Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 16, 1994 TAG: 9401160168
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But Saturday night, the Spartans showed they can win that way, too.
After spotting Patrick Henry (6-3) a 15-0 lead, Salem (8-0) mounted a methodical second-half comeback to down the Patriots 58-53.
Junior guard Kevin Garst led the Spartans with a career-high 18 points, including a 3-point basket in each quarter. Salem's Mark Byington was held to 14 points, about half of his average, but the senior saved his best for the game's critical moments.
Both teams were playing the second of back-to-back night games, and at different times fatigue appeared to show.
Patrick Henry, a Group AAA school, dominated the first quarter. The Patriots easily beat Salem's man-to-man defense and took leads of 19-1 and 23-4.
"It looked like we'd played three or four nights in a row, the way we stood around and spotted them that many points," said Charlie Morgan, the Spartans' coach.
PH's box-and-one defense, designed to contain Byington, effectively throttled Salem's potent offense early. Quinton Twine shadowed Byington's every move, holding him to 0-for-5 field-goal shooting in the first quarter. Garst was the only Spartan to score from the field in the opening eight minutes.
Meanwhile, five Patriots players scored and their team was 11-for-15 from the field in the period.
Salem began to find the range in the second period and closed to 34-26 before PH scored the final three baskets of the half to increase its lead to 14.
The momentum changed uniforms in the second half. The Spartans switched to a zone, the Patriots grew cautious, and Salem slowly closed the gap.
"We knew they'd make a run and we didn't weather the storm very well," said Woody Deans, PH's coach. "In the second half, our offense became too individualized."
The Patriots scored only 13 points after halftime, and Shannon Taylor, who finished with a game-high 19, accounted for eight of those.
PH led 46-41 late in the third quarter, after Taylor scored inside with three seconds remaining, but Byington hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to cut the Spartans' deficit to two.
Salem never trailed after taking a 49-48 lead on Garst's 3-pointer with 5:16 left in the game. The Patriots tied it at 53 on Chris Combs' 3-pointer in the game's final minute, but Byington and the Spartans' Nathan Routt scored the game's last five points.
On a pick-and-roll play, Byington found Routt for a layup that made it 55-53 with eight seconds to play.
After a PH timeout, Taylor, a strong-armed football quarterback, threw a court-length pass that found only the rafters at the top of Salem's gym.
"He was supposed to throw it to midcourt," Deans said.
The Spartans got the ball under their own basket, and Byington made a layup and a free throw to end the game.
Byington, who scored 36 points on seven 3-pointers Friday night, was not as sharp Saturday, but he still managed to contribute some unusual three-point plays. In addition to his half-court shot at the end of the third quarter and the game's final scoring, he also made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt.
"What I'm most proud of is that our team didn't quit," Morgan said.
In addition to Garst and Byington's play, Morgan cited Matt Woolwine's six fourth-quarter points as pivotal.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB