After watching them play at Nashua South on Tuesday night, I came to this conclusion. Once again, Salem is the best boys basketball “team” in Class L.

Why the quotes around team. Because that’s exactly how they play, as a team. It was never more evident than in last year’s final against Trinity. Certain very talented Trinity players in that game thought it was their duty to step up and take over the biggest game of the year.

Salem played as a team, make the right pass to the right player in the right situation. The teams two “stars,” Josh Jones and Mike Kimball, made the players around them better and didn’t force shots that weren’t there.

It was easy to make Salem a pre-season favorite because Kimball and Jones, Salem’s top players were back. Coach E.J. Perry knew the job was a lot tougher. He had to replace four of his top six players, all of whom contributed in a big way toward winning the title.

It took time. Salem’s 33-game winning streak ended. The Blue Devils got off to a 2-2 start, and also lost a pair of Christmas Tournament games. But players who would make them a team again began to emerge.

Junior point guard Alex LaRosa played sparingly last year. Tuesday night in a 78-64 victory over Nashua South, he had 19 points in the first half. He took nine shots and hit eight of the them, including a pair of wide open 3-pointers.

Salem isn’t big, but sophomore Joseph Gallant is emerging as a pretty solid post player.

In terms of individual talent, Salem might not be the most talented team. But that hasn’t stopped them before. Remember the 2004 semifinals, when they upset a Trinity team some were calling the best in state history.