THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, February 1, 1997            TAG: 9702010612
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   53 lines

BOOKERS BEND, BUT DON'T BREAK THE STATE'S NO. 1 GROUP AAA TEAM SURVIVES STRUGGLE TO STAY UNDEFEATED

Virginia's top-ranked boys basketball team resembled an old children's toy Friday night: Lake Taylor made 'em wobble, but the Booker T. Washington Bookers refused to fall down.

The Bookers, No. 1 in the state Group AAA Associated Press poll, were turnover-prone early but crisp and decisive down the stretch, remaining unbeaten in a fierce defensive battle at Lake Taylor 48-42.

The Bookers, playing their first game after a week-long exam break, turned the ball over nine times in the first seven minutes, but trailed by only three after one quarter and led 19-18 at the half.

The Titans finally pulled even on a layup by Toot Young with 2:21 remaining in the game. From there, though, the Bookers spread the floor and induced Lake Taylor to foul, then burned the Titans by making 9 of 11 free throws.

``They played us tough, but we're the No. 1 team in the state,'' said Bookers forward Kentrell Hines, who contributed several key defensive rebounds in the waning minutes. ``We have to defend what we feel is ours.''

The victory gave the Bookers (15-0, 10-0) a three-game lead in the Eastern District with four games remaining. Booker T. Washington can clinch a tie for the district title with a victory Tuesday.

Lake Taylor, ranked third in South Hampton Roads, fell to 13-4, 7-3 in the district.

Young, who was marked by a host of Bookers all night, still finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. But the rest of the Titans missed 30 of their 39 shots.

``We didn't catch it very well,'' Lake Taylor coach John Kelly said. ``If we'd handled it a little better, we may have shot better. But we still needed someone besides Toot and Toni (Harrell) to step up.''

Harrell, the Titans' slender 6-foot-5 forward, chipped in 12 points but was unable to do much damage inside against the Bookers' Hines, Terry Gray and Robert Jordan.

``He doesn't like a lot of banging in the box,'' Hines said. ``We got physical with him and that sent him out to the top of the key.''

Jordan paced the Bookers' offense-by-committee with 10 points. Russell Branch added nine, Gray eight and Adrean Newton six. Nine of 10 Bookers who played scored at least two.

The teams combined to commit 31 turnovers and bodies were hitting the floor so often the contest at times resembled a wrestling match.

``But that's the way the game is played this time of year,'' Bookers coach Jarrell Wilkerson said. ``If you want to win championships, this is the type of game you have to pull out.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by MIKE HEFFNER, The Virginian-Pilot

Lake Taylor's Toot Young, left, fouls Booker T. Washington's Kevin

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