ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 3, 1996 TAG: 9601040026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: NARROWS
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
The basketball contrast between Giles High and archrival Narrows High was a whole lot more than different colors on the uniforms.
Giles was the team playing like five guys who'd met before. Narrows was the one playing like five guys on the way to catch five different airplanes Tuesday.
The result was predictable: Spartans 63, Green Wave 48.
``The thing that impressed me was the way Giles played together,'' Narrows coach Todd Lusk said. ``They made the extra pass. They played like a team.''
It was an entirely different story than the Spartans' 75-70 squeaker of a victory at home in December.
"I was expecting another one like that if not closer,'' Giles coach John Howlett said.
That's the way the game started, but it didn't stay that way for long. Narrows led 11-5 then completely lost its offensive bearings against the Spartans zone.
"We frustrated them defensively and that was the key,'' Howlett said. "We started sluggishly because when you play Narrows, the players are trying so hard. But then we turned up the defense. We turn up the defense like that and we can win a championship.''
From the point when center Adam Jones cut inside for a bucket with 2:34 left in the first quarter until halftime, the Spartans (5-1) outscored their cross-county rivals 32-12. During that sequence, Narrows had 12 turnovers and didn't come close to running a recognizable offense.
Giles, meanwhile, was going through stretches when it was scoring on five of six possessions and then later seven of eight possessions.
Aaron Myers came off the bench to score 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second quarter for Giles, which has won five straight because of the balance it has displayed. That was further in evidence with Anthony Myers' 11 points (also off the bench), and Adam Jones' 10. Robbie Claytor had six assists and eight points, and Ben Brown provided more pop off the bench with eight points.
"They can hurt you a lot of different ways,'' Lusk said.
Giles didn't play as well in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter. Two of 10 accuracy at the free-throw line didn't help.
"We have to finish better,'' Howlett said.
Narrows got 12 points from its star, Bryan Pruett, but he was in foul trouble and missed a substantial portion of the second half. Joe Shipbaugh, the team's other big gun, was limited to 10 points.
"We try to concentrate on defense first,'' Anthony Myers said.
Narrows (3-3) is going to concentrate on finding its game again.
"That's the first Narrows team I've seen that played like it had no guts,'' Lusk said. "We are really struggling right now.''
GILES (63)
Claytor 4 0-6 8, Brown 3 0-0 8, Stephens 3 0-1 6, An. Myers 5 0-0 11, Aa. Myers 7 0-0 14, Edwards 1 0-0 2, Jones 4 2-3 10, King 2 0-0 4, Butler 0 0-2 0. Totals: 29 2-10 63.
NARROWS (48)
R. Perrault 2 1-2 7, Pruett 3 4-4 12, Shipbaugh 4 1-2 10, Stafford 2 1-4 5, Mullins 1 2-3 4, Turner 1 0-2 3, Smith 3 1-3 7. Totals 16 10-20 48.
Giles 13--24--18---8-63
Narrows 11--12--11--14-48
Three-point goals: Brown 2, An. Myers, Pruett 2, Perrault 2, Shipbaugh, Turner. Total fouls: Giles 19, Narrows 17. Fouled out: Stephens, Perdue. Technical foul: Narrows coach Todd Lusk; Giles' Jamie Meadows.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB