ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 7, 1996 TAG: 9612090063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
Jack Esworthy is the new boys' basketball coach at Patrick Henry, but it was the same old story Friday night.
The Patriots still know how to win and this year's team does it a little quicker with a little more emphasis. The Patriots showed those two characteristics in their home opener as they ran away from Northside 85-68.
Patrick Henry (2-0) came out running, pressing and shooting. After a few anxious moments early when Northside had a couple of brief leads, the Patriots took control. More specifically, center Boo Battle and guard Ronnie Kasey took over. The two combined for 44 points, nine of the Patriots' 12 steals and 13 assists in an awesome display of pressing, passing and scoring.
``Oh, yeah, this is great,'' said Battle of the fast tempo. ``We run with the ball a whole lot more.''
Added Kasey: ``I found out we were going to do this at the first practice and it's great.''
Esworthy got his first look at his team in late August. He knew right away he had the horses to run.
``We're very athletic,'' Esworthy said. ``My concern is [about] coming together. They have sure come together the first two games.''
Though Northside didn't return a starter, the Vikings are going to be a lot for many Group AA teams to handle. They didn't shy away from Patrick Henry, but the difference in quickness was noticeable from the start.
``This was good for us because we're not afraid to play good teams. Obviously, they're a very good team,'' said Northside coach Billy Pope. ``We have a few things to be corrected, but it's nothing that can't be corrected.''
For just over 10 minutes, Northside stayed with the Patriots. Northside's Xavier Lee sank two free throws, pulling his team within one point at 24-23. Then Patrick Henry took off, going on an 11-2 run with five players scoring. Kasey finished the run with a layup that made it 35-25. Shortly after the half, with Kasey and Battle doing their thing for six points, the Patriots opened the lead to 52-34.
``The more times we can get a team to go up and down the floor, the more it will benefit us,'' said Esworthy. ``Not that we can't play a half-court game. We have a trapping defense designed to create pressure. Our offense comes from the defensive end that is supposed to get us easy shots.''
Patrick Henry wound up hitting 39-of-73 and the Patriots, after a slow start in which they were outrebounded 11-7 in the first quarter, dominated the boards 43-33. Battle pulled down 11 rebounds while Colby Leftwich and Malik Shareef combined for 15.
The Vikings hit only 26 of 63 shots and committed 28 turnovers. Guards Lee and Dwone Steele combined for 30 points to lead Northside, making 11 of 20 shots between them.
For the Vikings, the opener with the Patriots ended a stretch of scrimmaging Group AAA teams William Fleming and E.C. Glass. ``We've learned a lot going through these teams,'' said Pope. ``Our focus right now is about us, doing what we want to do and getting better.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. Patrick Henry's Ronnie Kasey (left)by CNBgoes up for two points as Northside's Nathan Marshall defends in
their boys' basketball game Friday night. The homestanding Patriots
won 85-68. color.