THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701230130
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: B JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 46 lines
When the high school basketball season began this year, the coaches in the Northeastern Conference agreed that the league would be very competitive.
Now, other people around the state are thinking the same thing.
Last week, The News & Observer in Raleigh had four of the six Northeastern Conference boys basketball teams in its 2A top 10 poll. Southeast Halifax was ranked number one, Manteo was second, Plymouth was seventh, and Currituck County was sixth.
The Manteo Redskins solidified their place in the poll with a recent 64-48 win over Plymouth, a team that is expected to challenge for the top spot in the league.
The Vikings couldn't stop Manteo's inside game. Chris Sillis, Manteo's center, scored 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked seven shots. Power forward Ian Lassiter scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Phillip Winslow scored 11 points and Vance Riggs added 10 points.
The Redskins opened the game with an insurmountable 18-point half-time lead.
``We played a great first half and they came back and played a nice second half,'' said Manteo head coach Bud Hendrix. ``We have the kind of team that we just find a way to win. I'm very proud of them. It's going to be interesting the rest of the way.''
Hendrix said the highest Manteo has been ranked during his eight-year coaching tenure was fourth during the 1993-94 school year when the team went 22-2.
``I feel like we're going to have to earn it and it doesn't matter where we're ranked right now. I want to be ranked there at the end of the year,'' Hendrix said with a chuckle. ``This just proves that we have some people around that feel we're a good basketball team.''
The conference still seems to be balanced. Southeast Halifax opened the conference season with a win over Edenton-Holmes and Currituck opened with a win over Roanoke Rapids.
``Whoever comes through with about eight wins is going to win it. No one is going to go undefeated,'' Hendrix said. ``We went into this year with a lot of folks saying that Plymouth and Southeast Halifax would dominate the Northeastern Conference. There about six teams that have something to say about that. I'm not counting anybody out. We're playing well. But a lot of other teams in the conference are.''
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL