Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 25, 1995 TAG: 9501250084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
The Minutemen won their 13th game in a row by blasting Cartolaro's Colonels 72-55 in a district contest at Liberty High School.
Cartolaro thought his team played better this time against Liberty, but it still was not enough.
``They put runs together quickly and they feed off it,'' Cartolaro said. ``There the best team in this league.''
It took the Minutemen mere seconds to push the game out of reach. Shooting guard Greg Reynolds and freshman swingman Raymond Arrington hit back-to-back 3-point attempts in the third period that pushed the Minutemen's lead from seven to 13, 46-33, with 3 minutes and 30 seconds left in the first half.
Liberty (13-1 overall, 13-1 Seminole District) shot 54.5 percent in the third period in taking a 54-38 lead after three quarters. It shot 56 percent (28-50) for the game.
``We're shooting the ball real well right now,'' Liberty head coach Mark Hanks said.
Both coaches thought that Liberty's substitutions - coach Hanks used 11 players during the game - wore down Altavista (9-4, 9-4).
``That's part of our game going into each game every night,'' Hanks said. ``If I could play all 12 players every night, I would.''
Stephen Shrader is the only Minuteman averaging in double figures. On this night, Shrader scored nine points - all in the first half.
``He played well early but once he got that second foul in the first half he didn't get back into the flow of the game,'' Hanks said.
Ridgeway was the lone Liberty player in double figures with 13 points while three players, Reynolds, Shrader and Ryan Stevens, had nine points each.
Defensively, Liberty forced eight Altavista turnovers in the crucial third period. Full-court pressure, man-to-man and zone, helped put away the game.
``When they took [Altavista point guard Jerome] Payne out, we thought they were vulnerable,'' Hanks said.
Not all went well for Liberty. Sixth-man Mike Padgett twisted his left ankle in the third period and was limping noticeably after the game.
``It's the same ankle he hurt during the seventh or eighth week of football season,'' Hanks said. ``We're going to try to get him ready for Friday night [at Staunton River].''
by CNB