Salem High School came out of the gate strong Tuesday night in the Hidden Valley gym and, despite every effort, Hidden Valley was never able to get back within striking distance.
The Spartan’s fast paced offense opened a quick 12-2 lead and seemed content to settle in to a 10 to 15 point margin for the rest of the evening. Hidden Valley could get no closer than 8 points the rest of the way as Salem improved to 3-1 in the River Ridge District. Hidden Valley, hoping to put pressure on district leader Cave Spring heading into this Friday night’s match-up with the Knights, fell to 1-2 in district play.
Hidden Valley was plagued by turnovers and poor foul shooting while Salem was stellar at the free throw line, making 16 of 18 attempts. Free throws alone accounted for a 14 point differential in the contest.
The Spartans were led by Reggie Barnette’s 20 points. Salem also got double figure production from Tyler Mann and Isaac Belton with 11 and 10 points respectively. Taylor Walker scored 15 points for Hidden Valley.