Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 16, 1994 TAG: 9411160167
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIMMY ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Glenvar started slowly, but kicked in after halftime and went on to blow away visiting Auburn 68-45 in the quarterfinal round of the Region C girls' basketball tournament. With the victory, Glenvar (22-2) advances to a semifinal where it needs to beat Castlewood, a 65-43 winner over Fort Chiswell, to assure itself a Group A tournament game.
The Eagles (12-11), making their first regional appearance since 1985, ended the season by losing their final two games to two of the top teams in the state, Glenvar and Floyd County.
``Playing against two of the better teams in the state is a measuring stick for our program,'' said Tim Goetz, Auburn's head coach. ``Glenvar and Floyd County play a lot alike, but I think Floyd's a notch better than Glenvar right now. Eventually, we were going to meet one of these two teams in the regionals.''
After leading by 10 at halftime, Glenvar outscored Auburn 17-4 in the third quarter to take a 55-32 lead and was helped by Eagles turnovers on their first five possessions of the second half.
Most of the damage was done by seniors Toree Morris and Marilea Hale. The duo scored seven points each in the quarter, with each also hitting a 3-pointer. Hale scored a game-high 25 points and Morris chipped in 20.
``We stepped it up more coming out of halftime,'' Morris said. ``Coach [Dennis] Layman was a little fired up at halftime and he was upset at me for my shot selection. We knew we had to come out and play better if we were going to win.''
``We played tightly in the first half,'' Layman said. ``I think it was a case of nerves because our timing was off. Our offense tried to make up for our slow start, but we settled down and started shooting better in the second half.''
Glenvar led 12-7 after one quarter, thanks to Erika Hale, who scored six of her 12 points in the quarter. Her sister, Marilea, got more involved in the second quarter as she scored 12 points to help Glenvar seize a 35-21 lead.
Auburn, however, went on a 9-3 run to cut the lead to 10 at halftime. Sherry Smith scored eight of her team-high 12 points near the end of the second quarter, but the Eagles could have been behind by more if Glenvar had made its free throws. The Highlanders missed seven of 12 in the first half and finished at 50 percent for the game.
``Our free-throw shooting was abysmal,'' Layman said. ``We just couldn't get it done at the line and our press was kind of hit-and-miss. We'd either force a turnover or we'd give up a basket. It was a question mark to leave it on. They were a lot quicker than we had anticipated.''
Perhaps Auburn wishes Glenvar had left the press off, since the Eagles committed 18 turnovers in the first half alone. Smith, the Eagles' point guard, committed two early fouls in the first quarter and had to sit. If that weren't enough trouble, one of Auburn's better players, guard Michelle Collins, quit the team Saturday, leaving the Eagles short-handed.
``Their depth and their pressure was the difference,'' Goetz said. ``We were lucky to be within 10 at halftime. We had to come out and challenge them in the second half. We couldn't sit back in a zone, but that's tough to do when they handle the ball and shoot as they did.''
Auburn actually shot better, making 16 of 37 attempts compared to 25-of-57 shooting for Glenvar, but the Eagles were plagued by turnovers. Hale and Morris combined to make 19 of 34 shots for the Highlanders.
``If we continue to step up our defense and execute our offense, then I think we'll be all right,'' Morris said. ``At this point, we need to do it because everyone we face from now on will be good.''
by CNB