Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994 TAG: 9404090066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
At Staunton River, a district championship in any sport is noteworthy.
The Golden Eagles have had some good teams, but they have had difficulty competing in the Blue Ridge and Seminole districts, two of the toughest in the state.
So when Staunton River won the Seminole District girls' basketball championship and went on to a Region III title, it made the coaching job of Linwood Roberts something special.
"I never really thought about going as far as we did [to the Group AA state tournament]," said Roberts, who is Timesland's girls' basketball Coach of the Year.
"Some of the girls did. After we played Floyd County in camp, Deena Mitchell's question after they beat us was, `Can we play them again in the state?' "
The answer was no because Floyd County is in Group A, but Roberts was glad his team was thinking about the state tournament.
Roberts beat out Floyd's Alan Cantrell and Blacksburg's Mickey McGuigan, last year's coach of the year, for top honors. Floyd and Blacksburg won state championships.
Under Roberts, Staunton River posted a 23-3 record that was highlighted by a 65-64 victory over Martinsville in the Region III semifinals as Mitchell hit a last-second shot.
Two games later, after upsetting Lord Botetourt for the Region III title, the Eagles ran out of steam and lost 55-53 to Gate City in the Group AA state tournament.
"It just got to be so much fun and so exciting in the school. I'll never forget the crowds [at our games]. A lot of those games, I'd go in thinking let's not get killed. They'd hang in the games and I'd tell [assistant] Tom Karnes we've got a chance. We'd look at each other like, `They're doing it again.' "
Staunton River didn't run plays. Roberts wasn't on an ego trip that said the team had to do it his way or else.
"We dropped our set offenses at the beginning because frankly they just couldn't run plays. We were better at teaching them things to look for, for the girls to get in good habits. We never knew what was going to happen," said Roberts.
Staunton River's defense, a matchup zone, was excellent. "We were a lot quicker and could extend outward. On offense, we'd come down and see what was available. Really, I got a lot more credit than I deserve because we turned them loose to play.
"If Tom and I have any strength, it's that our teams from year-to-year are different and we try to adjust to fit them."
McGuigan's Blacksburg team handed Floyd County its only loss. The Indians lost their first game to Lord Botetourt and then were upset by Carroll County in the first round of the New River District tournament.
That was a wake-up call for the Indians, who reeled off six straight victories to win the Group AA state crown for fourth time since 1975.
Cantrell's Floyd County team rolled through the Mountain Empire District, which provided little competition. The Buffaloes were able to keep their sharpness in the tournaments and beat Buffalo Gap 68-62 in the final.
Other than the loss to Blacksburg, no team played Floyd County closer than 10 points as the Buffaloes finished with a 29-1 record.
by CNB