10 points), Elli Cox (8 points, 8 steals, 8 assists), Sofia Payne (8 points), Maddie Kelley (8 points), Jaylyn Jefferson (rebounds)
Highlights: Concord used tenacious defense and several fastbreak backets to take a 20-9 lead after the first quarter and only allowed three Salem field goals for the remainder of the game. The Tide’s defended with discipline and aggressiveness, and capitalized on forced turnovers. Concord led 40-14 at halftime.
Coach’s quote: “We’ve had a lot of bus time this past week, having four road games in a row. We are getting our legs back under us, players are in more comfortable roles, and our chemistry and unselfish play is at an all-time high. The fact that we scored 64 points and our box score looks like 11, 10, 8, 8, 6, 6, 6, 5, 4, tells you a lot about our balance and team-first mentality. Defensively we were completely locked in as well. We have complete trust in one another to play disciplined team defense and it is fun to watch. I am very proud of our group.” – Concord’s Tim LaTorra
Records: Concord 9-3; Salem 4-4