THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 28, 1995 TAG: 9512280832
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Princess Anne overcame poor shooting and Kempsville got by with sub-par execution as the teams took first-round victories in the Beach Girls Basketball Christmas Classic at Green Run Wednesday night.
The Cavaliers, who connected on just 20 of 85 attempts from the field, downed Bertie (N.C.) 50-35 while the Chiefs topped Henrico 71-50.
The wins set up a 7:45 p.m. showdown tonight between top-ranked Princess Anne (7-0, 4-0 Beach District) and No. 3 Kempsville (6-3, 3-1).
``We have four girls who are sick,'' Cavaliers coach Darnell Dozier said. ``We'll show up and give our best. The girls know our situation and they're up for it.''
Kempsville coach Greg Dunn said, however, that his team isn't looking past its morning game with Bertie, which played the Cavaliers tough through the third quarter.
``Right now, Bertie is who I want,'' he said. ``They've got a good program.''
Princess Anne got off to a slow start with a 7-6 edge in the first quarter. Rebounding kept the Cavaliers in it in the first half as they held a 26-15 board advantage at the break.
``This flu bug is taking its toll,'' said Dozier, whose team shot just 18 percent in the first half. ``But we have no excuse. It was just poor shooting.''
Also the absence of Princess Anne's trademark speed. The Cavaliers' transition game lagged and they barely got by Bertie with a 13-11 run in the third after a series of Bertie fast breaks.
Rasheda Rodgers, who led all scorers with 17 points, lifted Princess Anne with four points midway through the fourth quarter to help her team pull away.
Okeisha Howard chipped in 12 points for the Cavaliers and Dominica Moody grabbed 11 rebounds.
Kempsville, after an eight-day layoff, jumped to a 23-11 first quarter lead following their own problems with cold shooting.
Henrico held a 5-2 edge to open the game while Kempsville missed four shots from the floor on its first three times down court.
``We made some mistakes,'' Chiefs coach Dunn said. ``There was a little bit of rust. But that's what this tournament is for. I'm looking for a better performance (tonight). That's for sure.''
Kempsville, seemingly shaken by Henrico's physical prowess in the paint, was hampered by 18 turnovers and foul trouble.
``I think it had an effect on our play,'' Dunn said. ``We need to deal with that. We didn't back down. We just got a little frazzled.''
Charlette Fayton had a game high 21 points for Kempsville, which meets Bertie at 11 a.m. today. Princess Anne will follow at 12:45 against Henrico.
In other tournament action:
Kellam 46, Green Run 43: Amanda James and Dalchon Brown combined for 31 of Green Run's 43 points in the near-upset.
The early-morning game and winter colds created a sluggish first quarter, but the teams quickly rebounded. The Knights posted a 21-17 halftime edge, but the Stallions battled to a 24-23 gap early in the third. James powered three baskets to give the Stallions a 29-24 lead.
After repeatedly swapping baskets, Mary Parker snagged two steals, scoring on one and setting up an Elizabeth Howard jumper for a 39-36 Kellam margin.
The Stallions fought back, tying the game 43-43 with 40 seconds remaining. Kellam's Hayley Maloney slipped across the crease and tipped in a layup for the game-winning shot.
Maloney scored 14 points; Brown paced the Stallions with 21 and James added 10.
Oscar Smith 54, Northeastern (N.C.) 32: Brooke Coley scored seven unanswered points to help the Tigers grab a halftime lead.
Oscar Smith rebounded from a six-point first-quarter with a deominant second stanza. Juetta Thorpe and Sherita Spencer aided Coley's attack for a 22-15 margin.
Coley and Krystal Johnson picked up the tempo in the second half and the Tigers took control.
The game remained tight in the opening minutes of the half, but the Tigers built a nine-point lead on the heat of Sharnnia Artis' free-throw shooting. The Tigers sprinted past Northeastern in the closing minutes, piecing together a 19-4 run.
Coley powered the Tigers' attack with 12 points and Johnson and Thorpe tipped in 11 each.
Tameka Nicholson scored 11 for Northeastern.
Oscar Smith 49, Green Run 35: The Stallions chased an upset victory for the second time in the tournament, but were cut short by the Tigers. Brown scored the first eight points of the game, putting a scare in the Tigers. However, she quickly incurred foul trouble and was seated late in the half.
The Tigers took advantage of her absence and streaked to a 25-14 halftime lead they never relinquished. Coley led the Tigers with 12 points and Parker added 10.
Brown pushed her day's tally to 45 points with a 24-point performance.
Northeastern 44, Kellam 32: The Knights never threatened as both team's moved to 1-1 tournament records. Nicholson led Northeastern with 15 points. by CNB