ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602190108
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
While the snow might play havoc with the start of district tournaments this week, the weather won't slow Liberty High School.
The Minutemen were Group AA semifinalists a year ago, and they appear to be Timesland's best bet to make the state semifinals at Liberty University in four weeks.
The Minutemen don't have the inside strength of a year ago, when 6-foot-4 Stephen Shrader made All-Timesland after proving he could go toe-to-toe with the best inside people in the state.
Liberty is somewhat of a mystery team on the state level because its regular-season schedule is limited to Seminole District teams. In the district, the Minutemen's average margin of victory through 17 games - all victories - was 21 points and only four games had been decided by fewer than 10.
The Seminole may not be the strongest Group AA district in the state, but the Minutemen need to win only two games - a Region III semifinal against either the No.2 team from the Piedmont or Blue Ridge districts and a game against a Region IV representative - to reach the Group AA semifinal round. Region IV is regarded as very weak.
Compared with last season's team, Liberty has more quickness and better shooting. The Minutemen have five players shooting better than 47 percent from the field.
More frustrating for opponents is that four players - Gregg Reynolds, Raymond Arrington, Robert Carson and J.J. Coles - are shooting 32 percent or better from 3-point range.
This also is an unselfish team, with Reynolds, Carson and Coles each averaging 4.4 assists or more.
Liberty's Achilles' heel may be rebounding, with no Minuteman averaging as many as seven boards per game.
All this is why Liberty is ranked No.1 in Timesland and is unbeaten. The team that beats the Minutemen must have a strong point guard to overcome Liberty's press and a center who can dominate inside.
The winner of the Salem-Northside playoff, assuming there is one Monday at Lord Botetourt, also will get an excellent draw in Group AA and will need to win only two games - one against Region IV - to make the state's semifinal round.
Fieldale-Collinsville, the winner of the Piedmont District, is an unknown quantity. The Cavaliers have played only one non-district game, against a team from the Washington, D.C., area. Fieldale-Collinsville, though, must win three games to make a Group AA semifinal.
In Group AAA, Patrick Henry, William Fleming and Cave Spring will battle in the Roanoke Valley District tournament, with the winner getting a draw that leaves it at home in the Northwestern Region for the first two games. Defending champion Potomac, ranked No.6 in the state, would have to play at the RVD's No.1 team for a berth in the state tournament, assuming PH, Cave Spring or Fleming would win its first regional outing.
For the girls, the survivor among Cave Spring, Pulaski County and William Fleming in the RVD tournament has the same favorable draw as the boys.
In Group A, Pioneer District regular-season champion Glenvar and Covington have been the most consistent in Timesland during the past month. Grayson County must get back on track, Floyd County is enjoying a solid season and George Wythe fought back to make it a scrap for the Hogoheegee District title.
The winner of Region C might run into Council, the state's top-ranked Group A team, which has lost only to Oak Hill Academy. Parry McCluer beat Council a year ago in the Group A tournament, but many who have seen them insist the Cobras are better this time around.
So is Glenvar. The Highlanders, who have qualified for the regional tournament, have a strong team, but they might not be on the type of roll they started last year with the Region C title.
In the private school ranks, Carlisle is No.1 in Division II, but had to survive a scare at home in a 73-71 victory over Roanoke Valley Christian.
Those teams meet again Monday in the Eagles' gym in a contest that is meaningless as far as the regular season standings are concerned. However, this is Roanoke Valley Christian's best team, and if the Eagles beat the Chiefs, the defending state champions, it could be a springboard for the tournaments.
TOUGH REBOUNDER: The Roanoke Valley Christian girls' team has the best record in the Blue Ridge Conference going into this week's play.
One of the least-heralded players for an Eagles team that features two freshmen as its leading scorers is sophomore Nia Douglas. In three games this past week, Douglas had 14, 11 and nine rebounds for an average of 11.3. She should appear in the final Timesland basketball statistics this week.
TAR HEELS SIGNEE:Glenvar's Trish Nervo, arguably the best girls' cross country runner to come out of the Roanoke area, has decided to accept a scholarship to North Carolina.
Nervo won four consecutive Group A titles and finished fourth at the Foot Locker national cross country competition in December, improving her stock considerably.
CURIA BACK:According to at least three sources who declined to be identified, John Curia will be named football coach at R.E. Lee-Staunton after Bob Christmas of Jefferson Forest turned down the job.
Curia, who coached at Hinton, W.Va., this past fall, is familiar to Timesland fans as the coach at Orange County, which lost the 1991 Group AA Division 4 championship game at Richlands the week after the Blue Tornadoes used illegal cleats against Salem in a semifinal.
Curia suspected Richlands also used the same cleats against Orange County, but when officials asked Blue Tornado coach Dennis Vaught before the game, they were told his team was properly outfitted.
Vaught later admitted using illegal cleats against Salem, but the Orange-Richlands game never was an issue and the Blue Tornado was allowed to retain its state championship.
STATISTICS:Basketball and wrestling coaches are asked to submit regular-season statistics in the usual manner Monday. Include no district tournament action. If teams play regular-season or playoff games this week, please submit final statistics by Friday.
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