Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992 TAG: 9203010189
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
After twice being unable to pull away, the Indians finally found their outside shooting touch. And that allowed Blacksburg to open enough of a bulge in those four minutes to hold off Carroll County 57-54 in the final of the New River District basketball tournament.
Both teams move on to the Region IV tournament and have opening round games Tuesday night at 7. Blacksburg (17-5), the regular-season and tournament winner in the NRD, hosts Highlands District tournament champion Marion.
Carroll County (14-9) travels to Southwest District tournament winner Tazewell.
The score was tied at 29 midway through the third period. That's when Darren Morton launched a long-range shot from the left wing to start the barrage.
"When we started hitting the threes, there wasn't much they could do," said Morton, who finished with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. "We had our inside game going and our outside game going. [Earlier] we were working the ball around. I don't know why we didn't shoot it [the 3-pointer]. We had the shots, we didn't take them."
At the 2:45 mark, Morton found Travis Bishop open on the right baseline and Bishop hit a 3-pointer. A minute later, Morton hit again from the left wing. And another minute later, Bishop took a pass from Morton at the top of the key for the Indians' fourth 3-pointer in three minutes.
"They were the difference in the game," said Cavaliers coach Pat Sharp of the three-pointers. "We covered it pretty good for most of the game. We got a man out there on them in the first half and early in the third quarter. But they missed two or three and I think our guys thought they were having an off night shooting. We weren't as quick getting out there. That gave them a little bit more time to set up. And that's when they started to shoot them."
The Indians used the 3-pointer one last time in the fourth quarter. A Matt Smith shot and a free throw by Morton gave the Indians a 45-35 lead with 5:54 to play.
But Carroll County did not allow any more long-range jumpers and did not fall any further behind. Instead, they started to look to the 3-pointer to try to catch up.
Trailing by eight points with less than 1:45 left, Joey Marshall started a run with a 3-pointer from the left wing. The Cavaliers than closed to 53-50 by trading free throws by Jon Maher and Morton for 3-pointers by Jason Stockner and Marshall.
The Cavaliers inched even closer in the closing seconds. A pair of free throws by Stockner with 10 seconds left cut the Indians' lead to 56-54. But when Jason Gallimore couldn't control a rebound three seconds later after Morton missed the second shot of a one-and-one, Blacksburg was able to run out the clock.
The closeness at the end reflected how tight the teams were in the first half. The Indians held a 23-21 edge at intermission, mainly on the strength of 12 first-half points by Maher. Much of that was a result of the Cavaliers' concentration on the 3-point shot.
"They were pressuring the perimeter," said Maher, who finished with 18 points. "That kind of left the lane wide open. I could step in and take the shot or pass the ball."
Maher scored eight of those points in a four-minute stretch midway through the second period as Blacksburg opened a 21-13 advantage.
But the Cavaliers closed with an 8-2 run, including a pair of baskets by Stockner in the final minute of the half.
Stockner finished with a game-high 19 points.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB