Second half spurs South boys past Salisbury

The errant pass zipped right to South Rowan boys basketball coach John Davis.

Chest-high. Perfect position for the jumper.

Davis playfully aimed the ball toward the basket, reliving his glory years when he played college ball for St. Andrews. But alas, he tossed the ball back to the ref.

“I was open,” exclaimed Davis after his team’s easy 72-38 shellacking of Salisbury’s boys in the first round of the Sam Moir Christmas Classic Thursday afternoon. “The official already had one arm up. It was automatic.”

Considering he caught the ball in the second half, that was a safe statement. South Rowan (6-4) didn’t miss much after halftime, scoring 31 third-quarter points to put away the young Hornets.

“If I had shot it in the first half,” Davis grinned, “I would’ve probably broke the backboard.”

All South broke in the second half was Salisbury’s spirit. The Hornets never challenged after the third quarter began.

“We played a pretty good ballgame in the first half,” said Hornets coach Drew Mathews. “We had a pace that was in our favor. But when they hit a couple of easy baskets in the third quarter, we deflated. We just lost confidence and we just gave up.”

It’s not a good idea to give up when you’re playing a team as aggressive and fun-loving as the Raider boys. They never seem to deflate as Davis keeps running in one burly athlete after another.

“John’s team plays physical and tonight, they played a smart ballgame,” Mathews said. “They did the little things that don’t show up in the boxscore. John does a good job with his kids.”

He certainly in the locker room at intermission, with South clinging to a precarious 25-20 lead.

“We were a little rusty in the first half,” Davis said. “It had been seven days since we played.We didn’t look too good but we got the WD-40 out at halftime and took care of them in the second half.”

Point guard David Lane said Davis laid it on the line.

“Coach really got us pumped up and told us what to do and how to play real Raider basketball,” Lane said. “I love playing for Coach Davis. He gives us freedom to do what we want — but he makes sure we don’t go too crazy.”

The only thing that went crazy in the third quarter was the scoreboard, which resembled a pinball machine, at least on South’s side.

Graham Corriher started the onslaught with a layup. Lane busted a three and then fed Corriher for another layup.

The question wasn’t, who got in on the act, but rather, who didn’t? Davis watched 11 Raiders get in on the scoring column.

“For some of these kids, it’s their first Christmas Tournament and the intensity, along with playing at 4 in the afternoon ... we really weren’t there at the start of the game,” said Davis.

“But we came out and got after it,” Lane said of the second.

Andrew Morgan led the Raiders with 18 points while Lane added 11 and Corriher 10. The Raiders finished the game so spectacularly that there was only one question remaining: could Davis have hit the shot?

“I think he would’ve popped it,” Lane beamed.

NOTES: South faces arch-rival Davie County at 4:30 today. ... Tre Hornbeak, averaging 12 points, was held to three. ... Mathews admitted, “It was probably the worst game for us as far as effort and laying it on the line.” ... Asked if there were any positives for the 1-7 Hornets, Mathews said, “We showed up to play and we looked good walking in the gym.”