Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994 TAG: 9402240271
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This time, the Colonels needed all that tradition to survive a big-time scare by Cave Spring, which had Fleming all but beaten going into the last quarter of the Roanoke Valley District semifinals at the Salem Civic Center on Wednesday night. The Colonels rallied and won 84-75 in overtime after trailing by six points after the first three periods.
Junior guard Derrick Hines saved Fleming by hitting eight consecutive free throws in overtime.
The Colonels (14-5) had rallied a second time after James Irvin, who led all scorers with 26 points, hit a layup to give Cave Spring (10-10) a 75-72 lead with 1:33 left. Then Hines took over as Fleming scored 12 consecutive points on free throws to earn a trip to next week's regional tournament and a berth in Saturday's RVD championship game against Patrick Henry at 7 p.m.
Reggie Reynolds and Keith Hampton hit Fleming's other four free throws.
"I've been in a lot of situations like that before. It was about time for me to step up and cash them in for the team," said Hines, who had picked up his fourth personal foul with 7:29 left in regulation and survived to the end.
"He's played so much, that he's capable of playing a whole game without a foul. We pulled him off the lead of our aggressive defense so he wouldn't be guarding the ball so much," Fleming coach Burrall Paye said.
Hines also had seven assists and two key baskets in the last quarter that twice gave Fleming a 3-point lead. The Knights rallied after William Fitzgerald's layup made it 71-68 with 1:35 left. Matt Matheny, who had 23 points, hit a 3-point shot with 51.3 seconds left for the tie.
Fleming played for the final shot, and Hines fed James Stokes for what appeared might be a winning layup. Stokes was off balance and missed, and the Colonels got the ball out of bounds. Matheny intercepted, though, and Cave Spring called time with 2.5 seconds left.
The Knights worked the ball quickly down court to Matheny, whose 3-point attempt rolled off the rim at the buzzer.
Matheny's miss was typical of what happened to Cave Spring, which went 6-for-24 in the final 11 minutes.
"Our 3-pointers wouldn't go," Knights coach Rick Crotts said. "Maybe [in this situation of a close overtime game] we were unsure of what to do. Because we're young, we'll learn better next year to take care of things."
by CNB