The Salem High boys’ basketball team will be home Friday night for a River Ridge District basketball game with Christiansburg. It will be the third district game of the week for the Spartans, who beat Blacksburg on Monday and fell to undefeated Hidden Valley on Tuesday, both on the road, to go 8-2 after 10 games.
On Monday in Blacksburg the Spartans rolled to a 71-37 win. After leading by one point, 13-12, after the first period Salem opened a 31-19 lead at the half. Salem then buried the Bruins by outscoring them 30-14 in the third quarter and coasted to the win.
Salem held a 32-25 edge in rebounding and had 14 steals to just three for Blacksburg. The Spartans shot 53 percent from the floor and held the Bruins to just 33 percent.
Cam Boles led Salem in scoring with 17 points and also had three assists. Tanner Overstreet had 12 points and five rebounds while Gabe Martn had 11 points. Overstreet, Jaydius Hamm and Braylon Smith had three steals each.
On Tuesday at Hidden Valley the Titans remained undefeated at 9-0 with a 60-48 win over the Spartans. Salem trailed for most of the game but cut the lead to four in the fourth quarter before Hidden Valley pulled away.
“They’re probably the best team we’ve played so far,” said Salem coach Kevin Garst. “We got close but every time we did they’d hit a big shot. They play fast and shoot the ball good.”
Salem had balanced scoring as Boles had a dozen, Smith had 11 and Hamm and Overstreet had 10 points each.
The Spartans will have their hands full again when Christiansburg comes to town Friday.
“They’re really good,” said Garst. “They beat Cave Spring and they should have beaten Patrick Henry. They led most of the game but lost it at the end. They have a 6’8” guy who’s a good player.”
The Spartans will be back home next Tuesday to host Patrick Henry in a rematch of a close win over the Patriots in Roanoke on December 12.
