ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603120025
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
It's time to hit the road for three Timesland teams as they attempt to advance in the state basketball tournaments.
The William Fleming and Northside boys, plus the Pulaski County girls, take long trips tonight for first-round games.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Liberty (22-0), scheduled to play Gate City (15-9) on Friday, will have to wait to meet the Blue Devils until Monday at 7 p.m. at Rustburg. Snow in the Lynchburg area forced postponement of the game.
Fleming and Pulaski County play at the same site, Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, as they face Northern Region teams in a doubleheader at 7. The Cougars (19-7) take on highly-rated James Madison (25-3) and Katie Smrcka-Duffy, one of the best girls' basketball players in the country.
Twenty minutes after that game, Fleming (18-7) hopes to advance to the Group AAA semifinals for the third time in four years as it plays J.E.B. Stuart (18-10).
Northside (16-8) meets Virginia High (14-12) at Gate City in a Group AA game starting at 7. The Vikings are out to make the semifinals for the third straight winter.
Of the three Timesland schools, Pulaski County may have the toughest task. The Cougars have played James Madison four times in recent years - twice in the state tournament and two games in a holiday tourney - and lost all four.
This Pulaski County team, without a senior and with only one starter back from last year, might be considered an over-achiever. Freshman Katrina Williams (17.1 points per game) is the only double-figure scorer. Some see this as a match between Smrcka-Duffy (30.2 ppg.) and Williams, or the passing of the guard from one outstanding player to another.
``That's all I hear from everybody,'' said Pulaski County coach Buddy Farris about whether Williams will defend Smrcka-Duffy, the state Group AAA Player of the Year as a junior who will attend North Carolina State.
``Katrina won't guard her. I don't want to wear out Katrina. We'll probably put Robyn Bower on her.''
Madison coach Pat Deegan has heard good things about Williams, the Roanoke Valley District Player of the Year, but he won't say she's the premier young player in the state ready to follow Smrcka-Duffy.
``She's had the best freshman year [in the state],'' said Deegan of Williams. ``But people will hear [next year] about a lot of other sophomores. This was the best class we've had in Northern Virginia in years. Even if [Williams] lights us up, we've got a lot of good talent up here. For instance, our next top scorer is Renee Cosby (12.5 ppg), a ninth grader.''
Besides experience, the Cougars also lack great size. They've used a match-up zone defense and, in the process, ended Cave Spring's eight-year stranglehold on the Roanoke Valley District tournament championship.
``I didn't figure we'd be as far along as we are now,'' said Farris. ``The way Trina is playing isn't a surprise, but I didn't think she'd do quite this well. We knew she had possibilities.
``The big thing is that we've gotten help. Lisa Skeens has come up and done quite well. It shows if you don't have great size and athletic ability, but if you work hard, have heart and determination and play hard as a team, you can get the job done.''
That's also true of J.E.B. Stuart. The Raiders got three players back at the semester break and have won 11 of the past 12 games. The three returnees are 6-foot-3 forward Thomas Puyear, 6-3 guard Derric Alexander and 6-5 forward Antoine Martin.
They joined Byron Hall, a guard averaging 23 points a game and the Northern Region Player of the Year, plus 6-6 Michael Puyear, a cousin of Thomas Puyear, who averages 15 points and 10 rebounds after being granted an extra year of eligibility by the VHSL.
``From what I've heard, they're an up-tempo team,'' said Fleming coach Marshall Ashford. ``They just try to come out, apply a lot of full-court pressure and see if they can take you out of your offense.''
Fleming will have to cut down on early mistakes if the Colonels are to survive. Miscues cost Fleming a chance to upset George Washington-Danville in the Northwest Region championship game last weekend.
``The guards [Brad Dunleavy, Richard Wilson and R.J. Reynolds] have come a long way since the beginning of the season,'' said Ashford. ``If we can cut down on the turnovers, we'll have a chance to win the game. They'll try to press us like GW, but I don't think they have the athletes that Danville had.''
Northside's chances to advance also depend on guards - Justin Porterfield and Ben Peete. Averages don't tell the story of these two, who do it all for the Vikings.
Virginia High, like Stuart, has played well late in the season. The Bearcats are paced by 6-1 Damon Peters (11.2 ppg), a wing player, and 6-3 forward Brennan Hill (11.2 ppg).
``They're fairly small and quick,'' said Northside coach Billy Pope. ``They're very aggressive. Obviously, their defense is why they've played well as of late. They've been able to shut things down by other teams.''
Still, if Porterfield and Peete take control, the Vikings can advance. ``We'll have to do the things that have worked for us all year. Keep it at the tempo we like to play,'' said Pope.
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. William Fleming fans andby CNBcheerleaders mob the Colonels players after their victory Thursday
over Potomac, the defending Group AAA champion. Fleming hopes it has
more to celebrate after its game with J.E.B. Stuart tonight in
Alexandria.