Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 16, 1994 TAG: 9402160165
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It was hard to believe that Salem is the state's third-ranked Group AA basketball team based on the first quarter of the Spartans' game with Alleghany on Tuesday.
The Mounties led 21-10, and Mark Byington, Timesland's second-leading scorer, had gone 0-for-5 for the first eight minutes.
Twenty-four seconds into the second period, Alleghany's leading scorer, Todd Wheatley, picked up his third foul. Out he went, and in rushed Salem to keep its Blue Ridge District lead with an 87-69 victory.
With junior Matt Woolwine pacing the way, the Spartans (15-1 overall, 8-0 district) outscored Alleghany 28-14. Woolwine, a junior transfer from Glenvar, connected on nine free throws and had 11 points as the Spartans grabbed a 38-35 lead at the half.
Byington, however, had nothing to do with the turnaround. After hitting a layup that barely rolled in, he picked up a third foul and went to the sidelines like Wheatley.
Byington returned in the third quarter and picked up q quick fourth foul. He stayed in the game and destroyed Alleghany (10-8, 4-5) with four 3-point shots and a backwards slam dunk.
Salem scored 30 points in the quarter, with Woolwine hitting two more free throws to give him 13 in a row before he missed twice. Woolwine led all scorers with 23 points.
"I was just getting the ball underneath," Woolwine, a 6-foot junior, said. "I was taking it to the basket and they were fouling me trying to block my shot because I'm so small."
After going 4-of-17 in the opening quarter, Salem wound up making 27-of-38 shots over the final three periods. After losing the boards 11-6 in the opening quarter, the Spartans dominated the rebounding 32-14 with Nathan Routt getting 10.
"We hadn't played since Tuesday and we were just out of sync," said Salem coach Charlie Morgan, who gambled and won by letting Byington play with four personals. "I'm going to gamble and leave him in. Last year I took him out, put him back and he got a touch foul."
Alleghany coach Jimmy Smith said the turning point was when Wheatley picked up his third foul. "That changed the game. It put them at the foul line. Byington got his third, too. This is a big game and the two best players are sitting. But he played better with four fouls."
After hitting 8-of-11 in the first quarter, the Mounties made only 17-of-47 the rest of the way. Wheatley had 15 points, but Smith didn't gamble with his 6-4 center once he got four fouls and sat him for a long stretch in the third quarter.
by CNB