THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996 TAG: 9601130474
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Kempsville gained a share of first place in the Beach District with a 53-39 victory over Princess Anne on Friday night. But it didn't come cheap.
The top-ranked Chiefs, who moved into a tie with the No. 3 Cavaliers at 5-1 in the league, lost Charlette Fayton to a possible broken finger with 1:29 to go in the second quarter.
According to Kempsville coach Greg Dunn, the Chiefs' leading scorer could be out from three weeks to three months.
``She means a lot to us,'' said Dunn, whose team improved to 11-1 overall. ``She's our team leader in so many ways that people don't see. But the kids sucked it up. I think the second half was a reflection of the guts our kids have.
``Where we normally depend on Charlette - offensively, defensively and for control - other individuals stepped up.''
Especially Erin Duckett and Kristin Cholewa.
Duckett and Cholewa scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, as Kempsville slipped by a run-and-gun comeback attempt by the Cavaliers (10-2 overall). Cholewa also made up for Fayton's absence on the boards with 10 rebounds. Kempsville held a 41-23 edge for the game.
Kempsville opened the first quarter with a controlled offense and jumped to a 17-4 lead. Princess Anne, which converted only one of 12 attempts from the floor for the period, got on the board with a Suwana Taylor jumper and couldn't score again until Dominica Moody sank a pair of free throws with 54 seconds remained in the period.
The Cavaliers picked up the tempo in the second quarter. But the Chiefs capitalized on four Princess Anne fouls for seven points from the free-throw line, while their shooting cooled to just 17 percent.
The Cavaliers, however, warmed up in the third - the Chiefs' momentum seemingly interrupted by Fayton's trip to the emergency room.
``I think it was nerves and lack of concentration in the middle of the game,'' Cholewa said. ``But we knew we had to pick it up and win it for Charlette and for ourselves.''
Princess Anne, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Rasheda Rodgers and Okeisha Howard in the opening minutes of the quarter, chipped away at Kempsville's lead. The Cavaliers, falling deeper into foul trouble, couldn't get any closer than 36-28.
Kempsville, which connected on 20 of 35 attempts from the line for the game, built on a 40-28 third quarter lead by outscoring Princess Anne 13-11 in the fourth. ``I think our defense carried us the whole game,'' Dunn said. ``I wasn't exactly pleased with our offensive efforts. But we played smart and made a tremendous defensive effort.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Princess Anne's Suwana Taylor, left, drew a foul trying to make the
steal from Kempsville's Kristen Cholewa. Dominica Moody helped out.
by CNB