ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 2, 1996 TAG: 9603040135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
SCORES 27 POINTS as Blue Devils gain first-ever Group A tournament spot.
When Chad Shaffner had to hoist Grayson County onto his shoulders, the expanse of his back proved sturdy enough to support everything from the rolling hills of Fries to the rhodedendron-laden peaks of Mount Rogers.
For it was Shaffner who almost single-handedly carried the Blue Devils to their first-ever Group A tournament berth with a monster 27-point effort in Grayson County's 77-62 Region C semifinal victory over George Wythe Friday night.
Shaffner led a shocking reversal of fortune for Grayson (19-4), which found itself 12 points in arrears, 48-36, with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
From then, Shaffner scored 14 points, including the Blue Devils' first 10 of the fourth quarter. Grayson County made 10 of 13 shots in outscoring George Wythe 31-10 in the final period.
``We got on Shaffner'sback and he carried us,'' said John Ayers, Grayson's coach. ``He is a god ...(but) I don't want to compare him to a deity ...
``I don't care if it's tiddly-winks, he'll do anything. He wants to win. Even if it's shooting free throws for a dip of snuff, he wants to win. He loves competition. Loves it.''
Shaffner was just finishing something he started two weeks ago when the Blue Devils were stumbling after a 16-0 start. They had lost four of six games heading into regional play.
Ayers said Shaffner called a team meeting to impress upon his comrades the importance of playing together.
``We let him lead it,'' said Ayers. ``Me and (assistant coach Bill) Sutherland sat in the next room and ate a chef salad.''
Shaffner was a leader on the floor in the fourth, as he repeatedly scored on mid-range jumpers over Wythe's taller defenders.
``I was just out there doing my job,'' said Shaffner, who labored on a bum ankle he sprained a couple of weeks ago. ``Instead of posting them up like I did in the first half, I would flash in the lane and the guards were seeing me and getting me the ball.''
George Wythe (21-5), which saw a 10-game winning streak come to an end as well as a season that began with low expectations from most Hogoheegee District observers, opened its biggest lead by constantly getting the ball inside to guys like 6-foot-4 Brian Barnes and 6-3 Ted Ring.
The Maroons didn't take ashot from outside of five feet during the first five minutes of the third. Barnes, who finished with 20 points, scored six points in a 13-6 run that made it 48-36.
Ayers called a timeout and inserted 6-4 back-up Leon Kyle, who finished with four points but did a good job of defending the post.
After that, Grayson County finished the game on a 41-14 run and took the lead for good at 60-58 on a Wes Self layup after Kevin Dalton started a fastbreak by swatting away a Maroons pass with 4:10 left.
The Blue Devils got their transition game going and scored 17 of the game's next 19 points. Self scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
``We scored enough pointsto win,'' said Maroons coach Al Copenhaver. ``The bottom line was wedidn't have anyone to stop Shaffner and Self in the second half.''
Grayson used its quickness to get the Maroons in foul trouble and make 24 of 32 free throws. George Wythe shot just nine, making six.
Ring finished with 17 for Wythe, and Justin Bourne added 12.
Ayers, a high-strung third-year coach who quaffs more water during a game than some of his players, takes his team against Glenvar tonight for the Blue Devils' first regional title at 7:30 p.m.
``This team has heart,'' he said. ``The first two teams had more individual talent, but this one has the most heart.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB