By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Haley Dalton’s long arms and long fingers made a lot of opponents have long nights against the Salisbury girls basketball team.

Dalton averaged only 4.3 points per game for the two-time state champs as a senior, but she was recruited and signed by a good Division II program — Winston-Salem State — because of what she can do on the defensive end. She can turn a 50-percent shooter into a 25-percent shooter, and that’s worth a lot.

Dalton is 6 feet tall, but she plays defense like she’s 6-foot-3. She has reach and timing and is a natural shot-blocker and shot-changer. As the season progressed, she grew more and more proficient at blocking shots without getting in foul trouble.

Dalton’s PR? She’s blocked as many as nine shots in a game.

“She’s a defensive nightmare,” Salisbury coach Lakai Brice said. “Blocking shots and grabbing rebounds is what she does best and she understood her role perfectly and was very comfortable in that role for our team. She helped us win championships.”

Dalton started playing basketball when she was 5 years old. Her father was her first coach and he taught her the basics.

When she was playing AAU basketball in the fourth grade, she realized her gifts were different than most of her teammates.

“That AAU season is when I realized that defense and shot-blocking were going to be my specialties,” Dalton said. “I was starting to get taller and that was an advantage for me. My father would always tell  me, ‘Haley, you’re the tallest girl out there. Just keep your hands straight up and they won’t be able to do anything.’ So that’s what I did. I put my hands up straight, and nobody could see over my hands. My father told me to protect the paint. Those words have always stuck in my head.”

At Erwin Middle School and as a freshman at East Rowan, Dalton showed  she had the tools to be a force on the defensive end. She transferred to Salisbury prior to her sophomore year, along with teammate Icesis Nwafor. There were massive expectations, but Dalton had a two-year struggle staying healthy and getting healthy.

Her sophomore and junior seasons were limited by a painful bone bruise (ankle) and a severe concussion.

As a senior she was healthy. She was able to play in 28 of Salisbury’s 30 games and while her largest offensive production was 10 points, she made a defensive impact in all of them.

Recruiting was close to zero for a long time because she’s basically lost two seasons.

“I hadn’t been able to play anywhere close to my potential and I was beginning to question if I wanted to try to play basketball at the next level,” Dalton said. “But I prayed and prayed and kept working. I still had faith that God had a plan for me.”

A couple of huge games restored her confidence that she was a next-level player. When Salisbury took on Ben L. Smith in December, the Hornet were up against a deeper, faster 3A squad. Dalton was a difference-maker, rejecting eight shots in a 49-41 victory.

She finished her high school career with another dominant effort as the Hornets survived an ice-cold offensive start and beat Seaforth 48-39 for the 2A state championship.

“That was my favorite game of all because I went into it with a winning mindset, I stayed locked in the whole game, and I was very proud to win another championship,” Dalton said. “I did my part and I feel like I made a big impact in the outcome of that game. It was different from the state championship game my junior year. I knew what I needed to do in that game, but it was harder because I was all nerves.”

She found her next home at Winston-Salem State after the high school basketball season ended. She committed to the Rams in mid-March.

“I felt like it was the best fit for me,” Dalton said. “I liked the coaching staff and the team. Really, their whole campus felt like a place where I belonged. I can see myself getting better there.”

Her career goal is to become a physician’s assistant. She plans an exercise science major with a minor in psychology. She’s already gotten some serous experience in those fields from her high school trials and tribulations.

“I think as far as basketball, I can only go up,” Dalton said. “Dominate harder. Jump higher. Get more confident in myself. Those are the goals.”

Brice has no doubt Dalton can do whatever she sets her mind to do.

“I’m excited for her because there was a time when she wasn’t sure college basketball is something she wanted,” Brice said. “But she has the ability to shock people in college. She’s going to work hard on her offensive game, and when it catches up to her defense, she’s going to be great.”