THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090614
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER AND PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The recent glut of snow was a welcome break for Princess Anne.
With numerous games postponed throughout the area, most teams are worried about growing stagnant due to lack of practice. However, the top-ranked Cavaliers may have been saved by the layoff. Leading scorer O'Keisha Howard, who averages 14.9 points, and dominant inside player Sherry Whetsel are both suffering from ankle injuries.
Howard has been day-to-day since Jan. 25. Apparently the break was the cure - she returned with a 19-point effort against Green Run on Thursday. Whetsel remains on the tentative list and has played sparingly the last two weeks.
BONNIE WHO? Oscar Smith point guard Krystal Johnson may not know who Olympic gold medal-winning speedskater Bonnie Blair is now, but she'll find out Saturday at the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center.
Johnson was selected along with nine other female athletes to meet Blair as part of the Hampton Roads Women's Show of Recognition of National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
Oscar Smith coach Patty Walsh nominated Johnson, a 4-foot-10 sen-ior, for overcoming her height disadvantage when all others told her she would never excel on the court.
``People didn't believe in her,'' Walsh said, ``but she believed in herself. She's overcome the myth that short people can't succeed playing basketball.''
Johnson said that while her height frustrated her when she first began her career, she's learned to use it to her advantage.
``I like being the shortest one now,'' she said. ``It's an advantage to get up the court faster than everyone else.''
SHORTENED SEASON: Katy Walters, averaging 19.4 points, is carrying an ailing First Colonial team toward a potential district tournament berth. First Colonial's Alija Pittenger is out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury to her knee. Pittenger was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points. Kaszia Campos, who was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game, is no longer with the team. In the last five games, Walters has turned up the heat, averaging 25 points.
BOOSTER BENCH: With hot hand Christy Bryant out for a game and LaToya Jackson lost for the season, Bayside coach Conrad Parker was looking for some relief. He found it in his lesser-publicized cast of Amber Stout, Dawn Bell, Tracey Berger, Aretha Williams and Carolyn Zanelli.
Against Cox last week, the Marlins faced a 16-0 deficit that increased to a 17-point hole at the half. Bryant was absent, serving a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul in the previous game. Jackson is academically ineligible. The two account for 25 points a game. But Parker's other starters and bench players stepped up to take the crucial district win. by CNB