NEWARK – As it had done all season, the Dover defense gradually softened up its opponent.

“We’re not wearing you down to get a turnover. We’re not wearing you down to get a steal,” Senators coach Stephen Wilson said. “We’re wearing you down to make sure you don’t have those legs in the third quarter and the fourth quarter.”

Dover put together the decisive run in the final period Thursday night, pulling away for a 59-53 victory over Middletown in the semifinals of the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament at the Carpenter Center.

Now comes the hardest part, a hurdle that has been insurmountable for the Senators in the past.

The championship game.

Second-seeded Dover (22-2) reached the final for the sixth time, but again will be playing for its first title against fourth-seeded Salesianum at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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“That would be the biggest. … I don’t even know how to explain it,” senior point guard Denim Perkins said when asked how big a championship would be. “The city would go crazy. I just want it for them. Not ultimately for myself, but for the team and everybody else.”

Perkins was superb in the semifinal, earning 12 points and 10 assists. But he gave a lot of the credit to three sophomores – Jayvion Denis (13 points, seven rebounds), Chase Little (eight points) and Tarrance Williams (seven points, six rebounds).

“We were staying composed,” Perkins said. “Our super sophomores came in and played big on both ends of the court.”

Dover led 15-8 after one quarter, then 27-22 at halftime. But third-seeded Middletown (18-6) turned up the heat, taking a 35-33 lead on Eric Mathenge’s reverse layup with 2:23 left in the third quarter.

The Senators responded with nine straight points – Denis’ 3-pointer, two free throws and a layup by Dorell Little and two foul shots from Perkins – to surge ahead 42-35.

Aviyon Matthews’ free throw pulled Middletown within 46-42 with 4:58 to play. But Dover found another gear on both ends of the floor for an 11-3 run, with Denis’ layup pushing the margin to 57-45 with 51 seconds remaining.

“We focused more on defense, came together and slowed our pace down,” said Little, who did a little of everything with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals.

Zion Mifflin led the Cavaliers with 15 points, while Matthews had nine points and 11 rebounds.

Now comes Dover’s biggest challenge. The Senators won 72-52 at Salesianum on Feb. 13, but the Sals were playing without three starters in that game. They are expected to be at full strength for the rematch.

Dover lost in the state final in 1972, 1977, 2003, 2010 and 2019, the most recent a 48-45 heartbreaker to Sanford.

“More work to do,” Little said. “One more. We can’t be satisfied.”

If the Senators can pull it off, it would certainly be satisfying for everyone in Delaware’s capital city. Especially Wilson, who coached Dover to its two most recent finals appearances and is back again.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. Then, after a long pause, Wilson added, “It would mean a lot. It would mean everything.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on X (aka Twitter): @BradMyersTNJ

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament: Dover tops Middletown in semifinals