Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 15, 1992 TAG: 9202150270
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
PH BLITZES CAVE SPRING EARLY
Patrick Henry's best basketball game may be yet to come, but nobody will convince Cave Spring of that."Did they dominate us or what?" Cave Spring coach Rick Crotts asked.
All the Patriots did was blitz the Knights 84-60 Friday at the Salem Civic Center. If it hadn't been for foul trouble, it might have been worse.
This game was basically history in the first quarter when the Patriots (19-1 overall, 7-0 Roanoke Valley District) blitzed the Knights 22-8. Point guard Troy Manns personally dismantled Cave Spring with 11 points and four assists in the quarter.
"We played as well in the first quarter as we could possibly play," PH coach Woody Deans said.
It was a far different game from the first meeting between these teams, when PH came from behind to win 68-63. This time, the Patriots were 11-of-15 from the floor in the first quarter, with Turk Smith adding six points and Jonas Callis scoring five points and adding four rebounds.
"Coach Deans talked to us about not peaking too early, but do it just before the tournament," Manns said, referring to the first meeting that came during a stretch in which the Patriots were not playing well. "We were lackadaisical. Tonight, we were hustling and getting the ball to open people."
After Crotts picked up the first of his two technical fouls late in the second quarter, though, PH ran into foul trouble. The Knights cut their deficit to 38-32 early in the third quarter; but, two minutes later, Manns went out with four fouls after PH had extended its lead back to 12.
If Cave Spring (10-9, 2-5) was to make a move, it had to be then, because Timmy Basham and Shannon Taylor also had four fouls. Instead, the Patriots outscored Cave Spring 10-7 in the rest of the quarter even though Callis added to the foul problems with his fourth personal. He remained in the game.
"We played pretty smart after" Manns' fourth foul, Deans said. "We went to a zone because of our foul trouble. If Jonas had fouled out, we would have brought one of the guys with four fouls off the bench and in the fourth quarter we were going with all of them."
The Patriots scored eight of the first 10 points in the fourth, with Callis getting seven of his 18. He also wound up with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Manns led both teams with 19 points and six assists. Curtis Staples scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and filled in for Manns at the point.
"We didn't react well to the zone," Crotts said. "We thought we had it made after their guys went out, but they have guys on the bench who are good and we quit attacking the zone."
PH made 30 of 54 shots from the field and held a 37-32 rebounding edge. Cave Spring was 21-of-54 from the floor and 14-of-30 from the free-throw line.
Kerry Whitt, Baker Doughty and reserve Jeff Holton all scored 11 points, but Cave Spring's offensive performance was inconsistent. \
see microfilm for box score