THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200316
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA McLEROY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 53 lines
When Juritus Thompson's 3-point attempt at the opening of the fourth quarter rimmed out and Churchland's Shelly Singleton grabbed the rebound, the entire tone of the game changed.
When the opening play of the fourth quarter went Churchland's way, momentum swung permanently for the Truckers. The fourth quarter was a hard-fought see-saw battle, but Churchland's 21-9 run sealed the Truckers' 61-50 victory over Lake Taylor in the Eastern District girls basketball semifinals.
The win earned Churchland (17-5) a spot in Friday's championship game. But more importantly, it won them a berth in the Eastern Region tournament.
Churchland plays Booker T. Washington, a 63-45 winner over Norview, Friday at 6 p.m. at Wilson.
Thompson was near-perfect for Lake Taylor offensively in the first half. However, late in the third quarter her shooting percentage dropped. At the same time, the Truckers' Singleton and Kim Elliot (a game-high 25 points) were getting hot. Singleton breathed new life into the Truckers late, blocking back-to-back shots to deny Lake Taylor a chance to tie at 50-48. Both blocks were converted to Truckers points, putting the Titans in a must-foul situation.
Singleton hit three of four free throws and grabbed two defensive rebounds in the final 1:49 to put the game away.
``I'm not going to lie,'' Singleton said of the free throws. ``I was nervous. But I felt that I've got two seniors on my team. I don't want their season to be over.''
The Truckers' season was in serious danger throughout most of the game. Lake Taylor (13-8) commanded the game early, with Juritus and Tasha Thompson scoring the team's first 13 points. Juritus hit 6 of 9 in the first half for 15 of her 23 points and Tasha was 3 for 3 from 3-point range for nine of her final 16.
In the second half, Churchland went to its inside game and slowly slipped into the lead.
``We needed to pick up the pace, get our heads more into the game and act like the Churchland team we are,'' Singleton said. ``That's basically us, up-tempo, stuff-it-down-their-throats basketball.''
The Bookers remained the area's only undefeated team with the win over Norview. Raquita Washington and Lavonne Cuffee orchestrated Booker T.'s deceptively calm offense throughout the night.
Washington menaced the Pilots defensively, forcing turnovers with a pressing attack, then converted plays for a total of 27 points. Cuffee scored 11 and Natasha Basnight added 15 for Booker T. (22-0). ILLUSTRATION: Photo
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/The Virginian-Pilot
Churchland's Shelly Singleton came up with the vital rebounds,
blocks and late free throws in the Truckers' 61-50 win.