ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602260038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B--2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Contrary to what knowledgeable observers of the Blue Ridge District might think, Northside doesn't always get a free pass to the league tournament's championship game.
Friday night, it needed Justin Porterfield's passes.
That, and Ben Peete's long-distance shooting propelled the Vikings past Alleghany 61-42 in a Blue Ridge semifinal at the Salem Civic Center.
Peete had 22 points and four 3-pointers and Porterfield scored 16 and handed out a half-dozen assists for the Vikings, who play Salem in the championship game tonight at 9 o'clock.
It will be Northside's third straight trip to the final, its seventh in the past eight seasons under head coach Bill Pope.
``We work to get here,'' said Porterfield. ``We don't just expect it [to happen].''
Northside (15-6), which defeated Salem in a regular-season playoff on Tuesday to earn the tournament's top seed, labored for most of the evening until taking over in the fourth quarter.
Alleghany stayed with the Vikings for three quarters and survived Peete's trio of 3-pointers in the third, but a 10-0 Northside run effectively ended the Mountaineers' season.
Porterfield fueled the rally not with his shooting, but with his passing and defense. Leading 44-38 with 4:27 left, Porterfield made four straight free throws to make it a 10-point bulge. The Vikings then applied full-court pressure and forced five straight turnovers at one point.
One of those was a steal by Porterfield, who raced downcourt and made a behind-the-back feed to Peete on the fast break for a layup that made it 50-38.
``Justin is such an unselfish player,'' said Peete. ``When he gets the fast break going with a rebound or a steal, I know I've just got to run the lane and he'll get me the ball.''
Eighteen seconds later, Porterfield made another no-look fast break assist on Adam Wimmer's layup to put the game out of reach. Wimmer finished with 10 points.
``Justin's weapon is the pass,'' Pope said. ``His scoring is something extra. He and Ben played poised.''
Peete had 13 points in the third, as Northside pushed its lead to double digits.
Until then, Alleghany's switching zones and soft man-to-man defense aggravated the Vikings, who scored just 20 points in the first two quarters. Fortunately, Alleghany (4-17) tallied just 14.
Jay Megginson led the Mountaineers with 14 points, 12 in the second half.
``We missed about eight power moves or layups in the first half alone,'' said Alleghany coach Carl Watson, whose team beat Rockbridge County in an elimination game Tuesday. ``Northside is a team that's been here. They played a big game Tuesday. We had just one player [Oliver Jordan] who'd been in the civic center before Tuesday night.''
ALLEGHANY (42)
Jordan 1 0-0 2, Megginson 6 2-4 14, Burks 3 0-0 6, Davis 2 2-2 6, Downing 0 0-2 0, Cook 1 4-4 6, Morris 3 2-3 8. Totals: 16 10-15 42.
NORTHSIDE (61)
Porterfield 4 7-7 16, Peete 8 2-3 22, Peters 1 3-4 6, Holmes 0 2-2 2, Brandy 0 1-4 1, Bullen 0 2-2 2, Wimmer 5 0-0 10, Lee 0 1-2 1, Smith 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 19-26 61.
Alleghany -8--6--20--8-42
Northside -12--8--21--20-61
Three-point goals: Peete 4, Porterfield, Peters. Team fouls: Alleghany 23, Northside 16. Fouled out: Burks.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. Kevin Cook (left) of Alleghany getsby CNBfouled by Northside's Daryl Holmes (right) on Friday at the Salem
Civic Center.