THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 10, 1994 TAG: 9412100397
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Good thing it wasn't a school night.
With the final game of Friday's round of the Tidewater Basketball Classic beginning at 10:30 - 90 minutes after its scheduled start - the Indian River Braves could plead sleepiness. Particularly since this Braves squad, dotted with sophomores and freshmen, was playing well beyond the normal individual's bedtime.
Or it might have just been that Paul Robeson of Brooklyn, which is ranked No. 22 in the country by USA Today, is better.
Paul Robeson used its size advantage, both in height and bulk, to chistle out a 74-50 victory at Booker T. Washington High.
``If we'd have known how good they were, we might not have scheduled them,'' laughed Indian River coach Freddie Spellman. ``Especially with all the young guys we have.
``When we set this up, none of the other (local) coaches knew what they (Robeson) had.''
What Robeson has is 6-foot-9 Jameel Watkins and 6-8 Shamel Jones inside and cat-quick guards Todd Myles and Allen Griffin outside. Miles finished with a game-high 22 points, Jones had 21 and Griffin had 17. Watkins finished with nine points, but altered so many shots at the defensive end that he made it look like the Braves were shooting over a guy with a broom.
``These guys ought to be playing ODU,'' Spellman said.
Instead, they will play a quazi-college squad tonight in the Classic's final game at 9 p.m. when Robeson takes on Maine Central Institute, a prep school with a handful of fifth-year seniors, basically of college freshmen age.
Maine Central defeated Southern of Baltimore, 92-68, prior to the Robeson-Indian River game.
The Robeson-MCI game, at Echols Arena, will be taped by Home Team Sports for airing next week. It will cap an eight-game slate today that begins at 9 a.m.
Indian River kept it respectable into the fourth quarter and the Braves trailed, 52-40, after two free throws by 6-7 freshman Jason Capel with 6:41 left.
But when Capel went to the bench shortly thereafter, Watkins and Jones went to work against Indian River's smaller reserves. Spellman concurred afterward that Capel might be more schooled defensively in his young career than offensively.
Watkins and Jones hampered him all night as he finished with six points, all from the line. Ronnie Wilson led the Braves, ranked No. 6 in South Hampton Roads, with 10 points.
``We'll try to get over this,'' Spellman said. ``Sometimes kids this young don't know how to handle losses like this. They haven't been there before. We have to learn from this. That's the task now.''
In other games:
MAINE CENTRAL 92, SOUTHERN (BALT.) 68
Shawn Smith and Kellii Taylor each scored 18 points and Len Brown added 17 for Maine Central Institute (2-1).
Southern (0-1) was led by John Hensley's 25 points. Shawntay Barnes had 15 and Marlin Wise finished with 13.
O'HARA 64, KING 62
Greg Klein, a 6-4 junior, scored 22 points to lead Cardinal O'Hara of Springfield, Pa., in the day's first game.
John Gallagher added 16 points and Javier Crespa, a 6-8 foreign exchange student from Spain, had 12 for O'Hara (4-0).
Derrick Graham had 24 points and Kevin Morris added 18 for New York's Martin Luther King (0-1).
PETERSBURG 65, HERTFORD 60
Led by 6-9 Maceo Harrison's 22 points, the Crimson survived a 3-point barrage from Hertford (N.C.).
Darius Holloman had 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, and Marvin Moore added 16 on four 3-pointers for Hertford (4-1). ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Jamil Creecy of Indian River, left, lofts a high shot over defender
Jameel Watkins of Paul Robeson of Brooklyn.
by CNB