Salisbury boys 58, West Davidson 25

By David Shaw

dshaw@salisburypost.com

TYRO — Nine days off apparently did the Salisbury boys basketball team a world of good.

The well-rested Hornets played their first game since Jan. 26 and cruised to a 58-25 victory at West Davidson on Thursday.

"This may sound funny, but I think the layoff is going to help us out in the long run," coach Jason Causby said after Salisbury (11-4, 5-1 CCC) earned its fifth straight win. "Look at all the football guys we have — and they played well into December. We really haven't had a chance to give them any time off. With this snow, it forced us to take time off that we wouldn't have had. That'll help us down the stretch."

It helped them almost immediately against West (3-13, 0-6). SHS trailed 4-0 in the opening minute but scored nine straight points to take charge.

"That might have been the layoff affecting us," said junior Alex Weant, who had 14 points and six rebounds. "Once we started playing our style of basketball, things began to click."

The Hornets busted the game open during a 71/2-minute feeding frenzy that bridged the first and second quarters. A 21-0 run — fueled by Darien Rankin's 3-pointer and nine layups by five other players — put Salisbury ahead 30-6 with 3:10 remaining in the half.

"Both teams hadn't played for a while, but they looked like they had fresher legs than us," said West coach Russ Snider, a Salisbury resident. "They're really starting to play well."

Especially on defense.

Salisbury limited the Green Dragons to eight field goals, including just two in the first half.

"Our coach emphasized to us not to worry so much about offense," Salisbury guard John Knox said. "He said to work hard on the defensive end. We knew the offense would come if we played good defense. So we came out and buckled down."

Knox provided the meat and potatoes, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and six steals. Teammate Romar Morris added 10 points and six rebounds.

"What they did," Snider said, "was make us alter our shots. We were taking lower-percentage shots and contested shots from the outside. Give them credit. We could never get into an offensive flow."

Salisbury's shelves were also well-stocked. By games's end the bench players had provided 31 points. Afterward, Causby applauded his team but also waved a caution flag.

"I want to be realistic," he said. "They hadn't been in the gym or shot for nine days either. And it's a lot easier to defend a team that's not hitting shots from the outside. Neither group really was, but we were able to generate some steals and get some transition."

Weant said Salisbury's defensive pressure was front-and-center — and a difference-maker.

"Our defensive presence was definitely better than it has been in the past few games," he said. "This was a stepping stone in the right direction."

SALISBURY (58) — Weant 14, Knox 11, Morris 10, Jones 7, Rankin 4, Phillips 4, Murphy 4, Hailey 2, Nunn 2, Wilkins, Petty, Wood.

WEST DAVIDSON (25) — Baynard 9, Burkhart 6, Beck 4, McCandies 3, Cameron 2, Kepley 1.

Salisbury 18 14 12 14 — 58

W. Davidson 6 2 7 10 — 25