Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 22, 1995 TAG: 9502220109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It was then that Alleghany's Rashad Worth, who had hopelessly lost track of the time allowed him after he had rebounded a missed free throw by Lord Botetourt's Ryan Salvi, decided to launch a ludicrously optimistic shot from 78 feet with the dim hope of forging a tie and sending the contest into overtime.
Of course it went in.
At which point, those who weren't near dead faint, holding their heads in apparent pain, or leaping about as if they were victims of some strange muscular disorder, just stood there.
Lord Botetourt's players mostly stood, stricken, staring at a net that had barely moved when Worth's shot whizzed through.
So instead of perhaps calling a timeout that might have given them one last chance, the Cavaliers allowed the game to move to overtime. That was their doom, as the Mountaineers spread the floor and scored on all but one of six possessions in the extra period. Shrell Bolden made five of six free throws to seal it.
``That's better than I usually shoot,'' he said.
Which is really all you can say about the heave that Worth sank from three-quarters court, almost on the other side of the sideline at Cavaliers coach Don Meredith's feet.
``I got the rebound and I took a couple of dribbles and at that point, I thought there was two seconds or less to play,'' said Worth, who finished with 14 points. ``So I just heaved it up there and prayed that it would go in.''
This was shooting from the hip in the most literal sense. A 4-footer could have blocked it, had there been one there. As it was, nobody was there because all the defenders were making haste down the floor.
Carl Watson, the Alleghany coach, refused to allow himself to be caught up in the revelry that followed.
``I was thinking we better focus on the next four minutes,'' he said.
Those four minutes were some long ones for Meredith, the last of a distinguished career that ended with the game.
``I've been a wild and crazy guy and that was a wild and crazy way to have it end,'' he said. ``You don't have bad luck, though. Some people would have called it bad luck. That's just an excuse. You make your own luck, I'm a firm believer.''
Which is one way of remembering that the Cavs had led 57-52 with 55 seconds left then proceeded to miss their next three free throws and four of their last nine. Lord Botetourt missed nine of 18 for the game.
No matter what, the focus was on the shot that went in.
``I've never seen anything like it at Alleghany,'' player Dusty Rowland said. ``Usually, the bad luck happens to us.''
Added teammate Donnie Costigan: ``He ought to get an Espy [award] for that.''
Alleghany plays Northside at 7 p.m. today in a semifinal at the Salem Civic Center.
by CNB