Last week’s third meeting between Salisbury and Southern Lehigh was the game that determined which would have the last word in this year’s rivalry.

Salisbury ended the regular season with a 10-point victory over Southern Lehigh. However, it was that same Spartan team who gave the Falcons arguably their worst loss of the season back in mid-January-a 67-53 Southern Lehigh win.

With a trip to the Colonial League championship game on the line last week, the outcome was more reminiscent of that first meeting. No. 2 seeded Southern Lehigh broke away from a four-point lead at halftime to down No. 3 Salisbury, 68-53, last Wednesday at Catasauqua High School.

“We talked about at halftime that we were down four, and I thought it was one of our worst halves of basketball,” Weaver said. “We didn’t make many shots. I thought we rushed a lot. We didn’t run a set offense; it was one pass and a shot. I was hoping there was going to be an energy burst in the second half, but it just seemed like we had nothing to give at that point.

“This is a league semifinal game. We played like it’s a scrimmage in November at times with our intensity. We’re capable of better.”

The result was a bit surprising, as it was only two weeks ago in which the Falcons ended their season with their most impressive league victory. It seemed as if Salisbury was hitting its stride at the right moment after that Southern Lehigh win and a victory over Moravian Academy in the quarterfinals.

Instead, last Wednesday was an evening filled with countless offensive rebounds and second-chance points for the Spartans from tipoff until the final whistle. That helped Southern Lehigh erupt for 25 points in the third quarter, take its first double-digit lead and eventually earn its place in the Colonial League title game.

“Every rebound was theirs,” Weaver said. “Every second-chance point was theirs. Every time a guy was hedging a screen, we were nowhere to be found. It just seemed like obviously Southern Lehigh wanted it more. I don’t know if we assumed we would come in based on last week and be able to inflict our will on them.”

Leading Southern Lehigh’s charge after halftime was a well-balanced effort across the board. Kevin Patel hit two quick three-pointers that lifted the Spartans to a 34-24 advantage. Lucas Hudson (17 points) then nailed a shot from deep that kept the Falcons at a distance at 41-31, and Southern Lehigh’s largest lead at the time of 11 points hit when Patel stole a Falcon pass and earned a layup in the final seconds of the quarter.

A field goal by Jack Reichenbach midway through the fourth quarter capped a 7-2 Salisbury spurt and got his team within six points. But when the Falcons needed a defensive stand in the final moments, Southern Lehigh seemingly always had an answer.

“We couldn’t get that one stop,” Weaver said. “How many times did we get a stop? How many times did we run an offense? Not many. Their pressure forced us to play quicker. That’s not when we are at our best.”

Southern Lehigh ended the game on a 13-4 run, hitting all 10 of its free throws in the fourth quarter to set up a meeting against Bangor in the league title.

Salisbury, which got a team-high 16 points from Sean Snyder, kept itself in the game due in large part to the sophomore point guard’s shooting display. He hit all four of his three-point attempts, with each one seemingly coming at a crucial part in the game to halt a Spartan scoring spree.

“He shot with confidence tonight, which is good to see,” Weaver said. “Hopefully it’s something he can build on.”

Jaxon Costello, who scored 32 points in the Falcons’ regular season final against Southern Lehigh, finished with 14 in last Wednesday’s meeting. He scored just one field goal in the opening half and attempted two shots, as he saw limited court time with two early fouls.

“We just had more intensity with our movement [in the first meeting],” Weaver said. “You can’t make cuts at 50 percent. You can’t get back on defense at 50 percent. I think they obviously made it a focal point that he wasn’t going to beat them, but we struggled to get him the ball. And we rushed shots when we could have got him the ball.”

Salisbury, the No. 2 seed in the upcoming District 11 Class 4A tournament, will get back on the court on Friday when it faces Octorora in the first round. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. at Allen High School.

Bangor beat Southern Lehigh Friday night to earn it’s third straight league title. Southern Lehigh won its second straight Colonial League girls title, beating Notre Dame (Green Pond) in the finals.