Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 4, 1990 TAG: 9003042173
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: CHR LENGTH: Medium
A 1-3-1 zone and full-court press helped the Knights stymie Bland 87-47 in the final of the Region C tournament at Christiansburg High.
Both teams advance to the Group A state tournament, which starts Wednesday at University Hall in Charlottesville.
James River (24-1), the top-ranked team in the state all season, showed early why it has won 21 straight games. The Knights' suffocating defense caused the Rockets to miss their first nine shots. After 5:25 had elapsed, Bland (20-6) had made only two free throws and trailed 16-2.
"That's our best defense," forward Maurice Davenport said of the zone. "We looked to make them lob the ball back and forth [against it]."
Bland first tried penetrating and then looked to shoot 3-pointers. But the Knights foiled them on both.
"We tried to get a hand in their face at all times," said guard Don Turpin, who led James River's defense with five steals and sparked the offense with 30 points and seven assists.
"We ran at them. We knew they had pretty good 3-point shooters. We knew they would try to shoot them but we couldn't let them."
The Knights then held Bland without a basket in the next six minutes and took a 30-8 lead.
"We just didn't have it out there," said Chad Thompson, whose 12 points made him the only Bland player to score in double figures.
"We got out of our game early. Then we just couldn't get back into it. And they did everything right," Thompson added. "They were hitting the boards and it seemed like they made every shot. I can see why they are the No. 1 team in the state."
"We wanted to get the basketball inside," said Rich Hankins, the Rockets' coach. "We knew they played that 1-3-1 with their point guard down low. Our kids were a little intimidated. And [Bland] had had some success at the 3-point line during the week [in early-round games] then they came out tonight a didn't make a shot."
The James River defense also forced 19 turnovers, including 12 in the first half as the Knights raced to a 41-14 lead at intermission.
"We're a good defensive team," said James River coach John Shotwell. "It creates a lot of offense when you play good defense."
Turpin and Davenport (24 points and three steals) were the main beneficiaries of James River's defense. Together, they combined to outscore Bland by seven.
Also contributing to the offense were accurate shooting and rebounding by the Knights. They outshot Bland 58 percent to 36 percent, and they outrebounded the Rockets 34-28.
James River's lead eventually reached 43 points, at 81-39, before both teams replaced their regulars.
And except for a 10-second span midway through the third period, the Knights had more than twice as many points as Bland until the final minute.
JAMES RIVER (87)
Jones 3 0-0 6, Turpin 12 2-7 30, Davenport 12 0-0 24, Thompson 1 8-10 10, Critzer 3 1-2 7, Christian 0 0-0 0, Baker 1 0-0 2, Rodgers 1 0-0 2, Shotwell 1 0-0 2, Smith 1 0-0 2, Barlow 0 0-0 0, Austin 0 0-0 0, Wilhelm 1 0-0 2, Caldwell 0 0-0 0, Dweir 0 0-0 0. Totals 36 11-19 87.
BLAND (47)
Mustard 0 0-0 0, King 4 0-0 8, Smith 3 2-2 9, Munsey 3 1-2 7, Thompson 4 4-6 12, Lindamood 0 0-0 0, Bird 0 0-0 0, Faulkner 0 0-0 0, Kegley 1 0-0 2, Meadows 2 2-2 8, Hall 0 1-2 1, Tickle 0 0-0 0. 17 10-14 47.
James River 23 18 20 26-87
Bland 5 9 16 17-47
Three-point goals: Turpin 4, Smith, Meadows 2. Team fouls: James River 6, Bland 13.
by CNB