Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 15, 1992 TAG: 9203150170
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Only those who checked the history books knew that the Titans never had been this far before.
The first-time Region D champions stayed cool-headed and thrashed Covington 73-50.
Landon Bays, who averages 18 points per game and 65 percent free-throw shooting, scored a career-high 33 while making all 11 of his foul shots, and Jason Taylor showed some uncanny long-range marksmanship as Twin Springs (22-5) advanced to a semifinal match with the Fluvanna-Lancaster winner at 8:45 p.m. Thursday at the University of Virginia. Covington (22-5) is done for the year.
"We just couldn't get the ball to fall," Covington coach Brad Morton said. "We ran the offense fairly well and got the shots we wanted, but they wouldn't go. And with every shot we missed, the more confidence they got."
Not that the Titans needed any more.
"We told them that if they shot any air balls, to just keep shooting," Twin Springs coach Lee Clark said.
That was not a problem. Twin Springs, which has won 19 of its past 20, drilled 24 of 48 shots, including eight of 17 from 3-point range. Bays sank 11 of 15 including four alley-oop conversions.
"We ran that same play four times and they still didn't catch on," Clark said.
There was nothing to catch on to about Taylor, a beefy forward who buried six-of-12 3-pointers, including his first three.
"He's got one of the nicest releases on his jump shots that I've ever seen," Clark said.
Covington, by contrast, never got out of the blocks. The Cougars were 21 of 61 (34.4 percent) from the floor, which prevented them from exploiting a 37-28 advantage on the backboards.
Center Tony Jeter scored 16 points and Ramon Sampson added 11, but the Cougars looked out of whack offensively all night.
"I thought we played pretty good defense," Clark said.
The Titans did a little of everything well. Point guard Todd Addington assured a smooth offense by dishing out 11 assists.
"I knew they had some quickness from when I saw them play Lebanon [last week in the Region C final]," Clark said. "But I didn't figure it was anything we couldn't handle." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB