DATE: Thursday, August 28, 1997             TAG: 9708270197

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 26   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CHIC RIEBEL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  127 lines

NORFOLK ACADEMY, N-SA BEST HOPES TO BRING TITLE BACK THEY'RE THE TEAMS THAT CAN KEEP THE PENINSULA IN CHECK.

Last fall, the unthinkable happened - the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools girls basketball title was won by a Peninsula school. Never in the two-decades-plus history of the private school league had that happened.

Walsingham won it in style, too, going unbeaten in league play and winning its last 24 games.

The Williamsburg team is expected to be strong again this season, with three returning starters. The local teams most likely to challenge Walsingham are NansemondSuffolk and Norfolk Academy.

N-SA, which finished second in both the regular-season and the conference tournament, returns a number of key players, including Allison Dunn and Bri O'Berry, who combined to score nearly 28 points a game.

Perennial power Norfolk Academy, which lost in the semifinals last year, will try to return to form behind Sarah Michaels and Lizzy Rice.

After playing in the second division in recent years, Catholic may be able to make the jump to contender due to the presence of former Norfolk Collegiate coach Larry Bowman, who has also coached Salem to a state Group AAA title in public school ranks, and Ashley Johnson, a talented freshman. Greenbrier Christian, with Katie Sherwood, also figures to be improved.

Elsewhere, Cape Henry expects to improve under former Christopher Newport University All-America player Karen Barefoot, and Norfolk Collegiate and Norfolk Christian will be battling for respectability.

A look at the South Hampton Roads teams in the TCIS:

NORFOLK ACADEMY

Coach: Neil Duffy (second year)

Last year's record: 18-5 overall, 7-2 TCIS

Top returnees: Sarah Michaels, So., F; Lizzy Rice, Sr. G; Ashanti Blaize, Sr., G; Dominique Corneille, Sr., G; Katie Dolph, Sr., F; Sarah Kaneko, Jr., C; Tina McCarthy, Sr., F; AnneMarie Nash, Sr., F; Clara Sims, Sr., G

Top newcomers: Catherine Byrd, Fr., F; Bess Johnson, So., G; Ashley Massey, So., C; Melissa Miller, So., F; Jodi Steiger, Jr., F

Outlook: Kendra Robins, the leader of the team for seemingly forever, is gone, but Michaels (10.2 points per game) and Rice (8.6 points) provide plenty of talent and leadership on what is essentially a veteran team. The play of Sims, Kaneko and McCarthy could be critical. The Bulldogs will be bolstered by players from the jayvee team that won the TCIS title.

NORFOLK COLLEGIATE

Coach: Rufus Outland (2nd year)

Last year's record: 15-10 overall, 4-5 TCIS

Top returnees: Jennie Leavy, Sr., G

Top newcomers: Veronica Zedd, Jr., C; Kathryn Klein, Jr., F; Brooke Cooper, Jr., F; Stephanie Toro, So., G; Melanie Stein, Jr., G; Lindsay Carney, Jr., F

Outlook: No team in the league was cleaned out by graduation more than the Oaks and Outland is resigned to heavy-duty rebuilding. Leavy is the only returning varsity player, period. Zedd, Klein and Toro are the top graduates from the jayvee team. Stein, a national-class swimmer, is giving basketball a try and has impressed in practice. Carney is another key player who did not play last year.

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN

Coach: Jim Royster (3rd year)

Last year's record: 6-15 overall, 1-8 TCIS

Top returnees: Erin Hatcher, Jr., C; Mary Virginia Weisinger, Sr., G; Tammy Shamitz, Sr., G; Kristin Sadler, So, F

Top newcomers: None provided

Outlook: Another difficult season. Royster says the team is young, inexperienced and lacks depth. He is hopeful that some of the younger players will develop quickly. After a week of practice, it wasn't certain whether two other veteran players would join the team.

CATHOLIC

Coach: Larry Bowman (1st year)

Last year's record: 8-11 overall, 3-6 TCIS

Top returnees: Ashley Johnson, Fr., F; Mary Smith, Sr., C; Diana Koucheravy, Jr, G; Debbie Demarmels, Jr, G; Kim Bullock, So., F

Top newcomers: Mary Platz, Fr, G; Rebecca Thomas, S., F; Allison Moran, Fr, G; Samantha Olbes, F, G

Outlook: The Crusaders, under former Norfolk Collegiate and current Salem coach Bowman, could be darkhorses. The 5-10 Johnson, a regular as an eighth-grader, is poised to become one of the conference's top players after playing on an AAU team that finished fourth in the country. There will be no seniors in the starting lineup, which means that Catholic will be playing for now and the future. Bowman doesn't expect the Crusaders to be competitive, he expects them to be ``very'' competitive.

NANSEMOND-SUFFOLK

Coach: Kim Aston (2nd year)

Last year's record: 21-4 overall, 8-1 TCIS

Top returnees: Allison Dunn, Sr., G; Bri O'Berry, Jr, G; April Murden, So. F; Leah Starkey, So., F; Elizabeth Bradshaw, Sr., C

Top newcomers: Kate Marks, Fr., G; Katie Olson, Fr., F

Outlook: Lots of enthusiasm and optimism here, for good reason. In Dunn (15.3 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals) the Saints have as good an all-around player as there is in the TCIS. She's made the all-tournament team the last three years. O'Berry does it all, too: 12.1 points, five rebounds, three assists. Murden is a defensive standout. Starkey and Bradshaw provide size and rebounding. Nansemond-Suffolk came in third at the William & Mary team camp, competing against AA and AAA public schools.

CAPE HENRY COLLEGIATE

Coach: Karen Barefoot (1st year)

Last year's record: 6-15 overall, 1-8 TCIS

Top returnees: Katie Redman, Jr., C; Summer Foster, Sr., G/F; Staci Vinson, Sr., G; Amanda Cabrera, Sr., F

Top newcomers: Elizabeth Siteman, Fr., G

Outlook: Barefoot, who recently started the women's basketball program at the Apprentice School, brings savvy and enthusiasm to the program. She's gushing about her group of seniors and believes the Dolphins could be the surprise of the conference. Redman is a solid scorer and rebounder. Foster was among the conference scoring leaders.

GREENBRIER CHRISTIAN

Coach: Christine Copeland (first year)

Last year's record: 7-14 overall, 2-7 TCIS

Top returnees: Katie Sherwood, Sr., F; Anna Barrett, Sr., F.

Top newcomers: Shelina Sewell, So., G; Stephanie Grieves, Jr., F.

Outlook: Sherwood, who averaged 15.5 points a game, led the team in rebounding and made all-conference, is a good place for the Gators to start, but Barrett is the only other returning starter. Copeland is hoping junior guard Kim Colvin and senior forward Noelle Mathes will be able to help plug some holes. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Norfolk Academy's Rice KEYWORDS: TCIS GIRLS BASKETBALL

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