Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 3, 1990 TAG: 9003032709
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RUSTBURG LENGTH: Medium
Friday, Laurel Park - with its first berth in the Group AA Tournament at stake - reduced the Colonels to administering damage control.
Odell Hodge, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, scored 29 points and the Lancers ripped Altavista 82-67 in a Region III boys' basketball semifinal game at Rustburg High School.
Laurel Park (19-7) will face Martinsville (23-2), which has won 16 straight games, here at 7:30 p.m. today for the region championship. By reaching the region final, both teams qualified for the state tournament.
"We're happy; you just don't know," said Lancers coach Frank Scott, who has been at Laurel Park since 1981. His teams had reached the regionals five times but had never advanced to the state tourney.
"We believe in ourselves. The chemistry's right; the cohesiveness is right. They deal with adversity real well."
They also dealt well with Altavista's full-court press. The smaller Colonels had a man-to-man, trapping press going from the start. Although it caused Laurel Park some discomfort - and although the Lancers blew several fast-break chances - it kept eighth-ranked Altavista (22-3) close for only one quarter.
"We knew that'd be the only way we could stay in the game," said Altavista coach Stu Richardson, who starts four players 5 feet 11 or under. "It worked at times, but at other times we looked like we didn't know what was going on."
Laurel Park, apparently, did.
"We were hoping they would press us," Scott said, adding that many teams press the Lancers, thinking their size precludes ballhandling ability. "That's a misconception about Laurel Park."
Hodge certainly was no misconception. The solidly built center operated from the high and low posts, scoring 14 points in the first half and 15 in the second, many on second or third follow shots. This despite a constantly sagging defense.
"It doesn't bother me," he said. "I just do the same thing."
Which is, score. Hodge had 10 second-quarter points as Laurel Park turned an 18-16 edge into a 42-34 halftime lead. Then, the Lancers opened the third quarter with an 8-4 run and kept stretching their lead. Lemont Wells, who finished with 19 points, had six of Laurel Park's first 12 points of the quarter as the Lancers took a 54-40 lead with 3:52 left.
The closest Altavista got after that was 62-51 on David Johnson's layup with 7:25 left in the game. Hodge's turnaround and J.J. Morrison's three-point play gave Laurel Park a 67-51 lead with 6:40 to go. Altavista trailed 82-59 with 2:10 remaining.
Richardson figured his team might give up points to the taller Lancers. He didn't figure his team would bomb offensively. The only bright spots were a 30-point effort by 5-9 point guard Vincent Myers and an eight-point, third-quarter flurry by Ramon Dews.
"We didn't do anything right tonight," Richardson said. "That was the worst offensive show we've put on all year."
Hodge, who blocked three shots in the first five minutes of the game, and his teammates helped worry the Colonels' shooters.
"We knew they would try to spread the floor and cut Myers to the basket," Scott said. "We tried to slough off a little bit, sag inside."
In the locker room after the game, the Lancers got a brief inspirational speech from alumnus Bobby Martin, who just finished his football career as a linebacker at Virginia Tech. Hodge said he and his teammates knew what the game meant.
"I was nervous; I was tight," he said. "But I'm glad we're in the state." LAUREL PARK (82)
D. Hairston 8 3-3 19, Dillard 2 3-4 7, Wells 9 1-2 19, Hodge 14 1-5 29, Morrison 3 2-3 8, L. Hairston 0 0-1 0, Belcher 0 0-1 0, Strange 0 0-0 0, Foye 0 0-0 0, Mack 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0, Loftin 0 0-0 0. Totals 36 10-19 82. ALTAVISTA (67)
Myers 11 5-8 30, Mason 2 0-0 5, Calloway 4 0-0 8, Robinson 0 0-1 0, Ramon Dews 6 0-3 12, Woodruff 0 2-2 2, Grades 1 0-0 2, Johnson 3 0-0 8, Marr 0 0-0 0, E. Brown 0 0-0 0, Jordan 0 0-0 0, S. Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 7-14 67. Laurel Park 18241822-82 Altavista 16181221-67 goals-Myers 3, Mason, Johnson. Fouled out-None. Total fouls-Laurel Park 13, Altavista 20.
by CNB