Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 22, 1992 TAG: 9203220188
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
But it didn't win the basketball game.
Despite removing Phantoms star La'Keisha Frett as an offensive threat, despite battling to a virtual standstill on the backboards, despite choking off the Phoebus attack for an entire half, the Cougars were beaten 39-38 at University Hall.
The Cougars (23-6) had a chance to take the lead in the closing seconds when Frett missed the front end of a one-and-one with 16 seconds left and the Cougars' Terri Garland grabbed the rebound.
But with nine seconds left, Garland got an unfavorable official's ruling on a Frett foul.
"We thought she was fouled in the act of shooting," Pulaski County coach Rod Reedy said. "They call it the way they see it."
The Cougars were forced to make an inbounds play to the right of the Phantoms' basket. The play went to Garland, who had all seven of the team's fourth-quarter points. She drove into the lane.
"On the inbounds play, Laura Bishop was going to pick for me," Garland said. "I went in and shot, but it just rolled off the rim. I may have altered the shot [because of Frett's defense], I'm not sure."
Fortunately for the Cougars, Lena Jones was there to grab her 12th rebound. Jones went back up with a short shot, but Frett came up with a huge block, her sixth.
"There wasn't time to box out," the 6-foot-3 Frett said. "I just reacted."
The Phantoms seized the rebound and the Cougars couldn't regain possession.
It was the second straight time the Cougars have fallen in the title game. They beat Phoebus 44-42 in the semifinals last year.
One lesson Pulaski County learned a year ago was not to let Frett hurt them. After starting out in a man-to-man, the Cougars went to a version of the triangle and two, with the 5-6 Garland and another defender in man-to-man on Frett and the rest of the team in a zone.
Frett was held to 10 points in the first half and four after the break. She didn't help herself much by going 4-for-11 from the free throw stripe. Frett, who also had a game-high 19 rebounds, only had one field goal in the second half, but that was a big one.
She rebounded a missed Keisha Reese free throw and put it back with 1:27 left in the game. That made it 39-35, Phoebus.
"She's a tough player, hard to stop," said Garland, who played with Frett on the Boo Williams AAU team last summer. "She can make the big play and she did."
Garland answered a little less than a minute later with a hurried 3-pointer from the left side. It was her only trey of the game and it also provided the last of her 17 points.
With the Cougars playing the junk defense, that left it up to other Phoebus players to come through. Guard J'Ainel Hargrove and Reese did. Hargrove nailed 5-of-12 jumpers under trying circumstances: She was left wide open and dared to shoot. Reese scored seven of the Phantoms' last nine points.
"The assistant coach told me that if I believed, I could do it," Reese said. "I believed and it happened."
Pulaski County shot only 25 percent in the first half and 31 percent (18 of 58) for the game, but made up for it by giving up only six turnovers and collecting 38 rebounds. The Phantoms had 39 rebounds.
Cindy Martin scored 10 points and freshman Kim Cruise added nine rebounds for the Cougars. Cruise scored six points before fouling out, but she too was involved in a big play down the stretch.
With the Phantoms leading 36-35, Cruise had a 5-foot baseline jumper blocked by Frett.
Pulaski County led 31-24 late in the third quarter after a 14-4 run. But for the first time this year when it went to the spread offense with a lead, the tactic didn't work. All the offense produced was two turnovers and two missed shots.
The Phantoms came back with a pair of Hargrove buckets and two free throws by Reese to take a 32-31 lead. Then Garland scored the next four Pulaski County points from the spread. With Reese missing on two consecutive possessions, Pulaski led by three with 3:11 left.
"It's frustrating," Garland said. "We've had a lot of shots roll for us. This time, they didn't." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB