ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 25, 1996 TAG: 9608270018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: BLUE RIDGE DISTRICT
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
BLACKSBURG AND Christiansburg have their work cut out for them in a league that features 1995 Group AA champion Lord Botetourt, as well as traditional powers William Byrd and Salem.
In the past 20 years, Blacksburg has won four Group AA girls' basketball titles and stamped itself as Timesland's strongest program in the division.
This year, the Indians - along with Christiansburg - will join the Blue Ridge District. Make no mistake, though. Coaches from the six teams who played in the Blue Ridge District last year are not in awe of Blacksburg or its history.
``I was here when the Blue Ridge District was the Blue Ridge District,'' said Alleghany coach Danny Keene, who has tried to rebuild the Mountaineers during the past few years so that they could compete in what is arguably the state's toughest Group AA girls' basketball league. ``It should be Blacksburg and Christiansburg who are concerned. It would be my problem if they made me go [from one league] into the Blue Ridge.''
While Blacksburg has the tradition, the Indians have struggled the past couple of years. They reached the Group AA quarterfinal round last year, but finished 11-14 as the runner-up in Region IV, which doesn't have nearly the overall strength of Region III these days.
Blacksburg won state titles in 1992-93, completing an incredible 16 years that started in 1978 with the Indians' first crown. Besides the four titles, Blacksburg also played in the 1990 championship game.
Coach Mickey McGuigan, whose career record at Blacksburg is 131-49, agrees with Keene that despite the Indians' past credentials, joining the Blue Ridge will be no romp through fields of clover. His main goal is to finish in the top four and earn the home-court advantage for a first-round district tournament game.
``This could be a difficult assignment,'' McGuigan said. ``We will be looking for players who can step up their play from last year. With six new players on the team, we hope to improve in rebounding and total scoring output, as well as slowing our opponents down with an overall stronger defensive effort.
``We have gained some size over the off-season, and hustle and desire are definitely a strength. How well we will shoot and work together is a mystery at this point.''
The Indians have no double-figure scorers back. Andrea Feret (9.4 points per game) and Karly Geller (8.6 ppg) are the top offensive threats returning.
Two teams stand out as the favorites. The first is 1995 Group AA champion Lord Botetourt. The Cavaliers won't sneak up on anybody, as they did after a third-place showing in the regular season and a runner-up spot in the Blue Ridge District tournament last season.
Botetourt (26-4 in 1995) welcomes back four starters, including Timesland Player of the Year Sarah Hicks (22.3 ppg, 7.6 rebounds per game) and All-Timesland guard Sara Moore (17.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg). Hicks has committed to Virginia Tech, and Moore almost certainly will get a Division I scholarship.
The other returning starters are guard Katrina Elliott and forward Aimee Bird, each of whom averaged seven points a game in '95. Also returning are top reserves Sam Keister and Mandy Nichols, and 5-foot-11 Kim Daugherty, plagued by injuries last year, moves off the junior varsity to help Hicks with the Cavs' inside game.
Coach David Wheat said his team is paying no attention to the pressure and expectations.
``We try not to focus on that,'' Wheat said. ``Our motto is the journey just continues. We want to enjoy the journey, so we just focus on each game and have a good time.''
Northside didn't have as much success as the Cavaliers last season, but the Vikings do have more starters back. Coming off a 10-12 record, Northside has all five starters back and has the height to contend with 6-0 Hicks in 6-0 junior Crystal Barrett (11.4 ppg, 12.0 rpg).
The bad news for the Vikings is Barrett broke a foot playing AAU basketball and forward Amy Heath (11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg) suffered a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in one of her knees.
Sophomore point guard Kristina McMillian, who played on the junior varsity last year, might break into the starting lineup.
``This team gets along well. It's been since the 1980s since we had a team like this, this summer,'' said longtime coach Marilyn Bussey, who needs 12 victories to reach 200. ``We went to three camps.''
William Byrd and Salem shared the regular-season title last year, finishing ahead of Botetourt. They'll be factors, but both perennial Blue Ridge powers will be rebuilding.
The Terriers have size in 6-0 junior forward Brandy Allen (10.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and 6-2 sophomore center Stephanie Parnell, who saw limited varsity duty a year ago.
The guards will be be freshmen Dawn Chewning and Andrea Gay, who spent last year on the junior varsity.
``We have no seniors and we've been practicing our varsity and junior varsity [20 kids] together,'' said Richard Thrasher, Byrd's coach. ``So we'll split the varsity and junior varsity into 10 players on each team. I think this will pay dividends, though maybe not immediately.''
Salem has two starters back, including Timesland Sizzlin' Sophomore Sarah Palmer (13.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg), a 6-footer. The other is point guard Mandy Williams (7.4 ppg, 3.9 assists per game), who has battled a possible stress fracture in her right foot during preseason workouts.
Longtime coach Dee Wright welcomes the best players off an unbeaten junior varsity team and might get some help underneath from 6-0 Allison Dickson, a transfer from Roanoke Catholic.
Alleghany has to overcome the loss of 5-9 forward Melissa Page (8.3 ppg, 11.2 rpg), who transferred to Covington. There are three starters left in 5-10 Natasha Chapman (16.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg), guard Katie Craft (14.1 ppg, 4.9 apg) and 5-10 forward April Cook. If tall juniors Nikki Brown and Jessica Hayslett can help underneath, the Mountaineers may be able to contend with the top teams.
Rockbridge County should continue to improve with new coach Susan Brown. The Wildcats (3-16 in '95) have four returning starters, including their leading scorer, 6-1 sophomore Kate Ides (11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg). The junior varsity finished 9-9 and will provide double-figure scoring help from guard Elizabeth Faulkner.
``We're going to to do a lot better,'' said Brown, a former Roanoke College standout who coached the JVs last year. ``Starting to believe they can win is the key to any program.''
Christiansburg has four starters back, including 5-10 center Lisa Dalton (11.3 ppg), who played the last 12 games. Coach Danny Knott must find some more double-figure scorers for a team that lacks size and speed. The Blue Demons were 7-14 a year ago, including a victory over Blacksburg, but five of the wins came against Group A competition.
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Staff. All-Timesland guard Sara Moore averaged 17.3by CNBpoints last season in helping Lord Botetourt win the Group AA title.
2. STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS Staff. Forward Brandy Allen helped William
Byrd earn a Blue Ridge District co-championship in 1995. 3.
(headshots) Hicks.