ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 20, 1996 TAG: 9611200076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MARION
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
In their attempt to return to the Group AA girls' basketball final four, players and coaches from defending state champion Lord Botetourt resolved to make life easy for themselves.
As far as the players were concerned, that meant taking shots that didn't present much of a challenge.
The Cavaliers grew wealthy by making inside shots, layups, and other chippies while stopping Marion 69-50 in a quarterfinal game at Hurricane House on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers (25-2) will meet old foe William Byrd in a state semifinal game Friday at Virginia High in Bristol. The Terriers beat Richlands 65-43 in another quarterfinal.
The teams will require no scouting report, having seen each other most recently this past Saturday, when Byrd beat the Cavaliers 58-52 for the Region III crown. This will be the fifth time this year and the 10th time in two years the teams have played. Each has won twice this year.
The loss to Byrd influenced events here Tuesday.
"We wanted to play at home tonight,'' Lord Botetourt's Sarah Hicks said. "But losing to Byrd like we did, we came down here determined to give it everything we had to win this game.''
Everything they had was more than Marion (21-4) could handle.
The Scarlet Hurricane, known for its defense, couldn't stop the Cavaliers from scoring and as a result, was playing from behind the whole game.
The Cavaliers made nine of their first 11 shots and went 16-for-23 from the floor in the first half on the way to a 34-23 lead. The Cavs then proceeded to make 10 of 12 shots in the third quarter. By then, it was all but over.
Hicks dominated inside, scoring 21 points. In the backcourt, point guard Sara Moore ran a flawless offense and scored 17 points.
Amanda Hall, who scored a team-high 14 points for Marion, sank four 3-pointers as the Hurricane attempted to battle back. Leigh Jones, the point guard and team leader, finished her career with 13 points, about five lower than her average.
Kim Daugherty added 12 points for Lord Botetourt.
"We knew they had a reputation for good defense,'' Lord Botetourt coach David Wheat said. "We talked about not letting their press force us back on our heels. We wanted to attack.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB