THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602250234
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
Saturday night's Eastern District boys championship didn't begin the way Maury coach Jack Baker would have liked, but it ended just like the rest of the Commodores' games
In victory.
Maury (23-0) rallied from a 10-point first-quarter deficit to beat Lake Taylor for the third consecutive time this season, 59-56. Eastern District champ Maury next plays Green Run and Lake Taylor (14-7) meets Tallwood Tuesday night at 7 in the first round of the Eastern Regional.
Maury looked sluggish in the opening minutes, and the Titans were hot behind Darnell Whitaker's eight first-quarter points as Lake Taylor led 12-2. With Ike Richardson held to three points in the first half, Maury went to big man Ricardo Trevisan, who forced the first of four ties at 15-15. The teams were tied at the half again at 26.
``We were lucky to be tied at halftime,'' Baker said. ``That first half Lake Taylor really outplayed us. We went to a zone in the second to slow things down.''
The third quarter belonged to the Commodores, who outscored the Titans 23-17 thanks to treys by Tommy Spruill, Tim Sweeney and Richardson. But Lake Taylor kept it close with 3-pointers by Toot Young and Deshawn Hendrick.
Young cut Maury's lead to four with his second 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter. But the Commodores got buckets from Sweeney and Richardson, giving them a 53-46 edge.
``I knew I'd find my game if I was patient,'' Richardson said. ``In the second quarter I knew my game would come to me.''
Lake Taylor rallied to within one with a layup by Brian Kelly and a jumper by Whitaker, but Maury slowed down the pace and forced the Titans to foul. Richardson missed the front end of the 1-and-1 with 43 seconds left, but Stacey Gregg came up with the rebound for Maury. The Commodores 15-of-21 on the night, hit their final four free throws.
Trevisan finished with 15 points and Richardson had 14. Young led the Titans with 14.
``This was supposed to be a showdown tonight,'' Richardson said. ``A blemish on our record.''
It wasn't. by CNB