ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701280010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
Some days it just looks easy. For the Salem Spartans, Saturday was one of those days.
Behind outstanding shooting and tenacious defense, the Spartans dropped Blue Ridge District foe Blacksburg 77-49 in a boys' basketball game in Salem.
What looked to be a close contest through the first eight minutes of play turned into a blowout. Not only were the Spartans (8-6 overall, 6-2 district) stopping Blacksburg center Philip Klaus inside, they were draining shots inside and outside at their end of the floor.
Salem broke a tie with a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and never looked back in avenging a multiple-overtime loss on the Indians' floor.
``The last time we played, [Klaus] had 30 points and I thought that was the difference in the ballgame,'' said Charlie Morgan, Salem's coach. ``Philip is an excellent player, so we focused our attention on trying not to allow him as many touches on the ball as he got the first time.''
And it worked. Klaus finished with a team-high 17 points, including the first 3-pointer of his career, but seven of those came in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach. He was the only Indian to score in double figures.
``I just thought they probably moved a little quicker than we did,'' said Bob Trear, Blacksburg's coach. ``It looked to me like we got tired to tell you the truth. We shot the ball fairly decent early, but then after a few trips up and down the court we lost our legs.
``I still think we have some of the best shooters around, but they've yet to prove it in a game situation.''
For the game, the Indians shot 39 percent from the field, hitting only four of 18 from 3-point range. The Spartans knocked down 64 percent of their shots from the field and 67 percent (eight of 12) from beyond the arc.
Five of those eight 3-pointers for Salem came from senior guard Andy Beach, who scored 17 points.
Beach ``is capable of doing that game in and game out,'' Morgan said. ``I tell the guys all the time that the game of basketball is a lot of adjustments and a lot of consistency. At times we haven't been as consistent as I would have liked. But the guys are capable of knocking down the 3s, and when they do it looks awfully nice.''
Center Eric Grinnell paced the Spartans with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Forward Kwam Lewis added 16.
Trailing 47-33 with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter, Trear yelled from the bench for the Indians to pick their heads up - and the pace of the game as well. The frustration was showing on the faces of the Indians.
``I just thought we played OK, but you have to play with the desire to win,'' Trear said. ``Sometimes when things aren't going well that desire leaves you, and you have to find a way to rekindle it.''
In command 60-37 with 6:46 to play, Salem never eased up. Junior Herschel Thomas brought the crowd to its feet with a diving attempt at a loose ball, and moments later Lewis one-upped his buddy, bringing down the house with a one-handed jam.
``We had been needing to play with more enthusiasm, and today we did that,'' Morgan said. ``It was a solid team effort, and that's the bottom line.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 linesby CNB