Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 22, 1992 TAG: 9202220300
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN WEBSTER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
RHODES' 42 LIFT FLEMING
William Fleming's Carlos Rhodes, the Roanoke Valley District's leading scorer, put on a shooting clinic Friday night to lead the Colonels to a 93-78 Roanoke Valley District boys' basketball victory over Cave Spring.Rhodes, who had been averaging 21.1 points, scored 42 against the Knights, connecting on 16 of 28 field-goal attempts and seven of eight free-throw tries.
"I just felt good all night, like I could hit anything," the junior guard said. "I'm glad I was hot, too, because we needed to beat this team to give us a spark going into the tournament."
He did that, and he's expected to by his coach.
"Carlos is an extremely good shooter, but I expect my guards to be good," Burrall Paye said.
"I think Rhodes was set up to have a fine performance tonight due to the fact that he did not play their last game," Cave Spring coach Rick Crotts said. "Credit Coach Paye for the way he handled the situation."
Paye had held Rhodes out of action when his team lost to Pulaski County Tuesday night because he had missed a team practice earlier in the week.
Rhodes was not the only player to have a hot night for Fleming. David Williams had eight field goals and finished with 20 points, and Reggie Reynolds had eight field goals for 16 points. As a team, the Colonels shot 60.6 percent (37-of-61) from the floor.
Fleming (12-8 overall, 4-4 Roanoke Valley District) led both teams' regular-season finale from start to finish. The closest Cave Spring (10-10, 2-6) got was 14-13 with a little more than three minutes left in the first half. Then Reynolds made a short jumper and Rhodes followed with a 3-pointer that sparked the Colonels to a 26-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Rhodes, Williams and Reynolds combined for 40 points to lift the winners to a 47-35 bulge at halftime. Twice in the second half, Fleming led by 15 points, only to see the Knights close to eight. That was when Rhodes was at his best.
With the Knights down 53-45 early in the third quarter, Rhodes promptly nailed a 3-pointer to end that threat. Cave Spring battled back to make it 61-53 with 30 seconds left in the third, and Rhodes again quashed the comeback attempt by banking in a shot off a drive to the basket.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Cave Spring's Steve Hawks made three straight 3-pointers to keep the Knights in contention, but Rhodes retaliated with six straight points to ice the game for the Colonels.
"I'm very pleased with the way this team has been playing," Paye said. "Even the games we lost, the kids have played well. We are a good offensive team, but we are too young to play good defense. We are only seven points away from being 17-3 on the season."
Two of the Colonels losses were by one point and another was by two.
Cave Spring shot well from the floor, connecting on 30 of 52 (57.7 percent) field-goal attempts, but it wasn't good enough to keep up with the Colonels.
"We were taught a lesson tonight," Crotts said. "[Fleming] played with emotion and enthusiasm from start to finish." \
see microfilm for box score