Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 5, 1995 TAG: 9503060077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: CHRIS KING SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Parry McCluer took the low road to defeat the Highlanders.
The Fighting Blues scored 17 of their 18 field goals from less than eight feet Saturday night to defeat Glenvar 53-49 and win the Region C boys' basketball championship at Lord Botetourt High School.
Both teams advance to the Group A tournament.
Despite the success enjoyed by Parry McCluer (20-7) from close range, an inability to score from anywhere else almost cost the Fighting Blues the game. Parry McCluer converted only 10 of 19 free throws in the final 3:44 to turn what looked like a routine victory into a thriller.
When the fouling began, the Fighting Blues led 43-36 and appeared to be in control. But 11 fouls later the Highlanders trailed 51-49 and had the ball with nine seconds remaining. Just when it seemed the plan hatched by Glenvar coach Art Lawrence was going to work to perfection, disaster struck for the Highlanders.
Glenvar (18-8) threw away the ball and its last real chance to complete an improbable comeback. The Highlanders then fouled Mike McElroy, who promptly sank both ends of a one-and-one to provide the final margin of victory.
``You have got to remember he was 11-of-11 [on free throws] last year in the state semifinals,'' said Nelson Fox, Parry McCluer's coach. ``He is one of the guys we want to go to the the line in a pressure situation.''
``I just tried to clear my mind at the line and hit the shots,'' said McElroy, who was 5-of-6 from the line Saturday.
Parry McCluer's dominance inside was too much for Glenvar to overcome.
``The difference in the game was they outplayed us inside,'' Lawrence said. ``In a situation like that we couldn't stop them inside, so we tried to start trading two-for-one or three-for-one. If we could have come away with points on each possession I think we could have won.''
As the Fighting Blues focused the attention of their attack in the paint, their shooting percentage rose accordingly. Parry McCluer made nine of 17 shots in the second half, perhaps the most important to start the final period.
Leading 35-28, Parry McCluer hit its first three shots to open up what would be its largest lead, 41-30. Corey Willis was the catalyst, scoring his only two field goals of the game.
Glenvar struggled from the field, going 17-of-43. That prevented the Highlanders from getting into their pressure defense as often as they would have liked and negated their advantage in quickness.
``You have got to be able to score some points to set up presses,'' Lawrence said. ``But our kids played hard and hustled.''
The first half was marked by the stifling zone defense of each team. The Fighting Blues opened a 22-16 lead on the strength of their inside game. Glenvar, in addition to shooting 33 percent from the field, committed seven first-half turnovers.
Parry McCluer opened the second quarter with an 8-2 run to stretch its lead to 17-10, the biggest of the half, with 3:52 remaining.
Carl Sanderson scored a game-high 16 points to pace Parry McCluer, and Matt Atkinson led the Highlanders with 12.
by CNB