ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 26, 1997 TAG: 9702260095
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DANVILLE
SOURCE: JIMMY DeBUTTS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
GW-DANVILLE HITS its shots, so the Patriots hit the road home with a loss that ends its season.
The Northwest Region boys' basketball matchup between George Washington-Danville and Patrick Henry on Tuesday night was a run-and-gun show, and the Eagles had more ammo.
GW-Danville ran away from the Patriots 101-81 and will face William Fleming on Thursday in a regional semifinal.
The Eagles began the game with a 9-0 flurry and closed the first quarter on a 15-8 run. Five GW players scored in the first quarter, although the Eagles' leading scorer this season, Charles Stephens, wasn't one of them. He didn't need to be. GW was 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the first eight minutes.
Stephens made up for lost time in the seocnd quarter, however. The junior center poured in 16 of his team's 26 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Patrick Henry trailed 54-27 at the half.
The Patriots refused to surrender, however. Patrick Henry (17-6) used scrappy play to force seven turnovers in the third period. Thanks to a 14-3 run, they whittled the lead to 12 points with 3:19 remaining in the quarter. The Patriots hit 50 percent of their shots in the period, with Colby Leftwich and Boo Battle each contributing seven points.
``We got it down to 12 and if we were deeper, maybe we could have finished the comeback,'' said Jack Esworthy, Patrick Henry's coach. ``We ran out of gas and they ran off a 14-0 run of their own.''
Esworthy started his team in a zone defense, but with the Eagles hitting their shots early, he had to revert to man-to-man.
``Our only hope was for them not to shoot well,'' he said. ``Not only did they shoot well, they shot extremely well.''
Stephens led all scorers ,with 26 points. He also had eight rebounds and six assists. Battle led PH with 25 points, Leftwich finished with 19 and Ronnie Kasey had 18.
While the Patriots' season ended, the Eagles continue their Group AAA title defense.
``We can't be cocky,'' Stephens said. ``They have players that can battle. If we think we're going to win heading into a game, that's when we'll lose.''
NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB