Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9103070053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But if the Lady Maroons beat the Norse on Friday, then win the regional championship Saturday, a trip to the Division III Final Four will more than make up for any lost recognition.
"That would definitely make up big time," Dunagan said. "Truthfully, there are so many things to think about, I can't worry about [being overshadowed by the Metro]. The biggest thing is to get the girls ready for the task at hand, which is the game with Luther.
"However, I just don't want people to forget about us. We want to make the final push. We want people there. It gets the kids excited."
The Roanoke-Luther game starts at 8:30 p.m. as the second half of a doubleheader at the Bast Center. In the first game at 6:30, Maryville (Tenn.) will play Washington (Mo.). The winners will play for the South Region championship and a Final Four spot at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Roanoke (27-1), ranked eighth in Division III, advanced to the sectionals by beating Marymount last Saturday. Luther, of Decorah, Iowa, is 18-8 and ranked 10th. The champions of the Iowa Conference defeated Wartburg (Iowa) 78-54 to make it this far.
"All I know about them is that they're a disciplined-type team and most of their scoring comes from the inside," Dunagan said. "We're practicing for the way we play and concentrating on the things we need to work on. You do what you do best. We want to run and get into an up tempo."
The Maroons will try to wear down the Norse with an aggressive man-to-man defense that goes 11 players deep.
"My main concern is that I think we're getting a little tired," Dunagan said. "It's been a long season, and it's getting harder to keep things running smoothly. We've never been here before. How we handle this is going to show whether we're big time or not. It's going to be a good test."
Luther has overcome a lot of adversity.
The Norse lost starting center Audra Ross early in the season when she was diagnosed as having leukemia. Ross returned to school after undergoing five weeks of chemotherapy. Luther coach Jane Hildebrand said Ross is in remission.
Before the season reached its midpoint, Luther lost three players to injury and two more to foreign study. Among the group were starting forward Melissa Stanley and centers Marva Graven and Kathy Klink, who replaced Ross.
Luther started the season 1-6, but won 16 of its final 18 to reach the NCAA playoffs for the third time in four years.
"It has been an extremely difficult year in some ways but rewarding in others," said Hildebrand, who has won more than 100 games in seven seasons at Luther. "As you lose people, you become much tighter as a unit and use that to your advantage.
"I don't think their depth will be a problem. We've faced that situation all season and been successful against it."
Junior Trish Harvey, who switched from forward to center, leads Luther in scoring with 16.3 points per game. She is followed by Andi Skrukrud (13.5), Tricia Anderson (12.3) and Sue Zintz (10.7).
The other semifinal also features nationally ranked teams.
No. 14 Maryville is 22-5 and handed Roanoke its only loss. Maryville, paced by Leah Onks with a 16.6-point average, has nine players with more than 100 points. Maryville beat rival Centre to advance to the sectionals.
Washington, ranked 15th, also is 22-5 and is making its third NCAA appearance in four years. Senior forward Karen Hermann leads Washington with 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The Bears beat Augustana in the opening round.
by CNB