THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502110254
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
It was Kizzy Butler's final night to dazzle the Churchland crowd in Friday's game against third-ranked Great Bridge.
And from the opening tip-off, the 5-foot-2 senior point guard showed that she was taking things into her own hands by putting the ball into someone else's.
Butler sparked the Truckers' 63-49 win over third-ranked Great Bridge with 10 assists and nine points and helped her team move atop the Southeastern District.
``I thought before the game, `This is my last home game, and I'm not going to lose,' '' said Butler, who also brought the crowd to its feet with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the third quarter.
Butler got off to a fast start, assisting on 10 of the Truckers' 16 first-quarter points.
But Great Bridge matched the Truckers basket for basket in the first eight minutes, with Nicole Council's opening 3-pointer giving Churchland a one-point lead.
They jockeyed back and forth in the second quarterm and Great Bridge even took the lead on two occasions. However, the Wildcats never recovered from the 28-24 halftime deficit.
Great Bridge fell apart in the second half. The Wildcats hit just 3 of 12 free throw attempts and were outrebounded, 21-14.
``If you can't hit your foul shots, you can't win the close games,'' Great Bridge coach Ro Moore said. ``It would have been close if we would have made them.''
Actually, it might have been close if Churchland's Council had missed. She finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Kim Elliot chipped in 17 points.
``Maybe it's good that we spent a little adrenaline (tonight),'' said Churchland coach Duke Conrad, looking forward to next Tuesday's game against Deep Creek. ``We need to be focused and play a smart game. We were so pumped up for this game that it was hard to stay focused.''
In order to retain first place, the Truckers must beat Deep Creek, which lost Friday to Oscar Smith. If the Hornets win, Churchland, Deep Creek and Great Bridge will each have three district losses, creating a three-way tie for the league's No. 1 seeding in the Eastern Region tournament. by CNB