Senior-to-be guard Eddie Sanchez is one of only a few key perimeter players returning for the Salisbury basketball team from a season ago.

With Dan Reichenbach and Tyler Brown both graduating, only Sanchez and a few others that will be back this year have seen significant varsity experience at the guard positions.

There's no question an increased workload is in store for Sanchez. And judging by his early season performance in the Stellar Summer League, he's certainly preparing for that next step.

"Definitely just be more consistent with my shot and be more patient," said Sanchez. "I felt like I had to be a key role in last year's team when it really wasn't my place to do it. I felt like I was playing out of my role. I just had to learn to be patient and wait for my time to contribute."

In a 57-36 victory over Lincoln Leadership that stationed the Falcons at .500 through two summer league games, Sanchez poured in a team-high 17 points.

His shot, which he's been working on during the offseason, has shown improvement already. He connected on three of his five three-point attempts and missed just four of his 11 field goals.

"We need him to score for us," said head coach Jason Weaver. "He's got to be a scorer and he's got to be a guy that can hit shots for us and play with confidence. That's the biggest thing, playing with confidence. He's got all the ability in the world. As long as he keeps his head up he's going to do great things for us."

He's working on a lot of things in preparation for next season, including his ballhandling and aggressive style of play.

"He [coach Weaver] always tells me to be aggressive and stay confident," said Sanchez. "Just play my game and be confident out there."

He's watched the games of Reichenbach and Brown, as well as Brent Maron and Llyod Irons from two seasons ago. Now it's his time to carry a heavier load for the Falcons.

"They know my work ethic," said Sanchez. "They know I can go out there and contribute at a high level and dominate the game, whether that's scoring or contributing to my teammates. Pretty much they just told me to be confident and play my game."

After a 26-18 lead at halftime, the Falcons ballooned that lead to double digits early in the second half and went ahead by as many as 24 at one point. Sanchez had 11 of his 17 in the second half.

"I thought we did a good job of moving the basketball," said Sanchez. "It's a bunch of guys that haven't played together ever. We did a pretty good job of moving the ball and getting some good shots."

Bryce Fairclough had 14 points and eight rebounds. Dasheen Reid added 12 points. Austin Uhl had six points and 12 rebounds.