THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501210356
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
In racing to a 13-0 record, Granby High's Comets had won with relative ease, the average margin being 21 points.
The 14th victory, however, was quite different.
The Comets, ranked third in South Hampton Roads, had to survive triple overtime to edge No. 7 Lake Taylor, 81-77, Friday night at Granby in a key Eastern District game.
Shawn Hobson's 31 points led all scorers. But it was the little things he did that salvaged the victory.
When Delando Mercer of Granby missed the front end of a one-and-one with 23 seconds remaining in the third overtime, Lake Taylor's Darnell Whitaker came down with the rebound. But Hobson, playing with four fouls, popped the ball out of Whitaker's grasp and into the hands of Granby's Milton Hyman.
``He held it out there for me and we were only up one (78-77),'' said Hobson, a 6-foot-5 senior. ``We really needed the ball back. And I knew the refs were letting us play.''
After Hyman was fouled with six seconds left, he hit his first free throw but missed the second. Again, Hobson came up big, snaring the rebound and making the game's final two points on free throws with four seconds left.
Hobson added nine rebounds and five steals to his point total; it was his second consecutive game with 30 or more points. He had 35 in an 86-58 victory over Oscar Smith on Wednesday.
It appeared Lake Taylor (10-3, 0-2) was going to pull the upset when Reggie Hawkins scored on a tip-in with 16 seconds remaining in regulation for a 53-51 lead. But Granby's Rashard Russell was fouled driving to the basket and made two free throws with seven seconds left.
In the first overtime, it was Lake Taylor's turn to tie matters. Trailing 60-58, Toot Young made two foul shots with 15 seconds left.
Young finished with 21 points while teammate Deshawn Hendricks had a team-high 22.
Granby (14-0, 3-0) charged to a 71-64 lead with 2:17 remaining in the second four-minute overtime, only to have Young score five straight and assist Whitaker on his game-tying layup with 11 seconds remaining to force a third overtime.
``Toot Young is really a helluva ballplayer and he played his butt off tonight,'' said Lake Taylor coach John Kelly. ``We seemed to always do what it took to get even in the overtimes, but we couldn't get the lead.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JIM WALKER, Staff
Darnell Whitaker of Lake Taylor, right, stuffs Granby's Shawn
Hobson, but picks up a foul in the process.
by CNB