Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992 TAG: 9203020276
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BASSETT LENGTH: Medium
But when the Bulldogs pulled it off again Saturday, a huge crowd of fans at Bassett High hooted and hollered as if it were anything but routine.
Which it absolutely was.
Martinsville dictated the tempo and surrounded Laurel Park star center Odell Hodge with a stockade of defenders to beat the state's No. 1-ranked Group AA team 63-61.
"You can't express in words what it's like to beat a great team like that," Martinsville coach Husky Hall said.
Martinsville's Jason O'Dell snapped a tie and provided his team with the winning margin by sinking both ends of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with seven seconds left.
"I just tried to shoot them before I had a chance to think about it too much," O'Dell said. "Really, it was kind of fun. You aren't often in that kind of situation."
The Lancers (21-3) never got a good look at the basket in the closing seconds. Ron Wilson's jumper at the horn bounced in and out. Laurel Park had a 16-game winning streak severed.
"We're by no means going to let this ruin our season," Lancers coach Frank Scott said. "We're going to come back ready to play next week."
Laurel Park, the regular season Piedmont champion, draws a bye and opens play in the second game of a Region III tournament double-header Wednesday at the Salem Civic Center. Martinsville (20-3) plays in the same tournament 6 p.m. Tuesday against Brookville, the Seminole District runner-up.
Martinsville didn't look like the same team that had lost to Laurel Park twice previously by scores of 80-63 and 90-78.
The Bulldogs had Laurel Park off balance all night. Martinsville always had somebody back on defense, which was a good thing because it was getting killed 47-18 on the backboards. Too, Bulldogs defenders were swatting balls all over the place, forcing 25 Laurel Park turnovers as compared with 13 of their own.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB