Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 6, 1994 TAG: 9403060192
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Fleming defeated George Washington-Danville 79-64 to claim the Northwestern Region championship at a jam-packed Fleming gym. Derrick Hines (25 points), Keith Hampton (22) and William Fitzgerald (20) paced the victory, outscoring the Eagles by themselves.
The Colonels will play Hayfield on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center in the opening round of the Group AAA state tournament. GW-Danville qualifies for the state as well but must travel to Northern Virginia to play South Lakes at James Robinson High School in Fairfax.
Fleming (18-5) also won the region last year, trouncing the Eagles 97-77 in the semifinals. GW (19-5) defeated the Colonels twice during the 1993-94 regular season.
What was the difference Saturday night?
"Well the first time we played, Derrick was hurt," Fleming coach Burrall Paye said. "That's a big difference. And the second time, Reggie Reynolds was hurt. That's a big difference, too."
The Colonels were in perfect health this time, outscoring their opponents in every period. GW tied the score at 20 early in the second quarter, but Fleming went on a 20-6 run over the next five minutes.
GW opened the second half with a full-court 1-2-1-1 zone press and closed to three points (44-41), but the Colonels responded with four unanswered baskets in the next 65 seconds.
GW coach Harry Johnson credited the victory to Fleming's versatility.
"Derrick Hines is probably the best point guard in the state," Johnson said. "He does so many things. We tried to cut down his penetration, and he started pulling up and hitting from the outside.
"But Fleming is not a one-man team. When you double-team one of their players, somebody else can hurt you."
Hines played the entire game, most of it at frenetic pace, and still managed to set up Fleming's offense on virtually every possession. If he was exhausted after the game, Hines wasn't admitting it.
"Sometimes I can be dead-tired," Hines said. "But you can't let the other team know it. They were really keying on me tonight, but I thought we stuck it to 'em."
Saturday's game was charged with a championship intensity, but the early play was ragged. By the time Reynolds scored the first field goal, three minutes into the contest, 12 shots from the floor had been missed, eight fouls had been called and seven free throws were converted.
Both teams were accurate from the free-throw line, combining to sink the first 24 foul shots. Hines was guilty of the first miss, midway through the second quarter. It was his only errant free throw, as he finished 11-of-12.
"I thought the refs called the game very tight," Johnson said. "We didn't play the same lineup that we usually do because of foul trouble. We used a lot more substitutions."
Neither team shot especially well from the field. Fleming was 28 of 66 (42 percent), and the Eagles made 20 of 66 (30 percent).
Bobby Wimbush led GW's scoring with 16 points, and Chris Reese added 14.
by CNB