Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 5, 1994 TAG: 9410050115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There still are a lot of games left in this year's Blue Ridge District girls' basketball race, but on Tuesday night William Byrd made a statement.
In a game between the teams picked to finish 1-2 in the standings, the Terriers dominated Lord Botetourt 68-49 in Vinton.
Byrd (7-3) went inside against the shorter Cavaliers (7-4) in the district opener for both teams. The Terriers' Cathy Smith scored 19 points and Kristi Dyer had her second consecutive double-figure performance, with 14. Nicole Sarver hit double figures for the first time for Byrd, scoring 10 points off the bench.
David Wheat, Lord Botetourt's coach, says his team will have to find a way to deal with 6-foot Dyer and 5-10 Smith before the teams meet again this fall in Daleville.
``Don't ask me what we'll do, because if I knew we would have used it tonight,'' Wheat said.
Smith hit the first two baskets and the Terriers built a 23-8 lead , but by the half, Botetourt, behind the shooting of Katrinia Elliott with nine points in the second quarter, had cut its deficit to seven points.
It was a momentary respite. Byrd's press, which forced 35 turnovers, dominated in the third period as the Terriers outscored the Cavaliers 20-12 to remove any doubt about the outcome.
The formula was simple: All the Terriers' shots came within 10 feet of the basket.
``Our game plan is always to go inside, since that's where you win games,'' said Richard Thrasher, Byrd's coach. ``The third quarter was the key. We had gotten off to a good lead and then relaxed.''
Byrd connected on 27 of 44 shots from the floor. In the second quarter, the Terriers missed only two shots. They took only three, thanks to 12 turnovers.
Botetourt never could get its outside shooting on target. The Cavaliers missed 13 of 16 shots from 3-point range.
The points from Smith were expected, but Dyer has scored 36 points in her past two games. The junior has been on the varsity since she was a freshman, but has been plagued by injuries.
``I can't explain it [the sudden hot streak] except that I work hard in practice,'' Dyer said. ``I've had a lot of help from my teammates getting me the ball so I could get the shots off.''
Kim Kendrick had five assists and Kelli Runyon added four. Runyon's defense also was outstanding as evidenced by her 10 steals.
Botetourt was led by sophomore Sarah Hicks with 13 points, but fellow sophomore Sara Moore was held to six points.
by CNB