By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s Jacquez Smith threw it up. Lawon Blackwell threw it down.

Dunks are two points in basketball, same as layups and mid-range jumpers, but sometimes they’re worth a lot more than  two.

This successful alley-oop shortly before halftime for a 25-all tie was a game-changer. It’s when a nip-and-tuck Central Carolina Conference game with Thomasville swung toward the Hornets, who emerged as 64-52 winners.

“Momentum changed on that dunk,” Salisbury head boys coach Bryan Withers said. “Our crowd got energized. Our team got energized.”

It was Blackwell’s only bucket of the night, but he hammered it. Salisbury trailed when the 6-foot-2 Blackwell took flight.  Then the student section exploded. The Hornets wouldn’t trail again.

“He actually left his feet too early on that play,” Smith said. “But no one on our team jumps the way he does. Thomasville is tough and athletic, but that dunk gave us a boost.”

Smith followed his assist on the dunk with a sweet, gliding banker to give the Hornets a 27-25 lead at halftime over the upset-minded Bulldogs.

Then the Hornets started the second half with a 9-3 burst and had some separation.

Salisbury had demolished Thomasville early in the season, blasting the Bulldogs, 87-50, but this was a much tougher contest, extra physical around the rim. Salisbury had its hands full with Thomasville’s blistering guard Jordan Williams and rugged forward Tyree Barnes, who combined for 29 points. Thomasville didn’t make a 3-pointer all night, but it played with fearless tenacity.

“They were better, way better, than the first time we saw them,” Gill said. “We had to really come together to beat them.”

Thomasville tried to play man-to-man against Salisbury in the first meeting and got chewed up. This time coach Antonio Threadgill had his guys in a zone. That slowed down the Hornets.

But the Blackwell dunk was big. So were a pair of third-quarter 3-pointers by Zay Kesler, who led the Hornets with 18 points.  Freshman Jalon Walker, Gill and Nate Brown were also important in a third quarter that ended with Salisbury on top, 49-41.

“I thought we played really well against an athletic team that played a tough zone,” Withers said. “We did so many good things tonight. We play a lot of guys, so our guys aren’t to have the numbers that some of the  players in our league do, but we’re starting to understand winning is all that matters. That’s what made last year’s team so good. They weren’t point-watching, they were just trying to win the game.”

In the fourth quarter, it was almost all Gill and Kesler for the Hornets. They’re the two most experienced, healthy guys the Hornets have. Withers trusted them. They delivered.

Salisbury slowed things down with three minutes left. Thomasville had to chase. The Hornets didn’t make a lot of mistakes. Gill made key free throws.

“Kesler and Gill led us, played well off each other and fed off each other,” Withers said. “That’s what we need.”

Kesler had been working on the perimeter, but in the stretch run, he battled for three inside buckets. Gill made sound decisions, used his quickness to dribble time off the clock, and finished a couple of driving opportunities despite serious contact.

“Well, I play football,” Gill said with a smile. “That helped out. You were going to get to hit on the layups tonight, but we did a good job of finishing.”

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NOTES: With Kesler and Gill quiet, rugged Jabril Norman kept Salisbury from digging an early hole. He scored or assisted on the Hornets’ first eight points. … North Davidson is still undefeated in the CCC with a  9-0 record. Next are Lexington (9-7, 9-2), Salisbury (10-5, 8-2) and Thomasville (7-5, 6-3). That may be the top four all season. No one else in the 10-team league is above .500. … Bill Fisher, an All-CCC player for the Hornets last year, continues to work his way back from back issues. He contributed a second-quarter hoop.

THOMASVILLE (52) — Williams 15, Barnes 14, Knight 7, Poole 7, Thomas 4, Carolina 3, Cunningham 2.

SALISBURY (64) — Kesler 18, Gill 11, Norman 8, Brown 6, J. Walker 6, Smith 5, McLean 4, R. Walker 2, Blackwell 2, B. Fisher 2, Carlton, J. Fisher, Chawlk, Witherspoon, White.

Thomasville      13     12     16    11    — 52

Salisbury           15     12      22   15   — 64

 

 

 

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