ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 17, 1997 TAG: 9703180105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOL NOTES
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM THE ROANOKE TIMES
The pressure was building on Liberty's basketball team to repeat as the Group AA champions.
Just before 5 p.m. Saturday, the pressure was lifted after the Minutemen completed a comeback to defeat Spotswood 77-71 for a second consecutive Group AA state crown.
``All the pressure we had was pressure we put on ourselves,'' said junior point guard Robert Carson, who scored 25 points.
``We wanted to win as much as everyone wanted us to win. If we hadn't won this year, our fans still would have given us credit.''
The Minutemen were ranked No.1 in the final Associated Press state poll and had to dispatch the Blazers, who were ranked No.3 and had beaten No.2 R.E. Lee-Staunton.
``It's a tough job, night in and night out. Everyone is up for you and any night we played a game, we had to come ready to play,'' said Carson.
``People expected us to do it again,'' said Raymond ``Peanut'' Arrington, who scored a game-high 26 points to complete an outstanding junior season. ``We had to play hard every night and as the season progressed, we had to play more as a team.''
After the Minutemen blew Gate City away 84-38 Friday in the semifinals, Liberty coach Mark Hanks said this year's team wasn't having as much fun as his unbeaten champions did a year ago.
``We were more nervous in our pre-game [Saturday] than we usually are. I was hoping the Gate City game would relieve it,'' said Hanks.
Considering what the Minutemen return next season, a third straight title is not out of the question.
``We lose only three seniors. So hopefully we'll be back for a three-peat,'' said Carson, knowing the pressure will build again next winter.
TWO GOOD PROGRAMS: Floyd County senior center Derek Saunders spent Saturday battling Surry County inside as he scored 11 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds as one of the key players in the Buffaloes' 66-63 victory for the Group A championship.
As a sophomore, Saunders transferred from Northside to Floyd County when his family moved. He went from one strong program to another and had been a member of the Vikings' junior varsity when Northside played in the 1995 Group AA championship game against Nansemond River.
``I think our fans were great, so loud, just like I remember them at Northside. There's a big difference because at Northside I wasn't on the floor,'' said Saunders. ``The programs are very similar in many ways.''
``He was a tall, lanky kid. You have some hope for someone his size that he has some skills. I knew he was coming from a good program,'' said Floyd County coach Alan Cantrell.
Saunders was upset with himself because he missed some easy shots. ``But you can't get down on yourself and in the end I wanted the ball,'' he said.
With the Buffaloes down 61-56, Saunders made a field goal and free throw with 3:26 left. Floyd County outscored Surry County 10-2 from that point to win the state.
``His grandfather died two days ago. We talked after the [Glenvar] semifinal game and he told me he'd have to miss [Friday] practice,'' said Cantrell. ``I told him to go ahead and take care of business. You could tell today, he was real emotional.''
ANOTHER TRANSFER: Last year, Liberty center Rodney Morris played in the Group AAA tournament semifinals at the Vines center as a member of the William Fleming team that lost to Hopewell in the semifinals.
This year, after transferring during the summer, he walked off the same floor with Liberty as a state champion.
``I was crying both times,'' said Morris. ``I'm happy to win a state championship instead of losing. I knew when we played Friday [in the semifinals], I could be in the same predicament.''
NOT A FIRST: Cantrell coached the Buffalo girls' team to Group A titles in 1993 and 1994 before winning with the boys' team this year.
He is not the first coach to win a boys' and girls' state title at one school. Waynesboro's Randy Coulling did it in 1991 by taking the boys' Group AA title that winter and the girls' crown the next fall.
LOTS OF FIREPOWER: How is this for returning scorers in 1997-98?
Floyd County's Travis Cantrell will be back after scoring 589 points this year along with teammate Jason Dalton, who had 405 points. That's 994 points from two men.
That's a lot of firepower, but Liberty gets Arrington back with 560, Morris with 333 and Carson with 311 for 1,204 points.
BIG BITE: It's not the Big Apple, but Lynchburg police made sure there would be no riotous celebrations on the floor Saturday. If so, a big bite might have been taken out of any transgressors on the floor.
Shortly before the end of each state title game, a member of Lynchburg's finest marched around the floor with an attack dog to let emotional fans know where they would not be welcomed.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB