Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 9, 1990 TAG: 9003091919
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Guard Troy Brandon took over where others failed and stopped the Maroons' tough forward to key the Bulldogs' 78-60 victory Thursday in the first round of the Group AA boys' high school basketball tournament.
The Bulldogs (25-2) advance to tonight's semifinal game at 8:45 against Matoaca, which eliminated Culpeper 73-63.
Brandon held Lee to one 3-pointer in eight field-goal attempts in the last 16 minutes.
Although Wythe trailed most of the first half, the Maroons stayed within striking distance because of Lee. They took a 39-37 lead to the dressing room when Allen Green made two free throws with 34 seconds left.
Lee was sensational once he got started in the first half. The 6-foot-4 senior missed his first three shots, then scored 20 points, putting him halfway to the Group AA Tournament record of 41 points in a game by Blacksburg's Sidney Snell in 1977.
"I didn't know he had 20 at the half," Brandon confessed. "Sometimes I think of myself as a defensive player and sometimes I don't think of it that way."
Martinsville coach Husky Hall, who won his 491st game, noted that Brandon didn't have an especially good first half, hitting only two of nine shots from the field.
"I don't know what his problem was," Hall said. "He went in there and got a couple of shots blocked. He thought he was fouled, but he couldn't get his shot off because of the big trees."
Hall said he chose Brandon to defense Lee when the Wythe star forced Curtis Pilson into three first-half fouls.
"They just tightened up the defense on me," Lee said. "And they pushed our offense out."
After taking a 55-49 lead on Travis Wells' fourth straight basket with 2:47 left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs went to the spread offense.
"We usually spread it out. We have three excellent guards who can penetrate and take it to the goal," Hall said.
The tactic also served to tire out the Maroons, who had to do a lot of chasing.
"When we got tired, we quit boxing out. We got in a jumping contest with them and that's certain death," said Al Copenhaver, Wythe's coach.
The Maroons' last spark came when Lee tossed in a 3-point shot, his only bull's-eye the final 16 minutes to make it 66-58.
"I was always afraid of Lee and those 3-pointers," Hall said. "That was another reason for the spread."
After Lee's basket, however, Pilson, Carl Brandon and Troy Brandon accounted for six points to eliminate Wythe (20-5).
Lee also threatened the Group AA Tournament free-throw record by making eight straight. But Martinsville's defense never fouled him again.
GEORGE WYTHE (60)
Lee 6-20 8-8 23, Green 5-5 5-7 15, Whitlow 3-7 0-0 6, Goff 3-8 2-2 8, Cook 1-4 1-2 3, Dickinson 0-3 0-0 0, Gilman 2-2 0-0 4, Stitt 0-1 0-0 0, Fox 0-1 0-0 0, Pruett 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 20-51 17-21 60. MARTINSVILLE (78)
Pilson 6-12 3-3 16, Wall 4-5 0-2 8, C. Brandon 9-12 1-2 19, Wells 5-12 4-6 15, T. Brandon 4-13 4-5 13, DePriest 0-0 1-2 1, Frazier 0-0 2-3 2, Hairston 1-4 0-1 2, Meadows 1-3 0-0 2, Spencer 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 30-63 15-24 78. George Wythe 14251011-60 Martinsville 18192219-78
Three-point goals-George Wythe 3-17 (Lee 3-12, Goff 0-1, Dickinson 0-2, Stitt 0-1, Fox 0-1), Martinsville 3-8 (Pilson 1-3, Wells 1-3, T. Brandon 1-2). Assists-George Wythe 10 (Cook 4), Martinsville 12 (C. Brandon 4). Steals-George Wythe 7 (Goff 3), Martinsville 15 (Pilson, C. Brandon, Wells 3). Turnovers-George Wythe 24 (Lee 7), Martinsville 19 (C. Brandon 5). Team fouls-George Wythe 14, Martinsville 16.
by CNB