Salem Basketball battled with Methodist tonight, dropping their first home game of the season 51-41.
The matchup started out with a strong defensive effort, with neither team putting points on the board for the first two minutes. The Monarchs opened up the scoring with a layup in the paint, followed by another strong few minutes defensively for both sides. Cristina Battistini scored first for the Spirits, with Anayah Noell giving Salem the lead just 20 seconds later. Noell scored the last four points of the half for the Spirits, knocking down two jumpers in the last three and a half minutes. Ultimately, the Monarchs outscored Salem 14-8.
Amy Pedroza got out to a hot start in quarter two, scoring just 14 seconds in. Two big stops from the Spirits gave Tyla Whitehead the opportunity to bring it within two. The Monarchs found their footing again soon after, scoring 14 unanswered points to gain their largest lead of the contest. Finding the hoop after snagging an offensive board, Lauren Ringwood pulled momentum back in Salem's direction. The Spirits held off the Monarch offense for the remaining four minutes of the contest, scoring eight unanswered points of their own. The half ended with a scoreless final two and a half minutes for both sides, resulting in a 28-20 score in favor of the Monarchs.
Quarter three was the tightest in terms of scoring, with MU only out-scoring the Spirits by one. The Monarchs knocked down six straight points early, but was answered just over a minute later by six in favor of the Spirits. Catherine Jordan Cano hit two from the stripe, Battistini nailed an open jumper, and Whitehead took a steal to the rim for two more. Pedroza sank two free throws to close out the quarter, keeping Salem within fighting distance heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter started with another strong defensive stand, both teams being held scoreless for the first three and a half minutes. MU found the basket first, with Salem scoring nine seconds later. Another two minute scoring drought followed, broken by a three from the Monarchs. The Spirits sank the next two buckets off the hands of Noell and Pedroza. Before the end of the quarter, Ringwood snagged four more points along with a layup from Whitehead. Ultimately, the Monarchs held onto their lead to take home the 51-41 win.
Tonight's stat leaders were Pedroza, Ringwood, and Noell who all racked up eight points; Whitehead snagged four steals; and Jordan Cano secured nine rebounds
The Spirits will next be in action on December 20th, where they travel to take on Meredith for their last contest of 2025.
