Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511300023
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Cave Spring-Pulaski County matchups won't be the same.
The rivalry will be just as fierce. It just won't be the same without longtime Cougars coach Rod Reedy, who resigned after last season to become an assistant at Radford University.
This season's battle of wits will match Pulaski County's Buddy Farris, moving up from Dublin Middle School to replace Reedy, against the defending champion, Cave Spring's Linda Long.
These two have met just once, when Long was coaching Hidden Valley in a tournament against Dublin and each coach remembers the other winning the game.
``Rod and I are friends. We have been for years,'' Long said. ``We helped each other out coaching in the [Northwest] Region. He sent us a card the first part of the week and commented on how he'd miss the Pulaski County-Cave Spring matchup and have to watch it now as a spectator.
``I think Buddy's another worthy opponent. I don't think they'd turn it over to someone who isn't a worthy opponent.''
Farris recalls a game against Long's team: ``We played in a tip-off tournament, and I think that was my only loss.'' He also recalls having three players on that team who played for Pulaski County last season.
Farris has coached just about every player the past few years who made Reedy's team, so he knows the Cougars' program. But he's not standing pat.
``We will be playing a lot of people,'' Farris said. ``Everything we do is different, except that I kept some of the motion offense that Rod ran. And I'll put a wrinkle in that.''
This season, Cave Spring gets a slight nod in the regular-season race. The Knights have three returning starters compared with one for the Cougars.
Cave Spring has an imposing front line that averages more than 6 feet and feature's Timesland's tallest girl, 6-4 Lisa Bryan. What the Knights may lack is guards to replace Aimee and Alison Beightol.
``We won't have the quickness we've had in the past,'' Long said. ``Instead of a run-and-jump [pressing] team, we'll be more of a half-court team. I'd like to think our front line will give people some matchup problems.''
With only one starter (Lisa Skeens) back, the Cougars would seem to be in a rebuilding mode. They aren't, however, because one of the newcomers, freshman Katrina Williams, has the potential to be one of the best guards to play girls' basketball in Timesland.
Farris coached Williams this past year and also coached Terri Garland, a Timesland Player of the Year who starts for Virginia Tech.
``The only way I can compare them is from middle school,'' he said. ``Katrina is probably the best girls' player to come through Dublin Middle School. Terri improved so much after she played for me.''
The Cougars won't have a lot of experienced height, but will have guard Robyn Bower, who played a lot last season. If 6-2 Sarah Donold and 5-11 Mary Bishop come through, Pulaski County should be tough.
William Fleming, the only RVD team that usually poses a challenges to Pulaski County and Cave Spring, is young despite the presence of three returning starters. The Colonels have only two seniors, and their top returning scorer is 5-7 forward Kiann Trent, who averaged six points a game.
``We don't have much height, but we're young and energetic,'' said Roland Lovelace, now the dean of RVD girls' coaches with 11 years at Fleming.
Franklin County also is rebuilding, but the Eagles have some height to challenge Cave Spring. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they also are the only district team without a returning starter.
Penny Clayborne, a 5-5 guard, is the only senior for the Eagles. Franklin County is hoping for big years from 5-10 Kelli Preston and 5-11 Faith Mattox, a pair of freshmen.
Patrick Henry has two starters returning, but the Patriots still might have trouble ending a 54-game losing streak that dates to the 1992-93 season.
John Griffith, PH's new coach, had to undergo surgery last week for a ruptured disk in his back. Then, he learned some players who had been on the team last season had decided not to play.
As a result, the Patriots have no player taller than 5-8. The only plus is guard Carrie Moore, who started last season and is one of Timesland's top female athletes. Moore's best sports is soccer, in which she was Timesland's top girls' player as a junior.
Here is a capsule look at the Roanoke Valley District girls' teams:
CAVE SPRING
'94-95 record: 21-5 overall, 10-2 district.
Coach: Linda Long, fourth year.
