Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 4, 1992 TAG: 9201040249
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN WEBSTER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SPARTANS ROMP IN OPENER
Salem High's boys' basketball team proved that those who work hard eventually are rewarded for their efforts.Coach Len Mosser's Spartans, with only one senior on the squad, opened their season Friday night with a convincing 67-51 victory over Christiansburg.
"We busted our butts getting ready for this game," said senior guard Corey Epperly, who scored 10 points and had even more assists. "Coach [Mosser] told us he was going to work us hard both mentally and physically during the Christmas break and, if we could accept the challenge, to show up for practice."
No doubt, the Spartans accepted Mosser's challenge. Twelve players showed up in what amounted to three-hour practices each day. All 12 saw action against the Demons (4-4) in the non-district game.
"I'm proud of the way the kids worked over the holidays," Mosser said. "It's nice to get that first win. And I liked the way we did it - with our bench. They all contributed in some way."
Mosser also noted that junior guard Carlos Terry played an important role. "Carlos was one of the big keys to our winning," the coach said. "He came off the bench and gave us the spark we needed. What was it? A 10-0 run for us after he came in."
It was better than that: 13-0. With 3:31 left in the third quarter, the Spartans were clinging to a 35-32 lead, but the situation looked bleak. Josh Pugh, one of the their big men who had tallied 14 points, picked up his fifth foul and was finished for the night.
Enter Terry. After a pair of baskets by Chad Custer and Mark Byington, Terry swished a 3-pointer, then quickly turned a steal into an 8-foot jumper. Salem never looked back, taking a 48-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
Terry stayed hot. He banked in the first shot of the fourth quarter to give Salem a 16-point lead and the Spartans cruised after that. Salem continued to expand its lead, which reached 20 points in the final minutes. \
see microfilm for box score
Memo: a longer version ran in the New River Valley edition.