Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502240105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
That's why Hufton, a former William Byrd High School standout, was the only one surprised to hear her name called as a member of the All-ODAC first team at the conference's awards banquet.
``I was shocked,'' said Hufton, who had 18 points and five assists to lead top-seeded Roanoke to an 85-38 victory over eighth-seeded Lynchburg on Thursday in the tournament's opening round at the Salem Civic Center.
``Everyone was looking at me and I was thinking, `No way. No way is that me with that percentage from behind the [3-point] arc.'''
Had Hufton taken a peek at the stats sheet, she would have seen a long list of impressive accomplishments:
She ranks seventh in the nation and first in the ODAC in 3-point shooting percentage (44.3).
Hufton has 61 of Roanoke's 85 3-point goals this season, pacing the Maroons to a ninth-place ranking nationally (36.6 percent).
She ranks 19th in the nation, second in the ODAC in free-throw percentage (81.9) and could break Roanoke's season record, set by Debbie Puch at 83 percent in 1991-92.
Hufton already has broken the Roanoke record for 3-pointers in a season, which she set with 44 as a sophomore .
``I didn't want her to get caught up in the statistics,'' said Roanoke coach Susan Dunagan, who helped conceal the numbers. ``She just needs to concentrate on what she's doing and the awards will take care of themselves.''
Hufton said the kind of game she has depends on early shooting success. She must focus and make shots at the beginning of the game or her confidence wanes.
``It's all mental and getting myself fired up,'' said Hufton, who averages 13.5 points per game.
However, Dunagan said the last thing she wanted Hufton to do was think too much. Well, almost the last thing.
``What we really don't want her to do is stop shooting,'' Dunagan said.
Hufton scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the first half Thursday, when the Maroons took a big lead over Lynchburg.
Roanoke (20-5), the four-time defending ODAC tournament champion, used a 31-4 run to take a 52-17 halftime lead and the Hornets couldn't recover. Lori Boyd of Floyd scored 10 points in the run and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Lynchburg (8-17), which was 5-of-33 (15.2 percent) in the first half, was led by former Fieldale-Collinsville star Kelly Fackler with 11 points and six rebounds. Michelle Payne added 11 rebounds.
Roanoke will face Eastern Mennonite in a semifinal at 1 p.m. today.
In other quarterfinal games:
Emory & Henry 71, Randolph-Macon 69: Freshman guard Angie Simpkins of Christiansburg made a 13-foot jumper with two seconds remaining as the Wasps upset the Yellow Jackets.
Seventh-seeded Emory & Henry (13-12) rallied from 20 points down in the first half behind Jackie Greene of Galax who had 10 of her 14 points in the second half.
Greene's jumper with 26 seconds remaining gave the Wasps a 68-67 lead. But second-seeded Randolph-Macon freshman Ashley Whitehurst made a 12-footer with 10 seconds left that put the Jackets (19-6) up 69-68.
After two E&H timeouts, Sallie Lefler found Simpkins on the left baseline for the winning basket. Randolph-Macon called time out, but had none remaining, resulting in a technical foul. Lefler, who finished with 14 points, added one free throw to provide the final margin.
Katie Brann of Christiansburg led the Wasps with 15 points and broke the school record for 3-pointers in a season. Brann was 4-of-10 from 3-point range and has 39 for the season.
Simpkins finished with nine points and Greene added a team-high 13 rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets were paced by Katy Parrish with 19 points. Stephanie Kress added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Wasps advance to play Guilford, a 96-79 winner over Bridgewater, in a semifinal at 3 p.m. today.
Eastern Mennonite 74, Virginia Wesleyan 61: Freshman center Laurie Miller had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the Royals past the Marlins.
Miller had 11 points in the first half and Keri Bontrager added 13 for fifth-seeded Eastern Mennonite (13-11), which led 35-25 at halftime.
Fourth-seeded Virginia Wesleyan (16-9) closed to 46-42 with 12:15 to play in the second half. But Miller scored eight points in a 12-0 Royals run that put away the game.
Bontrager finished with 17 points, Adrienne Haskins had 13 and Becky Miller added 10 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Jackie Cordery led Virginia Wesleyan with 16 points, Amy Beisch had 14 and Carrie Warren 10.
The Royals will face top-seeded Roanoke at 1 p.m. today in a semifinal.
Guilford 96, Bridgewater 79: Laura Haynes, the conference's player and freshman of the year, scored 25 points to lead the Quakers past the Eagles.
Haynes also had nine rebounds and six steals for third-seeded Guilford (20-5). Jennifer Hedrick scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds for sixth-seeded Bridgewater (12-13).
The Quakers will meet Emory & Henry in a semifinal at 3 p.m. today.
by CNB