Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 4, 1990 TAG: 9003042184
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Marion performed like the basketball equivalent of Joe Louis, closing ferociously and unstoppably in beating George Wythe 80-74 for the Group AA Region IV crown Saturday night.
So sudden, so decisive was the Scarlet Hurricane's final flurry, that the Maroons could be forgiven if they didn't know what had hit them.
"They outplayed us and that's the way it is," George Wythe coach Al Copenhaver said. "You don't play and you get beat at this level."
George Wythe (20-4), in control for most of the game, looked to be on the verge of administering the lethal blow when Geoff Goff completed a three-point play to make the score 73-65 with 2:54 left.
Apparently, that just served to anger the 'Canes. Led by junior point guard David Keith, who contributed some terrific defense and six of his 17 points down the stretch, Marion closed with a 15-1 run in front of a standing-room-only audience at The Dungeon.
"Everything just kind of fell in place for us," Marion coach K.W. Lawson said.
And George Wythe fell to its first loss ever in eight regional outings. Marion (19-6) won its first region since the 1981-82 season. The Maroons face an 8:45 p.m. game with Martinsville at the state tournament in Charlottesville on Thursday. Marion takes on Laurel Park at 3:45 p.m. that day.
"When we got down eight points, coach called a timeout and told us that we'd worked too hard and come back too far to let it slip away now," Keith said.
Keith spearheaded a press that forced three of the Maroons' 20 turnovers in the final two minutes. He also assumed the defense of George Wythe forward Jamie Lee, whom nobody could do anything with all night.
Lee had been sensational while scoring 39 points. Of his total, five field goals were 3-pointers. He also went 14-for-14 from the line as his team sank 23 of 27 free throws.
After scoring five points in 29 seconds with about 3 1/2 minutes to go, Lee missed his last five shots.
"Lee's a super player and we hadn't done a very good job with him earlier," Lawson said. "We'd been defending him with [Eric] Hungate and [Martin] Winters. But in the last two minutes, we put Keith on him and that made a difference."
MARION (80)
Jones 6 0-1 12, Null 5 3-4 13, Archer 5 4-4 16, Keith 7 2-3 17, Winters 1 1-1 3, Hungate 4 7-9 17, Boothe 0 2-2 2. Totals 28 19-24 80. GEORGE WYTHE (74)
Cook 3 1-1 7, Goff 4 4-5 12, Whitlow 4 1-3 9, Green 1 3-4 5, Lee 10 14-14 39, Gilman 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 23-27 74. Marion 17-14-20-29 - 80 George Wythe 16-20-16-22 - 74
Three point goals: Marion, Archer 2, Hungate 2, Keith; George Wythe, Lee 5. Total fouls: Marion 18, George Wythe 19. Fouled out: none.
by CNB