Greensburg Salem slowed down Derry, holding the ball for long possessions before attempting a shot against the visiting Trojans.
It turned a 100-yard dash into a 1,600-meter run.
But the Golden Lions couldn’t curtail 6-foot-7 junior forward Stanley Rajkovich, who looked the part of a high jumper as he scored his 1,000th career point Tuesday night in No. 5 Derry’s 47-31 Section 3-4A victory, its fourth win in five games.
Rajkovich became the sixth Derry player to join the 1,000-point club when he made a layup with 4 minutes, 23 seconds left in the third quarter. He finished with a game-high 20 for the Trojans (11-6, 6-2), who never trailed as they worked around the slow-down approach employed by the Golden Lions (8-8, 3-5) and accentuated the victory with a committed defensive effort.
Greensburg Salem, which saw a three-game winning streak end, played without starting 6-3 sophomore forward Jackson Stevey, who injured his knee Saturday against Geibel.
Rajkovich is the first Derry player to reach 1,000 since Nate Papuga in 2024. Papuga is an assistant coach this season.
“I talked to Nate before the game. He’s been through this, and he told me to let the game come to me,” Rajkovich said. “I think I am better when I play that way. I thought I might get (1,000) on a dunk or a 3 (-pointer). I’ll take an easy layup.”
Sophomore Logan Irvin drove the lane and dished to Rajkovich for the milestone to give Derry a 33-21 lead.
He had missed a layup on a fast break just before his big moment but was relieved when the pressure came off.
“I told Stanley there is no 16-point shot,” Derry coach Tom Esposito said, referring to how many points his standout player needed for 1,000. “Just let it happen. It will come. I don’t think he went out and tried to force it. He has worked extremely hard to get to this position.
“Paul (Sapotichne) is a good coach, and we knew he’d scheme a game plan that was advantageous to them. We did a good job of forcing them out of it.”
Derry took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter on a putback by senior guard Brayden Robinson (19-9) and never let the Golden Lions get closer than 10 after that.
To their credit, they never trailed by more than 15.
The deliberate half-court play allowed them to stay within earshot.
“We only play six people, and we didn’t have one of our key players, our tallest player and second-leading scorer,” Greensburg Salem coach Paul Sapotichne said. “We could go up and down and lose by 20-something, or we could shorten the game and be competitive with them.
“We only had one day to prepare (with the slow-down game), and it’s not easy to do. I am happy with our effort. (Rajkovich) is a very good player with great athletic ability. We limited him at their place. … Jackson gives us more size. Derry has a number of good players.”
Derry won the first meeting 45-41 as Rajkovich fouled out early in the fourth.
This time, Derry led 15-9 after the first quarter with Rajkovich scoring eight. He had 13 by halftime, missing a deep 3-pointer that left him at 997.
A 9-0 run out of halftime, including a long two-pointer from senior Izak Lenhart and a 3 by Rajkovich, pushed the margin to 24-9.
Lenhart’s 3 gave the Trojans a 15-point lead.
Sophomore guard Solomon Cain made a layup for Greensburg Salem to close the gap to 33-23, but senior William Stockett-Harter answered for Derry.
Senior Noah Dudek opened the third with a basket for the Golden Lions, but Stockett-Harter scored before Rajkovich threw down a thunderous dunk to make it a 42-27 advantage in the fourth.
“We’ve been strong on the defensive side all year,” Esposito said. “A great defensive possession leads to a great offensive possession.”
Stockett-Harter finished with eight points, and Lenhart added seven.
Greensburg Salem had only four scorers, led by senior Ty Harkcom’s 13 points. Dudek and senior Brody Burkholder had seven apiece.
Third-place Derry now will get ready for a home showdown Friday against first-place Belle Vernon (11-7, 7-1).
Esposito said he expects a sellout.
Derry has won three in a row, including a 72-66 win over Elizabeth Forward, which is in second place.
“We’re playing pretty solid,” Esposito said. “Since Christmas, it’s been a one-game-at-a-time approach. Belle Vernon is a very good team. We’ll need two good practices to be ready to compete with them.”