The Salisbury High School boys basketball team concluded the Lehigh Valley Summer League regular season by winning its last three games. The Falcons qualified for the Small School Division playoffs, beginning next week. They finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and earned the three seed. They face second seed Upper Perkiomen next Tuesday night at Whitehall Middle School.

“I think the summer regular season went very well,” said Salisbury head coach Jason Weaver. “We have a lot of guys returning from last year and a lot of younger guys playing great as well. We were able to gain more confidence throughout the summer season and improve both offensively and defensively as the season progressed.

“Our depth worked well for us. We were able to play eight to 15 kids in the varsity games depending on the vacation and summer baseball schedules. Because of that, we were able to try different line ups and combinations as we prepare for the season in the winter.”

Salisbury had the week off last week while a few teams finished off the summer regular season, but the Falcons won both of their games the week before.

On Tuesday, June 27, the Falcons defeated Roberto Clemente 49-31 behind 14 points out of Drew Petrie. Two nights later, Petrie once again led the way with a game-high 22 points as Salisbury beat Lehighton 52-33. Petrie is one of the standouts this summer for Weaver.

“Drew Petrie has had a great summer season so far,” Weaver said. “He played JV as a freshman last year and this summer he has become more aggressive offensively and he is looking for his jumper as well as attacking the basket. His offensive game continues to improve.

Luke Kannan is an incoming junior who played JV last year as well. He comes to every game and he is willing to do whatever is asked of him. He has carved out a niche as a defensive stopper and he has had a few games where his defense has helped us to win games.”

Before the playoffs begin, Salisbury will also compete in the Bash at the Beach tournament at Cedar Beach this weekend. The Falcons will play Coventry Christian on Friday night at 8 p.m. Weaver is excited for his group to be in the playoffs, but also to face different competition this weekend back on the outdoor courts at Cedar Beach.

“We just need to play as much as possible to gain confidence and experience,” said Weaver. “A playoff game in the league is a big step forward for us from last year and I know the guys are excited about it. The best thing about the tournaments is being able to play outside again at Cedar Beach. To me, that is where summer basketball in the Valley should be played.

“We will also get to see some new teams that we have not faced during the summer or the regular season, which is a good thing. I want to see us continue to compete and to improve. There have been some games this year in which we were down at half and fought back and ended up winning. I do not think that last year’s team would have the confidence to do that. This year we are competing and battling and I just to want to see that continue.”