ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602050064
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-12 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
While Burrall Paye has retired as boys' basketball coach at William Fleming, the winning is likely to go on at the school on Ferncliff Avenue in Northwest Roanoke.
When Paye abruptly called a halt to his career barely two weeks ago, Fleming was 8-4 and leading the Roanoke Valley District standings.
The Colonels weathered his sudden departure by struggling past Cave Spring, now rated the second-best team in the district. The next day, Fleming nearly knocked off Science Hill of Johnson City, Tenn., the nation's third-ranked team according to USA Today, in the Crestar Classic.
After that, Fleming blitzed Pulaski County 71-53 in Dublin. Not only was that score surprising, but the fact the Colonels won was a mild upset.
During the past few years, Fleming has not fared well in Dublin. The Colonels had lost at Pulaski County four of the past five years. The 1994 team that finished second in the Group AAA tournament escaped with a 57-56 victory for Fleming's lone triumph during that span.
So it's apparent the change from Paye to Marshall Ashford hasn't ruined Fleming's season.
The Colonels are playing very well and they have something else going for them: This year's Northwestern Region tournament pairings favor the RVD tournament champion.
Fleming holds a one-game lead in the race for the regular-season title, although it still must play at Cave Spring, and would qualify for the regional tournament if it maintains that lead. Winning the RVD tournament, though, may be the key to reaching the state tournament. The RVD runner-up likely will have to open the Northwestern Region tournament at top-ranked George Washington-Danville, assuming the unbeaten Eagles win the Western District tournament.
Meanwhile, the RVD champion will face the Western District's second-place team at home. That would be a much easier road to the state tournament.
If the team that wins the RVD tournament survives the opening round of the regional tournament, it would play host to a semifinal, meaning GW-Danville - if it wins as expected in the Western District - would have to travel.
Fleming and Cave Spring have tested GW twice and lost both times. The Colonels, though, gave the Eagles their toughest game to date, losing 77-70 at home in January after falling by 17 in December at GW. Cave Spring lost each of its two meetings with the Eagles by 16 points.
REGIONS III AND C: Region III pairings definitely favor Liberty and the winner of the Blue Ridge District to make the Group AA tournament.
Unbeaten Liberty, the state's top-ranked team, has all but wrapped up the Seminole District regular-season title. Unlike the Group AAA ranks, winners of regular-season district crowns in Group AA get the best regional draw.
Liberty and the Blue Ridge winner will have to win only one game each to make the state tournament. In Liberty's case, the Minutemen would play in the Region III tournament at Rustburg, a gym familiar to their players - a slight advantage over either the Piedmont or Blue Ridge district team they'll have to beat to earn a return trip to the state tournament.
In Region C, there is little advantage because there are four districts and each regular-season winner is home for a first-round game.
Heading into the weekend, Floyd County, Glenvar, Covington, Grayson County and Lebanon were considered the strongest teams in the region, with Bath County, Giles, Radford, George Wythe and Parry McCluer also regarded as Timesland teams that could make the Group A tournament.
Winners from the Mountain Empire and Hogoheegee districts form one bracket, and the champs from the Three Rivers and Pioneer districts are in the other. The semifinals and final are at Christiansburg High School, meaning Floyd County, Giles and Radford would have a slight advantage, having played the Blue Demons there this season.
WHAT WEATHER?: With a return of winter weather this weekend, one school has been a standout at getting games played. Through snow, ice and switching exams, Carroll County, despite its location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, had only four games left to play as February arrived with the threat of more bad weather.
The Cavaliers had only three games scheduled this month and had added a postponement at Floyd County to the list.
``We had exams scheduled during one week of snow, so we had already canceled games and had dates to make them up,'' said Harold Golding, Carroll County's principal. ``We were fortunate, but we haven't taken any chances of sending teams out in the bad weather. We played at Graham during the threat of floods [when other games were postponed], but that trip was all interstate and Graham [located in Bluefield] is pretty high up.''
END OF RIVALRY: Grayson County is looking for a football game either Aug.30 or Oct.11. The Blue Devils received a jolt when longtime rival Allegheny (N.C.) was forced to drop them because its state association won't permit teams to open their football season before Sept.1. Allegheny already had a game scheduled for Grayson County's only other open date, Oct.11.
So a rivalry between neighboring schools just a few miles from each other across state lines has ended for the time being. ``This happened once before,'' said Bill Strong, Grayson County's football coach and athletic director.
THE CUP RACE: Giles is off to a fast start in the Central Fidelity Cup race for overall state athletic excellence. The Spartans lead the Group A standings with 97.50 points after fall sports. George Mason and Powell Valley are next with 85 points each.
Floyd County (82.50) is fourth. Had the Buffaloes beaten George Mason in the Group A girls' basketball tournament and defeated Wilson Memorial to win their third consecutive championship, Floyd would have been second, with 95 points.
Bath County, with 80 points, is fifth, making it the only other Timesland school in the top 10 in Group A.
In Group AA, Blacksburg (90.00) is second to Western Albemarle (97.50). Christiansburg and William Byrd (70.00) are tied for fifth, and Lord Botetourt (50.00) is in a six-way tie for eighth.
In Group AAA, Patrick Henry is tied for ninth, with 70 points. All the points came from the Patriots' volleyball team, which finished second in the state tournament. PH earned some of those points (25 points) as the only team honored for good sportsmanship.
LENGTH: Long : 110 linesby CNB