Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 17, 1991 TAG: 9103160237
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Anybody know where to find some crystal slippers?
Pulaski County, which shoots worse than your little sister; which has never been to a state tournament before; which has a girls basketball history as bleak as the Sahara; is playing for the Group AAA title 1 p.m. today at William and Mary Hall.
Say what?
Say Cougars.
That's what previously undefeated and unbelievably athletic Phoebus will be doing until next season as it reflects on a 44-42 loss Friday afternoon to Pulaski County.
How now?
Certainly not with shooting. The Cougars were a chilly 27.6 percent from the floor in the first half and 36.5 percent for the game. Pulaski County shot 27.8 percent in a 45-38 opening-round victory over Petersburg.
Phoebus, meanwhile, was plopping them in at a a 50 percent clip in the second half and 48.7 percent (19 of 39) for the game.
"We believe you win with defense and rebounding," Pulaski County coach Rod Reedy said.
The Northwest Region champion Cougars (24-2) outrebounded the taller and higher-jumping Phantoms 30-28 and held 6-foot-2 1/2 Lakeshia Frett, who may have been the finest talent in the tournament, to 18 points, eight in the second half.
Frett, a gifted sophomore, averages 28 points per game and looks as though she could score 50.
"She was a lot taller than me and hard to defend, but I did the best I could," said Pulaski County forward Lena Jones, who shared that difficult chore with 5-foot-7 Terri Garland.
It was point guard Garland who orchestrated an offense that had a mere 10 turnovers, four in the second half, and ran an impeccable spread for much of the last three minutes of the game.
"We did it before against Cave Spring [in the regional final] and we knew we could do it again," said the Cougars' Becky Smith, who had a game-high 19 points.
With a little over 10 seconds left and the score 42-42, Pulaski County ran a play that sent Garland ripping down the lane.
"It's a set play with which we spread everybody out and I'm supposed to go to the middle and try to get a shot," said Garland, who struggled mightily all afternoon while shooting 3-for-18 for seven points. "If they come to me, I'm supposed to pass it off. I think the big girl [Frett] got a piece of the shot, but . . ."
But Pulaski County forward Cindy Martin was right there battling, as she had been all game. Martin, who would finish with 10 points, grabbed her 10th rebound and laid in soft jumper from the close right baseline for the winning margin.
"Pulaski County outplayed us and outhustled us," said Phoebus coach Mike Tallon, whose team came in 28-0. "That was as flat as I've seen us all year."
If that were so, the Phantoms may have had their reasons. After beating R.E. Lee of Springfield in the semifinals, the Phantoms were still celebrating their victory when they saw their coach removed from the motel via a stretcher.
"Kidney stones," Tallon said. "Never had 'em before. The girls never got any sleep that night because they didn't know what was going on with me. Then, the next time they saw me, which was the next day at practice, I was white as a ghost. We were on pretty much of a downer after that."
Phoebus lost 59-56 to Madison in last year's semifinals. The Phantoms were the 1988-89 state runners-up, losing 48-46 to Lake Braddock.
"I don't think anybody figured on us winning this game," Jones said.
"It was an upset," Garland said.
One of the most dramatic and improbable ever in this tournament.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB