Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 5, 1992 TAG: 9203050250
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Wednesday, the Vikings chartered a path to their second consecutive Group AA boys' basketball berth. Going inside to 6-foot-4 Walt Derey, Northside outlasted Brookville 57-50 in a Region III semifinal game at the Salem Civic Center.
Before heading to the state, the Vikings (19-5) will get another shot at Laurel Park and Odell Hodge in the championship game Friday. Northside lost to Laurel Park in last year's Region III title game, then lost in the first round of the state tournament.
Brookville (20-5) shut off the Vikings' outside game with a tough defense. Derey offset that by scoring 22 points and hauling in 19 rebounds.
"I think all along our strength is to go inside, mixed with the outside shots," Northside coach Billy Pope said. "We thought we'd have more room on the outside, but we didn't because they're an exceedingly tough defensive team."
Derey made only eight of 19 field-goal attempts, partly because he missed some layups. When the 6-foot-4 junior did that, he simply followed his miss with a rebound and basket.
In the final quarter, when Brookville was trying to rally, it was always Derey who got the rebounds if the Bees missed. If there was a statistic for big rebounds, then Derey got almost all of them because he always was around the ball.
"Coach Pope told me they go to the boards real well. So I decided I'd block out and get all the rebounds," Derey said. "They were playing behind me, so the lob pass was there all night. Coach Pope told me to keep going at them [on offense]."
Northside made only 19 of 56 shots, but it wasn't hard to understand how the Vikings won.
Until the final quarter, Northside made only three turnovers. That offset a six-rebound edge Brookville held after three quarters. In the last eight minutes, Northside had seven turnovers to four for the Bees. With Derey grabbing five rebounds, the Vikings then dominated the boards 12-5.
"The last six games, we've gone down to the last two minutes and the games could have gone either way. We won five and had them playing our style," Brookville coach Mike Dufrene said. "Northside plays like we do. They go after every loose ball and every rebound. It was like watching a mirror [image]."
Brookville led most of the first half, but never could break away because the Vikings' Derey had 14 points. In the second half, Matt Hill got free to help out, scoring nine of his 13 points.
A defensive change at the half also helped when Jimmy Porter guarded Greg Coffee, who scored 17 for Brookville.
"Coffee was a little too big for Matt [Hill]. That also freed Matt up on offense and that's the best he's taken it to the basket in the last few games," Pope said.
It was 45-45 with 6:02 left when Hill made a pair of free throws to give Northside the lead for good. Kelly Dampeer then followed with a layup and free throw before Derey got a layup to give the Vikings a 52-45 lead.
Brookville, which was 20-of-48 from the field, never got closer than four. The Bees couldn't take advantage when the Vikings got jittery in the final quarter and started making turnovers. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB