THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411130232
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAN COOLEY, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Sparked by Bunny Williams' five fourth-quarter points, second-seeded Nansemond River went on a 10-1 run to beat top-seeded Poquoson, 32-24, in the Bay Rivers District girls basketball tournament final Saturday.
Down 23-22, the Warriors took the lead for good on Williams' basket with 4:53 remaining. Tiffany Barnes' field goal boosted the margin to three with 4:19 to go. And The Warriors then went up, 28-24, when Barnes drilled a jump shot with 3:05 left.
The Islanders, who had beaten Nansemond River in a playoff for the regular-season title, had several chances to cut the lead, but were unable to hit any field goals. Williams, who had a game-high 11 points, iced the game with two free throws with 18 seconds remaining.
Williams and Angie Gatling each hit a free throw in the final three seconds for the margin.
Down 18-11 in the third quarter, Poquoson got two 3-pointers from Christy Diggs and another from Mandy Page to tie at 20. The Islanders then grabbed the lead when Julie Nozynski hit a jump shot at the third-quarter buzzer.
The Warriors employed a triangle-and-two defense to shut down Hirsch, who had 19 points in the Islanders semifinal victory over Lakeland, and Page. Page finished with six points and Hirsch had four.
Nansemond River shot poorly in the first half, but dominated the backboards to take a 16-11 lead. The Warriors outrebounded Poquoson, 37-17, in the half and finished with a 61-37 advantage.
In the consolation game, Hope Knight scored 14 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter as Lakeland rallied to beat Bruton, 57-50.
Nansemond River, Poquoson and Lakeland advance to the upcoming Group AA, Region I tournament. by CNB