STATESVILLE — West Iredell spent six minutes following coach Brian Cantrell’s third-quarter technical working to get back even with the Salisbury boys.
The Warriors finally knotted the score, but the Hornets didn’t let them enjoy their breakthrough for very long.
Salisbury outscored West Iredell 11-2 in the final 3:26 on Tuesday night to walk away with a 72-63 win on the road.
Salisbury went to a matchup zone after the Warriors tied the score at 61-61, and West missed six of its final seven shots from the field.
“We spread the zone out, and they had some shooters that had been getting open 3s,”Salisbury freshman Sharmari Spears said. “We got up and put a hand in their face.”
Salisbury entered the fourth quarter with a 51-46 lead, but West broke even more than four minutes later on two free throws by Tarren Griffin.
Spears, who scored 28 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, took a huge jump stop in the lane on the next possession and scored to put the Hornets back on top.
Spears added a free throw with 1:22 left to put Salisbury ahead 64-61, then senior guard Andre Bruce made the play of the night.
Bruce picked the pocket of guard Jakia Fox and raced the length of the court for a layup to give the Hornets (5-8, 3-1) a five-point edge with less than a minute to play.
“I just knew it was in the crunch, I had to make a steal, I had to make a big play,”Bruce said. “I’m a senior, I had to step up.”
The senior stood out in the final minutes, but the Hornets got some nice work from the diaper-dandy Spears, as well as two sophomore guards.
Spears scored 16 points in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting but suffered through a two-point third quarter.
West Iredell (3-10, 0-4) tied the score at 42-42 with 1:48 left in the third, but Cantrell’s technical helped Salisbury lead by five after three quarters.
Spears got refocused in the fourth, when he made his final five free throws and scored 12 points.
“I was struggling in the first and second halves, but when the game got close, I had to suck it up and pull through for my team,” Spears said.
Despite the performance, Spears, as well as coach Drew Mathews, talked after the game about how he didn’t have his usual spark on Tuesday night.
“Sharmari had a decent game, but he wasn’t there mentally or emotionally, knowing he has to step up every night,” Mathews said.
Sophomores Julian Greene and Patrick Doleman provided a nice spark off the bench for the Hornets.
Greene hit three of his four shots in the second quarter to help Salisbury stake out to a 36-32 lead at the break.
Doleman hit all four of his free throws, including two with 9.8 seconds to play to put the Hornets ahead 70-63.
“They got out there, relaxed and played great basketball,”Mathews said. “Patrick controlled the game and played real smart, and they made smart decisions.”
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NOTES: Matt Butler contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds. ... Cantrell on his third-quarter technical: “That’s probably the first time in history I’ve ever been T’d up for asking whose ball it is,” he said. ... West Iredell’s Quentin McGinnis, who has been the Warriors’ best post player recently, injured his left ankle three minutes into the game. He left the gym on crutches before the end of the quarter and went to a nearby hospital. “It looks real bad, but I hate to speculate,”Cantrell said.
SALISBURY (72) — Spears 28, Butler 12, Greene 7, Bruce 6, Geter 5, Roten 5, Campbell 5, Doleman 4, Edward, Fields.
WEST IREDELL (63) — Tomlin 14, Goodson 11, Chapman 7, D.Griffin 8, Fox 6, T. Griffin 5, Pogne 5, Mercado 4, McClelland 3, Peacock, McGinnis.
Salisbury 17 19 15 21 — 72
West Iredell 13 19 14 16 — 63
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
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