Returning starters: Cheryl Rhodes, 5-10, Sr., F, 12.4 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game; Jaclyn Banks, 6-0, Sr., C, 11.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg; Lisa Bryan, 6-4, Jr., C-F, 4.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg.
Other key players: Amy Causey, 5-9, Soph., F; Stacie Marioka, 5-5, Jr., G; Kristin Smith, 5-5, Jr., G; Katie Dierker, 5-7, Sr., G.
Outlook: The Knights could be very good if they get consistent guard play. Potentially, this team has the tallest front line in girls' basketball in the state, and it is an experienced group. Cave Spring also takes on an ambitious schedule as it tries to advance further than it did in the Group AAA tournament last season.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
'94-95 record: 9-10, 5-7.
Coach: Deborah Crockett, third year.
Returning starters: None.
Other key players: Penny Clayborne, 5-5, Sr., G, 4.8 ppg; Jenny Chitwood, 5-4, Jr., G; Kelli Preston, 5-10, Fr., C; Brandi Manns, 5-8, Jr., F; Lashon Brooks, 5-6, Jr., F; Jessica Angle, 5-4, Soph., G; Tofic Muse, 5-6, Soph., F; Heather Matthews, 5-6, Soph., F; Faith Mattox, 5-11, Fr., C.
Outlook: It's a rebuilding year for Franklin County, with as only one player who saw much action last season returning. The Eagles have some good young height and could be a spoiler after the holidays.
PATRICK HENRY
'94-95 record: 0-20, 0-12.
Coach: John Griffith, first year.
Returning starters: Carrie Moore, 5-4, Sr., G, 5.6 ppg; Renee Hill, 5-8, Sr., G, 7.1 ppg.
Other key players: Troyleena Pate, 5-4, Jr., G; Jane Marie Ridenhour, 5-7, Sr., F; Keeda Martin, 5-4, Fr., G; Linda Redd, 5-4, Sr., F.
Outlook: The main thing for the Patriots is to win and break their 54-game skid. Given the lack of height and experience, PH might have a problem doing it.
PULASKI COUNTY
94-95 record:22-5, 11-1.
Coach:Buddy Farris, first year.
Returning starter: Lisa Skeens, 5-6, Jr., G, 5.8 ppg.
Other key players: Sarah Donold, 6-2, Soph., C; Robin Bower, 5-8, Jr., G, 4.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg; Jessica Cobbs, 5-8, Jr., F, 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg; Mary Bishop, 5-11, Jr., C; Katrina Williams, 5-8, Fr., G; Mandy Sexton, 5-8, Jr., F, 2.4 ppg; Lea Hallstead, 5-8, Soph., F; Missy Shirah, 5-7, Jr., G; Sharmon Underwood, 5-5, Jr., G.
Outlook: Pulaski County will be rebuilding, but the Cougars still appear to be a formidable team. New coach Buddy Farris follows Rod Reedy, who built the program into one of the strongest in Timesland before moving to Radford University as an assistant. There are no seniors, so Pulaski County has time to become stronger and stronger as the chief obstacle to Cave Spring.
WILLIAM FLEMING
94-95 record: 13-9, 4-8.
Coach: Roland Lovelace, 13th year.
Returning starters: Revonda Barber, 5-5, Jr., G, 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg; Kiann Trent, 5-7, Soph., F, 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg; Carol Ellis, 5-8, Sr., F, 2.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg.
Other key players: Carla Wallace, 5-5, Jr., G; Shaunarey Walker, 5-5, Fr., G; Renita Walker, 5-5, Fr., G; Elizabeth Lawrence, 5-8, Jr., F; Margaret Page, 5-8, Soph., F.
Outlook: This is a rebuilding year for Fleming, which has been the chief challenger to the top two teams the past few years. Returning scoring is sparse, but time is an ally with few seniors on this team.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH:1, Cave Spring; 2, Pulaski County; 3, William Fleming; 4, Franklin County; 5, Patrick Henry.
by CNB