Tanner Reed and Notre Dame (Green Pond) got off too a solid start on Friday night against Salisbury that all but told how the rest of the game would pan out.

In jumping out to a 23-12 lead after the first quarter, which included 12 points in the frame by Reed, the Crusaders pushed that margin to 40-24 going into halftime. Reed had 18 at the break.

While the Falcons (14-6 overall; 11-3 in Colonial League) clawed back in the third quarter and trailed by just eight early in the fourth, the Crusaders (11-9 overall; 9-5 in Colonial League) ended the game on an 18-7 run to secure the 65-46 victory at Notre Dame High School in Green Pond.

"We talked about coming out from the start getting ready to battle," Salisbury head coach Jason Weaver said. "That's why we won Tuesday and Wednesday night at Saucon Valley and Northern Lehigh. We started from the start with attacking and playing solid defense. We just didn't do it tonight."

The win keeps the Crusaders' Colonial League playoff hopes alive, while the Falcons have yet to clinch a berth as of Monday despite holding onto the conference's second-best record.

The first half saw the Crusaders hit five of 10 three-pointer attempts, including three from Reed. While a number of Notre Dame's shots were highly-contested, Salisbury's defense also faltered at times, allowing a some easy baskets for the Crusaders.

Down 16 points at halftime, Weaver and the Falcons understood the intensity on the defensive end needed to pick up in order to make a comeback. And it did.

The Falcons allowed just five third-quarter points to the Crusaders on 2-for-10 shooting from the field. Eddie Sanchez's drive with under a minute to play in the quarter made it 45-36 going into the final eight minutes.

"I thought we had a great third quarter and we got back into it," Weaver said. "We played the kind of defense that we're capable of playing. We held them to five points in the third quarter."

That momentum carried over into the fourth, and Justin Aungst's steal and layup with 7:13 to play brought the Falcons to within 47-39, the closest they had gotten since early in the second quarter.

Aungst was also given the duty of guarding Reed. The decision paid off, as Reed finished with just four points in the final two quarters combined.

"It's one of those things in basketball games where you spend so much energy to climb back into it, and then we sort of hit that wallthe foul shots not falling, or we miss a layup, or we're a little slow coming out on defense," Weaver said.

But after fighting back and looking to cut the deficit and make it a two-possession game, Mitch Daniel hit a three-pointer for the Crusaders that brought it back to double digits.

"That was like a dagger of a shot," Weaver said. "We were battling back and we got out of position, and they made us pay for it."

Vincent Eze, who missed the previous meeting between the two squads, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Austin Uhl, who guarded Eze for much of the contest, had his share of success as well. Uhl finished with a team-high 17 points and six rebounds.

"I think Austin battled and played great," Weaver said. "I think he kept Eze off the boards. A couple of his baskets were stuff where Austin is helping and then they are dishing to him. I think one-on-one in the post, he did a great job and was attacking. He [Uhl] sort of showed his versatility coming out and hitting a couple jump shots."

Sanchez added 14 points, while Aungst recorded nine points and six boards.

Results from Tuesday's game against Wilson were not available at time of press. The Falcons will close out the regular season on Friday night at Southern Lehigh. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.