ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
MEMO: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.
COUNCIL ELIMINATES the Blue Devils from the Group A tourney 69-53 in overtime.
Council looked as though it was the team set on the heels of its leather basketball shoes but it was Grayson County that ended in that awkward position.
After almost blowing a game-long lead in regulation, Council recovered nicely in overtime to beat Grayson County 69-53 in the quarterfinals of the Group A tournament Thursday night at the Salem Civic Center.
Council plays the Madison County-Northampton winner in the second game of a semifinal double-header next Thursday at the Vines Center in Lynchburg.
Grayson County finished 19-6.
``People said that we couldn't play with this team, that we weren't any good,'' Grayson County coach John Ayers said. ``This team could have given up a lot of times but didn't. It was a privilege to coach them.''
Council (25-2) had four 1,000-point scorers, a five-game winning streak, and a formidable reputation. That almost got them a nice seat on the bus back to Buchanan County.
Grayson County, which never led, came agonizingly close to winning the game in overtime.
But after the
Council had called time out to organize its affairs after the Devils' Wes Self had tied the score 50-50 with 58 seconds left. When the clock read 13.8 seconds remaining, Council coach Ricky Goodman called another time out. The Cobras couldn't squeeze off a shot because Neil Rasnake walked.
``I thought we'd lost it there,'' Goodman said.
Ayers called his own time out and his team subsequently followed instructions to the letter. Self hustled the ball across midcourt, but took one dribble too many. His pass to a wide-open Chad Shaffner to the right of the bucket did not beat the buzzer.
That fact may have saved Goodman a health crisis.
``We were supposed to have had him guarded, but he was wide open,'' the coach said.
But the extra period was all Cobras. The Region D champions got a three-point play from Mike Ratliff that started a string of 10-straight free throws and that was that.
``I thought we'd be all right in overtime, but a couple of turnovers and a couple of missed shots ... '' Ayers said.
Shaffner finished with 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Devils, Brian McDonnell added 15 points, and Self had 11.
Shaffner was watched closely by Cobras defenders, which opened things up for McDonnell.
``When Shaffner was hurt in the middle of the year, we needed somebody to pick up the scoring and McDonnell did it,'' Ayers said. ``He had a monster game tonight.''
Council was balanced with Chris Tiller scoring 17 (4-for-8 from 3-point range), Adrian Rasnake chipped in 19, and Ratliff contributed 14.
``We didn't play well in the fourth quarter, but all the credit goes to Grayson County,'' Goodman said. ``They took it to us.''
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB