THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502070111
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
SHARP-SHOOTING Shavone Samuels stepped up to the line, dribbled a few times and sank 12 of 15 free throws.
That's pretty good shooting, and not just for a girl.
For her effort, Samuels won the Virginia Beach girls title in the Elks Club-sponsored contest at Bow Creek Recreation Center on Jan. 28.
The 11-year-old Landstown Middle School sixth-grader received an Elks baseball cap and T-shirt for her victory. She also qualified to compete in a district contest in Norfolk this month.
National winners will be determined this spring at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Ind.
Marcus Peoples, 13, an eighth-grader at Plaza Middle School, won his age group for the boys by sinking 10 of 15 foul shots.
And Brad Jones took the younger boys title by canning 8 of 15 shots from the stripe. Jones, 9, is a fourth-grader at Brookwood Elementary School.
None of the winners seemed too impressed with themselves.
``I practiced about 10 minutes before the contest,'' Jones said.
``I'm glad I get to go to Norfolk next week,'' said Peoples.
After she received her cap and T-shirt, Samuels headed down to the game room, eager to play video games with her friends.
HOOPS DRAMA: The city's community recreation league basketball has produced some recent nailbiters.
For instance, at Larkspur Middle School, two of the four intermediate boys games went down to the buzzer.
The Woodstock Jazz defeated the Larkspur/Salem Knicks, 37-35, and the Larkspur/Salem Bulls edged the L/S Rockets, 39-38. The L/S Tarheels and the Woodstock Panthers had an easier time winning their games.
The Panthers, led by Corey Trusty and Dantae Crowder, ran away from the Larkspur/Salem Jayhawks, 50-39, despite a double-double by the Jayhawks' Jeremy Calazara. The smooth 6-foot-3 Salem Middle School eighth-grader scored 15 points and pulled down as many rebounds.
The intermediate L/S Tarheels won by the score of 38-20, while their namesake in the midget division fell to the Green Run Spurs, 23-20.
WINTER OLYMPICS, a la VIRGINIA BEACH: It was chocolate for medals, not metal, at the inaugural Princess Anne Community Recreation Center, Dec. 28-30. John McNeil walked away with lots of candy after running away with awards.
Chocolate medals, instead of the more traditional - and less tasty - gold, silver and bronze, were awarded for first, second and third place finishers among individuals and teams.
McNeil showed his athletic ability and was allowed to indulge his sweet tooth if he has one. McNeil won both the Most Valuable Participant and Best Sportmanship prizes for the competition. He also turned the Winter Olympics equivalent of the hat trick by being named to the All-Olympic team.
Forty-five Princess Anne Olympians between the ages of 8 and 17 were assigned to teams representing the countries of Germany, Austria, Greece, Belgium and Chile. The temporary tourists gave it their best in basketball, handball, relay racing, volleyball, 9-ball, soccer, football, pickleball and 2-man bobsled. The teams competed against each other in all events during the three-day event.
Athletes representing Germany won the overall competition, with Greece finishing second and Austria third.
Mike Smith, Brian James, Kelvin Murray and Jarrett Pickard joined McNeil on the All-Olympic team. Certificates were given to every participant.
THESE KIDS CAN KICK: Boys from 11 through 14 got their kicks on consecutive Fridays in January at the inaugural Boys Soccer Tournament at the Princess Anne Recreation Center. And the kicks will keep on coming this month.
The 11- and 12-year-olds got the black and white ball rolling on Jan. 13 in front of more than 100 spectators.
Eight teams divided into two groups went at each other. The top two teams in each bracket advanced to the semi-finals. In the finals, Virginia Beach Azzurri defeated the Virginia Beach Strikers, 3-1, to win the title. Azzurri was led by Ben Landis, Jonathan Landis, Pat Miller, John Curry, Josh Lehr, Dan Magaluso, David Anderson, Zack Chester and Sean Wheaton. Jeremy Lehr, a soccer player at Kellam High School, coached the Azzurri.
Playing under the same format on Jan. 20, Virginia Beach United took the boys 13-14 title by defeating Virginia Beach Azzurri, 6-2. Coached by Kellam High School coach Don Hart, the United team was paced by Dustin Keesee, Pat Ricci, Mike Binnetti, Andrew Gilliette, Josh Rice and Phil Seaford.
Older players, boys 17-19, will crown a champion this Friday at the Princess Anne center, and last, but far from least, girls 11-12 will compete on Feb. 24 on the same field.
Both tournaments will begin at 4 p.m. and the entry fee is $50 per team. Anyone interested should call athletics at the PA rec center at 426-0022.
BOMBS AWAY: The athletics department at the Kempsville Recreation Center will sponsor a 3-point shootout Feb. 13 on the basketball court. The long-distance marksmanship contest is for ages 18 and up. Call athletics at 426-0022 to register.
TENNIS NOTES: The weather may be frightful, but at Owl Creek the tennis year-round is delightful.
On Feb. 11-12, the city's tennis central will hold its second Annual Cupid Classic. The tournament is for tennis lovers of all ages.
There will be an adult bracket, featuring men's and women's round-robin doubles and mixed doubles using the same round-robin format. In the mixed doubles, players will need a partner.
There will be two age divisions for the younger players: 13-under, and 14-18. No partner is needed for the junior portion of the tourney. A boys and a girls champion will be crowned.
A fee of $10 will pay for a weekend of tennis and trophies will be presented to the winners. Deadline for entry is today.
In the last week of February, the center will hold its second Annual Icicle Tournament.
Call 437-4804 for information about these tournaments and the many clinics and special events at Owl Creek. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
Brad Jones, 9, shows off the T-shirt he won by making 8 of 15 shots
in the free throw contest at Bow Creek Recreation Center.
by CNB