Will the real Salisbury boys basketball team please stand up?
Is it the one that fell apart in a 34-point loss to South Rowan Thursday night? Or is it the team that took apart East Rowan Friday afternoon?
Matt Butler, a 6-foot-5 redwood of a man, is an all-county tackle in football and Friday afternoon in a Sam Moir Christmas Classic consolation game, he tackled the job of proving the real Salisbury team is the one that fought back from an eight-point, fourth quarter deficit to beat the frustrated Mustangs, 51-47.
Butler and fellow inside force, freshman Sharmari Spears combined to swish eight straight, clutch free throws in the final minute— the only free throws of the game for the Hornets — on the way to Salisbury’s second win of the season.
Butler said it all had to do with a long team meeting after a first-round 72-38 debacle against the Raiders.
“We got everything settled,” said the soft-spoken center. “We came out as a team tonight and we really didn’t care who scored the points. We came together.”
And, oh by the way, Butler, a junior, transferred to Salisbury this year from — you guessed it — East Rowan. So he admitted to being a bit nervous as he hit the final four foul shots of the game.
“I’ve always been a good free throw shooter,” Butler said, “but I felt a little pressure because it was my old team. It felt real good.”
As giddy as Butler’s boys were with the win, East (2-7) lost for the second straight night after holding substantial leads. In a 49-48 loss to North on Thursday, the Mustangs led by 13.
Friday, they led 41-33 on an Eric Taylor jumper with six minutes left and appeared to be on their way to a win.
Then, East began crumbling.
First, Andre Bruce stole a pass and went in for a layup. Butler immediately stole another pass and sailed in for a deuce. Butler then rebounded a miss, which led to Spears’ 10-footer.
Just like that, Salisbury was within 41-39.
It was 44-39 when Spears, the 6-foot-5 diaper dandy, hit two baskets and four free throws. Suddenly down three, East’s Derek Talbert missed a 3-pointer, Butler was sent to the line and made two.
Caleb Miller and Talbert combined for three free throws, the final two with 12 seconds left to get East within 49-47. But Butler was fouled and hit two to seal it.
Appropriately, the final play of the game saw Spears block an East 3-point attempt and Butler hauling in his 12th rebound.
“Sharmari did a great job in the first half (12 points),” said Salisbury coach Drew Mathews, “and in the second half, Matt Butler decided we were not going to lose.”
After he came out of a devastated East Rowan locker room, coach Derek Kurnitsky moaned, “It’s like that every game. They make their free throws. We don’t make our free throws. We turn it over. They don’t turn it over. We miss layups. They don’t miss layups.
“And we missed wide open layups with nobody around. You can’t do that and win.”
Mathews said this victory was exactly what the 2-7 Hornets needed.
“We’ve got a little momentum now and we feel good about ourselves,” he said.
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NOTES: Spears scored 10 in the fourth quarter and finished with 22. ... Butler scored 14. ... Matt Belk led East with 18 and had 49 in two games. ... Mathews praised the play of Freddie Cuthbertson. “He played a major role,” said the coach. “I told him to get the ball to Sharmari and he got it to him. That was the key in the first half.” ... Salisbury opens Central Carolina Conference play Wednesday when it travels to West Stokes.
SALISBURY (51) — Spears 22, Butler 14, Geter 4, Bruce 4, Campbell 3, Edwards 2, Roten 2, Doleman, Davis, Cuthbertson.
EAST ROWAN (47) — Belk 18, Talbert 8, Whitley 7, Abel 4, Taylor 4, Shipp 3, Miller 3, Shepherd, Cauble, Harwood..
Salisbury 12 7 10 22 — 51
East Rowan 9 10 17 11 — 47
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