varsity.roanoke.com

Salem girls basketball coach DeWayne Harrell may have found the key to success in 2009 -- but it's probably not going to help the economy.

In fact, big-box retailers aren't going to find the news stimulating at all.

"He took away our electronics before the game," Spartans sophomore point guard Kenzie Poindexter said. "He wanted us to focus."

Instead of jamming to individual iPods, the Spartans collectively watched the movie "Hoosiers" Thursday afternoon. A 23-year-old film recounting a 55-year old Indiana farmland story may not be cutting-edge, but it certainly was an effective motivator for a group of mostly underclassmen.

The Spartans (7-3, 1-0) overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to down Pulaski County (5-5, 0-1) 54-45 in the River Ridge District opener for both schools. Balanced scoring, crisp passing and solid defense keyed Salem's second-half comeback -- just the way coach Norman Dale (as played by Gene Hackman) would have ordered.

The score was tied at 39 and 41 before Salem ran off eight straight points.

"We played better defense at the end," Harrell said. "We stopped crashing the boards with all five players."

Junior center Emily Richardson's 14 points led the winners. Sophomores Bre Kawa and Alexius Patterson added 12 and 10, respectively, and Poindexter chipped in nine.

But perhaps the clinching points came from Carlye Garst, whose only basket of the game came off of an offensive rebound with 1:40 to play when Poindexter missed the second free throw of a one-and-one. Garst's unexpected points put Salem ahead by eight (49-41).

"It was important for Carlye, a freshman, to see that things others than scoring can win games," Harrell said. "That rebound meant a lot."

After spotting the Spartans a 4-0 lead, Pulaski County scored 12 unanswered points early in the game and opened its biggest lead -- 27-17 -- with 1:45 left in the first half. After intermission, however, the Cougars went cold, hitting just 3-of-16 shots in the third quarter.

"We got into foul trouble," Pulaski County coach Jason Grubb said. "That frustrated our players and took them out of their game. They started guessing how to play. Our shooting percentage went down in the second half, too (8-of-31, 25.8 percent). We had a lot of looks; we just weren't making them."

Sophomore guard Raiven Patterson led Pulaski with 17 points, including two quick baskets in the final two minutes that pulled her team within four (49-45).

Neither team shot free throws well; Salem made just 8-of-19, while the Cougars were just 6-of-16.

"Salem's much improved from last year," Grubb said. "They're going to be a factor in the district."

The Spartans won just four games in the last two seasons combined.

Salem hosts River Ridge rival Christiansburg tonight. Will they be tired playing back-to-back nights?

"Not after winning," Harrell said. "It's amazing how a win can make you forget that you're tired."

PULASKI COUNTY (5-5, 0-1)

Holcomb 3 2-6 8, R. Patterson 8 1-2 17, Davidson 2 0-0 4, Samuelson 0 0-0 0, Ball 2 1-2 5, Lang 0 0-1 0, Riegert 1 2-2 5, Dean 0 0-0 0, Lawson 0 0-0 0, Shay 3 0-3 6.. Totals 19 6-16 45.

SALEM (7-3, 1-0)

A. Patterson 4 2-4 10, Kawa 4 1-2 12, Poindexter 3 3-5 9, Richardson 6 2-5 14, Belcher 2 0-3 5, Davis 1 0-0 2, Payne 0 0-0 0, Garst 1 0-0 2, Clowser 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-19 54.

Pulaski County 17 10 7 11 -- 45

Salem 10 11 16 17 -- 54

3-point goals Pulaski County 1 (Riegert), Salem 4 (Kawa 3, Belcher). Total fouls Pulaski County 21, Salem 16. Fouled out Lang. Technical foul none. JV Salem, 33-31.