Dover wins first DIAA Boys Basketball title

NEWARK - In its sixth trip to the state final, Dover has finally won the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament.

The Senators broke out of a 50-50 tie with 1:30 remaining to make big plays on both ends and hit their free throws for a 56-53 victory over Salesianum on Saturday night at the Carpenter Center.

Dorell Little, who finished with a game-high 31 points, hit a runner to push Dover ahead for good, 52-50, with 1:12 to play.

Tarrance Williams made a free throw to push the Senators ahead by three. Then Little blocked a 3-point attempt by Salesianum and was fouled. The senior's final point made it 54-50 with 11.2 ticks left.

The Sals missed on the other end, and 5-foot-9 point guard Denim Perkins came out with the rebound and hit two foul shots to make it 56-50 with just 2.7 seconds remaining.

Sallies' Kareem Thomas made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the Senators' celebration was already starting.

Second-seeded Dover (23-2) had lost all five of its previous trips to the championship game. But the Senators stand tall tonight, with Perkins adding 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Fourth-seeded Salesianum (15-9) was seeking back-to-back titles. The Sals got 18 points and six rebounds from Thomas, 15 points from Isaiah Hynson and eight points and five rebounds from Justin Hinds.

Go to delawareonline.com on Sunday morning for more game coverage, photos and videos.

Dover leads in final minute

Dover has taken a 52-50 lead with 56.2 seconds remaining.

Justin Hinds skied to score on an offensive rebound to tie it at 50 for Salesianum.

But Dorell Little, who is now up to 30 points for Dover, just hit a runner to put the Senators on top again.

Dover-Salesianum tied, 3:37 left

Back and forth they go, and now Dover and Salesianum are tied at 48 with 3:37 left in the DIAA Boys Basketball championship game.

The Sals led 48-44 with 4:49 remaining, but Denim Perkins collected an offensive rebound and drove inside for a score and Dorell Little just banked one in in the lane to tie it for the Senators.

Dover takes lead into final quarter

Dover leads Salesianum 40-39 going into the fourth quarter in the DIAA Boys Basketball championship game.

Dorell Little leads the Senators with 22 points, while Denim Perkins has 10.

Isaiah Hynson has 15 points for Sallies. Kareem Thomas has scored 10.

Dover surges into lead in third quarter

After trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half, Dover has surged to a 38-37 lead over Salesianum with 1:04 left in the third quarter.

Dorell Little's 3-pointer pulled the Senators within 36-34. Kareem Thomas hit a free throw for the Sals, but Little got loose inside for a layup and Denim Perkins went coast to coast on a fast break to give Dover its first lead of the game.

Dover getting closer at halftime

The Senators have finally found some offense, outscoring the Sals 13-7 over the last 5:18 of the first half to pull within 27-23 at halftime of the DIAA Boys Basketball championship game.

Dorell Little worked inside for four buckets during the surge and leads Dover with 11 points so far. Denim Perkins and Tarrance Williams have added four points each, but the Senators made just 8 of 36 shots (22.2 percent) from the field in the first half.

Salesianum is shooting much better, 12 of 23 from the field (52.2 percent), including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Yet, the Sals only lead by four points.

Isaiah Hynson leads Sallies with 11 points. Kareem Thomas and Justin Hinds have four each.

Salesianum run prompts Dover timeout

Salesianum continues to pour it on, leading Dover 20-9 in the DIAA Boys Basketball championship game with 5:49 left in the second quarter.

The Senators have just called a timeout after Luke Brown splashed a corner 3-pointer for the Sals. Dover is off to a terrible start shooting, hitting just 3 of its first 28 shots from the field.

Sallies continues to lead

Salesianum has had the best of it so far, leading Dover 13-6 after one quarter at the Carpenter Center.

The Sals jumped to an 8-0 lead, as the Senators missed their first 13 shots before Denim Perkins finally got the lid off Dover's bucket with a 15-foot jumper with 3:23 left in the quarter.

Salesianum has played at a quick tempo on offense, with Kareem Thomas getting a layup on a fast break and R.J. Johnson splashing a 3-pointer on another quick possession.

Salesianum off to flying start

Salesianum is quickest out of the blocks in the DIAA Boys Basketball championship game, taking a 6-0 lead in the first four minutes.

Isaiah Hynson and Justin Hinds have the first two buckets for the Sals, and Kareem Thomas just brought the sellout crowd to its feet with a breakaway dunk.

Dover has missed its first 11 shots from the field.

Live updates coming

Tickets for Saturday night's DIAA Boys Basketball championship game sold out in two minutes when they went on sale at noon Saturday.

But if you couldn't get one, don't worry. We've got you covered.

We'll be providing live updates from the Carpenter Center tonight, as second-seeded Dover (22-2) takes on fourth-seeded Salesianum (15-8) for the title. Tipoff time is 6 p.m.

Dover has reached the championship game five times, but has yet to take it all the way.

Salesianum went through several heartbreaking losses in the tournament before finally winning back-to-back titles in 2014-15, with current New York Knicks star Donte DiVincenzo leading the way. The Sals added a third championship last year, defeating William Penn 48-44 in the title game. Tonight, they go for back-to-back championships again.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: In DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament final, Dover defeats Salesianum