Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 8, 1991 TAG: 9103080229
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BASSETT LENGTH: Medium
The Colonels didn't have enough of them.
The bigger, stronger Lancers had 21 more rebounds than Altavista and came away with a convincing 73-64 victory that puts them in Saturday night's Group AA Region III title game at Bassett High and earns them another trip to the state tournament in Charlottesville next week.
"We controlled the boards all right," Laurel Park coach Frank Scott said.
Some people would have had stronger words for a 49-28 advantage in that crucial area.
Odell Hodge, the Lancers' 6-foot-7 junior prodigy, had 19 rebounds to go with 23 points and Lemont Wells added 16 more rebounds and 18 points.
"Last year when we played them in regionals, they outrebounded us 56-28 and Odell had 26 of them," said Colonels coach Stu Richardson, who never seems to have very much height on his teams.
Altavista (19-6) was pesky enough to stay close until the final minutes, but in the end, Laurel Park's balance, size, and skill were the difference.
"We made some mental errors, but the effort was there," Richardson said. "There's no comparison with the talent level."
Altavista's deficit five points at the start of the fourth quarter and it was pressing to get even closer. After forcing a turnover, the Colonels' Mike Graves went strongly to the hoop and attempted to slam down a dunk, but the basketball banged against iron, bouncing halfway to the ceiling.
Altavista salvaged a field goal out of the possession to make it 48-45, but the Lancers ripped off an 11-0 run and the Colonels never again were as close.
"The missed dunk didn't help," Richardson said. "That's a mental error, not a physical one. We kind of had them on the run at that point."
Laurel Park didn't have to rely on Hodge, who probably could have scored at will if the Lancers had chosen to force-feed him the basketball. Along with Wells, the Lancers also got effective offense from Deronde Hairston (15 points) and Lloyd Hairston (14).
"We had balanced scoring and that's what we wanted," Scott said. "We didn't come in here figuring on Odell scoring all the points."
Laurel Park (24-1) won its 10th straight game while qualifying for its second straight state tournament.
Altavista had to attack from a distance and went 6-for-22 from 3-point range. Sophomore Mark Johnson had a pair of treys and scored 20 and brother David, a senior, had two more 3's and 18 points. Troy Hood added 12 points.
"We thought if we could hold Laurel Park in the 60s, we'd have a chance," Richardson said.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB