Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991 TAG: 9103030174
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Alleghany kept Northside quiet for nearly three quarters. Then boom, just like that, the Vikings (21-1) shot the Mounties down as they took a 72-60 victory in the Blue Ridge District championship game Saturday at the Salem Civic Center.
Alleghany coach Jimmy Smith knew exactly when the game exploded in his team's face - an 8-0 fourth-quarter run in which Ron Glass and John Baker made 3-point shots, and Chad Briscoe popped in a long 2-pointer to make it 62-46, Northside.
"We were staying in there with them," Smith said. "Sure, we were trading baskets and you don't want to do that, but that stretch put us out of it."
Until then, the Vikings' shooting was around 40 percent. While the 8-0 run might have finished Alleghany (14-8), the start of the Mounties' demise might have come near the end of the third quarter.
Glass made a 10-foot jumper, then got a steal and a layup as Northside broke on top 46-33 in a matter of 13 seconds.
Glass finished with nine points, but those two baskets were critical. "The thing is, they were leaving him alone and putting pressure on Chad and John," Northside coach Billy Pope said.
"They were in a triangle-and-two, so Coach Pope said, `Look for the shot and penetrate,' " Glass said.
Baker wound up with a game-high 25 points despite a 7-of-18 shooting performance from the floor. "We were getting pretty good shots and they started falling in the final quarter," Baker said. "Coach Pope told me to keep shooting and I did."
Baker made four of five shots in the fourth quarter and had 11 points as the Vikings ran away from the Mounties.
Alleghany's best offense was to go inside to 6-foot-7 Jason Buzzard and 6-3 freshman Todd Wheatley. They combined for 33 points - Wheatley led with 20 - on 13-of-22 shooting, but it wasn't enough.
The Vikings' pressure defense kept the heat on Alleghany, recording 10 steals, including three by Glass.
"It started in the second quarter," Smith said of Northside's defense. "That's when they turned our offense into their offense [with their defense]."
Northside forced seven Alleghany turnovers during the second quarter. The Vikings' double team was clicking as Northside broke on top 32-25 at intermission.
The Mountaineers' problems were compounded as Buzzard, who had blocked eight shots in the semifinals against Lord Botetourt, picked up two quick fouls. Because he spent some time on the bench, Buzzard's first-half totals included only one basket and one block.
The Vikings, who made 30 of 40 free throws in the semis, stayed hot from the line. Baker was 10-of-10 and Northside finished 22-of-24.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB