THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 29, 1995 TAG: 9512290697
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Early on, Kempsville seemed to be just what the doctor ordered for ailing Princess Anne in Thursday's nightcap of the Beach Girls Basketball Christmas Classic.
But the Cavaliers, who had four sick starters and were sluggish by the end of their second game of the day, will have to take two aspirins and watch the tournament championship from the sidelines after falling 66-54 to the Chiefs.
Kempsville will meet Oscar Smith, a 57-38 winner over Kellam, in tonight's 7:30 p.m. final.
The Cavaliers, who moved into the area's No. 1 spot after Kempsville fell to Salem two weeks ago, opened the game with a 10-6 first quarter lead as No. 3 Kempsville shot 12 percent from the floor.
But Princess Anne fizzled in the second while Kempsville's press took over and its offense warmed up for a 19-9 run.
``Sometimes we start slow,'' the Chiefs' Toni Patillo said. ``When we get ready, we play our game.''
Kempsville shut down the Cavaliers' offensive efforts for 4:53 to take a 25-19 lead at the break. Rasheda Rodgers scored all of her team's nine points in the first minutes of the period. Rodgers led all scorers with 24 points.
The Chiefs put the game away with a 18-2 run in the opening minutes of the third. Kempsville, behind Patillo's 10 rebounds, commanded the boards for a 40-27 advantage and forced seven second-half turnovers.
Princess Anne threatened in the fourth behind Okiesha Howard's 12 points, but the Chiefs were unyielding, capitalizing on several fast-break opportunities.
``It was a big thrill for us to come out her and play them after losing to Salem,'' Patillo said. ``We had something to prove to ourselves.''
Kempsville coach Greg Dunn added: ``I'm pleased that we were able to maintain our consistency. We were looking for a tough test. It was a good win, but not a district win.''
Charlette Fayton had 20 points for Kempsville and Carrie Heath chipped in 16.
In other tournament action:
Bertie 66, Henrico 65: Latasha Shelton had a chance to tie it for Henrico with three seconds to play, but missed the back end of a pair of free throws as Bertie held on for a chance to play for fifth place.
Nikia Askew poured in 31 points for Bertie, which faces Kellam at 4:15 p.m.; Kim Brown had 23 for Henrico.
Princess Anne 73, Henrico 60: The Cavaliers recovered from illness in fashion in their first game, running a fast-paced opening half to put away the Warriors. Princess Anne by as many as 27 points as freshman Okiesha Howard grabbed errant passes and streaked to the net, outpacing opponents for layups and 26 points.
Kempsville 70, Bertie 43: The Chiefs pelted the basket, taking an 18-10 lead and storming to victory. Kempsville dominated the matchup, with Kristen Cholewa powering the assault with 16 points.
Oscar Smith 54, Kellam 38: Starr Parker and Brooke Coley each netted 15 points as the Tigers won their classic bracket with a 3-0 run. After a tight first half, Oscar Smith held the Knights to a 2-point third quarter.
Northeastern 57, Green Run 34: The Eagles pieced together a 19-point final quarter to hold off the attacking Stallions. Green Run trailed by 16, but rallied in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 38-29. Rachel White took command for the Eagles, scoring five of her 12 points in the closing minutes. ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD L. DUNSTON/ The Virginian-Pilot
Carrie Heath of Kempsville works against Princess Anne defenders
Suwanna Taylor, left, and Rasheda Rogers. The third-ranked Chiefs,
whose run as the area's No. 1 team was ended by Salem two weeks ago,
used a pressure defense to down current No. 1 Princess Anne.
by CNB