Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 9, 1992 TAG: 9202090248
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
PATRIOTS SLIP PAST WILLIAM FLEMING
Patrick Henry couldn't have cut it any closer Saturday night and remained in control of the Roanoke Valley District boys' basketball race.The Patriots came from behind, then watched breathlessly as William Fleming missed a couple of last-second jumpers that left PH on top 59-58. The Patriots are 17-1 overall, 5-0 in the district.
The game, one of the best in this rivalry that usually has produced blowouts or delay-game tactics in recent years, was marred at the end when Fleming coach Burrall Paye became upset over allegedly offensive remarks made by PH point guard Troy Manns.
Paye said he plans to enter a protest with Roanoke schools Monday. PH coach Woody Deans said Manns denied saying anything to Paye except to tell him, "Good game."
Curtis Staples got what proved to be PH's winner when he connected on a 3-point shot with 1:30 left for the game's final points. That shot came 14 seconds after Fleming's Carlos Rhodes made a 3-point shot, his fifth of the game, to put the Colonels (10-7, 2-3) ahead 58-56.
"I had a good shot and I hadn't taken that many in the game," said Staples, the PH scoring leader for the season who was held to eight points. "Carlos had been shooting the whole game and I hadn't. But I was open and it fell for me."
Then Rhodes missed a jumper that Timmy Basham chased down for his 11th rebound. The Patriots, with a minute left, decided to work for only a layup, but Fleming fouled Richard Noel with 41 seconds left.
Noel missed and Fleming called time out. Jemare Crump fired a short jumper that missed. PH's Shannon Taylor, unable to control the rebound, batted the ball out. Rhodes got it and fired a long shot that went over the rim at the buzzer.
"It was a good shot and I thought it was going in," said Rhodes, who wound up with a game-high 17 points.
"We had set our motion offense and wanted a good jump shot," Paye said of the last few seconds.
"I thought we were in a pretty good defense," Deans said, "and Taylor did a great job tapping the ball out. That pushed him [Rhodes] a little farther out."
Before the hectic final seconds, Fleming led the Patriots by nine points. PH hadn't been even since midway through the second quarter, but Manns hit a short jumper with 2:07 left to make it 56-55, setting the scenario for Rhodes' 3-point shot.
"I think we kept our composure and Coach Deans gave us a talk, saying not to be front-runners," Manns said. "That's because front-runners are always good when they're ahead, but not when they are behind."
For the night, Fleming's defense controlled a PH team that was without its second-leading scorer, 6-foot-7 Jonas Callis, out with the chicken pox. Rhodes hounded Staples, but Basham, who led the Patriots with 15 points, got free inside in the second half to help the Patriots rally.
The game matched up two top point guards - Manns and Fleming freshman Derrick Hines. Manns had seven assists and made four second-half field goals, while Hines supported Rhodes with 13 points and ran a Colonels offense that shot 11-of-19 in the first half.
In the second half, Fleming made only seven of 28 shots from the field. That, as much as anything, allowed the Patriots to come back.
PH was 24-of-52 for the game, including 13-of-24 after intermission. \
see microfilm for box score