WITH NRD TOURNEY STARTING, IT'LL BE DOG EAT DOG OUT THERE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 26, 1992                   TAG: 9202260035
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-10   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: CHRIS STEUART
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
WITH NRD TOURNEY STARTING, IT'LL BE DOG EAT DOG OUT THERE
If you can't hang with the big dog, get off the porch.
That big dog is Blacksburg High School, the New River District boys basketball regular season champion and the top seed in the New River District basketball tournament.
"It's not how you start; it's how you finish," said Christiansburg coach Gerald Thompson. "And a whole new season starts next week."
The season tips off Wednesday night at Blacksburg High in first-round play, which will pit Blacksburg against Radford High at 6:30 p.m. and Carroll County against Christiansburg at 8 p.m.
The winners meet in the final, also at Blacksburg, Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
With a well-groomed 6-0 district mark, the regular season champion Indians have already gained a berth to the Region IV playoffs.
But hold on before you give the dog a bone: There's another regional playoff qualifier to be decided.
The other three dogs have done some growling this year and will try to scale the steps, grab the leader of the pack by the tail and ride to the playoffs.
The NRD tourney winner will earn that spot. But if the top-seeded Indians take the tournament crown, the runner-up gains a berth, since the top two teams from the Region IV's Southwest, Highlands and New River districts advance.
The Indians (6-0, 15-5) don't mind being the dog everyone's snarling at, though.
"It's really no different than the whole season," Indians coach Bob Trear said.
"All three schools played us tough in the regular season and we expect that in the tournament."
Blacksburg was almost bitten by each of its three district rivals during regular season play. But with such purebreds as post player Jon Maher and point guard Darren Morton, it'll be hard to catch.
Maher hit nearly 20 points per game and shot at a near-60 percent clip this season.
Morton was a 40 percent bombardier from behind the arc when he wasn't dishing out seven assists per game.
No. 2 in the NRD is Carroll County (3-3, 13-8). Senior leadership has been a key: Jason Stockner averaged close to 16 points, Vince Sumner was consistent from 17 feet in, knocking down 11 points per game, and Joey Marshall led the squad with almost six assists and chipped in 8 points per game.
Cavalier coach Pat Sharp has an idea of how to put the Indians on a leash. "Control Morton," he said. "So he can't open things up for the other players."
Before they can control Morton, though, they have to dispense of No. 3-seeded Christiansburg. The Blue Demons have several teeth with which they hope to take a bite out of the Cavaliers.
Christiansburg's senior swingman Mike Smith led the squad with 13 points.
He is backed by 6-2 senior Eddie Bently, who pumped in 12.5 points, and Steve Gregory, a 6-4 center who shot 64 percent from the field.
Mired at the bottom of the pack is No. 4 seed Radford High School. After a grueling (1-5,3-18) season, the Bobcats are hoping to get out of the doghouse and go to the regionals.
"We've been talking to the kids about that," said first-year coach Brenda King. "We've got as good a chance as anyone."
But she conceded the Indians would be tough to chain.
"When you pack it inside on them, they bomb from outside," she said. "And when you work the perimeter, they push it in."
The Bobcats' weapons include Duane Pierson, who scored almost 14 points per game - good for fourth in the NRD - and Wayne Lineburg, who handed out almost five assists per game.
"We'll have to play as well as we can possibly play to beat them."

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB