Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502160103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Fresh off a draining Blue Ridge District victory over William Byrd on Tuesday, which included a 19-point comeback, the Spartans appeared likely upset victims as they played for the second time in 24 hours.
But Salem, which was dealt its only loss last season by Cave Spring en route to the Group AA championship, responded with a 59-56 non-district boys' high school basketball victory over the Group AAA Knights.
``As hard as we played [Tuesday] night and seeing the kids were emotionally drained, I was concerned,'' said Charlie Morgan, Salem's coach. ``But the kids said this was for bragging rights, and they said they'd go out and play hard and lay it on the line. They still think back to last year, and Cave Spring was the only loss we had.''
Just as they did against Byrd, the Spartans had to rally in the second half to defeat Cave Spring. The Knights led 29-24 at halftime, but Salem used a full-court press to shake up Cave Spring and take control.
``We pressed them some in the first half, but we were just feeling them out,'' Morgan said. ``In the second half, we used a press like we did [against Byrd] and took them out of their offense and forced them to call some timeouts.''
Kevin Garst paced Salem offensively with 26 points, including a 16-for-16 performance at the free-throw line. Matt Woolwine added 14 points.
Besides leading the Spartans in scoring, Garst also was given the task of defending Cave Spring's leading scorer, Matt Matheny. He hit his average with 19 points, but he didn't have a huge night that could have beaten Salem. On Tuesday, Garst defended Byrd's Chris Childress, who scored 22 points, but only six came in the second half when the Spartans rallied.
by CNB