Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 6, 1992 TAG: 9203060177
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The teams square off for the title for the second year in a row at 7:30 p.m.
If Hodge matches his average of 27.8 points per game, he will become the Virginia High School League's all-time career scoring leader. Hodge scored 36 points and hauled in 24 rebounds as the Lancers outlasted Lord Botetourt 83-73 Wednesday in the Region III semifinals.
Hodge has 2,440 points and needs but 20 more to pass the career total of 2,559 Steve Marsee scored for Pennington in the middle 1970s.
Northside pulled away to beat Brookville 57-50 in the other semifinal game.
Had top-ranked Laurel Park not survived its collision with the Cavaliers, Hodge wouldn't have had the chance to set the record. That, however, was not the Lancers' chief concern; making their third consecutive appearance in the state tournament was, and Laurel Park earned that right.
"We forgot about that two weeks ago," Laurel Park coach Frank Scott said of the record. "If it happens, it happens. We had to focus [on other things] to get where we are."
As for Hodge, he isn't concerned.
"It'll take care of itself. As long as we win, that [the record] comes along with it," Hodge said.
Hodge and his teammates closed out Bobby Prince's career at Lord Botetourt by going inside to beat the Cavaliers.
Prince finished with 23 points after being held scoreless in the first quarter. He also had seven assists and 12 rebounds.
The real story, though, was Laurel Park's domination of the rebounding. The Lancers outrebounded Botetourt 62-33.
"We were just very tired and exhausted," said Botetourt coach Don Meredith, whose charges had beaten Altavista, the state's third-ranked Group AA team, 95-83 only 24 hours earlier. "This turned into a dogfight. But we had the cockerspaniels and they had the St. Bernards."
Lord Botetourt (17-8) didn't go easily despite making only 25 of 62 field-goal attempts. As happened against Altavista, the Cavaliers always were nipping at the Lancers' heels. They caught them at the end of the third quarter when Derek Loyd sank an NBA-length 3-point shot for a 56-56 tie. It was his third consecutive 3-point goal.
Then the Lancers' Lonzy Robertson made a short jumper to start the fourth quarter. Loyd fired from long range again but missed, and the Cavaliers never drew even again.
"I think last night caught up. My legs got wobbly," Loyd said. "I knew the shot was off."
Said Meredith: "He put a good stroke on it but couldn't put it in. We wanted to get the lead in the fourth quarter, then we would have put it in `salt away' and forced Hodge to come out of the paint."
Laurel Park, which made 30 of 73 shots, led 70-61 with 3:32 left, but Botetourt scored seven straight points on Prince's two baskets and Mike Bramblett's 3-pointer. Botetourt never got any closer.
With the score 73-71, Laurel Park iced the victory with eight straight points, including six free throws - four by Ronnie Jackson and two by Robertson.
Prince scored 16 second-half points, 10 in the fourth quarter as he turned in his usual prime-time performance.
"I was getting my shots [early] but not capitalizing," Prince said. "We were also trying to pull Odell away from the basket. He sits back in the lane waiting [to block] the shot." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB