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

DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992                   TAG: 9203020195
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: D4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHRIS STEUART SPECIAL TO
DATELINE: NATURAL BRIDGE                                LENGTH: Short

JAMES RIVER GUNNED DOWN BY COVINGTON

But the only thing dropping inside the gym was Covington High's shots, as the Cougars downed James River 77-53 to take the district tournament crown.

The Cougars (20-3) heated things up in the second quarter with a 12-3 run that vaulted them to a 41-27 edge at halftime.

"We changed our defenses a bit and forced some key turnovers," Covington coach Brad Morton said. "And they missed some easy shots, too."

The rim was tight for the Knights (17-6), but James River coach John Shotwell said the Cougars had a lot to do with that.

"We had a hard time with their 1-3-1 defense," he said. "They cut our passing lanes and forced us to lob the ball in, giving them time to set up their defense."

The decisive second quarter run was sparked by a jumper from Neal Dressler, who finished with 17 points for the Cougars. And it ended with the game's high scorer, Van Wallace (18) taking a steal the length of the floor for a layup.

The Knights had trouble with Covington's offense as well as its defense. Most of the Cougars' baskets came from a strong inside game.

"Our size advantage helped," Wallace said. "We got the bounce passes inside because we rotated the ball a lot and set good screens."

Something was working right, because the Cougars had two others in double figures, Everett Hughes with 14 points and Tony Jeter with 12.

\ see microfilm for box score