Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 20, 1993 TAG: 9311200079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: BRIAN DeVIDO STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MONETA LENGTH: Medium
Mitchell's 5-foot high-arching turnaround jumper somehow found the bottom of the net as time expired Thursday night and gave host Staunton River a thrilling 65-64 win over Martinsville in the Region III girls' basketball tournament.
That puts the Golden Eagles (22-2) in the regional final Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against Lord Botetourt, which beat Bassett 65-52 in the opening game. Both finalists advance to the Group AA state championships.
It will be Staunton River's first trip to the state tournament.
"I was just prayin'," said Mitchell, a 5-foot-6 junior guard. "I thought I heard the buzzer, but I just shot it. We were all just trying to work it around. We all can shoot it, so it didn't matter who it was."
Martinsville led 64-61 with 30 seconds remaining, but Bulldogs guard Samantha Ferguson, who finished with a game-high 26 points, was called for a backcourt violation on an inbounds pass. Staunton River forward Courtney Hurd, who finished with 13 points and 22 rebounds, scored inside with 20 seconds left to cut the deficit to one.
Then, Ferguson was fouled with 15 seconds remaining. She missed the first free throw in a bonus situation, and the Golden Eagles grabbed the rebound.
The ball was tipped and knocked out of bounds by Martinsville's Tresita Holland with seven seconds remaining, and the Golden Eagles had one last chance.
"There was no set play," said Staunton River coach Linwood Roberts. "We were just going to work it in and see what we could do, and she just pumped it in."
Mitchell held the ball for the first five seconds, then quickly passed it to a guarded English, who promptly whacked it back to Mitchell. Then came the shot, and the packed crowd swarmed the floor of theweeping Golden Eagles.
"We had too many turnovers at the end," said Martinsville coach Carla Giles. "I don't agree with the call [on the last-second shot], but anybody in my position would say that."
It put an end to a swarming comeback by the Bulldogs (19-6). Martinsville trailed 36-24 at halftime, but came storming back in the second half. The Bulldogs shot 19-of-24 on field-goal attempts in the second half after shooting 9-of-32 in the first half.
The Golden Eagles held a 61-25 advantage on the boards, but almost came up short from poor shooting from the field. Staunton River hit a chilly 25 of 68 shots from the floor, but was 14-of-25 from the free-throw line. Only four players scored for the Golden Eagles. English scored 21, and guard Tanya Nelms poured in 19.
by CNB