ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602260118
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
THE SPARTANS COME from 17 points behind and win 55-48 in overtime.
Both coaches said the teams were even after the shouting had subsided following the fourth Salem-Northside boys' basketball game of the season, and there was little way anybody could dispute them.
Salem had to come from 17 points back and survive a grueling overtime to beat the Vikings 55-48 on Saturday night for the championship of the Blue Ridge District tournament at the Salem Civic Center.
It was one of those games that almost was over before it dawned on anybody that the Spartans had a chance to win it.
Billy Pope, the disappointed Northside coach, claimed not to be among the startled at the late developments.
``These are two evenly matched teams,'' he said. ``You just knew that they'd make a run at us, just as you would have known that we would have made a run at them.''
Salem played from behind the whole way, not tying the score until there was 3:39 remaining in regulation time. Northside went back up by two on a pair of Xavier Lee free throws, but big man Eric Grinnell knotted the score at 42 with an inside move with 24 seconds left. The Vikings' Justin Porterfield missed a last shot after Northside held for it. Porterfield would go on to score four points in overtime to give him a game-high 27 before he fouled out.
Salem never trailed in the extra period.
``Herschel Thomas came over and said, `Refuse to lose,''' Salem coach Charlie Morgan said of his sophomore guard.
Kwam Lewis added 13 points and Grinnell chipped in 12 by pounding away on smaller players inside.
``Grinnell hurt us,'' Pope said.
Northside beat Salem in a playoff game this week for the Blue Ridge's top seed in the Region III tournament. The Vikings have a bye in the first round. Salem, which stands 2-2 with the Vikings this season, plays Laurel Park when regional play opens Wednesday at Rustburg High School.
``I'm very happy for our players,'' Morgan said. ``They hung in there and battled.''
Salem won the overtime by making eight of 11 free throws, with Lewis sinking all four of his. For the game, the Spartans were 12-of-19 from the stripe; Northside was 9-for-9, with Porterfield making five and Lee four.
Long-range shooting and panic-inducing defense - Northside staples - characterized the first half. Four of the first six Vikings field goals came from beyond the arc; the other two were mid-range jumpers.
Spread out by that sort of attack, the Spartans' defense was too thin in too many sectors. Porterfield found many of the weak spots and hit for 14 points before intermission.
The Vikings pushed the advantage to 28-14, closing with a 10-4 flourish in the last 4:01.
Porterfield scored the first five points of the second half, starting with a three-point play at the 7:24 mark. Salem closed the third quarter with a 9-3 run, but Northside gave no indication it was losing the upper hand.
``We played very well the whole game,'' Pope said. ``We had a lot of good looks [at the basket], but some of the key shots didn't fall for us.
``We were playing great, executing great and the defense played strong the whole way. I wish I could tell you what happened, but you've got to expect a team like Salem to be able to come back on you.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB