Salem's reserves celebrate during the final seconds of the Rocks' 59-53 upset victory over Canton Friday night.

Blue Wave

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  Canton led 42-35 after three quarters, but couldn't withstand a 24-point fourth-quarter avalanche by the Rocks.

  Salem opened the final stanza with a putback by Peterson and a Riley jumper to cut its deficit to 42-39, but the Chiefs answered with a 5-0 run, which was capped by a coast-to-coast layup by Lever, which gave Canton a 47-39 lead with 5:10 left.

  The Rocks then exploded for a 20-6 game-ending surge.

  After Riley's three put Salem ahead 53-52, Walsh bounced a perfect back-door pass to Stewart, who converted the layup while getting fouled. Stewart's ensuing free throw extended Salem's advantage to 56-52 with 58.5 seconds to play.

  Lever made one of two free throws at the other end with 19.1 seconds left to make it 56-53, but Riley coolly drilled a pair of freebies with 17.5 on the clock to pad Salem's lead to five.

  Freshmen Chris Dierker then deflated any chance Canton had of mounting a comeback when he grabbed a loose ball at mid-court then flipped the ball to Riley, who drained a final free throw to seal the deal.

  "I'm not sure if either team played as well as they're capable of playing tonight," Brodie reflected moments after the final whistle. "I said to Jimmy (Reddy) at halftime that you could tell we were on break this week because the game was getting kind of ugly.

  "The kids on both teams kept fighting and the outcome was in doubt until the very end. This was one of the few times all season when we had the hammer at the very end. We did a good job of making our free throws and getting some defensive stops when we needed them."

  Thanks in large part to their huge night on the offensive glass, Salem shot 46.6 percent from the field (21 for 45). Canton connected on 22 of 55 field goals (40 percent).

  Salem also enjoyed a significant edge from the free throw line as well, sinking 13 of 24 (54 percent) compared to 5 of 8 for the Chiefs.

  "It was a game of runs," said Reddy, whose 11-6 Chiefs will play Livonia Stevenson on Tuesday. "Like I told the kids after the game, we were too content with just trading baskets with Salem and it ended up catching up with us at the end.

  "We didn't get to the rim enough in the fourth quarter and we didn't defend. Salem played great all night. They did a great job of attacking the glass. If they didn't make their first shot, they pursued the rebound and usually made the second one."

  Walsh had a huge night off the bench for Salem, scoring 11 points and corralling eight boards. Stewart also shined, netting nine points and five caroms.

  Lever complemented Weisz's big night by scoring 18 points and notching six steals.

  Ed Wright can be contacted at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.