ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 25, 1997 TAG: 9701270109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
In a game where the offenses were disciplined and the defenses tough, one 3-pointer from William Byrd's Mayo Wilson was enough to turn a key Blue Ridge District boys' basketball game Friday.
Just when Lord Botetourt thought it had Blue Ridge leader William Byrd in trouble, Wilson canned one from downtown that started a rally and led to a 45-41 Byrd victory on its home court.
Wilson's shot trimmed Botetourt's lead to 37-36. The Cavaliers had Byrd (10-4 overall, 7-1 Blue Ridge) in trouble after outscoring the Terriers 17-7 in the third quarter. Wilson's shot seemed to make everything click again for Byrd as he added one more field goal and 6-foot-5 Kevin Stump scored six of his 10 points to help the Terriers outscore the Cavaliers 12-4 in the final period.
``Josh Wheeler penetrated, kicked it back out and I was wide open,'' said Wilson. ``After that, everyone started to come around and play.''
``I was a little frustrated,'' said Stump. ``But I kept working and they [points] finally came.''
Byrd coach Paul Barnard liked the shot that helped his team keep control of the Blue Ridge District race. Between quarters, Barnard pointed out to his team that it was behind at home in a crucial district game.
``I asked them how they were going to react to that. The shot that Mayo hit got us started. He's a senior. He should make those shots,'' said Barnard.
Lord Botetourt (8-4, 3-4) came in with the idea of stopping Wilson and Stump, Byrd's two big scorers. The Cavaliers used triangle-and-two, box-and-one and a zone defense. The result was a defensive struggle where every point became a big one.
After Wilson's shot, Hugh Arendall came back with a jumper to extend Botetourt's lead to three. But Stump scored a layup and Wilson made another big play with a steal and layup to push Byrd ahead for good at 40-39 with 5:07 left. Stump's follow shot with 3:44 gave the Terriers a three-point lead.
``We missed some easy shots when we had the lead,'' said Botetourt coach Ed Purdy. ``Three or four times we got open for layups and came up with no points. We didn't execute well offensively. There was a reason for that. They played tough defense.''
Jason Hunt's layup with 3:36 left made it 42-41 and he was fouled on the play. He missed the free throw. At the other end, Stump made a pair of free throws and then the Cavaliers turned the ball over on a back-court violation.
Botetourt was hampered early when one of its top scorers, Sean Osborne, picked up three quick fouls and missed much of the first half. He still scored 12 points, but it was the 6-4 junior Hunt who kept Lord Botetourt in contention with a game-high 14 points, three blocked shots and 10 rebounds.
While Byrd likes a fast-paced game, Barnard said Botetourt's defenses dictated the tempo. ``We didn't want to come down the floor and jack it up,'' said the Byrd coach.
``We played a slow pace, which was fine,'' said Purdy. ``We don't have that much depth, so we have to pick our times to run with them. We did that in the third quarter.''
The teams split 56 rebounds. Byrd connected on 16-of-37 from the floor while Botetourt was 16-of-41. The Cavaliers fell apart in the final quarter with five turnovers.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN STAFF. William Byrd's Kevin Stump gets aby CNBhand in his face from a Lord Botetourt defender during their Blue
Ridge District game Friday night. Stump finished with 10 points as
the Terriers maintained the district lead.