ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603110115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
Words cannot begin to describe what William Fleming's James Stokes did Saturday to lift his team into the Group AAA basketball semifinals.
In numbers, the 6-foot-5 senior scored a career-high 40 points, pulled in a game-high 15 rebounds and carried his team when others were fouling out.
It was only fitting that Stokes end a 100-87 overtime victory over J.E.B. Stuart with a dunk that put the Colonels (19-7) at the century mark and set up a Friday night date in the state semifinals against Hopewell, which defeated Menchville 71-66 in overtime.
``Was it the game of his life?'' Fleming coach Marshall Ashford asked rhetorically. ``Heck, he's played the last two months of his life.
``He just wants it, and when you want it, you're willing to do what's necessary. If there's a better player in the state of Virginia, I don't know where he is.''
In the third quarter, when Stuart (18-11) came out smoking, Stokes kept his team in the game with 14 points. He scored nine of the Colonels' 15 points in overtime.
Stuart's athletic team blocked nine Fleming shots. But the Raiders didn't get any of Stokes' as he took them inside when he wasn't hitting short 12-foot jumpers.
``That was my best game ever,'' said Stokes. ``We put in a play for me in the middle where I just took them. None of them could keep up with me.''
Stuart coach Michael Yohe had no disagreement. He said his team lost the game in regulation when Thomas Puryear, who had 29 points, tied the score at 83 with 39.2 seconds left on a 3-point shot. He was fouled, but a lane violation wiped out his free throw that missed anyway.
``I felt because of Stokes, that if we were to win the game, we had to do it right there,'' said Yohe.
``He's very physical. We couldn't stop him. We tried denying him the ball, but he's so big and strong, we kept falling off him.''
Even after Puryear's miss, this game had a wild finish to regulation.
First Fleming had a turnover. Stokes - who else? - stole it back, but Brad Dunleavy missed a shot.
However, Percy Pannell hit a follow shot with 9.8 seconds left. Then J.E.B. Stuart's Derrick Alexander tied the score with a short jumper.
Fleming hustled down the floor, but Dunleavy's attempt to beat the buzzer from the side was short and off the rim.
In overtime, Stokes was hardly tired and Stuart was worn out. The Raiders made just two of 12 shots and the Colonels kept pulling away.
As it was, everything Stokes did was needed. Stuart sank 10 shots from 3-point distance, a Group AAA record, breaking the mark of eight.
Byron Hall had six 3-point goals, but he took 19 shots. He missed eight tries for two points.
The Colonels were also in foul trouble, with two starters and a reserve fouling out. Charles Burnette scored 13 points in the first half, but played very little after intermission before fouling out.
Sterling Tate had 11 points and two two key field goals in the fourth quarter before he fouled out.
``We were forced to rest people because of foul problems. Luckily, the one [Stokes] we needed the most wasn't in foul trouble,'' said Ashford.
``I had to take him out for a minute because he had cramps, but he wanted it and went back in.''
Oddly, Stokes, a 76 percent free-throw shooter, made only 8-of-16 from the line. In fact, Fleming hit less than 50 percent of its free throws or the game never would have gone into overtime.
``I wasn't tired. I just didn't take my time,'' said Stokes, who was 6-of-10 from the line in overtime.
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB