Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 4, 1992 TAG: 9203040216
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: SOUTH BOSTON LENGTH: Medium
Tuesday night at Halifax County High, Paye used them one last time.
After staying with the Comets for three quarters, William Fleming faded in the fourth and lost 75-64 in a Northwestern Region tournament game.
The Colonels finished their season with a 13-10 record, while the Comets (20-4) advanced to play at Fauquier County on Thursday.
"What we've been working on all year we never quite got right," said Paye, whose team had only two seniors. "That was due to inexperience.
"But like I told them after the game, if we dedicate ourselves and decide we want to do the things necessary, we could be capable of winning a state championship next year."
Any notion of that happening this season ended when Halifax outscored Fleming 30-21 in the fourth quarter.
Paced by senior guard Jermaine Waller, who scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth, the Comets turned a 45-43 game into a comfortable victory.
Halifax scored the first four points of the fourth, and after Carlos Rhodes made two free throws for Fleming, Waller made an open 15-footer.
Preston Faulkner pushed the lead to 53-45 with two free throws, but David Williams made a layup for the Colonels.
Waller made another jumper and, after a Fleming miss, weaved through a porous defense to score a layup and force Paye into a fourth timeout to talk about defense.
"We didn't play any defense," Paye said. "We're physically not strong or old enough to play it. We finesse it on offense, but you can't do that on defense. You have to be able to play hard-nose, get-physical defense to win in the state tournament."
The Colonels' defensive deficiencies were exposed as the Comets made 28 of 46 shots (60.8 percent), with 19 baskets coming from inside the lane.
"It seemed like they couldn't match up with us, so we took it to their defense," Waller said. "Luckily, the ball went in for us. They looked like they had a little bit of quit in them in the fourth, so we went all out at them."
Conversely, Halifax County worked its defensive plan to perfection. Playing a 1-3-1 zone most of the game, the Comets successfully kept the ball out of the hands of Fleming senior center David Williams.
Most of Williams' 13 points didn't come at critical times.
"It seemed like when I posted up three or four people were there," said Williams, who also had 10 rebounds. "I couldn't turn around to the basket, move or do anything."
Rhodes led the Colonels with 14 points but took only two shots in the decisive fourth quarter. Reggie Reynolds added 12 points and Jemare Crump 11.
NOTE: See microfilm for statistics.
by CNB