ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 28, 1996 TAG: 9612300093
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
THE PATRIOTS overcome a 17-point deficit to beat Gar-Field in overtime at the Holiday Hoops Classic tournament.
When Patrick Henry's Ronnie Kasey fired, there was no doubt about it.
The senior guard canned his last four shots - all 3-pointers - to propel the Patriots past Gar-Field 67-65 in overtime of a semifinal game Friday in the NationsBank Holiday Hoops Classic. The Patriots will try to dethrone defending champion Riverside of Durham, N.C., in the title game at 7:45 tonight at the Salem Civic Center.
Kasey's fourth 3-pointer in the string tied the score with six seconds remaining to force overtime. His final shot from beyond the arc gave PH a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
``He can do that, I've seen it in practice,'' said Patriots coach Jack Esworthy.
More importantly, Kasey was willing to take the tough shots and he wasn't afraid of early failures when he made only five of 13 shots in the first three quarters.
``Like any good shooter, I told him to keep shooting,'' said Esworthy. ``They'll start dropping. The percentages will be with you. It evened out, at least in the last quarter.''
Kasey finished with 25 points and was the biggest part of the story. His heroics would have meant nothing had the Patriots not gone to a press to wipe out a 17-point deficit. Boo Battle contributed 21 points and snared 11 rebounds, and freshman Mike Peery chipped in two big 3-pointers and had a game-high eight assists to relieve Kasey of some of the point-guard responsibilities.
``When the other team plays a zone, Mike takes the top. They were starting to key on Ronnie, so we moved him around,'' Esworthy explained.
PH grabbed a 2-0 lead and then had to battle uphill. The Patriots didn't lead again until Kasey's 3-point shot in overtime.
Gar-Field (5-3) appeared to have the game in hand when Kevin Pollard's free throw made it 59-53 with 27 seconds left. Kasey hit a 3-pointer 11 seconds later and then the Patriots forced a turnover. With a hand in his face, Kasey got off a 3-pointer from in front to tie the score.
``I knew it was good,'' said Kasey. ``We play 4-on-4 in practice. Three stops and you start all over [switching from offense to defense]. Every time the other team has two stops, I get the ball and hit [a shot].''
The Indians owned a 36-28 rebounding advantage despite Battle's efforts and PH made only 24 of 55 shots. However, the pressure defense by the Patriots (7-1) forced 16 turnovers by the Indians while PH made only four miscues after the first quarter.
``We just threw the game away,'' Gar-Field coach Andy Gray said. ``When you shoot 2-for-8 from the line and don't handle the ball well, then miss layups, you don't deserve to win. Give their kids a lot of credit for hanging in there and not quitting.''
Even after Kasey's 3-pointer put PH ahead in overtime, the game was far from over. Colby Leftwich hit two free throws with 34.3 seconds left to make it 67-63, but Alex Jenkins' layup with 2.5 seconds remaining made it a two-point game again.
After a timeout, Battle was fouled with a second remaining. He missed both free-throw attempts and Pollard grabbed the rebound, heaving a length of the court shot that flew to the left of the backboard, ending the game.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB