The storylines heading into last week’s Colonial League boys championship were well known.

Salisbury had an opportunity to gain some revenge against Bangor after the Slaters ripped away a league title from the Falcons’ grip a season ago. Salisbury, meanwhile, was responsible for the Slaters’ only loss this year, so revenge was certainly on Bangor’s agenda as well.

The ending was a finish Salisbury was all too familiar with.

With pressure mounting against them, the Slaters used a key run midway through the third quarter that became the difference-maker on Friday night at Freedom High School’s Joseph J. McIntyre Gymnaisum. Bangor closed out the period on a 13-0 spurt that turned a six-point deficit into a 43-36 lead. That turned out to be enough, as Salisbury couldn’t get within four points down the stretch in a 56-46 defeat.

“We got that lead and all of a sudden Bangor picked up their intensity on defense and pressured us,” Falcon head coach Jason Weaver said. “We didn’t have the patience at that point to make three or four passes, or reverse the ball two or three times, to get some open looks.”

Bangor (21-1) jumped ahead to a quick 7-0 lead and was up 18-13 near the end of the first period. The Slaters stayed in front for most of the second quarter. Dylan Belletiere, who paced Salisbury with 13 points, connected on a driving layup at the end of the first half that sent the Falcons (18-4) into the locker room with a 27-26 lead.

The Falcons seemed to have weathered whatever storm Bangor forecast early with a 9-4 start to the third quarter. Jack Reichenbach (11 points) scored seven of those points to help the Falcons to a 36-30 advantage with half of the third quarter remaining.

But there was another storm about to hit from Bangor’s side. And it started with a Colonial League First-Team selection in point guard Michael Martino and a pair of twin forwards in Dylan and Seth Benton.

Martino, who scored a game-high 19 points and set up his teammates just as effectively as nailing his mid-range jumpers, scored six points in Bangor’s 13-0 sprint to close the quarter. Dylan Benton had four of his 18 points in that stretch, and his jumper broke a 36-36 tie with over a minute to play. Seth Benton (six in the frame) then connected on a pivotal and-1 opportunity that kept the momentum rolling.

“They have the perfect balance,” Weaver said. “They have a point guard who distributes the ball well. They have two big guys inside. And they have a bunch of shooters surrounding them.”

“He [Martino] is a four-year starter and a great player; he made us pay off of those screen and rolls.”

Salisbury closed Bangor’s gap to four points on two occasions in the fourth. Blake Jones (nine points) first hit a pull-up jumper that cut it to 44-40. Seconds later, Tevon Weber assisted to Jones in transition to make it a 46-42 deficit with 4:45 to play.

That’s as close as the Falcons could get in the final eight minutes.

“In the first half they shot the ball well, and we shot the ball pretty well, too,” Weaver said. “I think their defensive intensity got us into some situations where we were forcing a little bit. We’re not a good team when we’re forcing it.”

Not only was Salisbury taking some questionable shots down the stretch, Bangor continuously collected offensive rebounds that resulted in second-chance opportunities.

“I think the other situation was we got killed on the board,” Weaver said. “They just dominated us on the boards with second-chance points. That was the difference in the game.”

The good news for Salisbury is that loss won’t define the rest of their season. There’s a chance to rebound in the District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal. The No. 2 seeded Falcons face the winner of a first-round game between No. 7 North Schuylkill and No. 10 Jim Thorpe, which was postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday. Salisbury will get the winner Friday at Southern Lehigh at 7:30 p.m.

“We talk about that all the time,” Weaver said. “In games that we’ve lost in the finals, we’ve been able to come back a win a district game, get some energy, get a positive vibe and keep playing. That’s the goal. I know those seniors don’t want this season to end.”