REIDSVILLE— The season had just ended for the Salisbury boys basketball team in very rude fashion, 87-55, in the Sectional 3, 2A tournament.
But coach Drew Mathews was smiling nonetheless.
As far as he was concerned, the 32-point drubbing was the beginning of something good.
His young Hornets, who lose just two senior guards, got to see what a first-rate basketball program is all about. When they walked into the storied old gym, which serves as an athletic hub for this small, close-knit community near the Virginia line, you couldn’t blame them for being in awe.
There were tributes to former players such as Melvin Watkins and C.C. Harrison. There was a photo of Scott Bankhead, a former major-league pitcher. There were reminders of several state titles, the first that came way back in 1924.
And there was a huge portrait of Hoy Issacs, who won more than 500 basketball games before retiring in 1982.
“We talked about tradition with them,” said Mathews. “They came into an environment that they’d never been in in their life. This was a good experience for my kids.”
Reidsville, the No. 2 seed from the North State Conference, proved Tuesday night the tradition is still intact. The Rams did everything Mathews expected in running their record to 19-7. They now travel to Central Carolina Conference champion Lexington (24-4) on Thursday.
“We’ve seen both of them,” Mathews said. “Reidsville is a very good shooting team that put on a clinic tonight. So it will be interesting to see how Lexington matches up.”
Mathews also mentioned the Rams defense, which forced 20 first-half turnovers, leading to fast break after fast break.
“Reidsville came out and played tenacious defense,” said Mathews.
Lanky sophomore Jack Campbell bombed in a 3-pointer early that pulled the Hornets within 4-3. That was it for the highlights. Reidsville led 24-7 after one quarter and
52-20 at halftime.
Reidsville coach Ron Parson said his team played hard even though Salisbury was the CCC’s fourth seed.
“The fourth-place team in our league is McMicheal and they can probably beat anybody,” Parson reasoned. “So I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t worry about records. They’re here, so they have to be doing something right.”
A big problem for Salisbury was the absence of any offense from 6-foot-4 freshman Sharmari Spears. He missed his first five shots and didn’t score until his free throw midway through the second quarter. His first basket didn’t come until there were 27 seconds left in the third period. He finished with eight.
“Spears is the best we’ve had at Salisbury in the last six years,” Mathews said, “but he is a (14-year-old) freshman. And when a freshman comes into a new environment, he’ll learn things. Next year, he’ll be a lot better.
“We’ll be a lot better. I’m glad we got to this point. We can build on this and have more success.”
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NOTES: Salisbury finished 10-16. ... Parson’s next win will be his 400th. ... Salisbury was 3-for-17 from the field in the first quarter and 7-for-28 by halftime. ... Eleven players saw action for Reidsville and all scored. ... Burly Hornet Stephen Davis came off the bench to play well, scoring six points.
SALISBURY (55) — Spears 8, Davis 6, Edward 6, Greene 5, Geter 5, Campbell 5, Roten 5, Sirleaf 5, Butler 4, Hamilton 3, Doleman 3, Bruce, Fields, Cuthbertson.
REIDSVILLE (87) — Hooper 14, Robertson 12, Simpson 10, Lewis 9, Harris 8, Putnam 8, Chestnut 7, Stevenson 6, Courts 6, Galloway 4, Hammock 3.
Salisbury 7 13 16 22 — 55
Reidsville 26 26 21 14 — 87
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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4287 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com
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