DATE: Sunday, November 9, 1997              TAG: 9711070304
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 16   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   50 lines

N-SA PROVIDES AN UPSETTING PERFORMANCE EN ROUTE TO TITLE

Nansemond-Suffolk was seeded fifth but played like No. 1 during the girls TCIS basketball tournament last week.

``We were ready,'' Saints senior guard Allison Dunn said.

So ready and pumped that Nansemond-Suffolk put together a string of three upsets to win the tournament title in its own gym.

``Playing at home helped because we were playing in front of a big crowd,'' N-SA coach Kim Aston said.

The Saints (16-7) began their run against Norfolk Academy, which had beaten N-SA a week earlier to clinch the No. 4 seed.

N-SA, sparked by freshmen guards Kate Marks and Katie Olsen, held the Bulldogs to 10 points in the first half. Offensively, Dunn and Brianne O'Berry combined for 35 points as N-SA whipped Norfolk Academy 56-33.

Next up was Walsingham - the top seed, which swept the Saints in the regular season.

N-SA felt if it could slow down the pace and contain Walsingham's leading-scorer Courtney Naparlo, it would have a chance at the upset.

Naparlo finished with 18 points but fouled out with three minutes left in the game. Dunn, who hit six free throws in the fourth quarter, finished with 15 points and the Saints pulled off a 40-35 upset to end the Trojans' bid for a second straight title.

The next night, the Saints went against third-seeded Hampton Roads in the final. By halftime, N-SA pretty much had a lock on its second title in four years.

The Saints scored a pair of 3-point plays and hit two 3-pointers for a 12-0 run in the second quarter en route to a 42-33 victory.

Dunn - the tournament MVP - and O'Berry, the team's top two scorers throughout the season at 18 and 15 points respectively, did their normal damage but also got some major support in the clutch.

Forward April Murden, whose sister Ann played for the Saints last year, shot 70 percent from the floor during the tournament. Fellow forward Leah Starkey averaged 17 rebounds through the three games.

``We just never had a game where everybody worked together,'' O'Berry said of the regular season.

Fortunately for the Saints, they got everyone working together at the right time. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER

Brianne O'Berry, left, and Allison Dunn play on the Saints team that

won the TCIS tournament. KEYWORDS: GIRLS BASKETBALL

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