
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 15, 1994                   TAG: 9411150094
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

LIBERTY-WILLIAM BYRD MATCHUP HIGHLIGHTS REGIONAL PLAY

For too many years, Liberty coach David Grant has watched his team scrimmage William Byrd in the preseason and then sat on the sidelines while the Terriers have played in the Region III girls' basketball tournament.

The last time Grant took a team to the region was in 1984. Since then, Byrd has gone every year, and the Minettes have stayed at home. That won't be the case this year. Both teams in the Region III tournament opening tonight at Magna Vista, and they'll play each other at 8 p.m. in a first-round game.

It will be a busy night for Timesland girls' basketball teams. In another Region III first-round game, Salem goes up against Fieldale-Collinsville, one of the most underrated teams, at 6 p.m. In Region IV, Blacksburg has a bye, and Carroll County travels to Richlands.

In Region C, Floyd County plays host to Chilhowie, Glenvar welcomes Auburn in a Timesland matchup, Galax is home to Parry McCluer in another Timesland battle and Fort Chiswell travels to Castlewood.

Liberty beat William Byrd in this year's preseason scrimmage and also toppled the Terriers last summer when the two teams met at a camp.

``The scrimmage before the season was close,'' said Grant, who admits his team must play better than Saturday when it defeated Amherst County 46-39.

It's likely the Minettes (18-5) will play a zone defense, daring Byrd (16-7) to shoot from the outside. Lately, Byrd has benefited from the outside shooting of Cathy Smith and Valerie Glynn. That didn't help the Terriers in the Blue Ridge District championship game, though, as they lost their third consecutive contest to Salem.

Liberty is a team with balanced scoring paced by sophomore Kellea Whorley (10.1 ppg.), Sue Cowlbeck (10.0) and Shannon Jurkus (9.4). The Minettes upset a very good William Campbell team in double overtime in a Seminole District semifinal game.

``I felt pretty good coming in, but I didn't know whether we could get past William Campbell,'' Grant said. ``That's the best game we've played this season.''

Salem faces a Fieldale-Collinsville team that had won 10 games in a row before losing 57-54 to Martinsville in the Piedmont District final. Fieldale-Collinsville twice beat Bassett and downed Martinsville 84-62 during the streak. Salem is also a surprise team as it was picked third in the Blue Ridge before the season started.

In Region IV, Carroll County is a big underdog at Richlands, while Blacksburg awaits a game against either Gate City or Grundy at home Thursday. Blacksburg, despite a 12-12 record, needs only one victory to get back to the state in an attempt to win a third consecutive Group AA state title.

In Region C, Floyd County is a huge favorite to advance in its bracket and earn a trip back to the Group A state tournament which it won a year ago. The Buffaloes are paired with the winner of the Galax-Parry McCluer matchup, and Floyd has already beaten Galax twice.

In the other bracket, Glenvar is a favorite to beat Auburn, but the Highlanders may face Castlewood, which is led by high-scoring Shannon Casteel. Fort Chiswell is another surprise team, having upset Narrows in the Mountain Empire District and winning six in a row before losing to Galax in the championship game.

by CNB