ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602130008
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
Most of the snow may be gone, but Timesland still is buried under an avalanche of postponements and cancellations.
The Western Virginia Basketball Officials Association has had to bear the brunt of the work and the headaches when it comes to rescheduling.
``We had close to 150 games postponed or just moved since the first of the year,'' said Ernie Bradd, commissioner of the association.
On Tuesday, the Bradd household was like Grand Central Station, but there were no trains leaving and no games being played.
``The phone was busy from 7:30 in the morning until 10 at night,'' he said. ``The biggest winner of all has been Bell Atlantic with all my long-distance calls. The guys [officials] are anxious to work. They haven't worked much and they hate to have games canceled.''
December always has its share of delays caused by fall sports, but most of those early postponements had been made up when the January storms arrived. And the snow may not be finished for the year.
``I fear that one night we'll have referees and no game or a game and no referees,'' Bradd said.
Bradd and his wife, Carol, are the ones who do all the scheduling of officials. They don't have a computer, so with all the changes, something could be lost to human error because of an athletic director not calling in a change or a game simply getting lost in the shuffle.
LONGEST VACATIONS: Which Timesland teams went the longest without playing because of the weather?
It was a tie among the Patrick Henry boys, the William Fleming boys and girls, Laurel Park, Martinsville and Gateway Christian.
All those schools were idle from Jan.26 until Friday.
HALF THE FUN IN EIGHT DAYS: When Salem postponed it's basketball game against Northside on Tuesday and reset it for Saturday, it meant the Vikings would finish by playing five Blue Ridge District games in a span of eight days. That's half of Northside's 10 league games.
The Vikings took on Lord Botetourt on Friday before visiting Salem. This week, Northside plays William Byrd on Monday, travels to Alleghany on Tuesday and finishes Friday - barring more snow - at home against Rockbridge County. The Vikings weren't alone in the Blue Ridge District, where three other teams found themselves in similar situations.
In the Roanoke Valley District, William Fleming, Patrick Henry, Pulaski County and Franklin County will play 50 percent of their league schedule in eight days, but that's only four games. Cave Spring had played five games before the rash of postponements hit.
The same also was true for several Mountain Empire District teams.
QUICK TURNAROUND: William Fleming and Franklin County spent almost the entire season trying to get together on the basketball court. Finally, they went back-to-back against each other during the weekend.
On Friday, Franklin County went to Fleming for a boys-girls doubleheader.
On Saturday, the same four teams turned around and played in Rocky Mount. However, they used two gyms for the return engagement, with the boys meeting in the new gym and girls going against one another in the old gym - both on the same campus.
LONGER SEASON: The Roanoke Valley District girls have extended their regular season to Feb.19, with their tournament starting the next night. If there is a three-way tie for the regular-season title, a team could be forced to play four or five games in a week.
And you thought the NBA schedule was demanding.
QUICK SWITCH: Then, there was this scheduling tale: Shawsville couldn't play Radford on Wednesday because Montgomery County won't allow its teams to play when classes are canceled because of snow. So Giles called Radford and got the Bobcats to play in Pearisburg that evening in a game that originally was scheduled this week, so it was a postponement in reverse.
Then, Narrows agreed to make up a non-district game at Pocahontas on Feb.19. That was generous of the Green Wave, which likely will be involved in a Mountain Empire District tournament game Feb.20. Coaches usually don't want disruptions such as a non-district makeup game at tournament time.
BACK-TO-BACK: Here's a cool one. The Roanoke Valley Christian girls take on Stuart Hall at 3:30 p.m. and Carlisle at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in what might be the first back-to-back games in Timesland high school history. Just another example of the chaos caused by postponements.
NEVER ON SUNDAY: A new state rule permitting regional basketball on Sundays in emergency situations because of the snow might come into play this winter. Previously, only state play was permitted on Sundays.
Region D may file a hardship appeal to play Sunday, March 3, because regular-season district games have piled up, pushing some league tournaments back a few days.
Most Timesland regions won't be delayed unless more bad weather hits.
SOME GOOD NEWS?: The boys' state basketball tournament is coming to the Salem Civic Center.
No, Salem will not be home to the entire winter state tournament for all classes, as was envisioned several years ago when the Virginia High School League was seeking sites for its March championships.
Rather, Salem is getting the first round of the Group A tournament, featuring a doubleheader between Region C and Region D on March 7. The games had to be moved from their usual site on Virginia Tech's campus because Cassell Coliseum will be undergoing roof repairs after January's heavy snow.
Last year, Parry McCluer and Glenvar came away with hard-earned victories to reach the Group A semifinal round, and the Highlanders went on to the state championship game.
The VHSL would have preferred to play the two games March 9 as scheduled, but the Salem Civic Center is reserved for a three-day dog show beginning March 8. The dog show has been an annual event for more than 20 years and is a top money-maker for the civic center and Salem because of the number of out-of-town participants.
The first round of the Group A tournament this year should be very interesting, especially if Council, the state's top-ranked team, reaches Salem. Council's only loss is to perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy.
Seven of the top 10 teams in the most recent Group A poll are from Region C and Region D.
LENGTH: Long : 109 linesby CNB