Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 5, 1992 TAG: 9203050108
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
You might want to consider keeping the junk defense in the playbook instead of out there on the floor. It doesn't seem to be working against the Indians.
On at least nine or 10 occasions this year, opposing teams have tried some form of gimmick defense on Blacksburg. The results have been less than encouraging.
The most recent time was Saturday in the finals of the New River District tournament. Carroll County employed a box-and-one the entire game and got beat 57-54.
Such a defense employs a zone for four defenders with a chaser going man-to-man on a targeted player.
It was the third time Carroll had lost to the Indians.
This time, the reason may have been more Blacksburg's doing than Carroll County's. More precisely, it was what the Indians' Darren Morton did.
Morton, the Indians' multitalented point guard, was the wanted-dead-or-alive quarry of the box and one.
Instead, he killed Carroll County.
Morton shook off the gimmick defense to score 18 points, 14 in the second half - including a pair of three-pointers that turned the game in the Indians' favor at a critical juncture in the closing moments.
"We worked the ball around pretty well and every time my man [defender Joey Marshall] would turn his head, I'd go to the open spot," Morton said. "I guess they must have thought I was having an off night because I only had four points in the first half."
When the Cavaliers relaxed, it turned out to be fatal.
Morton was deadly in both tournament games. When the Indians beat Radford 58-32 in the opening round, Morton scored 11 points and passed out seven assists. He added six assists in the Carroll County game.
Furthermore, he contributed to two fine Blacksburg defensive efforts. In a remarkable performance against Radford, the Indians allowed only three players to score for the game while holding the Bobcats to 12 second-half points. They did it while sending Radford to the free throw line only five times.
"Radford really tried to slow things down," Morton said. "They'd go a minute passing the ball around before they'd take a shot."
Blacksburg showed the same sort of patience in the Carroll game.
"I don't think I get rattled [by junk defense]," Morton said. "I don't get frustrated, either. I try to keep my head in the game. I know my shots will come."
In further playoff action this week, the Indians beat Marion's Scarlet Hurricane 76-61 Tuesday night in Blacksburg in the opening round of the Group AA Region IV tournament. Blacksburg plays at Richlands tonight at 7:30.
by CNB