Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 9, 1994 TAG: 9402090132
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For Salem, a new coat of paint was needed to maintain its lead in the Blue Ridge District boys' basketball race.
The Spartans, ranked third in the Group AA state Associated Press poll, went inside and found the offerings good as they beat William Byrd 82-72 on the Terriers' floor to stay a game in front of Northside, which beat Alleghany.
Instead of relying on outside shooting from Mark Byington and Kevin Garst, the Spartans (14-1 overall, 7-0 in the district) got 24 points from 6-foot-3 center Nathan Routt and 15 from forward Matt Woolwine.
Salem plays a non-district game tonight at the Salem Civic Center against Piedmont District power Magna Vista.
Byington, Timesland's leading scorer, got in on the inside act with seven rebounds and three blocked shots, including two in the final minutes after the Terriers (8-6, 2-4) had cut Salem's 18-point lead to 76-72.
"We talked about going inside last week," Salem coach Charlie Morgan said. "We've been a perimeter team, and we kind of overlooked those guys inside. On the nights you're off [from the perimeter], you have to have some paint threat."
Routt hit 12 of 16 shots to score a career-high 24 points. Woolwine made five of seven. This helped Salem overcome Byrd's tight defense on Byington, who finished six points below his average with 19 while being guarded by Donald Childress.
"We know that we need to get the ball inside," Routt said. "It gives you a couple of options because you can always kick it back outside for an open shot. Byrd doesn't have a lot of height, and we were doing what we wanted to at will early in the game. So we kept going back to it."
"Donald did a good job on Byington, but that affected his offense because he got tired," said Byrd coach Paul Barnard. "They extended our defense, and Routt played extremely well."
Morgan said the Spartans had to adjust to Byrd's defensive scheme.
"Paul knows what we're going to do, and when someone knows your offense, you have to go to a second, third or fourth option," said Morgan. "I was extremely proud that we were very patient."
That was due to Byington and point guard Brian Monroe, who combined for 13 assists.
In the first half, the Spartans went up by 13 points and increased the margin to 52-34 early the third quarter. It was 73-60 after Woolwine hit two free throws with 3:20 left.
But all of a sudden, Jeremy Obenchain ignited Byrd. First, he got a layup and was fouled for a three-point play. Next, he stole the ball with 2:51 for another layup to make it 73-65.
Byington hit two free throws and blocked two layup attempts as it appeared the Spartans had made it through the rally.
Salem led 76-67 with 1:09 left after Woolwine hit a free throw. Obenchain, who had 15 of his game-high 26 points in the final quarter, then got hot again. He hit a follow shot but missed a free throw. After Routt missed a one-and-one, Obenchain fired in a 3-point shot with 42.5 seconds to make it 76-72.
This time, reserve Chad Pendleton beat Byrd's press down the floor for a layup with 34.8 seconds. He was fouled and hit the free throw to seal the game for Salem.
Morgan was unhappy with the close finish.
"There are things that happen and players learn from them," he said. "We made some errors that were unforced and did some other things that put Byrd back in the game."
The Spartans survived because they shot extremely well (34-of-54) and owned a 33-29 advantage on the boards. The Terriers struggled with their shooting (27-of-61) and wouldn't have done that well if McGuire and Obenchain hadn't combined to shoot 17-of-32.
by CNB