Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 15, 1991 TAG: 9103150439
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
A change in defenses by Matoaca put the Vikings' offense in neutral and the Warriors took a 75-68 victory over Northside in the Group AA tournament Friday at University Hall.
"I just hoped they couldn't keep shooting like that," said Matoaca coach Jimmy Williams.
Actually, the Vikings (23-3) didn't shoot that well (12-of-20). They did hold a 10-3 edge in rebounding and forced four turnovers.
John Baker, the 6-foot-2 scoring machine for Northside, had 14 of his game-high 35 points in the opening period.
Matoaca (24-3) ditched its man-to-man defense and went to a matchup zone. The Vikings scored only 28 points over the next 21:08. By this time, Matoaca had the lead and was killing the clock along with the Vikings' hopes.
"In the beginning, John got what were easy shots for him, though they weren't easy shots," said Northside coach Billy Pope. "Then they started pushing him farther out.
"All week we had talked about channeling our excitement [of being in the state]. With their poise and confidence, Matoaca stayed right with their game plan."
"It's discouraging. We came so far and came up short," said Baker. "The seniors on this team are a great bunch and we've been playing together since we were in sandlots and junior high ball.
"We came out getting movement. Everything was falling and I felt real good after one quarter."
Northside led 29-15 at that point and appeared in control. Matt Hill had hit three jumpers including a 3-point shot.
By intermission the Vikings' lead was down to four, 38-34. Matoaca guards Harold Deans and Chris White took control. They eventually scored 42 points between them, but they also got some help. Three other players ended in double figures.
Baker eventually wound up hitting 6-of-11 shots from 3-point range and was one short of the Group AA tournament single-game record. He had, for Baker, a relatively quiet middle two quarters (11 points) before igniting a run in the final quarter with three 3-point shots.
Baker's second 3-pointer cut Matoaca's lead to 63-60 with 2:19 left after the Warriors had led 60-50 with 3:55 left.
As quickly as the Vikings had gotten back in the game, they went right back out with two turnovers that set up an eight-point Matoaca spurt, making it 71-60 to ice the game.
"At that point, they really did a good job of running the clock and keeping the lead," said Pope. "They made just one or two turnovers down the stretch and kept making free throws."
The Warriors hit 11-of-14 from the stripe in the final period and that was more than enough to hold off Northside even when Baker was hot again. see
microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB