BOTETOURT PUTS IT ON THE LINE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 1, 1992                   TAG: 9202010318
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: PHYLLIS A. FAIR SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
BOTETOURT PUTS IT ON THE LINE
The free-throw line has always been Lord Botetourt's life preserver.
Friday night, not only did it save the Cavaliers, but it sealed their 76-75 Blue Ridge District overtime victory over Salem.
Lord Botetourt made 17 of 24 free throws for the game and hit six of seven in overtime.
"We had numerous opportunities to put the game away," said Cavaliers coach Don Meredith. "We shoot over 70 percent from the free-throw line. That's better than some ACC teams."
With 10 seconds left in overtime and Salem up 75-74, the Spartans fouled Derek Loyd, putting him on the line for the first time in the game.
Loyd, who put the Cavaliers up 55-50 when he hit a 3-pointer and stole the ball for a layup late in the third quarter, eased up to the line for a bonus situation.
He made both free throws to give Lord Botetourt a 76-75 lead.
The Spartans (5-6 overall, 1-2 district) pushed the ball up court, but a final shot fell short as time expired.
Salem couldn't convert its bonus situations.
"The difference is we missed our foul shots," said Salem coach Len Mosser. "This is a young team, and we make mistakes."
Heading into the fourth quarter Lord Botetourt was up 55-54, but the Spartans outscored the Cavaliers 8-2 to take the lead with 5:30 left in regulation.
Lord Botetourt didn't despair. The Cavaliers went on a 7-2 run of their own to tie it at 64 with 3:57 to go.
Salem took a 65-64 lead when Jason Lang made the first free throw in a bonus situation.
Lord Botetourt's Bobby Prince, who had a season-high 32 points, then hit a jumper from the top of the key to put the Cavaliers back up by one.
After that both teams were cold from the field until Clive Dooley, who injured an ankle during overtime and is expected to miss a couple games, made one free throw with 21 seconds to go to make it 67-65, Lord Botetourt.
Just when the Cavaliers (8-5, 3-0) thought they had the game won, Salem's Nathan Routt made a layup with two seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Josh Pugh, who kept the game close for the Spartans by scoring 14 points in the first half, had a season-high 27 points. \
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASKETBALL

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB