Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 3, 1993 TAG: 9302030197
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ALLEGHANY GETS A LEG UP
Alleghany got the first advantage in the Blue Ridge District boys' basketball race Tuesday night by winning on the road.The Mountaineers, pulling away in the second half to defeat William Byrd 73-60, became the first of the four teams fighting for the title to win a road game at any of the others' courts.
The victory leaves Alleghany (14-1 overall, 4-1 Blue Ridge) in a first-place tie with Northside, which beat Rockbridge County 93-81. Byrd (10-4, 3-2) falls into a second-place tie with Salem, which beat Lord Botetourt 61-56.
Alleghany's victory was fashioned by its guards' domination outside: Michael Hunter with 20 points and Sean Allen with 10 assists. Inside, Todd Wheatley scored 14 points and hauled in 12 rebounds, and center James Hughes added 19 points.
Try as he might, Byrd senior David Robertson couldn't boost the Terriers. He scored a game-high 25 points and had 14 rebounds, but he never got any consistent help.
"The transition game hurt us. They got a lot of easy baskets. That was due to two things: Our kids wanted to win so badly that they tried to hurry their passes. Second, their quickness hurt us," Byrd coach Paul Barnard said.
Alleghany never trailed, but the Terriers, who were down by nine at the end of the first quarter, closed to two points several times in the second half.
Although the final score doesn't indicate it, this was a contest within the Terriers' grasp. Byrd had three chances to tie in the second half and came up empty.
The last time came in the first minute of the fourth quarter with the Mountaineers ahead 48-46. Byrd's Mike McGuire missed a couple of shots and Alleghany survived its final scare.
"They had guys step forward to hit big baskets," Barnard said. "Then when we started the second half down 34-31, we had five trips down the floor. We missed two shots and made two turnovers, but if we make two shots we go up by one in our gym. Then you find out how they react when they have to play behind."
The Mountaineer went to a zone in the second half. "We were having trouble guarding Robertson inside," Alleghany coach Jimmy Smith said.
In the fourth quarter, Alleghany went to a spread offense, took control of the tempo and pulled away. Allen's basket started Alleghany's 10-3 run midway through the quarter, and the Mounties built a 62-53 lead.
"We spread it out because they were in a zone," Smith said. "I told our team we wanted to stay with them the first quarter to try and take their fans out of the game. Then we're up by nine points [19-10]."
Allen was superb in guiding Alleghany's offense. "I was trying to get the defense to come toward us [Allen and Hunter] because I knew they were slacking in on Todd [Wheatley] and Shawn [Burks] low," Allen said.
The Mounties have defeated perennial Blue Ridge power Northside and won at Byrd on the road.
"We're not big-headed, but we're confident," Allen said.