The Lady Falcons knew they would have a big challenge facing top-seed North Schuylkill in Saturday’s District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal.

The Lady Spartans came into the tournament as the top seed with a 22-2 overall record averaging 66 points per game. They had won 14 straight before losing in the Schuylkill League title game.

Salisbury grabbed an early lead and stuck with North Schuylkill through the first quarter, but the Spartans started to pull away in the second period and went on to a 71-34 victory.

“I think we tried and fought hard,” said Salisbury head coach Joe Mladosich. “They’re much bigger and stronger than we are and more seasoned than we are.”

The Falcons were up 4-0 early in the game and were down just 14-12 after the first quarter. But North Schuylkill’s Averi Jordan, who has over 1,800 career points, started to enforce her will in the second quarter. The 5-10 senior who is headed to DeSales scored 10 of her game-high 31 points in the period to give her team a 33-14 lead at intermission.

“She’s big and uses her body very well,” said Mladosich.

The Falcons also had to play most of the second quarter without their leading scorer. Sarah McGee (16 points per game) picked up her fourth foul a minute and 25 seconds into the second quarter. Salisbury played the final 6:35 of the first half without her.

“When we lose Sarah we lose such a big part of our team,” said Mladosich.

The Spartans pulled away to a 47-20 lead after three quarters.

McGee scored a team-high 13 points in the game. She and several classmates played their final high school games, including a couple four-year varsity players in Kelly Gardus and Alicia Burkhardt, along with teammates Olivia Dragovits and Anna Bishop.

The Falcons finish the season with an 8-15 overall record. They went 7-11 in the Colonial League while battling injuries to key players most of the season.

“I think we’re all a little disappointed,” said Mladosich. “I thought we would be better. I’m not mad at our kids. We don’t judge them by their record. Our effort was good and we played hard.”