Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 17, 1993 TAG: 9309170186
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Thursday, the Vikings topped that total by scoring all 12 points in overtime to beat Christiansburg 55-43 in a non-district game on the Vikings' court.
"Some of the girls said after the game we had more wins than last year. I told them I thought we could do a lot better than that," said Marilyn Bussey, Northside's coach.
For the longest time, though, it didn't appear that Christiansburg would become the Vikings' third victim in five games. In the first 16 minutes, Northside missed 12 of 18 free-throw attempts.
In the third and fourth quarters, Northside committed 20 turnovers and Christiansburg (1-3) came from behind to tie the score. Lori Wilson's layup with 43.2 seconds left made it 43-43.
In overtime, though, it was all Northside. Freshman Sarah Hicks, who resembles former Viking Group AA Player of the Year Patti Fisher, hit four consecutive free throws and pulled down three rebounds to give Northside a 48-43 lead.
"I think losing to Glenvar in overtime helped us. When we went into overtime, our players were excited," Bussey said. "Until then we seemed blah. We're usually a more spirited group that gets on the floor after the ball."
Christiansburg's problem was one of attrition. The Blue Demons were saddled with 32 personal fouls, and 6-foot Rebecca McNeil spent nearly 18 minutes on the bench during regulation time.
McNeil didn't foul out, but two other Blue Demons starters and two reserves did, leaving coach Danny Knott with few options against the Vikings.
"We play physical, and because of that we do commit fouls," Knott said. "We tend not to get many calls because we look like the bully. If there's a loose ball on the floor, we'll have five players after it."
The fouls also hurt Christiansburg in another way. After the Vikings' first-half horror show from the line, Northside finished by hitting 14 of 21 in the second half.
"Personals really killed us," said Knott, whose team missed six free throws in the fourth period that might have enabled the Blue Demons to win in regulation. "I know they missed them, too, but they hit theirs when they counted."
McNeil wound up with 11 points and seven rebounds, but it was Maureen Jackson who did the blue-collar work for Christiansburg. Jackson came up with four steals, 10 points and seven rebounds before she went out on an offensive foul with 1.7 seconds left in regulation.
"We had to save McNeil because she's our go-to player in the middle," Knott said of leaving his senior center on the bench for all but three minutes of the first half and much of the third quarter.
Shannon Yopp led Northside with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds. She connected on seven of 10 from the field. Hicks and Jennifer Schmidt each had 11 points, and Hicks also had seven rebounds and a game-high five steals.
The Vikings, because of turnovers, fewer rebounds (32-26), and missed free throws, took 20 fewer shots than the Blue Demons. Northside hit 17 of 36, while Christiansburg was 18-for-56.
by CNB