Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412210114
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Tuesday night on the basketball court, he thwarted a comeback attempt.
Lang drilled a huge 3-pointer with 90 seconds left in the game to give Cave Spring a five-point lead, and the Knights never looked back in stunning Northside 72-63 in a non-district boys' basketball game at the Vikings' gym.
Cave Spring (3-3) led virtually the entire game - the only time it trailed was 1-0 with 5 minutes, 41 seconds left in the first quarter - and had Northside by as many as 18 points (24-6) in the second period.
But Northside (2-1) came storming back and cut its deficit to two, 61-59, with 1:59 left on a short jumper in the paint by center Dana Gibson, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
Cave Spring spread the floor and was attempting to run out the clock when Lang had a good look at the basket from the top of the key and converted his big 3-pointer.
``He's a clutch kid,'' said Chris Carr, the Knights' coach. ``He made clutch plays on the football field, and now he's doing it on the basketball court.''
It was a big victory for the Knights after a 1-3 start. They have beaten Salem and Northside, both Group AA semifinalists last season, in a span of four days, .
``It means a lot since we started off not so hot,'' Lang said of the victory. ``They were in a zone and we were just working the ball around looking for a layup or the first good, wide-open shot. I was wide-open.''
Matt Matheny, Cave Spring's star forward, scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including six points in the final two minutes. Before Lang's 3-pointer, Northside pulled to two points down with 2:25 left before Matheny scored on a driving layup to push the lead back to four.
``I think we played smart and executed real well in clutch situations,'' Matheny said.
Billy Pope, Northside's coach, said he thought his team played as well offensively as it could in the game's last 21/2 quarters, but it never did find a way to completely stop Cave Spring's offense.
``They played very well,'' Pope said. ``The win over Salem really seemed to give them a lot of confidence. They are a team loaded with shooters and they shot the ball well.''
Even Pope was in awe of Lang's crucial shot that ultimately sent his team to its first loss.
``Huge,'' said Pope, shaking his head. ``They had stopped attacking and were just passing the ball around; running out the clock. He's a competitor, just a competitor. That's the kind of play that wins game. You stand up there and hit a 3 on the road. ... I take my hat off to him. That was a heck of a play.''
by CNB