Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 16, 1991< TAG: 9104040152
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B/1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Bob Teitlebaum / sportswriter
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
First, though, they had to catch them, and that proved impossible. Cumberland sped away from Wythe early, withstood two rallies and advanced to today's championship game against Lebanon with an 80-64 victory at the University of Virginia's University Hall.
The guiding force of the Dukes (25-2) was senior guard Tyrone Mosby, who put in 25 points and helped lead a defense that forced 25 turnovers.
"He's the coach on the floor," said Cumberland coach Dwight Forrester. "Everything he does is within the offense. It's the same way we've done it all year long."
Wythe coach Al Copenhaver knew about Mosby from having seen him lead a 100-63 rout of Rye Cove in the opening round.
"He'd come off that high pick and we couldn't shake off of it quick enough to cut it off at the baseline," said Copenhaver.
The Dukes moved to a 43-21 halftime lead over the muscular Maroons, but the game wasn't over. After playing tentatively in the opening 16 minutes, Wythe came out blazing. The Maroons (23-6) went to a press and cut Cumberland's lead to 13 in four minutes. Then they fell back again before making one last gasp to make it 70-57.
"I couldn't say if that's the quickest team we've faced, but they had seen me play [in the first round]. I'd get past the first two defenders, but then there would be a third one," said Wythe playmaker Geoff Goff.
The Dukes' press kept Wythe out of its offense the first half, and 6-foot-4 center Allen Green, the Maroons' leading scorer, got into foul trouble trying to pick up Cumberland guards after they had used their outside pick. Green had only one basket in the first half.
"It didn't look like we had a press offense," said Copenhaver. "We couldn't get the off-side guy to flash the middle. We did it one time and scored on it."
Wythe came out man-to-man, its basic defense. It was a guessing game because Mosby had hit four 3-point goals and Cumberland 10 as a team against Rye Cove.
"We're a much better man-to-man defensive team," said Copenhaver. "We've maybe played zone one game all year. Do you go to the state semis and change?"
Could Wythe have retaliated with the press earlier? Hardly, because Copenhaver needed time at halftime to rally his troops.
"We have limitations, and we could have gotten depth shy in the first half by pressing. I wouldn't have minded being down by eight at the half, but not 21. If we had gotten Geoff and Allen in foul trouble, we might have lost by 50," Copenhaver said.
Green never did pick up a foul in the second half, finishing with three fouls and 21 points. Goff poured in 20 points and dealt out six assists, giving him 16 for the tournament.
Wythe resorted to sending Cumberland to the free-throw line much of the final quarter. John Baker joined Mosby in handling the ball and made 12 of 14 free throws to fend off Wythe's rallies.
The few times the Dukes missed, they would get the offensive rebound. They held a 20-16 rebounding edge.
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by CNB