INDIAN TRAIL — Senior Nights are usually big trouble for visiting teams. They have to face a pumped-up team and emotional crowds.

East Rowan found that out Friday night at Sun Valley.

Despite playing one of their better games this season, the Mustangs weren’t big enough and weren’t fast enough to contain Quinton Toxey’s Spartans in a 83-62 South Piedmont Conference loss.

Forget the 21-point defeat. East coach Mark Flynn was satisfied with the effort.

“I thought Sun Valley played an excellent game,” he said. “I really didn’t think we played that badly.”

But it was two of Toxey’s talented seniors — guard Richard Barrett and center Kenneth Hammond — that were the biggest factors.

Barrett shredded the Mustang defense, especially in the second half, finishing with 28. Hammond, a burly 6-foot-5 man of steel, dunked five times and had 19 points.

Sun Valley (8-7, 12-10) felt the nerves in the first half, going just 15-of-35. Even with the shooting woes, the Spartans still managed to bomb in five three-pointers in the first eight minutes, three by seldom-used Sheldon Henderson. Sun Valley eventually led 25-12 after one.

“That’s hard to beat right there,” Flynn said of the 23-footers. “I didn’t even remember (Henderson).”

Toxey said his team had to rely on 3s because East was playing good defense.

“I thought they stopped our fast break really well,” he said, “and that’s what we’re good at doing.”

East began hitting its stride in the second quarter. Mark Misenheimer and Adam Cornelius hit 3-pointers, sandwiched around a Taylor Weber layup off a feed from Cornelius, and it was 27-20.

Hammond kept clanging free throws off the back of the rim and the Mustangs took advantage. A three-point play from Misenheimer and a layup by Trey Ledbetter suddenly had East within 31-25.

“We played a real good second quarter,” said Flynn. “After we got over it being Senior Night, we started doing the things we needed.”

Two more Cornelius assists, one to Weber and the other to Misenheimer, had the Sun Valley lead at 38-31 going into the locker room.

Toxey would have been happy with that had he not looked at the foul shooting stats that showed the Spartans were a pathetic 2-for-12. Sun Valley would finish the game 3-for-17.

“Gosh-amighty, it’s a good thing free throw shooting didn’t decide this game.,” he moaned. “We’d have gotten our butts beat because East did a good job of hitting theirs (13-of-21). We will be shooting free throws Monday.”

Sun Valley appeared to be pulling away early in the third quarter when Hammond dunked home a rebound and Barrett scooped in a layup for a 47-35 cushion.

But Flynn’s resilient Mustangs wouldn’t fold in front of a loud home following. Misenheimer, who finished with 15 points, converted a four-point play after being fouled while swishing a 3-pointer and when Weber hit, it was 47-41.

East pulled within six again 51-45 on a Weber baseline jumper.

“East plays hard — they always do,” Toxey said. “They’re not big but they play hard.”

Sun Valley began to pull away in the final minute of the third period. Barrett scored on a drive, Hammond dunked again and Jonathan Knick bombed a three. When Barrett and Hammond scored to open the fourth, it was the end of an 11-0 run that gave Sun Valley an insurmountable 62-45 lead.

The rest was showtime for the Valley. Hammond stuffed home dunks 3-4-5 and Barrett, with college scouts watching, pumped in nine in the quarter.

“Hammond was just too big and too strong for us,” Flynn said. “If we don’t get a guy between him and the basket, we’re in trouble. Sometimes, even when we do, he goes over us.”

“It came down to offensive rebounds. We gave up too many.”

Cornelius scored eight of his 14 in the final eight minutes but it was far too late.

“I’m not disappointed with our effort,” said Flynn. “The game was a little closer than the score indicated.”

The season is not over for East (3-13, 4-19). It will be the seventh seed in the SPC Tournament and will travel to Central Cabarrus Tuesday night.

“We played Central a pretty good game,” Flynn said. “We go in with nothing to lose We’ll play hard.”

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NOTES: Sun Valley is the fifth seed in the tournament. ... Weber led East with 17 points on 7 of 17 shooting. ... Misenheimer was 5-for-8 from the field. ... Sun Valley was 20 of 30 from the field in the second half. ... East was 7-for-10 in the second quarter. ... Hammond, a linebacker in football, was offered a scholarship by Alabama but his grades weren’t good enough. He is going to N.C. A&T instead.

EAST ROWAN (62) — Weber 17, Misenheimer 15, Cornelius 14, Miller 7, Rusher 3, Ledbetter 2, Shepherd 2, Hollifield 2, Martinez, Sides.

SUN VALLEY (83) — Barrett 28, Hammond 19, Henderson 11, Knick 7, McClain 6, Winger 6, Barrino 4, Winchester 2.

East Rowan 12 19 14 17 — 63