ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 TAG: 9703250110
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AND STAFF REPORTS
Glenvar's Art Lawrence is coach of year, while Floyd County's Travis Cantrell earns first-team honors.
A coach and the son of a coach led the Timesland contingent winning Group A boys' basketball honors Monday from The Associated Press.
Art Lawrence, who turned around a Glenvar team that lost nine of its first 12 games, was chosen as coach of the year. Glenvar finished 17-11, reached the semifinal round of the state tournament and beat Group A champion Floyd County in two of five meetings.
Floyd County's Travis Cantrell, coached by his father, Alan, was named to the first team after leading the Buffaloes to the title. Travis Cantrell scored 19 points in that 66-63 victory, winning a duel with fellow first-team selection Joseph Ellis Jr. of Surry County. Ellis, also playing for his father, had 15 points to share scoring honors for Surry in the Group A championship game.
Cantrell, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged almost 20 points, including a high of 36 twice. The second 36-point effort came against Haysi in the opening round of the state tournament. He also averaged six assists and shot 47.8 percent from 3-point range.
Ellis, 6-2, averaged 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. He scored in double figures in every game and topped 20 points 13 times. His high of 29 points came in a double-overtime victory over Southampton on Dec.18.
Cantrell and Ellis, both juniors, are the only first-team underclassmen. (Complete team in Scoreboard. B4)
Stacy Ervin of Twin Springs, who became the Virginia High School League's career scoring leader this season, capped it by earning his second consecutive Group A player of the year award.
Ervin, 6-3, passed Odell Hodge of Group AA Laurel Park with a 31-point effort Feb.7 and finished with 2,687 career points. Hodge had 2,530 from 1989-92.
Ervin averaged 33 points this season, with highs of 54 points against Castlewood and 49 against a Tennessee school. He scored 40 or more six times and led Twin Springs to a 21-4 record, including 18 straight victories.
Doug Campbell of J.I. Burton and Pasquanel Bailey of Garden also were voted to the first team in balloting by sportswriters from around the state.
Campbell, 5-9, averaged 24 points, eight assists and six steals for J.I. Burton, which reached the state quarterfinals for the second straight season. Bailey, 6-7, averaged 27 points, 14 rebounds and almost five blocks to carry Garden into the Region D tournament for the first time in four seasons.
The second team consists of Josh Williamson of Glenvar, Surry County teammates Derrell Warren and Shernard Newby, Dwayne Braxton of Buckingham County and Luke Boyd of Brentsville.
Among the honorable-mention selections were Adam Grist of Bath County, Jacob Hull and Brian Werner of Highland, Joe Shipbaugh of Narrows and Brian Barnes of George Wythe.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Lawrence, Cantrell. color.by CNB