EVEN CRAWFORD'S MISTAKES GALVANIZE FLOYD COUNTY TEAM

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

DATE: FRIDAY, February 28, 1992                   TAG: 9202280022
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-11   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: FLOYD                                LENGTH: Medium
EVEN CRAWFORD'S MISTAKES GALVANIZE FLOYD COUNTY TEAM
The closing-seconds play for the smart and skilled guard worked exactly as it was planned.
With teammates spreading the floor against the press, the guard scooted upcourt, beat his man one-on-one, and sank the game-winning shot.
Great play, great win, great deal of grateful noise from the happy home crowd.
When Floyd County beat Auburn 70-68 under those circumstances last week, not a soul was surprised that the author of the winning play was senior point guard Travis Crawford.
Buffaloes coach Alan Cantrell said later there was nobody he would rather have with the ball in his hands in that situation than Crawford.
Crawford in the clutch, as an old coach used to say about the best players of his day, is as solid as the dollar.
But even Crawford has had his failures.
One of them came the first game of the season. The Buffs were leading Fort Chiswell by eight points and trying to milk the clock in the fourth quarter. Cantrell called for the spread - the same they would run in the 18th game of the season to slay Auburn - with Crawford handling the ball.
At a crucial juncture, the defense opened, and Crawford slashed to the hoop, putting the shot up en route.
It missed.
A chance gone. Fort Chiswell took heart and came back to win the game.
"I didn't think about that much after the Auburn game because I was too happy," Crawford said. "But I sure thought about it a lot after the Fort Chiswell game.
"I must have looked at the tape 10 times. Each time I'd see that ball hang up on that rim and wish that it would go in. It never did, even on the tape."
The happy ending to that sad tale was that the Buffs got hot, pulled together in totally unexpected fashion and won the Mountain Empire District regular season championship. Floyd County clinched the title on the last day of the season as Crawford scored 15 points as the Buffs beat Rocky Gap 78-39.
Grayson County, the preseason favorite that went into the season finale tied with Floyd County, lost to Fort Chiswell 74-70 to hand the crown to Floyd County.
"When the season started, I knew we had talent, but I didn't think we were going to win the regular season championship," Crawford said. "But playing together in the summer league in Stuart and going to camp together really helped.
"This team has pulled together and played well."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB