By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
WEST JEFFERSON ó Playing at home is fine, but going on the road and turning roars to whispers is more satisfying.
Silence was golden for Salisbury’s girls Thursday. They got 16 points from Shi-Heria Shipp and six first-half steals from Ashia Holmes while becoming the first team to win in Ashe County’s spacious gym this season. They hushed the Huskies 72-37.
Purple and white banners were everywhere, students piled into a seating area behind one goal and Ashe fans were ready to get loud. The Hornets (25-3) never gave them a chance, jumping to a 9-0 lead in the first 90 seconds. It was 14-0 before the Huskies (26-2) got on the board with a lonely free throw.
“All season long we’ve played good defense,” Salisbury coach Andrew Mitchell said. “But we don’t always start well or make shots. Tonight we made our shots early. Tough shots. We rolled from there.”
It was a great night for the Hornets, who learned before they left Ashe’s gym that CCC No. 3 seed Ledford had upset North Stanly, a No. 1. That means a home game for the Hornets tonight at 7 p.m. against the Panthers (20-7). Salisbury’s seventh consecutive regional berth is at stake.
Thursday’s trip began with a prayer and a 2:30 p.m. departure.
“The trip was kinda bumpy, lots of curves and narrow roads,” Shipp said. “But once we got up here, we came to play our normal game. The first time I look up it’s 11-0.”
The Hornets will remember their 106-mile trek to the mountains long after they’ve forgotten one more blowout. While Salisbury has lost three times to undefeated East Davidson, it’s won every other game by at least 17 points.
The Hornets played arguably their best first quarter of the season last night.
Salisbury hit its first seven shots. Only two were layups.
Bubbles Phifer (14 points, four assists) was responsible for much of Ashe’s misfortune, tossing in 10 points in a hurry. She began the game by flipping in a runner.
After an Ashe turnover, Holmes stroked a 15-foot turnaround.
“We knew we had to come out strong because they were 26-1 or whatever,” Holmes said. “Those first few minutes went by fast, and everything we shot went down. That shot I made surprised me.”
A driving layup by Shipp made it 6-0. Then Phifer found Shipp for a three-point play. Another spectacular runner by Phifer followed. After an Ashe timeout, Phifer sent a long, right-wing 3 whistling through the net to make it 14-0.
“A strange, different environment tonight, but we were focused,” Phifer said. “We just had to make sure we played with heart and played great defense.”
After Kim McNeil (12 points) made a free throw for the Huskies, Shipp answered with a flying layup. It was 26-8 by the end of the first quarter and 45-14 at halftime. In their blistering first half, the Hornets shot 60 percent from the field and 12-for-16 from the foul line.
Ashe scored the first two buckets of the second half. Mitchell called timeout and reminded his team not to let down. De’Rya Wylie stopped the mini-run by whipping a pass to Holmes for a layup, and that was that.
“I’d watched Ashe on film and was very concerned,” Mitchell said. “They have inside presence, and they can come back. I’d watched them come from 20 points down to beat High Point Central.”
Salisbury swarmed on defense, executing run-and-jump traps to perfection, and forced 29 turnovers. Leading 63-24 with five minutes left, Mitchell took his starters out. That gave Hornet fans a chance to make a little noise.
*
NOTES: Salisbury ended Ashe’s season for the third straight year. … The Hornets have beaten Ledford 52-24 and 59-34.
SALISBURY (72) ó Shipp 16, B.Phifer 14, As.Holmes 10, N.Phifer 9, Wylie 6, Ay.Holmes 6, Miller 4, Rice 4, Clinding 2, Hicks 1, Heilig, Young, Richardson, Allison.
ASHE COUNTY (37) ó McNeil 12, Clay 8, Yearick 5, Hanes 4, Walker 4, McVey 4, Johnson, Church, Christensen, Barker, Elliott.
Salisbury 26 19 14 13 ó 72
Ashe Co. 8 6 8 15 ó 37