Eddie Sanchez has had a number of big games scoring-wise for the Salisbury boys' basketball team this season.

During the first half of play during Saturday afternoon's nonconference game against Emmaus, Sanchez was well on his way to another one of those games, scoring 15 points and helping the Falcons to a 30-25 halftime lead

But a defensive switch for the Hornets in the final 16 minutes put a damper on Sanchez and the Falcons' scoring going forward.

The Hornets used an 11-5 advantage in the third to hold a one-point lead going into the final quarter, and led by as much as six with 3:47 to play. And while the Falcons tied the game on two separate occasions in the final three minutes, the Hornets were able to hold on for the 53-49 win at Salisbury High School.

"I think their defense was really solid," Falcon head coach Jason Weaver said. "They forced us into some tough shots, and they forced us into some situations where we didn't move the ball well enough.

"We have to move the ball against a team like that. I think it became sort of one pass, and the ball stayed on the one side."

Sanchez connected on five of six field goals in the first half, and hit three of four free throws to record his 15 first-half points. He was able penetrate into the lane and finish at the basket, while also hitting two three-pointers.

But when the Hornets started the third quarter, Nate Feiertag was given the task guarding Sanchez. The result yielded Sanchez just two field goal attempts and three points in the second half.

"Obviously, Eddie had a great first half and was getting to the basket and he was finishing," Weaver said. "He [Feiertag] did a great job on him."

Justin Aungst came up with a steal and assisted on a Sanchez layup that tied the game at 43 with roughly three minutes to play. Not even a minute later, Aungst hit a jumper from the left elbow that tied the game at 45 with 2:10 play. That's as close as the Falcons would get at trying to regain a lead that they held for much of the first half.

The Hornets went on an 8-4 run to close out the game, including four free throws in the final 16.3 seconds to secure the victory.

"We struggled a little bit to get good shots," Weaver said. "We have to be a little bit more patient when we need to be against a team that is really bearing down on us defensively."

Weaver also credited Emmaus's big men down low, who appeared to have an impact on altering the Falcons' shots around the rim.

"I think their size was also an issue," Weaver said. "Bringing out three guys that are probably at least 6-3 [or] 6-4, that makes it a little bit challenging for us in terms of some shots that we at the rim had an opportunity to finish and against other teams we didn't. There was somebody contesting it, which makes it difficult."

The Hornets got a quick three-pointer from Feiertag to open the game, but the Falcons went on to hold a three-point lead after one quarter of play. That lead grew to as much as eight in the second when the Falcons led 24-16.

Sanchez's 18 points led all scorers, and Aungst added nine points and four steals for the Falcons.

Feiertag and David Kachelries both scored 12 points for the Hornets.