ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 TAG: 9609180107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DALEVILLE
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
Brandy Allen has watched the young talent come through the William Byrd girls' basketball program.
Allen, a junior, enjoyed watching freshman Dawn Chewning hit 3-point shots from outside and sophomore Stephanie Parnell take it inside for a game-high 15 points as William Byrd won the first big Blue Ridge District showdown of the season by beating Lord Botetourt 54-39 on Tuesday night.
``I played a lot with them this summer and I knew they'd be a big part of this team,'' said Allen, who didn't do badly herself with 14 points.
The Terriers (6-1 overall, 1-0 Blue Ridge) also used the same defense - a matchup zone - they used so effectively at times last year to halt 6-foot Sarah Hicks, the reigning Timesland Player of the Year. Hicks wound up with 12 points, half her average, and also suffered a severely sprained ankle.
Byrd coach Richard Thrasher said this team, despite having no seniors, has responded well. ``We're so young, I call them puppies instead of Terriers,'' he said. ``But puppies can take a bite out of someone like we did tonight.''
It was the first loss for Botetourt (7-1, 0-1). The Cavaliers, ranked first in Timesland, lost twice to Byrd in the regular season last year, but came back to beat the Terriers in the Region III and Group AA championship games.
Byrd never trailed and scored the game's first 10 points. Hicks had trouble against the zone defense. When she went inside, Byrd usually had 6-0 Allen and 6-2 Parnell double-teaming her.
Thrasher isn't about to explain the defense. ``We don't want to give away all our secrets,'' he said.
All-Timesland player Sara Moore also struggled, going 2-for-18 from the floor and scoring only six points for Lord Botetourt. Moore, however, did have eight rebounds, six steals and four assists to keep the Cavaliers close.
Hicks sprained her right ankle in the third quarter with Botetourt down by eight. She put ice on the ankle, but when she returned, it was obvious the senior forward still was hurting.
``It's hard to tell how long she'll be out, but I don't think she'll play Thursday'' at Blacksburg, said Botetourt coach David Wheat. ``Byrd played really well and they deserved to win, which is obvious by the score. They won this game in every category.''
After Hicks was injured, the Cavaliers resorted to 3-point field-goal attempts. They finished 3-of-17 from beyond the arc. Chewning, meanwhile, hit all three she took and passed up several more.
Parnell was 7-of-10 from the field and showed some great post moves. She and Allen collected 17 rebounds between them, though Botetourt won the battle of the boards 36-35.
Thrasher, who knows only too well how things can change during the course of the season, isn't about to proclaim his team the one to beat in the Blue Ridge or Group AA. ``Botetourt will respond next time we play and it will be a lot closer game,'' the veteran coach said. NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. Lord Botetourt's Sarah Hicks andby CNBWilliam Byrd's Stephanie Parnell battle for a rebound Tuesday in
Daleville. color.