Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 6, 1993 TAG: 9302060175
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COVINGTON LENGTH: Medium
SALEM KNOCKS OFF MOUNTAINEERS 67-66
Before Salem and Alleghany played basketball Friday night, numerous distressed fans stood outside Alleghany High School, denied admission because of fire regulations.Afterward, they may still have been out there in the cold, but only Salem was left standing on the gym floor after a 67-66 Blue Ridge District thriller.
The Spartans had to thwart an inbounds play with five seconds left and Salem's Mark Byington made a terrific heads-up play to heave the basketball softly out of danger to allow time to expire a preserve the victory.
Salem (11-3 overall, 4-2 in the district) beat Alleghany for the second time this year and created a four-way tie for first place in the district. The Mountaineers (14-2, 4-2) were left with a lot of questions.
"We just did not do the things you have to do at the end to win the ball game," Alleghany coach Jimmy Smith said. "They did."
In the fourth quarter, there werefive ties and three lead changes, the last coming when Salem's Nathan Routt banked in a shot from the left side after Shawn Burks has been whistled for walking, the 19th of 20 turnovers for the Mountaineers.
Alleghany point guard Sean Allen hustled up a shot seconds later, but Salem's Tra Wilson snagged the carom and rushed down the floor. Then, the Spartans lost the ball, and that set the stage for the ill-fated inbounds play.
With Todd Wheatley being guarded on the inbounds pass, Burks appeared to break open for a split second, but Byington leaped for the ball to end it.
"The key to the game was that our guys did not quit," Salem coach Charlie Morgan said. "We've played a lot of close, tough games. The Magna Vista game helped us because they have the kind of quickness that Alleghany has."
For sure, there was plenty of quickness on hand, but the game's focus seemed to be on the biggest, most bruising guys out there - Wheatley and Josh Pugh of Salem. Later, Pugh had a sore ankle from all the furious inside play. Wheatley, a 60 percent free-throw shooter, probably was just sore after having missed five of seven free throws, including four in the last 3:03 when the Mountaineers were desperate for every point they could get.
Both players put on a memorable show, nevertheless. Pugh finished with 30 points - 18 in the first half - and 15 rebounds; Wheatley scored 22 points, pulled down nine rebounds, hit two 3-pointers and blocked four shots.
"Over the last two seasons, I've had some really good battles with him," Pugh said. "He's a really good player. He's especially tough because he not only muscles you around, but he can also pull up and shoot the three [-pointer], which is an element of his game I don't have."
Morgan marveled at his guy.
"Josh had that look tonight," he said. "They were going to have to carry him away from here."
Salem outrebounded the Mountaineers 43-37 and had four fewer turnovers. Byington had 18 points, two of which came on a take-that flying dunk, but he was never open for long.
"I don't think I've ever shot well against Alleghany," he said. "They've got excellent athletes and I have to change my shot a lot."
Alleghany, which made 28 of 58 shots (48.2 percent) also got 21 points from left-handed forward Michael Hunter. He also jackhammered a dunk, to the delight of a very noisy audience.
It was Hunter who beat Salem on a last-second shot here last year.
"I was thinking about that at the end," Byington said. \
see microfilm for box score
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.