THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601210230
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Second-ranked Tallwood remained unbeaten in the Beach District while all but eliminating Green Run from championship contention with an 80-68 victory over the Stallions on Saturday night.
Tallwood (11-1, 8-0) has won nine in a row and leads second-place Cox (10-3, 8-1) by one-half game. Green Run, which lost to Bayside in overtime Friday night, fell to 10-3 and 6-3.
``There's no way we can catch them now,'' Green Run coach Mark Butts said. ``We have to re-evaluate our goals. We wanted to win the regular-season title. Now we have to concentrate on getting to the region.''
Tallwood got 27 points from Rian Everett and solid contributions off the bench from Zech Boyd and Richard Law to overcome serious early foul trouble by forward Neil Roberts.
Roberts, who played less than nine minutes in the first half, returned to haunt the Stallions with six straight points during a gamebreaking 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Everett started the run with two free throws that made it 62-56 with 4:38 remaining. The Lions pressed and Phil Clay made a steal near midcourt and fed Roberts for a breakaway dunk.
Bobby Glos missed two free throws for Green Run and Plaxico Burress was short on a rebound follow. Everett then whipped a long pass to the streaking Roberts, who threw down a one-handed jam.
The Lions forced another turnover and this time Roberts rebounded his own miss and scored to make it 68-56 with 3:57 to play.
Green Run never got closer than eight again as Everett and Roberts combined to sink 10 of 13 free throws in the final three minutes.
Everett, who was shooting 67 percent from the line, made 11 of 13 for the game.
``Nothing to it,'' he said.
Will Brooks led Green Run with 17 points and Burress added 15. But the two senior frontcourt stars scored only seven points while Roberts sat out.
Tallwood led 15-12 when Roberts went to the bench with 7:42 left in the third quarter and it was 30-30 at halftime.
``Zech stepped up,'' Pope said of his 6-5 sophomore who drew the assignment on Burress with Roberts out. ``I just told him to play hard and tough and we sort of sacrificed him.''
Boyd eventually fouled out as did Clay and Glos. But only Tallwood took advantage of the closely-called contest.
Green Run was 17 of 35 at the foul line after hitting only 10 of 20 against Bayside.
``I call it free throw-itis,'' Butts said. ``We practice them. I don't know what it is.''
In other boys games:
Portsmouth Christian 77, Tabernacle 48: Danny Barton scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Brian Rustay added 19 points as the Patriots won their 12th in a row. Andy Ballard had 13 points, five assists and five steals.
Cape Henry 66, Peninsula Catholic 48: Kinte Smith had a triple-double - 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists - and scored 13 in a 25-2 first-quarter run. Chris DiNunzio grabbed 21 rebounds.
Southampton Academy 55, Commonwealth Christian 51: Donnie Worrell scored six points in overtime to lift the Raiders. Southampton's Michael Beale scored 24 points in the second half and Bill Keene's basket with tied it with 12 seconds left in regulation.
Poquoson 49, Norfolk Collegiate 37: Ryan Welsh had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Oaks fell to 5-11.
Northampton 121, Chincoteague 34: Bryan Satchell's 23 points led six Yellow Jackets in double figures. James Brown had 12 rebounds and Jamell Satchell handed out eight assists.
In a girls game:
Tallwood 66, Green Run 23: Tamara Valentine had 13 points and three steals and Katrina Hensley grabbed nine rebounds for the No. 5 Lions. Dalchon Brown led the Stallions with 10 points and 10 rebounds. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY KNAPP
Green Run's Bobby Glos, right, contests the shot of Tallwood's Phil
Clay. The Stallions are 6-3 in the Beach District to the Lions'
8-0.
by CNB