The Vikings, 23-3, will host Framingham State in the tournament championship game on Saturday, Feb. 26. Westfield finishes 12-12.
Salem led by 17 points, 45-28, at halftime as it outshot the Owls, 5-0, from 3-point range and dominated the inside led by senior shot blocking sensation Ifesinachi Anosike of Staten Island, N.Y. The 6-8 center finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds and five rejections.
But Westfield quickly cut into the large lead at the start of the second half as the Owls begin hitting their treys and Anosike picked up his third foul.
The Owls went on a 26-7 run in the first nine minutes of the second half to stun the large and boisterous Salem crowd. Westfield senior Vaso Jaukovic tied the score, 52-52, by draining a three from the top of the key with 11:40 remaining. Jaukovic then gave Westfield the lead 30 seconds later with a driving layup down the lane.
With the score tied at 59-all, Salem junior forward Shawn Bloom (Springfield/Minnechaug High School) scored seven straight points over a two-minute stretch to give the Vikings a 66-59 lead with 6:06 remaining. The Owls closed to within two points, 68-66, with 3:11 remaining, but the Vikings got the ball inside to their big guy Anosike for two easy buckets for a 72-66 lead. Salem made nine free throws in the final two minutes.
Senior guard Allen Reid (Southbridge) scored a game-high for the Vikings, including a perfect 12-for-12 from the foul line. Bloom finished with 16 points, including his seven during the crucial second-half stretch.
Sophomore guard Gavin Illangakoon (Ellington, CT) led Westfield’s balanced scoring with 16 points. Sophomore guard Ricky Ogboin scored 15 points, all in the first half. Ogboin was experiencing breathing difficulties at halftime and did not play in the second half. Westfield only made one substitution in the second half, a three-minute stretch by James Ogbunize.
The Owls were 8-for-13 from 3-point range in the second half after being shut out in the first half (0-for-9). Tony Collier (12 points), Jaukovic (11), Mike Jurkowski (10) and Steve Martins (8) were Westfield’s other top scorers.