ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 13, 1997 TAG: 9703130047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FLOYD
SOURCE: RAY COX THE ROANOKE TIMES
Alan Cantrell has the unique opportunity of coaching a daughter and son to state championships.
It's all been very friendly - brotherly, sisterly and all that - but ever so subtly, Melissa Cantrell has been giving little brother Travis a series of basketball challenges.
Top this, she's been saying, even when she doesn't verbalize it.
It may have started when she reached the 1,000-point plateau during her senior year as a Floyd County High School Buffalo. Travis scored his 1,000th this season as a junior at Floyd County.
Melissa scored 34 points as a freshman at Bluefield College this past season. Travis scored 36 in a Christmas tournament game soon after.
She sank six 3-pointers in a college game. He countered with six 3s in a high school game.
All very friendly. All very sporting.
One accomplishment Melissa does have Travis dearly would love to match. She'd dearly love to see it happen, too. She played for a state champion. He'd like to do the same.
Travis Cantrell and his Floyd teammates will take a stab at it when they meet Glenvar tonight in the second game of a Group A semifinal doubleheader at the Vines Center in Lynchburg. The winner advances to Saturday's 1 p.m. title game with the survivor of the game between Surry County and Washington & Lee-Montross.
A victory also would give Melissa and Travis' father, Buffaloes coach Alan Cantrell, the distinction of coaching a daughter and son on state champion teams.
So it's up to the boys.
Which also would give Travis a chance to match Melissa once again. She's not saying anything about that, though.
``She's superstitious,'' Travis said. ``She'd never say anything like, `Now go out and win the state.' She wouldn't want to put any pressure on us.''
You'd think all the pressure would be on their father, a man known to take his work seriously. He's had two state titles with the girls, but never made it as far as the semifinal round with the boys. Until now.
``After we beat Haysi [84-75 this past week in the quarterfinals], I became more relaxed,'' he said. ``I'm still nervous, but it was the same way with the girls. You get to this point and nobody's going to sneak up on anybody. Everybody's good. The offense and defense is in place. It's in the players' hands now. This is when you want to play.''
Nobody wants to play more than Travis.
``Coaching Melissa and Travis has been different,'' Alan Cantrell said. ``She'll be the first to tell you, she doesn't love basketball the way Travis does.''
Win or lose, it has been and continues to be quite the sporting thrill for the Cantrells.
``It's been a great joy and pleasure to have had the privilege to coach my children,'' Alan Cantrell said. ``I know being able to spend as much quality time with my children as I have is something that most parents aren't able to do.''
LENGTH: Medium: 68 linesby CNB