Our Crimson Knights

Knights fall to Suffield in season finale; all five seniors score points

Fresh off its most impressive win of the season on Wednesday over a strong Loomis Chaffee team, Salisbury welcomed Suffield Academy to the Flood Athletic Center this evening. The Tigers — one of the favorites to hoist the NEPSAC Class A Championship next weekend — looked to avoid the same fate as the Pelicans: falling in an upset to the Knights.

They did just that, topping Salisbury by a sizable margin.

Suffield quickly showed why it is a contender, racing out to a 15–6 advantage. Strong play under the hoop from Liam Gregory ’26 and a corner triple from Sean Smith-Sharkey ’27 tried to keep the Knights within striking distance, but the Tigers’ potent offense proved overwhelming. Fadeaway threes, off-ball playmaking, production in the paint — everything was working early for Suffield.

Fortunately for the home team, the offensive showcase went both ways. Eight points from Jaden Schwnebraten ’27 — including two three-pointers — helped the Knights stay within reach midway through the first half. Smith-Sharkey’s third trey of the night tied the game at 23, if only momentarily.

Then the momentum shifted. A 13–0 spurt put the Tigers ahead 36–23 as halftime approached. While Gregory converted a putback layup off a Schwnebraten miss and Corey Hill ’27 knocked down a corner three of his own, Suffield maintained its cushion, holding a 46–33 lead with only seconds remaining.

Those final seconds proved meaningful — even if not dramatically so on the scoreboard — as Jermelle Cotton ’26 hit an unreal bank shot from the half-court logo just as time expired. Head Coach Bryce Daley ’18’s squad had practiced nearly identical shots in their final rehearsal of the season the day before, largely for fun. Clearly, there was some purpose behind it. The deficit narrowed to 46–36 at the break.

In the second half, the Tigers continued to show why they entered the contest with a stellar 16–7 record. They controlled all phases of the game, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout.

Even so, the Knights had plenty of personal highlights. Schwnebraten hit three more triples in the first 10 minutes of the half, and Cotton converted a tough and-one through contact to keep Salisbury within range.

Will Duffy ’26 and Paul Shyposh ’26 each scored in the contest’s final minutes, quickly bringing the Salisbury bench to its feet. The energy continued with a bucket from Oliver Jones ’28, but the peak came when role player Pierce Baskin ’26 found space at the top of the key and buried a nothing-but-net triple. All five seniors recorded points on Senior Night. Pretty special.

Regardless of the final score, the season marked one of significant growth for the Knights. Year No. 2 of the Coach Daley era produced double the victories and showcased intense competitiveness in several contests. There is plenty to build on heading into 2026–2027.

Knights offense goes cold in second half, fall to Berkshire 48-65 

The highest of mountains, the lowest of valleys: the story of the 2025–2026 Salisbury basketball team. Today’s game against Berkshire — a rematch from February 2 that saw the Bears prevail 50-46 — was the embodiment of this. Up by double digits at halftime, a glacial freeze of shooting allowed Berkshire to claw back — so much so that they took home a victory of 10-plus themselves. 

The two teams picked up right where they left off from the game earlier this season, playing neck and neck early in the first. Neither team was able to generate a multi-possession advantage for nearly the first nine minutes. A lefty layup by Jaden Schwenebraten ’27 created the first five-point margin of the day, giving Salisbury a 19-14 lead. Three-pointers by Jermelle Cotton ’26, Corey Hill ’27, and Sean Smith-Sharkey ’27 played a key role in building the early advantage, as did strong play in the paint from Liam Gregory ’26. 

The spread offense — whether intentional or not — worked well for the Knights throughout the period. A coast-to-coast bucket courtesy of Cotton pushed the margin to 29-19 for Salisbury with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. 

A Berkshire deuce momentarily trimmed it to single digits, but Smith-Sharkey nailed his trademark NBA-range three, putting the Knights in front 32-21 at halftime. His eight first-half points led all Salisbury scorers. 

Early in the second half, the Knights got enough contributions to stay ahead. Oliver Jones ’28 used a crafty pump fake from the corner to generate a clean lane to the rack, and Gregory added four more thanks to his physicality under the hoop. 

But ice-cold offensive play plagued the Knights, something that has been a problem all season. A 33-10 run — nearly identical to Avon Old Farms’ second-half surge during Saturday’s 76-74 win over the Winged Beavers — gave Berkshire a 55-42 lead with 3:31 to play. 

Unlike the win four days ago, Salisbury never got a second wind or a run of its own. 

No matter the shot type — floater, running layup, three-pointer — nothing was falling. And when Smith-Sharkey did finally get one to go from deep in the corner, Berkshire responded, keeping the margin at 13. They held on for an even larger victory. 

The loss comes as a bit of a surprise to the Knight faithful, considering the intensity of the first matchup. They’ll look to rebound tomorrow, February 25, when Loomis Chaffee visits the Flood Athletic Center at 6:15 p.m.

Knights unable to hold on down the stretch, fall to Choate

In a game that Salisbury led at halftime and deep into the second half, it was Choate that prevailed this evening, 57-53, thanks to clutch shooting and calmness at the free-throw line.

As has become the norm recently, Liam Gregory ‘26 opened the scoring for Salisbury by demonstrating excellent body control in the paint to generate a finger-roll deuce. The soft touch on those close-range shots — something that was automatic all of last season — has been a huge asset for the University of Rochester commit on the back end of the 2025-2026 campaign.

The entire Knights team has been reaping the benefits as well, with open looks from three happening at a much higher clip than earlier in the year. Jaden Schwenebraten ‘27 showcased this twice early tonight, sinking a corner three — one from each side — on consecutive possessions to help Salisbury grab a 12-6 lead. Guard Jermelle Cotton ‘26 joined the three-point parade as well in the game’s opening minutes, nailing two treys to keep the Wild Boars at bay. Additional contributions by Sean Smith-Sharkey ‘27 and Corey Hill ‘27 also played a role early.

The first half’s top highlight, however, was at the defensive end of the court, with Gregory showing he can do a lot more than just score. Choate forward and Yale commit Brady Wooley leapt from the paint, ready to jam home a two-handed slam, but was promptly met by Gregory, who swatted the ball away with tenacity. To make things even sweeter, the home team’s big man got a dunk of his own, with Wooley in pursuit a couple of minutes later. His outstanding play and Schwenebraten’s 11 points gave the Knights a 32-28 advantage at the break.

Choate was able to start strong defensively in the second half, keeping Salisbury scoreless for the first three minutes before Smith-Sharkey swished a triple. Schwenebraten hit his fourth three of the night two minutes later, and Smith-Sharkey followed it up with two more to fend off the visitors.

The Gregory-Wooley saga continued in the period, with Gregory driving to the rack through hand defense of from the Wild Boar. The contact was no match for the Long Island native, though, as he converted the shot and cashed in on a free throw to complete the three-point play. The bucket made it 45-39 Salisbury with just over eight to play.

Sometimes a highlight like that serves as an ignitor for the beneficiary.

Other times, it’s the opposite.

Tonight, it was the latter.

Choate was able to go on an 11-2 run after the crowd settled down from Gregory’s SportsCenter Top 10 nomination, jumping ahead 50-47 as the clock dipped under four minutes remaining. A Cotton layup momentarily halted the run, but the Wild Boars responded with a triple to push their lead up to four points.

And though Hill was able to trim it to 53-51 with 1:20 to go, a Wooley layup helped maintain the four-point cushion, as did free throws after a second Hill deuce with 40 seconds remaining.

Scattered offensive possessions closed out the game for Salisbury, with no clean looks ever developing. Choate held on for the win as a result.

The underwhelming second half — especially down the stretch — will sting for Coach Daley’s team, but luckily they can try to get back on track on Saturday, February 21, against Avon Old Farms. The Knights already topped their all-boys school foe 59-53 in December.

Knights score season-high 80, fall to Frederick Gunn 

In Salisbury’s best offensive performance of the season, it was the shooting of Frederick Gunn—especially down the stretch—that ended up being the difference-maker this evening, as the Highlanders captured an 83-80 triumph over the Knights. 

The two sides played an even contest early, with neither able to generate much separation. Liam Gregory ‘26 played with tenacity on both ends of the court—pounding the glass to mitigate second-chance points for the Highlanders while generating free throws for himself on offense. His inspired play spread to his teammates, too, as Jaden Schwenebraten ‘27 ripped off eight points in a three-minute time span—including two triples—to help Salisbury build an early lead. 

Alongside Gregory and Schwenebraten, several other Knights came to play in the first half. Point guard Corey Hill ‘27 returned to action following an injury that caused him to miss several games, and the fifth former from the United Kingdom made his presence felt quickly—sinking a crafty jump shot. Other contributions came from recently named team captain Sean Smith-Sharkey ‘27 and backup big man Will Duffy ‘26. 

The early offensive production—which was arguably the best start to a game this season—yielded only a marginal lead, however, as Frederick Gunn hung tough to keep the game close. After a series of turnovers by the Knights, the home team was able to briefly capture the lead, 25-24, before a bucket-for-bucket exchange started. 

A driving layup by Schwenebraten was first matched by the Highlanders, then a second-chance basket by Gregory and a Hill deuce were thwarted by a Frederick Gunn triple. Two more from Schwenebraten—who led all Knights scorers in the opening frame—tied the game at 32 with two minutes until the break, but a 9-2 Gunn run to close out the half gave the home team a 41-34 lead at halftime. 

Schwenebraten continued to have his way with the Highlander defense in the second half, sinking a strong and-one finish following a Jermelle Cotton ‘26 floater to keep Salisbury in it. The fifth former added two more before Smith-Sharkey nailed a triple to trim the deficit to three just a few minutes into the second half. 

A steal and dunk in transition by Jayden Cromwell ‘27 got the Knights bench on their feet with a little under 10 minutes to play, and a corner three from the mid-year transfer soon after did the same. Each time Salisbury started to go on a run, though, Frederick Gunn responded—making shot after shot to stay ahead. 

Even when Cotton slammed home a one-handed highlight-reel “yam” to cut it to 60-56, the Highlanders were ready at the other end—hitting a three-pointer to keep their distance. 

That remained the case until the Salisbury three-ball came to life. An open trey by Hill made it 70-62, and Smith-Sharkey's second of the half had the Knights down two with 2:30 remaining. The one-possession margin was the closest it had been since the first half. 

Unfortunately, that was the tightest it ever got. 

Frederick Gunn was able to beat Head Coach Bryce Daley ‘18’s full-court press down the stretch and recovered several key rebounds to burn clock. Despite last-minute buckets from Hill—whose 12 of 16 points came in the second half—and Smith-Sharkey, Gunn repeatedly made its free throws to keep the game out of reach. 

It wasn’t until the final possession of the game, with under 10 ticks to play, that Salisbury had a chance to tie—but Schwenebraten’s turnaround fadeaway corner three glanced off the side of the backboard at the buzzer. 

While the loss isn’t ideal, the offensive outburst from Coach Daley’s squad is worth praising. There’s plenty to look forward to as the season heads into the home stretch. Next up for Salisbury is a matchup at Taft on Friday, February 13. Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. 

Knights fall to Berkshire despite Schwenebraten’s late-game surge 

Held scoreless for the game’s first 25-plus minutes, Salisbury guard Jaden Schwenebraten ‘27 woke up when his team needed him most this evening, scoring 10 of the Knights’ final 11 points. But despite the offensive outburst with the game on the line, Berkshire was the one that prevailed, capturing a gritty 50–46 victory over Salisbury. 

Scoring was sparse early in the contest, with neither team shooting particularly well from the floor. Contributions from Jermelle Cotton ‘26 and Jayden Cromwell ‘27 — including a three-ball by each — helped give Salisbury an early 12–10 lead a little more than 10 minutes in. 

Following a timeout with 5:30 to play in the first half, however, Salisbury started to warm up. Liam Gregory ‘26 got his signature close-range push shot going, two Sean Smith-Sharkey ‘27 triples followed soon after, and a second Cotton trey had the Knights in business. The offensive spurt — in which Salisbury doubled its point total in less than five minutes — gave Coach Daley’s team a 25–22 advantage at the break. 

The cold shooting to start the game repeated itself in the second half, with the Knights struggling to get the ball to fall. Other than four points apiece by Cotton and Smith-Sharkey, no one was able to produce for the first eight minutes of the frame. Berkshire took full advantage of the shooting slump, outscoring its opponents 20–8 to open a 42–33 lead with seven minutes remaining. 

A nice layup through contact by Oliver Jones ‘28 finally halted the Bears’ run, and with it came a spark for Salisbury’s offense. A trip to the line gave Schwenebraten his first points of the night, and Cromwell added one at the charity stripe following an excellent block on the other end. Even when Berkshire nailed a three as the clock approached three minutes to go, Schwenebraten responded, sinking a triple of his own. 

The fifth former wasn’t done yet, though. 

With the score reading 45–41 Berkshire, Schwenebraten stole the ball right in front of the Bears’ bench, raced down the court, and slammed the ball home with both hands. Quickness, raw athleticism, and power — everything was on display on the play. 

After Berkshire hit another triple, Schwenebraten returned the favor once more, sinking another three-pointer to pull Salisbury within two. A traveling call on the Bears on the ensuing possession gave the Knights the ball back with 23.1 seconds left. Berkshire: 48, Salisbury: 46. 

The visitors knew exactly who they wanted shooting the ball: Schwenebraten. His eight straight points were the reason Salisbury was in it. 

And via clever play design, the Scottsville, NY, native got an open look from the corner with less than five ticks remaining. Up the ball went, spinning just like his previous makes had. It seemed like destiny was about to happen. 

Clank. 

No good. 

Berkshire recovered the rebound, inbounded the ball successfully multiple times to earn a trip to the line, and made the two free throws to secure the victory. 

The loss will certainly sting for Coach Daley’s squad, but the heart from Schwenebraten and his teammates cannot be denied. In due time, these games will turn from agony to relief. Salisbury will enjoy a nine-day break before returning to action on Wednesday, February 11, when it visits Frederick Gunn. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. 

Knights fall to Kent, Cotton goes for 19 and Cromwell adds 16

Salisbury welcomed Kent to the Flood Athletic Center this evening in a battle of two teams aiming to get back to the .500 mark. The clubs have plenty of highs and lows this season, with today being no exception. In a game where both teams held double-digit leads at some point, it was Kent who ultimately prevailed, 64-57.

Salisbury jumped out to an early lead thanks to baskets from Jermelle Cotton ‘26, Jaden Schwenebraten ‘27, and Rochester commit Liam Gregory ‘26. In particular, Gregory started the game hot, using his body to back down a Kent defender on the baseline for an easy layup before executing a perfect pick and roll with Cotton to add two more. Contributions on the defensive end by Oliver Jones ‘28 helped the Knights maintain their lead for much of the opening minutes of the first.

A crafty, side-step finger roll finish through contact by Jayden Cromwell ‘27 got the home crowd on its feet five and a half minutes in. The applause continued for the Liverpool, NY, native following the bucket, with the mid-year transfer adding four more to help Salisbury build a 15-5 advantage.

A brief 6-0 run by the Lions was halted by a Cotton triple, something that has been commonplace this season. He added a second trey two minutes later, and a graceful touch at the rim from Cromwell had the Knights on top 27-14 with minutes to go until the break.

But just as Salisbury started to separate itself, a glacial shooting streak came, allowing Kent to go on a 12-0 run. The margin shrunk all the way to one before Sean Smith-Sharkey ‘27 finally got one to fall, nailing a deep three from NBA-range. Kent got a basket back and had the chance to tie at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out, keeping the score at 30-28 Salisbury.

That missed shot right before the break meant little for the Lions, however, as a three-pointer less than a minute into the second half gave the visitors their first lead of the day. And despite a Schwenebraten triple and Cromwell layup to momentarily put the Knights ahead again, the cold shooting from the first half carried over, allowing Kent to build a 43-35 advantage as the midpoint of the second half approached.

Another Smith-Sharkey trey and a free throw by Gregory trimmed the deficit to four, but the poor shooting persisted, hindering Salisbury’s ability to tie or regain the lead. Head Coach Bryce Daley ‘18’s team was in the hole, staring up at a 51-49 deficit with just over five minutes remaining.

If the cold shooting planned to thaw, now was the time.

Quick hands by Cotton generated an easy transition layup to get the margin back to single digits, and two beauties at the line by Cromwell had the game quickly back to within striking distance. Then, finally, the ice truly melted.

An open Cromwell buried a corner three, bringing the score to 49-46 Kent. And while the Lions responded with a three of their own, Smith-Sharkey met them punch for punch, nailing his third triple of the day. Kent drained a layup to keep the Knights at bay, but a second Cromwell corner three had Salisbury very much in it with less than two minutes to go. The forward’s identical long-range jumpers were very reminiscent of the NES-era game Double Dribble, where a glitch in the system allowed users to make all corner threes.

Unfortunately for Salisbury, though, the glitch was not infinite. Two free throws by Gregory and multiple layups from Cotton allowed the Knights to linger, but Kent was able to preserve its lead in the game’s final minute. 

The loss for Coach Daley’s team will certainly sting, as inconsistent shooting reared its ugly head once more this season. They’ll look to get back on track on Monday, February 2, when they visit Berkshire for a 4:30 p.m. contest.

Knights unable to pull off second-half comeback, fall to Williston 

Salisbury made the trek to Easthampton, MA, to face Williston Northampton this afternoon, representing the Knights’ second trip to western Massachusetts in just 48 hours. On Monday, Head Coach Bryce Daley ‘18’s team played Brunswick at the HoopHall Prep Showcase in Springfield, falling to the Bruins despite an aggressive second-half comeback effort. Today had a similar outcome, with Salisbury losing 81–71, despite being down 21 at the break. 

A quick deuce for Jaden Schwenebraten ‘27 opened the scoring for Salisbury, and a beautiful fadeaway jumper by Sean Smith-Sharkey ‘27 helped Head Coach Bryce Daley ‘18’s team stay within reach early. Additional contributions from Will Duffy ‘26 and mid-year transfer Jayden Cromwell ‘27, as well as more baskets by Schwenebraten and Smith-Sharkey, kept the deficit in the single digits midway through the first. 

The narrow margin rapidly faded in the back half of the frame, however. 

Williston Northampton caught fire from the field, draining several jump shots from both inside and outside the perimeter—creating a double-digit margin. Two from the charity stripe by Jermelle Cotton ‘26, a tough and-one finish by Corey Hill ‘27, and more from Schwenebraten gave the visiting team bench something to cheer about, but a lopsided affair had already unfolded. 

The score sat at 49–28 at halftime. 

Salisbury shot better from the floor early in the second half, largely due to a balanced attack from multiple scorers. Schwenebraten continued to create, Smith-Sharkey drained a strong layup through contact, and Cromwell nailed a jumper from long range at one point. Unfortunately for the Knights, Williston continued its heater, going bucket for bucket. 

That remained the case until the clock read seven minutes to go. 

Down 66–45, showing little sign of life, Coach Daley’s squad woke up and made things interesting down the stretch. Over a three-minute period, the Knights erupted for a 14–2 run to cut the deficit to single digits. A clutch triple by Cotton made the score just 68–59 with 4:04 to play. It felt Salisbury needed one more big bucket to really apply pressure. It just never came though.

Williston was able to keep its distance in the final minutes, holding on for the win. 

While the loss for Salisbury is not ideal, the heart shown in the second half proves the Knights are never out of it. It also helps when you have people like Schwenebraten and Smith-Sharkey, whose 23- and 16-point performances led the team in scoring. 

Salisbury will take the floor again on Saturday, January 24, when it travels to Brunswick for its second contest with the Bruins in five days. Tip is 2:30 p.m. 

Knights endure cold shooting all game, fall to Deerfield 37-52

On a frigid, snowy evening on the Hilltop, Salisbury welcomed Deerfield to the Flood Athletic Center for the Knights’ first home game of the 2025–2026 season. Having played just one game in nearly a month, Head Coach Bryce Daley ’18’s squad looked to keep shaking off the rust from winter break.

Simply put, there’s still some rust.

Salisbury utilized the baseline efficiently on its opening possessions, with Jermelle Cotton ’26 first sinking a jumper and Corey Hill ’27 riding the line to the rack to give the Knights an initial lead. The two quick buckets—which Salisbury got in no more than 45 seconds—would have been enough to maintain a lead for the game’s first nine minutes, as Deerfield struggled mightily early on.

But despite the cold shooting from the Big Green, Salisbury struggled to distance itself. Contributions from Sean Smith-Sharkey ’26, Liam Gregory ’26, and Cotton had the Knights ahead just 11-6 with seven minutes to go in the first. Once the ball started to go in for the visitors, however, it did for the home team too.

Strong baskets through contact by Gregory and Cotton—who scored a team-leading 10 points in the first—extended the lead to 18-9 briefly. Then came a cold front of Salisbury’s own. A calm, methodical 13-0 run by Deerfield had the visitors up 22-18 with under a minute remaining in the half. A powerful two-handed slam by Gregory, positioned right along the baseline, finally put an end to the run—just in time, too.

The dunk woke up the crowd, and with it Cotton’s defense ignited, poking the ball free with under 10 seconds remaining until the break. Jaden Schwenebraten ’27 recovered the loose ball and promptly rifled a near full-court pass to a sprinting Cotton, who sunk the layup to tie the game at 22-22.

In the second, the cold shooting to close out the first half unfortunately carried over for Salisbury. The Knights needed nearly 13 minutes to reach double figures in the period, allowing Deerfield to efficiently open a double-digit lead. By the time Cotton made a driving layup to finally get points Nos. 10 and 11 with three minutes to play, the score was 50-33, visitors.

Late baskets from Smith-Sharkey and Gregory allowed Salisbury to hang around, but no real comeback opportunity evolved.

The loss drops Salisbury to 4-4 on the season, with its next action scheduled for Monday, January 19, at the Hoop Hall Prep Showcase at Springfield College.

Knights offense goes cold in crunch time, fall to Canterbury 59–58 

Despite three Salisbury players reaching double figures, highlighted by a season-high 21 points from Sean Smith-Sharkey ’27, the Knights lost a tough one to a strong Saints team this afternoon. 

Canterbury shot well out of the gate—hitting multiple threes to quickly build a double-digit lead. A Jaden Schwenebraten ’27 deuce served as the only Knights points in the first four minutes. It wasn’t until the five-minute mark that a second Salisbury bucket occurred, courtesy of an NBA-range triple by Smith-Sharkey. Even so, Salisbury was able to hang around thanks to excellent three-point shooting of its own. Smith-Sharkey, Jermelle Cotton ’26, and Schwenebraten all hit threes in succession, cutting the deficit to two possessions just over halfway through the first. 

Nearly 10 minutes of game clock passed before the Knights got points from something other than the three ball. It was an and-one layup by Corey Hill ’27, fittingly, that broke the shooting streak—pulling Salisbury within a basket. The momentary pause in triples didn’t last for long, however, as Cotton’s third trey of the day gave Salisbury a 23–22 advantage with under five remaining in the frame. 

Down the stretch, Salisbury played an extremely disciplined game—highlighted by just one foul committed in the entire first half. Canterbury, on the other hand, committed seven. 

The level-minded approach translated to success on both ends, with Liam Gregory ’26 joining the scoresheet and Smith-Sharkey adding two more on a clean pull-up jumper right as the clock reached one minute to play. A strong, aggressive and-one finish by Cotton put the Knights ahead 30–28 at halftime. His 12 first-half points led the team. 

The strong play to close out the first carried into the second, as a Schwenebraten layup opened the scoring before a Smith-Sharkey corner three followed. The emergence of Smith-Sharkey’s jump shot today—something that was bound to get hot eventually—should have Salisbury fans excited for the remainder of the season. 

The duo continued to score with ease early in the half, helping Salisbury build a 41–30 lead just over three minutes in. 

A highlight-reel, coast-to-coast layup through contact by Hill helped extend the lead, as did another Cotton three-pointer—his fourth of the day. The Knights held a firm 50–38 advantage with a little more than eight minutes left. 

Then, out of nowhere, came a glacial freeze of the Salisbury offense. 

Seven minutes, zero points. 

A 16–0 Canterbury run in the same timespan had the Saints ahead 54–50 with a little over a minute to play. A Gregory layup ended the run, but Canterbury responded immediately, regaining a four-point cushion. Even a Smith-Sharkey three to cut the margin to one was promptly matched, making it 59–55 Saints with 9.9 seconds left. 

A buzzer-beater triple by Smith-Sharkey made the final a one-point affair, but the tight score meant little to the overall result—a heartbreaking defeat for the Knights. 

Salisbury will have a quick chance to get back in the win column on Friday, December 19, when they play St. Paul’s in the NEPSAC Class A Showcase. The game will be played at St. Sebastian’s and is scheduled for a 2:15 p.m. tip. 

Hotchkiss rides stellar second half to victory over Daley-less Knights 

Before Salisbury even departed campus this afternoon to head down Route 44 toward Hotchkiss, the Knights were dealt a tough hand. The team was tasked with playing without their head coach, Bryce Daley ’18, as well as multiple key players.

Even so, assistant coaches Kevin Huber and Steve Parmelee stepped up in Daley’s absence — coaching a magnificent game that Salisbury trailed by just two at halftime. 

Like they did in their season opener against Millbrook, the Knights started slow, needing nearly two minutes to break into the scoresheet. Luckily, strong defense on the other end — including a forced turnover by Oliver Jones ’28 — kept the game within reach when Jermelle Cotton ’26 sunk Salisbury’s first field goal. Two nothing-but-net triples by Jaden Schwenebraten ’27, mixed with a fierce and-one finish by the fifth former, had the game tied 11–11 a little over five minutes in. 

Nine straight points weren’t enough for the junior guard from Scottsville, NY, however. A third three-pointer with just under 10 to play in the half put Schwenebraten’s early point total at an efficient 12 and, with it, gave Salisbury its first lead of the evening. 

Nearly six minutes passed before a different Salisbury player — Corey Hill ’27 — entered the scoresheet for the Knights. Soon after, Cotton’s second bucket of the night, an and-one finish at the rack, had the game tied at 19 apiece. A fourth Schwenebraten trey briefly put Salisbury ahead by three, but Hotchkiss responded with intensity, regaining the lead once more. 

Five points from Hill — highlighted by a near-NBA-range three — mixed with three more from Schwenebraten at the line gave Salisbury a 33–28 advantage. The next bucket by Cotton, giving the Knights 35 first-half points, marked the highest-scoring half of the young season. 

They did it with four minutes to spare. 

Using the additional time, Salisbury added nine more points — including more from Schwenebraten, who finished the first with an incredible 22. After going down 43–42 with one minute until the break, a clean baseliner floater by Jones — his first points in a Salisbury uniform — allowed the Knights to briefly regain their lead. A Bearcat triple vaulted the home team ahead once more, though, and the score sat at 46–44 Hotchkiss at halftime. 

Unfortunately for Salisbury, the outstanding offensive production went cold early in the second. After an initial three-pointer by Cotton, Hotchkiss went on a 15–0 run in under three minutes. With the blink of an eye, the Knights found themselves down 61–47. And while a Hill layup at least stopped the scoring drought, the Bearcats did not let up — getting countless offensive rebounds to build a staggering 69–47 lead. 

Despite the deflating five minutes of basketball — which is really how quickly the scales tilted — Salisbury did not back down. Strong foul shooting and toughness from Schwenebraten and Cotton kept the Knights lingering, cutting the score to 79–68 with just over six minutes remaining. Salisbury continued to hover in the 10–15-point deficit range for much of the closing minutes until Hotchkiss pulled away at the end. 

While the loss is not what the Knights wanted, the ultra-competitiveness playing without their head coach and multiple key players is more than worth hanging their hat on.