Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 2, 1992 TAG: 9203020049
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: CHRIS STEUART SPECIAL TO
DATELINE: NATURAL BRIDGE LENGTH: Medium
But the only thing dropping inside the gym was Covington High's shots, as the Cougars downed James River 77-53 to take the district tournament crown.
The Cougars (20-3) heated things up in the second quarter with a 12-3 run that vaulted them to a 41-27 edge at halftime.
"We changed our defenses a bit and forced some key turnovers," Covington coach Brad Morton said. "And they missed some easy shots, too."
The rim was tight for the Knights (17-6), but James River coach John Shotwell said the Cougars had a lot to do with that.
"We had a hard time with their 1-3-1 defense," he said. "They cut our passing lanes and forced us to lob the ball in, giving them time to set up their defense."
The decisive second quarter run was sparked by a jumper from Neal Dressler, who finished with 17 points for the Cougars. And it ended with the game's high scorer, Van Wallace (18) taking a steal the length of the floor for a layup.
The Knights had trouble with Covington's offense as well as its defense. Most of the Cougars' baskets came from a strong inside game.
"Our size advantage helped," Wallace said. "We got the bounce passes inside because we rotated the ball a lot and set good screens."
Something was working right, because the Cougars had two others in double figures, Everett Hughes with 14 points and Tony Jeter with 12.
"The big guys did do a good job on the screens," Hughes said. "But, we were really hyped for this game because we knew we had to step up with one of our men gone."
That man was junior Ramon Sampson, who sprained an ankle in Covington's 65-63 win over Glenvar.
And step up they did. At the start of the second half the Cougars picked up where they left off. Jeter hit a turnaround jumper at the 2:58 mark of the third quarter that swelled Covington's lead to its largest of the game, 59-33. The Cougars held a 20-point advantage for the remainder of the contest.
"It was a long night," Shotwell said. "This is the best Covington team I have seen in quite a while. Our kids have nothing to be ashamed of." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB