Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 18, 1993 TAG: 9312180207
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
On Friday, the two juniors worked over William Byrd as Cave Spring tamed the Terriers 81-77 in a non-district boys' basketball game in Vinton.
Matheny scored 29 points, but he ran into foul trouble late in the third quarter. So Irvin picked up the offensive slack and scored 12 of his 16 points in the last eight minutes as Cave Spring (2-2) held off all attempts at a rally by Byrd.
"We lifted weights and played AAU ball together," Matheny said, explaining how he and Irvin spent their summer vacation.
"We'd get up early to work out because we knew we had to take this team on our shoulders," Irvin said.
Byrd (2-1) had its own dynamic duo as brothers Donald and Chris Childress combined for 43 points. Donald Childress, like Matheny, ran into foul trouble and had to sit out a lengthy stretch in the second half. Chris Childress, a sophomore, also had five of the Terriers' nine steals.
Matheny hit 11 of 14 field-goal attempts and pulled down 11 rebounds. Irvin connected on seven of eight from the free-throw line in his fourth-quarter surge and hit a 3-point shot early in the third quarter as the Knights showed they weren't about to blow the lead.
"I wasn't really getting the ball. Chris Childress really D'd up on me," Irvin said of the defensive pressure he was facing. "In the second half, Coach [Rick] Crotts told me not to worry about the defense, just look for my shot."
"We needed this one," Crotts said. "Byrd plays so hard in their place."
The Knights hit 26 of 54 field-goal attempts. Kevin Davis added 16 points, and sophomore point guard Jeff Lang had 10 points, three steals and four assists.
The Childress brothers got most of their help from guard Mike McGuire. He had 16 points, four assists and a steal.
"I think this will be a good game if we learn from it," said Paul Barnard, Byrd's coach. "With only two seniors and only one who plays all the time, I think we'll get better. That's what it's all about. Games like this help you in January."
The Knights started quickly, scoring 11 of the game's first 13 points. Matheny paced the early assault with nine points, but then cooled.
"They started doubling down on me," Matheny said.
By the third quarter, the Knights had a small lead they never surrendered. Matheny and Donald Childress were locked in what appeared to be a personal duel.
At one point, they scored 13 of 15 points by the two teams. Matheny started with a three-point play. That made it 48-44 in favor of Cave Spring. When the two finished, the Knights still led, 54-50.
Moments later, both players were on the bench with their fourth personal fouls. They stayed out of the game until nearly midway through the fourth quarter. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB