The Salem Tigers carried the momentum of a strong holiday tournament showing into the new year, opening 2026 with a home victory.
Salem finished fifth at the Cabool Holiday Tournament, played Dec. 26–30 in Cabool, posting a 3-1 record with wins over Summersville, Licking and Alton. The Tigers opened tournament play with a dominant 66-30 win over Summersville before falling to Norwood, 75-51. Salem rebounded in consolation play with a 72-41 victory over Licking and capped the tournament with an 84-75 win over Alton.
Sophomore Eli Wofford was named to the all-tournament team.
Salem extended its winning streak to three games on Jan. 2 with a 67-62 victory over Osage, improving to 8-4 on the season.
Salem was scheduled to play at West Plains Tuesday and at Sullivan Friday.
Jan. 2- Salem 67, Osage 62
It was the Braiden Gapsch show early, as the senior poured in four 3-pointers in the opening quarter and matched Osage’s output in the period. Senior Lincoln Thomas added a pair of triples as Salem built a 24-16 lead heading into the second.
Senior Gavin Sapaugh scored seven points in the second quarter to help Salem maintain its edge, taking a 37-34 advantage into halftime.
Gapsch continued his offensive surge in the second half, adding 12 more points, while Sapaugh contributed 10 after the break to keep Osage at bay.
Gapsch finished with a game-high 30 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds and four steals. Sapaugh followed with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Thomas scored 10 to round out double-figure scoring.
Individual scoring
Salem: Thomas 4-0-10, Halinar 1-0-2, Connors 2-0-4, Gapsch 10-5-30, Sapaugh 8-3-19, Wofford 2-0-4.
Dec. 30 - Salem 84, Alton 75 - Consolation Game
Strong second-half performances from Wofford and Gapsch propelled Salem to a consolation victory over Alton.
After trailing 44-38 at halftime, Salem leaned on its senior-sophomore duo in the third quarter. Gapsch and Wofford combined for 18 points in the period as the Tigers surged ahead 62-61 entering the fourth.
Salem closed the game by outscoring Alton 22-14 in the final quarter.
Gapsch led all scorers and filled the stat sheet with 27 points, seven assists and five steals. Wofford followed with 24 points on 75 percent shooting and pulled down nine rebounds.
Sapaugh and Thomas added 10 points apiece.
Individual scoring
Salem: Cunningham 3-0-7, Thomas 3-3-10, Connors 1-1-4, Gapsch 8-7-27, Rogsdale 1-0-2, Sapaugh 5-0-10, Wofford 11-1-24.
