Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 2, 1991 TAG: 9102020273
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Colonels' Tee Jennings and associates clamped down on the passing lanes and stonewalled Alexander into a lethal five-second call with six seconds left that helped preserve a 63-60 Roanoke Valley District victory.
The way Alexander had been bombing away from 3-point range left little doubt that overtime or even a defeat was a real and very dangerous possibility had he not been stopped.
"I know we didn't expect him to shoot that well," Jennings said. "But it you keep practicing a shot, you can make it."
Alexander, who scored 30 points, went 8-for-12 from beyond the 3-point arc, with five of his 3-pointers coming after halftime as the seemingly dead-in-the-water Cougars (7-9 overall, 1-3 in the district) scrapped back from a 13-point deficit.
Almost half of that lead vaporized in the last two minutes of the third quarter when Alexander sank three consecutive 3-pointers.
Dontel Arrington put in a jumper that put the Colonels (9-4, 3-1) ahead 46-33 before Alexander's shooting fueled a 9-2 run. That made it 48-42 Fleming to start the fourth quarter.
Pulaski County kept coming. Perry Beverly put in a couple of baseline jumpers, Rasheeh Jackson converted a three-point play and Alexander added another 3-pointer as the Cougars went on a 10-4 run and pulled even at 52-52 with 4:13 left.
Fleming moved out to a 58-53 lead as Jennings made four-straight free throws. Alexander fired in another 3-pointer with 1:04 left before Jennings again sank a free throw and bonus with 54 seconds left.
Alexander made the first of a two-shot foul to trim the difference to three points, but David Williams came back with a shot in the lane to give Fleming an apparently comfortable 62-57 lead with 35 seconds left.
But Chris Burns responded for Pulaski County with his second 3-pointer with 26 seconds left. Jennings then made a near-fatal error and was whistled for an over-and-back violation.
"I was going to go to the hole then I decided to pull it back and run some clock without looking to see where I was," he said. "It was a mental lapse that won't happen again."
At that point, the Colonels clamped down in man-to-man defense and prepared for a long-range shot.
"We work on denying the ball all the time in practice," Fleming's Terrell Milam said. "We have that pretty much down-pat."
Alexander brought the basketball into the attack zone.
"I made up my mind that he wasn't going to shoot the three," Jennings said. "I was going to make him drive."
Arrington ended up with 21 points for Fleming, Jennings had 12 and Milam 11. Williams had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Champ Hubbard added nine points.
Beverly had 16 points for Pulaski County, but the big story was Alexander.
"On fire," Fleming coach Burrall Paye said. "A lot of great 3-pointers from way out there."
It was a valiant effort by Pulaski County, but Cougars coach Pat Burns wanted to hear none of that.
"It's not a moral victory by any means," he said. "You don't win and you can't celebrate a loss."
PULASKI COUNTY (60) Alexander 9 4-7 30, Burns 3 0-0 8, Foster 1 1-2 3, Burchett 0 0-0 0, Beverly 6 4-8 16, Jackson 1 1-1 3. Totals: 20 10-18 60. WILLIAM FLEMING (63)
Jennings 2 6-6 12, Arrington 7 7-8 21, Hubbard 2 3-4 9, Williams 4 2-8 10, Milam 3 5-8 11. Totals: 18 23-34 63. Pulaski County 15141318-60 William Fleming 22141215-63
Three-point goals: Pulaski County, Alexander 8, Burns 2. William Fleming, Jennings 2, Hubbard 2. Total fouls: Pulaski County 19, William Fleming 15.
JV: 59-47, William Fleming.
by CNB