Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502220039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That's the one in which the Terriers blew a 19-point lead and a chance to win the Blue Ridge District title. Friday, Byrd saw a 21-point lead melt to five before the Terriers collected their wits and blew Northside off the court, 74-61.
While Byrd (16-4 overall, 7-3 in the district) was out of the title chase, the Terriers kept the Vikings from clinching the crown. Byrd's victory knocked NGorthside into a Monday playoff at Lord Botetourt against Salem, which beat Alleghany 76-50 to leave the teams tied for first place in the district at 8-2.
Jeremy Obenchain led Byrd with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Michael McGuire added 17 points and six assists while Chris Childress was hot early when the Terriers opened a 29-12 lead in the second quarter. The junior forward had eight points at the time and he came back to hit eight more in the final quarter after the Vikings had closed to 55-50.
``Coach [Paul Barnard] talked about playing harder in the fourth quarter,'' Obenchain said. ``Teams were coming out harder at us in the second half. We didn't want to go back to doing things we did early in the season. We wanted to play defense harder. Defense is the key to the game.''
As Byrd's lead disappeared, McGuire began to worry about another Salem debacle.
``We've blown several leads. I think about four,'' McGuire said. ``We were kind of determined to keep this lead, especially the seniors as it was the last home game.''
``We've got a great basketball team,'' Barnard said. ``You don't get our record by beating easy teams. The kids showed me something, but also we were playing at Byrd. We have a lot of confidence playing here.''
Northside's main stumbling block to a rally was its free-throw shooting. Northside hit only 11 of 20 foul shots and missed six in the third quarter to prevent an even bigger surge..
Byrd's defense inside was strong most of the night. Dana Gibson and Maurice Garrison led the Vikings with 16 points, but they were unable to dominate as they did when Northside won at home against Byrd.
Viking guards Ben Peete and Justin Porterfield scored only two points in the opening half. In the second half, they combined for 22 points and four 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough.
Northside coach Billy Pope said Byrd's hot start wasn't surprising.
``They're known for those kind of starts and we tried to concentrate on playing well offensively,'' Pope said. ``They were really tough offensively and defensively.''
Now his team faces the same situation as the Terriers, who had to overcome the disappointment of losing at Salem. The Vikings find themselves in a playoff with their nemesis of 1993-94 - the Spartans beat them six times last season.
``Last year we wanted a playoff and didn't get one [because the Spartans swept the series],'' Pope said. ``This year, we didn't want one. But we're ready. We're forced to be ready.
``Hey, we've played well enough to be in this position and there are a lot of teams who would like to be where we are [playing for a title].''
Meanwhile, Byrd will have to play an opening district tournament game against winless Rockbridge County on Tuesday and then face the Salem-Northside loser in the semifinals.
``The kids showed me some character,'' said Barnard. ``It was tough to lose at Salem and then come back to play as well as we did. That shows a lot of things about my kids.''
by CNB