Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 2, 1994 TAG: 9402020160
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FOREST LENGTH: Medium
Free from the pressures of college football recruiting for the first time this year, Anthony Poindexter was the difference as Jefferson Forest upset Liberty 70-61 Tuesday night in a Seminole District game.
Poindexter had a game-high 22 points, 13 in the second half, as the Cavaliers held off a last-ditch Liberty charge.
Poindexter, the Group AA football player of the year, announced Tuesday he would be attending the University of Virginia.
"When I hit the basketball court, whatever stress I had on me I tried not to think about," he said of recruiting pressures. "But it does help to have the recruiting off my mind."
Jefferson Forest (10-3 overall, 10-3 Seminole), routed by Liberty in a run-and-gun affair in December, played this one at a more deliberate pace and effectively managed to keep the basketball out of the hands of Liberty's big boys inside. Poindexter, who seemed to be three places at once, had a lot to do with that.
"We didn't do very well with the wide-open game last time," Cavaliers coach Jim Hawley said. "We thought we'd try something different this time."
Jefferson Forest dictated tempo and led 30-22 at the half.
"That's not us," Liberty coach Mark Hanks said. "We don't shoot the ball at that pace."
With Poindexter scoring eight of the Cavaliers' first 12 points of the second half, Jefferson Forest ran up an 42-24 lead. But then Liberty (11-2, 11-2) recovered to fire off a 21-7 run that had the lead down to 49-45 with 7:18 left in the game. Stephen Shrader, a 6-foot-5 post player, had eight of his 14 points in that sequence and Bruce Jacobs, also 6-5, added four of his 11.
"If we could have kept getting the ball to those guys we would have been all right," Hanks said. "They didn't get enough touches, though."
Jefferson Forest woke up with a start at that point. Poindexter had a breakaway, Ryan Gilleland drained a 3-pointer and Poindexter added another steal and dunk to make it 58-47. The Cavs never led by less than that margin until the last minute of the game.
"We knew we had to start playing like we did when we got the big lead," said Poindexter, who dunked twice. "Once we did that, we took the game back over."
Gilleland buried five 3-point shots and finished with 21 points. Mike Campbell added another trey on the way to scoring 13.
"They smacked us," Hanks said. "They were the better team tonight, no question about that." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB