ROANOKE TIMES Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times DATE: Friday, October 25, 1996 TAG: 9610250101 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: KEITH POMPEY STAFF WRITER
THE BEWITCHING VIKINGS were brewing up a season sweep, but William Byrd refused and rode off with a sweet pre-Halloween victory.
As Halloween approaches, the Northside girls' basketball team learned paybacks can be tricky and they definitely aren't a treat.
After defeating William Byrd 50-38 on Oct.1, the Vikings were riding high. That victory not only made them 2-0 against the Terriers this season, it put them in a first-place tie with Lord Botetourt in the Blue Ridge District.
Not anymore.
Byrd avenged the early-season defeats with a 54-42 victory Thursday night in Northside's gym. Both teams now are tied for second in the district.
``We needed to win this game,'' said Richard Thrasher, the Terriers' coach. ``We could not afford to lose to Northside three times in a row.
``We are better than we were the first time we played them. We are starting to grow as a team and not make as many mistakes.''
If one person played mistake-free basketball, it was Byrd's Brandy Allen. The 6-foot forward recorded a team-high 18 points and was an imposing force on defense.
``This was [Brandy's] best overall game of the year,'' Thrasher said. ``I don't know what her stats are like, but she did it all, from scoring to steals and defensive rebounds.''
Unlike the last meeting, Byrd (15-3 overall, 10-2 district) got production from its freshman backcourt. Point guard Dawn Chewning scored 10 points and shooting guard Andrea Gay added eight.
Meanwhile, Crystal Barrett was Northside's only offensive threat. The 6-foot junior had a game-high 21 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. But her teammates shot 39 percent from the field.
``I don't know what happened to us out there,'' said guard Amber Kern, who was held to six points.
Northside coach Marilyn Bussey had an answer.
``We just never got into much of a rhythm. It just wasn't our night. But we played hard and never gave up. But it was just Byrd's night.''
The game was close for a while.
Northside opened with a 9-5 run, knotting the score at 11 to end the first quarter. Byrd jumped out to a 24-20 second-quarter lead. But Barrett's layup right before the half closed the gap 24-23.
That's when the bottom fell out for the Vikings (15-3, 10-2), who shot 7-of-27 in the second half.
``I thought we were going to come out there in the second half with the plan to win,'' said Kern. ``It just didn't happen. We missed a lot of shots.''
After rebounding one Viking miss, Allen found a streaking Chewning, whose layup made it 30-24 Byrd with 4:46 left in the third quarter. Both teams turned the ball over on their next possessions before Sarah Moore's layup gave the Terriers a 32-24 lead.
Byrd's Brennan Sigal hit a foul-line jumper to make the score was 44-30. Allen's two fouls shots with :37 left sealed the final margin.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB