
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 27, 1995                   TAG: 9508280036
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: D-4   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NEW RIVER TEAMS EAGER TO BREAK TIE

Kristin Habeeb and Stewart Milton, both of whom were on the junior varsity last year, are expected to start at wing and point guard respectively.

Almost anything can happen in New River District girls' basketball, but one thing rarely seen is a consensus among the coaches.

But that's what we had after Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Carroll County tied with 2-2 regular-season records in 1994.

Blacksburg coach Mickey McGuigan, Christiansburg's Danny Knott and Carroll County's Howard Mayo were united in their opinion of that state of affairs:

Yuck!

McGuigan summed it up by saying, ``I can't wait to get out of this three-team district. I really don't care where we go.''

The coaches probably won't have to deal with a similar situation this season because it appears the league title chase is going to boil down to a two-team affair between Blacksburg and Carroll County. Christiansburg, which was hit hard by graduation and a transfer, probably is a year or two away from competing with its rivals.

Blacksburg has four starters back from a 12-12 team, including guard April Rogers, the leading returning scorer, at 9.8 points per game. Also back are center Andrea Feret (8.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg), point guard Maggie Kohler and forward Bethany Johnston.

``We're a much stronger shooting team than we were a year ago,'' McGuigan said. ``We're also better inside, but our main area of improvement is in shooting.''

At Christiansburg, forward Deanna Dickerson, a 5-foot-10 junior who averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, is the only starter back. Dickerson and 5-11 center Amy Davis provide the Blue Demons with most of their height. Both probable backcourt starters, Anna Smith and Heather Gilbert, are sophomores.

``I only have nine players and all of them are going to play,'' Knott said. ``That keeps everybody happy.''

One of the players Knott had thought he would have, Division I college prospect Crystal Moles, transferred to Auburn.

Like Blacksburg, Carroll County has four veteran players to build around. Point guard India Easter, guard Nikki Hawks, forward Talisha Clontz and center Denean Jessup are the incumbents at their positions, but Bethany Hill and Jennifer Watkins are pushing hard to crack the lineup.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1, Blacksburg; 2, Carroll County; 3, Christiansburg.

Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB