Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 4, 1995 TAG: 9503070020
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: JIMMY ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
In Buena Vista, the blitzkrieg is the offense favored by the Parry McCluer boys' basketball team.
The Fighting Blues' big front line took the offensive and overwhelmed George Wythe as Parry McCluer continued its march through the Region C tournament with a 65-48 victory Friday night at Lord Botetourt High School. The Blues, the 1994 Group A runners-up, will meet Glenvar in the Region C final. With the victory, Parry McCluer also secured a berth in the state tournament.
``I've been surprised at the way we've played the last couple of games,'' said coach Nelson Fox, who saw his Fighting Blues blow away the opposition for the second consecutive game. ``We've played two really tough teams [George Wythe and Grayson County] and we've played them extremely well. I didn't anticipate this.''
Parry McCluer, which beat Grayson County in the first round of the regional tournament and has won 10 of its past 12 games, had big second and third quarters to dispose of a smaller, quicker George Wythe team. The Fighting Blues outscored the Maroons 37-18 in those quarters with the tandem of 6-foot-5 Mike McElroy and 6-5 Carl Sanderson doing most of the damage.
McElroy, who finished with a game-high 19 points, scored seven points in the second quarter, including a 3-point bomb at the buzzer to give the Fighting Blues a 32-22 lead. Sanderson scored 10 of his 18 points in the first half to aid the cause.
``We knew coming in that we had to win this one to get back to the state [tournament],'' McElroy said. ``Coming down through the season, Coach [Fox] told us to get through the district tournament first and then focus on the region, and that's what we've done.''
``We really thought that it would be a one- or two-point game coming down to the last few minutes,'' Fox said. ``I think we got the momentum after the second quarter and then we took control of the game in the third quarter.''
Any thought George Wythe had of coming back after halftime ended when McElroy, the Pioneer District's player of the year, scored two baskets after halftime and Nathan Floyd added two free throws as the Fighting Blues scored the first six points to take a 16-point lead. The Maroons never got any closer than 15 the rest of the way.
``We couldn't rebound with them and their ballhandling and poise was excellent,'' said Wythe coach Al Copenhaver, who could be excused for having his mind on other matters after his mother died Thursday. ``Nelson does a great job of coaching. We threw a lot of things at them trying to create an uptempo game and they had the answers to everything. They are definitely the best team we have faced this year.''
The Maroons had trouble getting the ball inside to their big man, Aaron Andrews, against Parry McCluer's 2-3 zone. Andrews finished with a team-high 17 points, but scored seven of those points in the first quarter, including a basket with 2 minutes, 29 seconds left in the period that gave George Wythe a 12-10 lead. The Maroons took a 15-14 lead early in the second quarter on Jason Otey's jumper, and that was the last time Wythe led.
``We knew that we had to be conscious of two kids [Andrews and guard Jon Ervin] even though we knew they were not a two-man team,'' Fox said. ``We tried to match up on those two and contain them. I think our size up front really bothered Andrews.''
Andrews made six of 17 shots and Ervin finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 field-goal shooting. The Maroons made only 16 of 55 shots from the floor.
``Even in the fourth quarter, I still was not comfortable with a 20-point lead,'' Fox said. ``I have to give credit to the George Wythe kids. They played hard in the fourth quarter.
``I hope we can continue to stay focused and play sound fundamental basketball. If we do that, then we will be all right.''
PARRYMcCLUER(65)
McElroy 9 0-0 19, Sanderson 6 6-8 18, D.Coleman 4 4-5 12, Floyd 2 7-8 11, Garrett 1 0-0 2, Clark 0 4-5 4. Totals 22 21-26 65.
GEORGEWYTHE(48)
Ervin 4 0-0 10, Andrews 6 3-4 17, Shelton 2 1-2 5, Otey 1 3-4 5, Ring 1 2-2 4, Cook 1 0-3 2, Moses 1 1-2 4, Branson 0 1-2 1. Totals 16 11-19 48.
Parry McCluer||14--18--19--14-65
George Wythe||13---9---9--17-48
Three-point goals: Ervin 2, Andrews 2, Moses, McElroy. Total fouls: Parry McCluer 16, George Wythe 22. Fouled out: Garrett.
by CNB