Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 6, 1993 TAG: 9302080243
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BYRD RIPS VIKINGS' DEFENSE IN 93-75 WIN
Northside should have known it was in trouble early.William Byrd's David Lester sank a 3-point shot the second play of the game to put the Terriers ahead for good. After that, Byrd shredded the Vikings' defense with ease on the way to a 93-75 Blue Ridge District boys' basketball victory in the Byrd gymnasium.
Byrd and Northside are in a four-way tie with Salem and Alleghany for the Blue Ridge District lead with 4-2 records and four games left to play.
Byrd coach Paul Barnard said after his team lost to Alleghany this week that he was looking for someone to step up with scoring leader David Robertson. Friday, he got a team full of volunteers.
Foremost was Donald Childress, who was a terror in the third quarter. But it was Lester who set the tone and spent much of the game helping the Terriers (11-4) break the Vikings' press.
"On that shot, they were laying off, so I just pulled up and took it," said the 5-foot-4, 120-pound senior guard.
As for the press, Lester said he was taking it to the Vikings (14-3).
"We were really up for this game. This was what we worked for all last summer," he said.
Byrd hit its first five shots. That helped start the Terriers on the way to a 28-8 lead. Northside followed with its only surge, trimming the lead to 37-29 at halftime. Byrd then opened the second half on a 10-4 run, and the Vikings never again cut the gap to single digits.
Childress hit five straight shots in the third quarter and wound up with 23 points to lead Byrd. That was one more than Robertson, who hit jump shots and follow shots as he made 10 of 12 field-goal attempts while collecting 11 rebounds. He spent nearly six minutes on the bench in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, but the Terriers lost none of the lead during his absence.
"Coach [Barnard] said I had to shoot better [than his 5-for-15 against Alleghany]," said Childress. "I was just riding my confidence if I'm shooting the ball good."
Byrd hit 34 of 54 field-goal attempts and 22 of 28 free throws. Bobby Milliron had 18 points, and freshman Chris Childress came off the bench with eight points in the first half.
"We had a bunch of people step up," said Barnard. "Maybe they didn't all score points, but they did something."
The Vikings were reduced to throwing up 3-point shots as they fell further behind. Though Kelly Dampeer, who had a game-high 24 points, and Greg Pickeral each hit three, Northside as a team made only seven of its 19 3-point attempts. Overall, Northside hit only 24 of 68 shots and missed 13 free throws.
Walt Derey led the rebounding with 18, but the 6-foot-6 Vikings center was only 5-of-15 shooting and fouled out in frustration.
"Byrd had some tremendous shooting," said Vikings coach Billy Pope, whose team has lost two of its past three games. "I thought we had a hand up on every shot, so I'm not unhappy with anything except the result."
Barnard said the two streaks at the beginning of the half turned the game in Byrd's favor.
"We talk about the beginning of each half and the last four minutes of the second and fourth quarters being the most important of the game," said Barnard.
Byrd got the beginning of both halves by a landslide, missed on the last four minutes of the second quarter when the Terriers were outscored 9-8 and didn't need to worry about the final four minutes when both teams began using reserves.
Pope said it was the best he had seen Byrd play, especially Donald Childress, who was 10-of-14 from the floor.
"Those weren't easy shots. He stepped up and played a great game. Then we got behind and we had to gamble," Pope said.
Byrd's only gamble was in taking Robertson out after he picked up his fourth personal foul with 7:13 left. The Terriers led 62-46 and still were up 80-64 when he came back five minutes later.
"I wasn't going to bring him in as long as we kept a 12-point [or more] lead," Barnard said. "We knew we might need him for his rebounding and senior leadership at the end." \
see microfilm for box score
Memo: ***CORRECTION***