Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Thursday night, his summary of the the Salem-Byrd game was concise, colorful and accurate.
``They made 26 free throws and we made nine,'' he said, writing the figures on a blackboard at Byrd. ``We turned the ball over 21 times, which was a whole lot more than they did [14]. That's the difference right there.''
Salem defeated the Terriers, Timesland's top-ranked team, 61-55 in a battle for the Blue Ridge District lead. The Spartans are 14-3 overall, 7-1 in the district, and Byrd is 17-2, 6-2. Both of the Terriers' losses have been to Salem.
The Spartans' victory Thursday overshadowed an outstanding performance by Cathy Smith. The Byrd forward scored 29 points (12-of-17 from the field, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line) and had 12 of her team's 16 points in the final quarter.
``It was a tough game,'' said Dee Wright, Salem's coach. ``We needed this win. We knew Cathy was going to get her points; she's that kind of an athlete.''
No other Byrd player scored more than eight.
The Spartans' balanced attack was led by Shellie Johnson, who had 18 points. Sarah Palmer added 13 and Mandy Williams, Tina Slate and Marilyn Huang contributed nine, nine and eight, respectively.
Salem's free-throw shooting was remarkable, as the team made its first 13 before Huang missed with 1:59 remaining in the third quarter. The Spartans finished 26-of-32 (81 percent) from the line.
``We got a little tired at the end,'' Wright said.
The Spartans led 15-11 after one quarter, but Byrd pulled to 25-24 on a Smith three-point play with 2:55 left in the half. Two free throws each by Johnson and Huang gave Salem a five-point cushion (29-24) at intermission.
``We missed at least three shots during that stretch in the second quarter that could have put us ahead,'' Thrasher said. ``We didn't do a good job of slowing down and running our offense. That was key.''
Byrd led 32-31 in the third period, but Salem went on a 14-4 run in the next five minutes.
At the end, the Spartans simply made most of their free throws - 12 of 17 in the last eight minutes - and Byrd couldn't catch up despite Smith's best efforts.
``We put them [on the free-throw line] where they wanted to be,'' Thrasher said.
Salem and Byrd play Lord Botetourt (16-2, 5-2) next week, so the district title is undecided.
``Botetourt's going to have a lot to say about who's district champion,'' Thrasher said.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB