Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511210035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After losing three times to the Terriers, the Cavaliers broke through with a 44-37 victory Saturday to capture the Region III championship at Byrd.
More important than ending the domination of the Terriers, Lord Botetourt (23-4) gained a favorable seeding for the Group AA tournament that starts Tuesday. Lord Botetourt plays host to Blacksburg in a first-round game, a team it beat twice during the regular season. William Byrd (23-3) travels to Grundy, a team it defeated at home last year in the first round of the state tournament.
For a long time, it didn't appear that Botetourt would break Byrd's hold this season. The Cavaliers struggled in the first three quarters and never scored a field goal in the first 3:30 of each period.
In the last quarter, though, Sara Moore broke that streak with a basket in the first 32 seconds and suddenly the shots started falling. Botetourt outscored the Terriers 19-9 and grabbed the lead for good when Sarah Hicks slipped in for a layup to make it 34-32 with 5:41 left.
``It was their pressure defense and our shots weren't falling. We started out cold and we [finally] decided to pick it up if we wanted to win the game,'' Hicks said.
``We had played William Byrd tough and we didn't think they could beat us again. We figured if we could play them hard again, maybe we could beat them.''
Hicks' basket started an 11-0 run in which Botetourt's defense dominated the Terriers. Byrd didn't score after Brandy Allen's free throw at the 5:59 mark until Cathy Smith's follow shot in the final minute of the game made it 43-34. That was too late for a rally.
``We finally found the range,'' Botetourt coach David Wheat said. ``I told the girls at halftime that both teams were cold for different reasons. We were getting good shots that we weren't hitting. They weren't scoring because we were playing good defense.
``I knew that if we continued to play good defense, our people would eventually hit.''
Still, Botetourt played at Byrd's pace and never got in their running game. The Terriers rarely let an opponent hit 50 points and the Region III championship game was no different in that respect.
Cathy Smith scored 18 for Byrd, but had little offensive help. The Terriers made only 15 of 51 shots, but they also had only three turnovers in the second half. Usually, Byrd is plagued by miscues, but shoots a high percentage from the field.
``Botetourt just played better defense than we did,'' Byrd coach Richard Thrasher said. ``We had some breakdowns the last quarter. We let them drive the lane and we didn't get out on Moore. Then [Katrina] Elliott hit that 3-pointer [during the 11-0 run] when we didn't get a hand in her face.''
The 28 points by Hicks and Moore was under their normal production. They each had 10 rebounds. Botetourt's offense also struggled early by missing eight possible points from the free-throw line in the first half.
Tuesday's winners take 10 days off until the state semifinals at the Salem Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 1.
see microfilm for box score
by CNB