Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 2, 1994 TAG: 9412020047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITE|
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When R.E. Lee-Staunton lost to Loudoun Valley in last year's Region II girls' basketball semifinals, it cost the Lee Ladies a trip to the state tournament.
They've been on a quest ever since.
So has Floyd County. The Buffaloes won the Group A state title last year and now they're trying to make it back-to-back crowns while tying the state's longest streak of victories at 59 games.
These two unbeaten teams will begin to find out today whether they have enough to win two more games and a state title. Floyd County is first up at 3:30 p.m. against dangerous Fluvanna County - right after Rye Cove takes on Buffalo Gap, which lost to the Buffaloes in last year's state title game, at 2 p.m.
Lee, which like Floyd County has a 27-0 record, tackles Marion tonight at 7 in a Group AA semifinal. After that, Region III champion William Byrd goes up against Loudoun Valley, the team that ruined the Lee Ladies' season a year ago, at 8:30.
It's all or nothing for Lee's senior-dominated team and its coach. Steve Walk will give up his coaching job after this weekend to work full time at central administration for the Staunton school system.
Lee has gone 51-1 the past two seasons, but there's that one flaw.
``I took a picture of the Salem Civic Center at last year's state tournament. I put that on the bulletin board,'' Walk said. ``Every time we practiced or played a home game this year, each girl would touch that picture.''
When Lee played at Salem earlier this fall, the team visited the civic center and saw what it had missed. The Lee Ladies also scrimmaged at Loudoun Valley before the season and then defeated their potential final foe by 15 points in the Region II championship game.
``That scrimmage was more like a regular-season game,'' Walk said of the first encounter with Loudoun Valley. ``The girls were very excited.''
Lee won the scrimmage by 30 points, according to Walk.
``From what I've heard, Lee is very good,'' Marion coach Mike Davidson said. ``They pressure you and they're well-coached. They deserve their [unbeaten] record.''
All this might make William Byrd feel good as the Terriers only have to face the team Lee beat. Coach Richard Thrasher thinks otherwise with a young team taking on a veteran squad.
``They shoot the ball well and have all their key people back,'' Thrasher said. ``But I'm not worried about them as long as we do what we're supposed to do. We have to handle the ball well and play good defense. We have to get the ball to key people.''
In Group A, both Floyd and Buffalo Gap must guard against thinking of a rematch.
``Fluvanna will be a true test, we're not thinking ahead,'' Floyd County coach Alan Cantrell said. ``We talked about that and the girls understand. We're trying to get this one and go from there. We haven't thought about anything like what happens if we play this one or that one. Everything we've been doing in practice is to be ready.''
``All I know about Floyd is that they're pretty good,'' Fluvanna coach Terry Lintecum said. ``We played our best game to get to the state tournament [beating Wilson Memorial by 12].''
Buffalo Gap coach Dennis Dull says he wasn't sure his team was on a mission to play Floyd County again or get back to the state.
``We know a lot about Floyd and they know a lot about us. But Fluvanna will give them a test. They're the most improved team in the region,'' said Dull of the team he beat in the Region B championship.
``We wanted to get back to the state because there was a three-minute stretch last year when things didn't go our way [in the championship game]. We can play with these people [in the state]. So all we asked for was another chance.''
Cantrell is concerned that his team be in the right frame of mind. The Buffaloes struggled early in the first round against Hurley at home before taking a 76-52 victory.
``We didn't shoot well against Hurley. We were just a little more tense than we should have been. A lot of kids were looking at that game with Hurley as the last home game, so we came out a bit tight,'' Cantrell said.
``I don't think that will happen [today]. Last year we had the same situation in the first round. Then we went [to Salem] and played very well.''
by CNB