Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 2, 1993 TAG: 9303020157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
BUFFALOES REIGN IN MOUNTAIN EMPIRE
In the second quarter, Floyd County could do no wrong. Meanwhile, Galax could not do anything right during that same eight-minute span.As a result, the Buffaloes held a double-digit lead the rest of the way Monday night as they bested the Maroon Tide 66-50 in the Mountain Empire District boys' basketball tournament championship game at Christiansburg High School.
Floyd County (17-6) gained a berth into this week's Region C tournament with the victory. It will meet Northwood on Wednesday night at Christiansburg High.
The loss ended the season for Galax (15-8).
The Buffaloes held a four-point lead after the first quarter. That's when everything started to happen. Jason Light started the period off with a three-point play, hinting at things to come.
"They switched from a 2-3 to a 1-3-1 zone," explained the 6-foot-5 junior who continually got loose to score seven of his game-high 29 points in the period. "I work against it [the 1-3-1] well. Against Covington, I scored 32 [points]. It becomes easy for me to get baseline position. Then I stick it in."
Of course, the Buffaloes had more than just their inside game working. Michael Hylton's 3-pointer with 5:26 left in the quarter gave Floyd County a 23-13 edge.
"We ran the ball and made the right passes," explained Hylton, who had six of his 16 points in the quarter. "We worked it around. And we hit the shots."
The Maroon Tide called timeout after Hylton's shot. But it didn't slow down the Buffaloes. Light, Hylton and teammates continued to expand their lead. It eventually reached 35-15 with just under two minutes left in the period.
Meanwhile, Galax couldn't manage any offense. It managed only one basket in the quarter - a layup by Matt Snow with 1 1/2 minutes to go that cut Floyd County's lead to the halftime score of 35-17.
"The second quarter completely took us out of the ball game; it made all the difference," said Galax coach Ken Ross. "They would come down and hit their shots or get the offensive rebounds. We would come down and we couldn't hit a thing."
Galax missed eight shots before Snow's basket. It also made just 3-of-7 free throws and committed six turnovers.
Most of the Maroon Tide's were caused by the intense defensive pressure applied by the Floyd County defense.
"That first half was one of the better first halves we've played in a long time," said Buffaloes coach Alan Cantrell. "There were really hustling, going after everything - loose balls, rebounds, - and hustling on defensive."
The rest of Galax's problems came from the defensive scheme Floyd County used. It employed a box-and-one to contain Jeff Spells. And Jeremey Dulaney did his job as that one.
During the regular-season meeting Spells had scored 23 and 17 against Floyd County. But this time Spells, the district's leading scorer during the regular season at 21.2 points per game, managed just 10 points. And none of them came during the decisive second period.
"I just played off a little bit like coach is always telling me to do," said Dulaney, whose offensive output (nine points) almost matched that of his more well-known adversary. "I was hoping Jason Light would come down and give me some help on the side [Light did]. And I worked him like I'm taught to do in practice. I kept my distance so he couldn't use his quickness on me."
With Spells held in check, Snow led the Maroon Tide with 14 points.
Wilbert Campbell added 13 for Galax. He had a pair of 3-pointers in the final period and Shawn Rector had another as the Maroon Tide tried to climb back into the game with long-range jumpers. But the nearest it could get 59-48 with 1:44 to go on Campbell's last three-pointer.
But half a minute later, Light sealed the victory for Floyd County with a dunk. He had nine points in the final period, helping the Buffaloes survive the late assault. \
see microfilm for box score