varsity.roanoke.com

KYLE GREEN The Roanoke Times

Salem's Bud Tolliver goes after a loose ball against Courtland. Courtland led 49-22 at the half.

KYLE GREEN The Roanoke Times

Salem's Travis McDaniel (middle), and Bud Tolliver (right), battle for a rebound with Courtland's Josh Hairston on Saturday.

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RICHMOND -- The party was over but the lights stayed on.

Courtland got off to a swift and deadly start and extended a 12-game winning streak to demolish overmatched Salem 93-69 for the VHSL Group AA Division 4 crown Saturday night at the Siegel Center.

The Spartans, whose gritty march to the state final surprised more than a few, had no answers for a team ranked first or second in the state poll all season.

The Cougars, who had never been to a state final four much less won the title, finished with a school record for victories and a 27-2 record.

"We thought if we played them zone hoping we could slow them down some," Salem coach Kevin Garst said. "Then if they played man, we could get to the middle a little bit. They played great, though."

It was all academic after the first half, which was 16 minutes of abject misery for the Spartans and their substantial assembly of loyal fans.

First, an extended Division 4 girls final prevented the nightcap of six games to start at 9:46 p.m., a full 46 minutes past the scheduled tip.

Then, when the action finally did get underway, the Spartans coughed up five of their 12 first-half turnovers in the first four minutes. Not the best way to start a state championship even if the Cougars didn't start pulling away with a 6-2 flurry that made it 16-10 at the break.

Then the Cougars really got it going in the second quarter; 33-12. The Spartans were defenseless as Courtland scored on 16 of 19 possessions in the quarter.

Hairston, who'd ended the half with 15 points and eight rebounds, added eight more points before the nightmare quarter ended.

He also took advantage of 18 Spartans fouls to go 13-of-14 from the stripe by the start of the fourth quarter. The Cougars were 16-of-18 at the line by that time.

By the end of the game the free throw numbers stood at 22 of 24.

The Spartans showed some character by doing the best they could to avert a totally appalling beating.

In fact, they battled back to win the third quarter by four. Late in the fourth, a one-time 33-point deficit was down to 20.

There was no stopping the Cougars, though. They were the champs and proved it without a shadow of a doubt.

Hairston, the Duke University commitment as a junior, finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds.

"He's one heck of a player," Salem's Reggie Barnette said.

The Barnette twins Reggie and Stephen teamed for 26 points.

Donte Harvey added 15.

The Spartans started three who will be back next year in the twins and sophomore Jerome Hairston.

SALEM (17-11)

R. Barnette 12, S. Barnette 14, Harvey 15, Hairston 5, McDaniel 2, Tolliver 5, Carroll 1, Wade 0, Belton 9, Haskins 2, Simpson 2, Rubongoya 2. Totals 23 15-27 69.

COURTLAND (27-2)

McMorris 4, Green 17, Sellers 19, Giggetts 19, Hairston 29, Perez 2, Brooks 3, Young 0, Griffin 0. Totals 32 22-24 93.

Salem 10 12 24 23 -- 69

Courtland 16 33 20 24 -- 93

3-pointers: Salem, Harvey 5, Hairston, Tolliver, Pendleton. Courtland, Green 3, Sellers 3, Brooks.