ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
THE VIKINGS rally in the fourth quarter to beat the Spartans in a Blue Ridge District basketball showdown at Northside.
For three quarters Tuesday night, Northside's offense appeared to be spinning in one of the big piles of snow in the parking lot.
The Vikings looked like an upset victim against a young Salem team. But in less than four minutes of the fourth quarter, Northside's shooting brought about a quick thaw as the Vikings pulled away for a 61-54 Blue Ridge District victory on their home court.
Down by eight after three quarters, Northside scored 12 consecutive points to start the final period. The victory puts the Vikings (5-4 overall, 2-0 in the district) in firm control with victories over the teams - Salem (4-5, 1-1) and William Byrd - who are picked to battle them for the Blue Ridge title.
``You never think you're going to lose,'' said Northside playmaker Justin Porterfield, who had 12 points and six assists. ``We needed to come out strong in the fourth quarter, and that's what we did.''
Porterfield was held to six points and his running mate, Ben Peete, had four points after three periods thanks to strong defensive jobs by Salem guards Andy Beach and Herschel Thomas. The Vikings guards scored nine points between them in the final period, starting with Peete's drive to the basket for a short jumper that opened Northside's spurt.
``Ben set the tone by making that drive and finishing it,'' said Billy Pope, Northside's coach. ``That was the biggest play. We had a lot of good drives, but we were just hesitant on them until that one. Even then I didn't know if we could come back.''
There was another factor in Northside's victory. The Vikings finally shut down Thomas, who scored all 16 of his points in the first three quarters. Beach, with nine points, and Sam Lazzaro, with two free throws, were the only Spartans able to score in the final eight minutes. Seven turnovers in the period also hurt Salem's chances.
``Their experience and their guard play beat us,'' said Charlie Morgan, the Spartans' coach. ``We turned the ball over too much. Our effort was great. I thought both teams got after it, but their guards handled the pressure.''
Northside also found some bench strength. While Lazzaro (five) provided Salem's only points from the bench, Vikings sophomore reserve Xavier Lee had 11, including eight in the second half, and Daryl Holmes added six.
``Xavier hadn't played in our last game'' against Byrd, Pope said. ``He had only played four or five minutes the entire year. We were trying to look for a combination and we were going 11 deep looking for something to get us going.''
Northside took the lead for good at 45-43 on a layup by Adam Wimmer, whose 17 points led both teams. Then, Lee converted an alley-oop from Porterfield to make it 47-43 before Beach banked in a 3-pointer to put the Spartans on the scoreboard.
Porterfield came back with a layup, but Lazzaro's two free throws with 2:47 left cut Salem's deficit back to one. Then, the Vikings put it away as Holmes followed Porterfield's miss. Porterfield got a layup, and Adam Gray's layup on a pass from Peete gave the Vikings a 55-48 lead with 1:41 left.
Wimmer's contribution was more than the shot that put Northside ahead. He scored 10 points in the opening half, when the Vikings made only 10 of 29 shots from the field.
``He can score,'' Pope said. ``He was our entire offensive production in the first half.''
After intermission, the Vikings hit 16 of 28. For the game, Salem hit 19 of 46 as the Spartans never could find any consistency.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB