Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 18, 1995 TAG: 9501180088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Actually, Narrows High School's Patrick Bailey buried two free throws with seven seconds left against Radford on Tuesday night. That was a very big deal, indeed, as it gave the Green Wave a three-point lead after the teams had seen to it that the previous nine and 13 of the past 14 attempts from the line had clanged, clattered and clunked away. Included in this streak of foul foul shooting were the front ends of eight one-and-ones.
``Patrick hitting those shots was big because it put all the pressure on [Radford] to hit a 3-pointer,'' said Todd Lusk, Narrows' coach.
The Bobcats' Foster Ridpath then failed to do so at the horn as the Green Wave held on for a 59-56 nondistrict victory.
Postgame sympathizers who visited the Radford locker room were startled to find the Bobcats' coach, Rick Cormany, with a serene demeanor despite his team's 5-6 record.
``I was just tickled that we had gotten back into position to win the game in the first place,`` he said. ``We could have lost by 20.''
Radford, not powerful offensively, appeared set for a standing eight count when Narrows' Scott Vaught (17 points) swept in for a layup to make it 38-25 with 5 minutes, 47 seconds left in the third quarter. Instead, Radford seemed inflamed, scoring on 14 of its next 19 possessions to take a 56-55 lead, its first since midway through the first quarter.
Chuck Hubbard fueled the comeback by scoring 14 of Radford's 30 points during the stretch. The big man would lead Radford with 17 points, aided by Bubba Underwood with 14.
Narrows went into a zone for a while until Radford's Matt Linkous nailed two 3-pointers a minute apart to start the fourth quarter. The second turned into a four-point play after Hubbard fouled him during the shot.
But the rally fizzled when the free throws started missing; Radford was 2-of-14 for the game.
Narrows (7-4) couldn't get the ball back because the Bobcats kept producing clutch offensive rebounds after the missed free throws. Then, when the Green Wave was able to get it down floor, it lost the ball out of bounds. But, then came another missed free throw, and Bailey rebounded.
``I just made up my mind I was going to take it to the hole and I was going to shoot it or they were going to foul me,'' Bailey said.
He made it as Narrows took a 57-56 lead and after a fruitless exchange of possessions (one missed free throw by each team) and Bailey sank the free throws to seal it. He finished with 25 points, 12 of those on 3-pointers.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB