Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 12, 1992 TAG: 9202120283
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: COVINGTON LENGTH: Medium
BOTETOURT, PRINCE SINK ALLEGHANY
The recent story of the Lord Botetourt-Alleghany basketball rivalry has been simple.For Mountaineers coach Jimmy Smith, it's simple and sad.
"We can't handle Bobby Prince," Smith said.
Nor could they Tuesday night.
Playing his usual clever floor game and making all the big shots, Prince scored 29 points to pace the Cavaliers to a 73-60 Blue Ridge District victory at Alleghany.
The score looked lopsided, but it didn't get that way until late. The teams were tied at 49 to start the fourth quarter and the Mountaineers (10-8 overall, 2-4 Blue Ridge) led 55-54 after a Todd Wheatley stickback with 6:16 left.
That's when Alleghany fell to pieces, and Prince operated the wrecking ball.
The senior point guard scored 12 points down the stretch, nine in a 19-5 run in the last 5:55.
Prince went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the last 3:15 and made nine of 11 for the game. The team sank 19 of 29 to outscore Alleghany by 15 points at the line.
"That doesn't surprise me," Smith said. "We weren't getting the ball inside. Our post men ended the game out on the perimeter shooting 3-pointers."
Clearly, Alleghany still hasn't found a way to do much about the problems Prince poses, either.
"We play man-to-man, and we don't have anybody to match up with him inside, because that's what they do with him is post him down low," Smith said. "Then, if we go zone, they work it around for the 3-pointer from Prince or one of the others."
Prince ended with four 3-pointers Tuesday, half the total for Lord Botetourt (11-6, 4-1). Derek Loyd had two and finished with 10 points and Mike Bramblett added a couple more and scored eight.
Craig Layman worked mostly inside and had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Lord Botetourt, which battled Alleghany to a 40-40 rebounding standstill. Jeff Cronise and Cline Dooley combined for 10 points, all inside for the normally perimeter-oriented Cavaliers.
"I thought that was the difference in the game tonight," Cavaliers coach Don Meredith said. "We get something inside and they can't collapse on Prince and the rest of our perimeter people."
Lord Botetourt played aggressively from the start.
"The plan was to take it to them, bust it right at them the whole game," Meredith said. "When you take it north and south the whole game like that, a lot of teams are going to have a hard time stopping you."
Occasionally, that got out of hand. The Cavaliers led by nine in the first half before shooting their way out of the lead as the Mountaineers closed with a 13-2 flurry to take a 34-32 halftime lead.
The Cavaliers scored the first six points of the third quarter, but Alleghany came back to go ahead 41-38. From that point, there were three ties and six lead changes before Prince's 3-pointer with 5:36 left put the Cavs up for good, 59-55.
Lord Botetourt kept the pressure on Northside, a 60-41 victor over William Byrd. The Vikings have a one-game lead in the loss column and must play the Cavaliers again. \
see microfilm for box score