Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 9, 1994 TAG: 9402090112
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
Patrick Henry put together an overpowering second half and finished with one of its best games of the year to beat the host Cougars 72-64 Tuesday night in a Roanoke Valley District game.
"Seems like we've been running into a lot of those lately," Pulaski County coach Pat Burns said. "Tonight, it's PH, the last time Cave Spring hits 14 threes . . . "
So the Cougars (4-11 overall, 0-6 in the district) have lost six straight and seven of eight. PH (11-4, 4-2) is going the other way, having won five of six.
"Huge win for us down here," Patriots coach Woody Deans said. "And it makes Friday's game with Cave Spring even bigger."
Patrick Henry displayed some huge offense, particularly in the second half when it scored on all but five possessions. First, the Patriots worked it inside to Shannon Taylor and Chris Combs, who combined to score 27 second half points. Then, when the Cougars clamped down on the lane, Moe Preston started hitting outside shots.
"They started out guarding me in a box-and-one," said Taylor, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. "But then they switched defenses in the second half, and I kept pounding."
Forward Euguene Cook scored 11 points and had seven rebounds, and Preston drilled two 3-pointers in each half and finished with 14 points.
"We were having trouble stopping Taylor inside so when we drop somebody down to help out, Preston starts hitting threes," Burns said. "All the times I've seen them, I don't think he's had a three. Tonight he has four."
That wasn't all the PH point guard did. He ran the offense so smoothly that PH only had four second half turnovers.
"They were trapping and gambling, but we played very well against it," said Combs, who had 20 points and eight rebounds."
Most of Pulaski County's offense came from Tyrone Hash, with 28 points, and Eric Webb with 16.
"We've got to do something to take some of the pressure off those two, but we didn't do a very good job of it tonight," Burns said.
Pulaski County played well the first half, but Patrick Henry never fell far behind.
Hash was the show in the first 16 minutes, as he popped in 18 points. Webb, tied up by a junk defense when he was being guarded man-to-man while his teammates were guarded by a zone, settled for seven points. PH later diverted its attention to stopping Hash.
"Hash was just unconscious," Combs said.
The Cougars scored the final five points of the half to make it 32-26 at the break.
"We played very well the first half," Burns said. "We haven't played bad in this stretch yet. The kids have showed a lot of heart. They haven't quit on us yet. I'm proud of them." \
see microfilm for box score
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.