THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502190225
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
In a game where baskets were as hard to came by as kumquats on the Arctic Circle, Catholic's Andrew Prickett hit seven 3-pointers to lead the Crusaders past Nansemond-Suffolk, 43-34, Saturday night in the TCIS tournament final.
``They were playing zone and sagging inside,'' said Prickett, who scored 25 points and was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
``I've got the green light to shoot and after about the third one I was feeling it.''
Everyone else felt numb.
Catholic shot 36.6 percent from the field and made more 3-pointers (eight) than two-pointers (seven). The Crusaders were even worse from the foul line, sinking only five of 16 attempts.
Nansemond-Suffolk (18-7) matched Catholic (15-10) miss for miss, and then some.
The Saints shot 25.5 percent from the field and trailed, 31-18, after three quarters.
Some of that could be blamed on just bad shooting, but Catholic also crossed up the Saints. The Crusaders, primarily a man-to-man team, went to a 2-3 zone after center Eric Washburn picked up his second foul midway thrugh the first quarter and stayed with it the rest of the game.
``I thought our defense was the key,'' Catholic coach Dennis Price said. ``We don't play much zone because usually we stand around in it. But tonight we were much more intense.''
N-SA slowly emerged from its shooting coma in the fourth quarter. But the margin was still 37-26 with 3:43 left after Prickett hit his last 3-pointer, a dagger from the top of the arc after the Crusaders worked 35 seconds off the clock in their motion passing game.
If N-SA was feeling anything then it was desperation and the Saints responded in the most appropriate manner.
They began to foul.
Catholic missed the front ends of four one-and-one's. The Saints capitalized with baskets by Tim Daugherty (14 points) and John Dragseth and two free throws by Paul Fleming that cut the lead to 37-32 with 1:28 left.
Following a timeout, N-SA quickly fouled Jimmy Whitehead. He missed from the line for the second time in less than a minute and the Saints had the ball with 1:24 to play.
Not for long. Whitehead stole the ball from Daugherty in the backcourt and was fouled as he went hard to the basket.
``Daugherty caught the ball and turned to dribble and I just went for the steal,'' Whitehead said.
He still had to shoot the two free throws.
``I told myself `Don't worry, there's no pressure,' '' Whitehead said. ``I took my time and made them.''
That boosted the lead to 39-32 with 1:20 left and the Crusaders remained in control the rest of the way.
Catholic earned an automatic bid to the State Private School Tournament and N-SA figures to receive an at-large bid. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
No one could find the basket Saturday except Andrew Prickett, whose
3-point assault took Catholic to the TCIS tournament title.
by CNB