ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602220063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
A television camerman followed Patrick Henry coach Woody Deans out of his locker room Wednesday at the Salem Civic Center.
Would this be the last game in one of the state's fabled coaching careers?
``I told them it wouldn't be,'' said Deans, who last month announced his retirement at the end of the season.
If anyone knew a little history, they realized Deans would coach again another day. Patrick Henry blasted Cave Spring 73-51 in the Roanoke Valley District tournament semifinals, but then that wasn't surprising because the Knights haven't won a tournament game in the 1990s. They also haven't been to the Northwest Region, which awaited Wednesday's winning team.
The Patriots (13-8) assured Deans of two more games - one against William Fleming in Saturday's championship when the most important task will be attaining a better regional seeding. The RVD tournament champion will be at home for at least two games as long as it wins the regional opener.
``I really don't get a thrill out of playing or beating Cave Spring,'' said Deans, whose house is a long golf stroke from the school. ``There are a lot of good people in the community.''
Deans had more than past history on his side. As soon as guard Ronnie Kasey and forward Boo Battle came off the bench in the first quarter, it was game, set and match in favor of the Patriots.
Battle scored on a follow shot instantly to make it 4-2 and PH never trailed again. He had 13 points and five rebounds and Kasey had nine points and four of his six assists as the Patriots led 39-16 at the half.
The Knights (11-11) compounded their problems with a technical foul as a sub came on the floor before being summoned by the officials with 1.6 seconds left in the second quarter.
Brooks Berry hit one free throw and then Battle, who scored a game-high 21, found Brian Jackson, who had 15 points, in the corner for a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
``The first year I coached the varsity at Patrick Henry,'' said Deans, ``that happened to me. A kid ran on the floor, the officials called a technical and it took me out of the game.''
PH also did a stellar defensive job on the Knights' Jeff Lang, limiting the RVD's second-leading scorer to nine points and holding him to just two assists.
``This was just a great job by Woody Deans. If you looked at that team around Christmas, after the loss to Glenvar, people were ready to pound nails in their coffin,'' said Cave Spring coach Chris Carr.
``That was probably our lowest point,'' said Deans. ``People can't believe this is the same team. That's when I told the kids, I'd be retiring.''
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB