THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411050968
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Norfolk Academy and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy defeated Greenbrier Christian and Norfolk Collegiate, respectively, by 26-point margins Friday night to earn berths in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools girls basketball championship tonight at 7:30 at Catholic High.
The regular-season champion Bulldogs cruised over the Gators, 73-47, behind sophomore guard Kendra Robins' 26-point performance, while the second seeded Saints routed the Oaks, 58-32.
Greenbrier Christian came out strong in the opening eight minutes and managed to stay within six, but Norfolk Academy's halfcourt press was too much for the Gators to handle.
Amanda Lee, who finished the game with 14 points, opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and then the defense went to work.
The Bulldogs forced eight Greenbrier Christian turnovers to take a 21-point halftime advantage. But the Gators slowed things down in the second half and came out on top of a 17-15 third quarter run.
``We were a little flat,'' Norfolk Academy coach Joanne Renn said. ``We're going to have our runs and we're going to be run on. It doesn't bother me. Greenbrier had to call time out because they were gassed.''
With a 21-point lead going into the fourth quarter, Renn decided to work the clock to prevent a late Greenbrier surge, and held the Gators to six points in the final period.
``I'm relieved,'' Robins said. ``We've come this far. But it's going to be tough to beat a team (Nansemond-Suffolk) three times in a row.''
Robin Smith had 15 points to lead Greenbrier Christian.
Nansemond-Suffolk, also known in the TCIS for its unyielding defense, tipped off with a 17-3 run over the Oaks.
``We took them out of their game defensively,'' Saints' coach Larry Riggs said.
``We had strong halfcourt defense in the first quarter and we had balanced scoring.''
Allison Dunn and Lea Wilson had 10 points for the Saints, while Jill VanGuilder and Ann Murden each chipped in 8 points apiece.
Julie Tebault led Norfolk Collegiate with 8 points. by CNB