SALEM During any given basketball game, a team is likely to have one player score in double figures. If two or three players get into double figures, it's a good team performance. When all five starters get in double figures, it becomes a special game.

The Salem Quakers had that special game as they posted an impressive 64-41 victory over Howland. Salem coach Will Klucinec sees it as a sign of growth in his team.

"One of the things that I've kinda realized about basketball, it doesn't have a whole lot to do with the X's and O's. It's about the Jimmys and the Joes," Klucinec said. "Tonight we took a huge step as a basketball team and basketball program."

Trent Kenreigh led the team with 15 points. Jake Madison was right behind him with 14, Ryan Wolfgang chipped in 11, Trent Toothman added 10 and Mike King's lay-up late in the fourth quarter gave him 10 points to complete the set.

"I honestly didn't even know how many points I had," King admitted. "I just put it in and everyone cheered."

The team believes a performance like that shows how dangerous they can be.

"When we can get all five guys in double figures we're going to be real tough team to beat," Wolfgang said. "It can be anybody's night each night, and tonight everybody pitched in."

"We have a lot of momentum now," Toothman added. "When all five guys get in double digits, you know you're doing something right."

The night didn't start out looking so promising. Howland scored the game's first seven points and led 9-5 after the first quarter. The bumped their lead to 11-5 early in the second before Salem flipped the switch.

It only takes a spark to start a fire and Kenreigh delivered Salem's spark early in the second. An innocent looking 3-point shot ignited a string of 15-straight Quaker points and a 30-5 run that pushed Salem into control.

Madison and Wolfgang soon followed his lead as their 3-pointers began finding the bottom of the net with regularity. Salem as a team made six 3-pointers in the second quarter to help separate themselves from the Tigers.

"We were working the ball inside and they were able to get it back out to us after the defense collapsed back in," Madison said. "It opened us up and we were able to shoot."

According to Klucinec, the difference was simple.

"Trust," Klucinec said. "These guys really understand what it is to be a team. Those guys are starting to understand what it is to trust each other. You saw that in the second quarter and that's all it was. It wasn't magic dust that I sprinkled on them or anything that I told them. They started believing in themselves and started believing in each other."

"We started playing real unselfish and getting the ball to the open man," Kenreigh said. "We knocked down shots and just played great basketball."

Playing against the tallest line-up Salem has faced this year, the 5-foot-8 point guard Kenreigh was able to fight his way to a double-double. After recording only 19 rebounds all of last season, Kenreigh worked his way through a Tiger lineup of four players over 6-foot tall to pull down 10 rebounds to go with his 15 points.

"I had a couple loose ones," Kenreigh said. "There was some long rebounds that I just kind of got after. The post players got a body on everyone else and it freed me up to go get the ball."

In the second half, Howland's defense adjusted to take away Salem's outside shooting and it opened up the Quaker forwards to get rebounds and put in easy points. King and Toothman each put home two lay-ups as the lead stretched to 21 points in the third quarter.

"Who do you guard if your the other team," King asked. "If you take one person away we'll pass to the other."

The performance on Tuesday served as a good rebound following their first loss of the season last Friday against Niles.

"The most important thing I'm trying to teach these guys is that there's going to be a lot of adversity in your life," Klucinec said. "There's going to be wins and there's going to be losses. Everything is an event, and it's how you respond to every event that's going to make the difference in your life. I don't measure our success and failure in wins and losses. I measure how it is that we're going to be the best we can be. Tonight I think people got a little glimpse of what Salem basketball is going to be all about."

Salem now has a week break for Christmas before playing LaBrae next Tuesday. They go into the holiday with a lot of momentum.

"We were all really confident and it was just a really fun game," Madison said. We all had a lot of fun. It was a great Christmas present for everybody and we're going into next Tuesday with a lot of confidence."

"It's good to get that last big win before Christmas and make sure we have all the positives," Toothman added.

While Salem put on a great team performance, the top individual performance of the night went to T.J. Lanier of Howland who scored 24 points.

It was a game that all Quaker fans can enjoy and can hopefully be a building block for the rest of the season

"That was the basketball experience I ever had," Klucinec added. "And I mean that sincerely."

Howland won the jayvee game 50-27. Dominic Termine led Howland with 13 points. Ryan Bush hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead Salem.