Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GRUNDY LENGTH: Medium
Forward Cathy Smith led the Terriers (23-4) with a game-high 21 points. The senior also had five rebounds and three assists.
Smith's biggest contributions came in the third period, with her team trailing the Golden Wave 28-21.
Smith scored 14 points in the period, including 12 in a row in a span of 2:30 to give William Byrd a 41-30 lead.
``We ran a play out of our high-low offense to get Cathy the ball,'' said Richard Thrasher, the Terriers' coach. ``She made some good moves inside and scored some big buckets.''
The key to the Byrd offense's success in the second half was the play of the backcourt, particularly guard Kelli Runyon, who finished with six assists.
``Our guards did a good job of getting the ball to our people inside all night,'' Smith said. ``They have done a good job with that all year. No one on this team is selfish.''
Smith's biggest basket came with 2:05 left in the third period and the Terriers in the midst of an 8-0 run.
Byrd forward Brennon Sigel came up with a steal on a Grundy inbounds pass and dished the ball to Smith underneath for a layup.
The score gave the Terriers a 35-30 lead and forced Golden Wave coach Leslie Keen to take a timeout.
``We just had a hard time with their pressure in the second half,'' Keen said. ``Nobody in our district plays defense that aggressively.''
William Byrd's defense forced seven turnovers and held Grundy (17-7) without a shot for the final 3:20 of the third quarter.
``At halftime, we decided that we needed to turn up the pressure on Grundy,'' Thrasher said. ``We came out in the second half and played them good man-to-man defense.''
With the victory, the Terriers advance to a Group AA semifinal Dec.1 at the Salem Civic Center against Park View-Sterling, an 80-75 winner over York in triple overtime.
``We're really excited about getting back to the state semifinals,'' Smith said. ``Hopefully, this time around we can win the whole thing.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB