Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 29, 1994 TAG: 9411100012
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Long
That's not why Sarah Hicks transferred from Northside, but it would be as good a reason as any. It seems that Botetourt has had more than its share of Timesland Sizzlin' Sophomore girls' basketball players.
Three years ago, Ashley Moore and Jenny Gates were members of that group. Their careers skyrocketed from there. Moore was All-Timesland and All-Group AA as a senior in earning a scholarship to Campbell University.
Gates was the West's most valuable player in the Virginia High School Coaches' Association All-Star game this summer and earned a scholarship to the College of William and Mary .
Together, they paced Lord Botetourt to the Blue Ridge District title a year ago as well as a spot in the Group AA state tournament.
Now it's Hicks and Sara Moore who are trying to repeat the performance of Gates and Ashley Moore. By the way, the two Moores are sisters.
Last year, Hicks was an outstanding freshman for Northside. Her family built a home in Botetourt County and she switched to Lord Botetourt after the first semester. After nine games, she was averaging 16.1 points for the Cavaliers.
Sara Moore was the top reserve for the Cavaliers last year as a freshman. She wants to repeat the honor her sister earned when Ashley Moore was named Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year for 1992. She's off to a good start as Botetourt's leading scorer with a 16.6 average.
Sophomore honors seem to be where the resemblance ends for the two sisters. Ashley was over 6 feet tall and played inside, though she was an outside shooter. Sara Moore is 5-8 and is a pure guard.
``People believe I'm Ashley's sister. In fact, they call me `Little Ashley,''' said the younger Moore.
It's not likely, though, that Sara Moore will ever be as big as her sister. ``Ashley was 5-10 as a sophomore. Sara is a shade over 5-8. I don't see her as in inside player like Ashley,'' said Lord Botetourt coach David Wheat.
Surprisingly, Moore is averaging a team-high 8.1 rebounds a game. ``Sara's a lot stronger. She's very aggressive going after the rebound,'' said Wheat. ``She also tends to sense where a rebound's going to be. She's always in the right spot at the right time.''
Moore and Hicks knew each other when the latter came over from Northside. They, along with Katrinia Elliott, yet another sophomore for the Cavaliers, played AAU basketball together in the summer.
The two say there's no competition between them to earn top honors as sophomores. If Sara Moore is a guard, Hicks is an inside player. Now 5-10, there's a possibility that she'll reach 6-1 or 6-2 before finishing her high school career.
``In college, I think I'll play both inside and outside,'' said Hicks, who likes the jumper and can play a swing position. ``I've improved my foot speed. I'm concentrating more on the game.''
Wheat has a hard time figuring just how much Hicks has improved since last year. ``I only saw her in the games she played against us. She's an excellent passer and shooter. One of the first things people notice is how well she handles the ball for how tall she is,'' the Cavalier coach stressed.
Hicks also has gone from being a tentative player to being very aggressive. ``Last year, I was playing with a bunch of older people. I was a little scared at the beginning. The team supported me and told me I needed to shoot [more],'' Hicks said.
Moore, on the other hand, worked on her shooting during the off-season. ``I've already taken more 3-point shots this year than I took all last year. I feel I'm more into the game shooting. I don't have to jump off the bench and get started,'' she explained.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have rebuilt after being hurt by graduation. Lord Botetourt is 6-3, but the three losses have come to state powers - unbeaten defending Group A state champion Floyd County, which is ranked No.1 in Timesland, and twice to R.E. Lee-Staunton, which in two years has lost only one game.
Moore and Hicks make it possible for Botetourt to have a good chance of defending its Blue Ridge District title when it opens league play next week.
``Both players are unselfish,'' Wheat said. ``They'll get their points, but they still find the open people.''
Eventually these two might follow Ashley Moore and be a candidate for Timesland girls' Athlete of the Year.
Sara Moore played junior varsity softball and volleyball a year ago, and ran track at Botetourt Intermediate. She'll continue to participate in three sports.
Hicks was on the volleyball team at Northside when she moved. She'll also try out for softball this spring.
So, does Wheat see one of his sophomores being in front of the other if it comes down to these two in the race for top 10th-grade girls' player in Timesland?
``I've been pretty lucky lately [with my sophomores]. But I'll let someone else pick [between them] in the Sizzlin' Sophomores,'' he said with a chuckle.
by CNB