THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010596
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Remember those cartoons in which the Roadrunner would taunt Wile E. Coyote by letting him get close only to zoom away?
That's the perfect metaphor for Indian River's 70-54 thumping of Tallwood in the second game of Thursday night's Eastern Region semifinals at Churchland.
The victory sends Indian River (23-3) back to the state tournament for the second year in a row. First, however, the Braves must play Menchville tonight at 7:30 at Churchland for the region title and home-court advantage in the state quarterfinals.
Tallwood, the Beach District regular-season and tournament champion, finished 21-4.
Three times Tallwood appeared to be in control against Indian River, only to have the Braves suddenly go beep-beep and run away.
The Lions led 11-6 late in the first quarter before the Braves went on a 19-2 run.
Tallwood battled back behind the shooting of Rian Everett, who scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, to go ahead 34-31 midway through the third quarter.
This time Indian River reeled off 10 straight points as part of a 14-4 run to grab a 45-38 lead with 6:07 remaining in the game.
Tallwood answered with a 5-0 run to pull within 45-43. Then, just when the Lions were preparing to drop the big rock on the Braves, Indian River vanished.
The Braves scored eight straight points in a 19-4 spree to go up 64-47 with 1:55 left.
``I think we did an OK job,'' summed up Indian River's Terry Rouse, one of four Braves in double figures.
Jason Capel led Indian River with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He was 8 of 10 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line, where he has made 97 of his last 108 attempts.
Capel's accuracy at the line may be getting contagious. As a team, the Braves made 20 of 22 free throws, including all 13 attempts in the fourth quarter.
``They shoot the ball so well, especially at the line, it's hard to come back against them,'' Tallwood's Neil Roberts said.
Indian River shot 25 of 50 from the field, and each time Tallwood made a challenge, it was a different Brave who got hot.
David Selby scored seven points in the 19-2 spurt. Capel scored six in the 14-4 run and James Boyd had 13 in the decisive fourth-quarter.
Boyd scored on a pair of stick-backs and was 5 of 5 from the line.
``They were concentrating on boxing out Jason, and that's me right there,'' Boyd said.
Tallwood elected to make its stand from the perimeter, and Everett hit four 3-pointers. But Indian River switched to a 1-3-1 zone in the second half with 6-8 Capel and 6-8 Ed Seward, who blocked five shots, on the wings.
The Lions got far fewer good looks at the basket after that and finished 5 of 23 from beyond the arc. ILLUSTRATION: From left to right, Tallwood's Phillip Clay encounters Braves
resistance in an Eastern Region semifinal loss from Indian River's
Edward Seward, Jason Capel and James Boyd.
by CNB