Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991 TAG: 9103030208
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BASSETT LENGTH: Medium
It was.
The estimated 2,300 high school basketball fans who packed the gymnasium at Bassett High on Saturday didn't plan on being disappointed.
They weren't.
Odell Hodge scored a layup with 25 seconds left, then swatted away two Martinsville shots in the waning seconds to give Laurel Park the Piedmont District boys' tournament championship with 61-60 victory.
With Laurel Park (23-1) trailing by a point with 30 seconds left, a lob intended for Hodge inside the lane was knocked out of bounds by Martinsville.
Inbounding from underneath the basket, DeRonde Hairston went right back to Hodge, and the Piedmont District player of the year didn't falter.
"I'm supposed to be the big man in the district," said Hodge, who scored 22 points. "I like to have the pressure on me.
"I just wanted to take my time and make sure it went in."
Since Hodge, who is 6 feet 7, was two feet from the basket when he got the ball, there was little doubt that it would, but with Martinsville's history filled with dramatic comebacks, the game wasn't close to being over.
The Bulldogs (19-4) had almost a minute to work.
With 16 seconds left, Maurice Spencer drove into the lane and had his shot blocked out of bounds by Hodge.
Martinsville kept possession but made the same play choice for its winning attempt and got the same result. This time it was a shot by Michael Frasier that was stopped.
"I was surprised," said Hodge. "I thought the first one was enough for them. But they came back at me, and I had to block it again."
Martinsville had one last chance when Lamont Wells missed a free throw with two seconds left, but Troy Brandon's desperation attempt from halfcourt bounced off the backboard.
"It was one heck of a ball game," said Laurel Park coach Frank Scott. "Martinsville played hard, but I give my kids a lot of credit too. They've dealt with a lot of adversity this season."
Martinsville seemed to have the Lancers where it wanted them when Spencer tipped in a miss by Carl Brandon with 1:38 left to put the Bulldogs up 60-59.
Things got even better after James Morrison missed 15 seconds later and Martinsville took possession.
The Bulldogs spreaded the court and started using up time.
"We had the lead, and we were going to try and win it from the free-throw line," said Bulldogs coach Husky Hall.
But with 41 seconds on the clock, Spencer got caught in the air under the basket with Hodge in front of him. He tried to slip a last-second pass to Carl Brando, but it went out of bounds.
"Anytime you lose it's tough," said Hall, "but we were in a position where we had a chance to win. We just had a turnover."
Laurel Park tried to seize control in the third quarter when it took a 35-29 lead, but Troy Brandon, who scored 22 points, brought Martinsville back.
Brandon put in 12 points in the final four minutes of the quarter, including a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in the quarter to put the score at 45-45 going into the fourth quarter.
The lead was never greater than three in the final quarter. see microfilm
for box score
by CNB