THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270423
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Churchland girls basketball coach Duke Conrad figures his Truckers were due an emotional win.
They got it in Monday night's Eastern Region, rallying from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Bethel 51-48 in an overtime thriller at Churchland High School. The Truckers (20-3) advance to meet Kempsville Wednesday night in the region semifinals.
``We wanted it more than they did,'' said a jubilant Nicole Council, who led all scorers with 25 points. ``It was obvious. We were going after loose ball, outhustling.''
And nailing free throws. Council sank a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT and two more to seal the victory with 30 seconds remaining in the extra period. All that after shooting blanks from the line in a third quarter that belonged to Bethel.
But the Truckers senior figured she had a debt to settle.
``I went 0 for 6 Friday night,'' she said referring to Churchland's last-second loss to Western Branch in the Southeastern District championship game. ``I just said as soon as I got fouled, I'm going to make 'em.''
Council looked spectacular in the overtime, grabbing a rebound from a missed Bethel free throw with the score tied at 47 and taking it the length of the court for a layup. Meanwhile the Bruins' star point guard, ShaVohn McKinnon, who led her team with 21 points, looked sluggish down the stretch, going 1 of 5 from the line in overtime.
``We shot 53 percent for the whole season from the free-throw line, and it showed,'' said Bethel coach Vernon Claytor. ``Council stuffed some free throws down the stretch, and I think ShaVohn was tired tonight. I kept subbing for a quick minute, 30 seconds, five seconds, to give her some rest. And you could tell on her free throws she was really straining to get it up there.''
The first half was all defense as Churchland went into the break with an 18-16 edge. But the Truckers looked all but out of it when the Bruins pulled ahead with a 9-0 run that spanned the final three minutes of the third quarter for a 33-27 lead.
``Mostly in the third quarter we stopped doing the things that made us successful defending them in the first half,'' Conrad said. ``McKinnon was able to penetrate, get better looks at the basket, and they were getting on the offensive boards.''
So Conrad used his timeouts as the Truckers found a way to climb back on board.
With Bethel leading 40-31 with 4:11 remaining, Shelly Singleton scored from the paint, followed by Kim Elliott's steal, which led to a Council layup that brought Churchland within five.
The Bruins went back up by eight with just under two minutes left, but Council and Elliott each came up with 3-pointers. McKinnon then missed a free throw for Bethel, and Elliott grabbed the rebound and drew the foul. With 54 seconds remaining, her two free throws tied the game at 43. McKinnon and Council then traded shots from the line to send the game into overtime at 45-45.
After late-season losses to Lake Taylor, Indian River and Western Branch by a total of five points, the win was sweet for the Truckers.
Said Council in between high fives: ``This feels a lot better.'' by CNB