ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602280094
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLLEY
DATELINE: FLOYD
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
Danny Jonas might want to launch an investigation into who placed the lid on his team's basket for Tuesday's Region C basketball playoff game against Floyd County.
Jonas' Pioneers shot 36 percent (22-of-61) from the floor in a 79-63 loss at the hands of the Three Rivers District champions.
``I don't know what happened to us tonight,'' said Fort Chiswell's coach. ``We're a good shooting team and we shot well in the [Mountain Empire District] tournament. We just couldn't make anything.''
Alan Cantrell, Floyd County's coach, said the key to the Pioneers' poor shooting was his team's man-to-man defense on Fort Chiswell point guard Brad Hughes.
``We knew we had to stop his penetration and make them shoot from outside,'' Cantrell said. ``Adam [Harris] and Jacob [Stuart] did an excellent job on him.''
The Buffaloes (19-3) advances to a Region C semifinal against Glenvar, a 72-58 winner over Lebanon, at 8 p.m. Friday at Blacksburg High School.
Derek Saunders paced Floyd County with 20 points. Jason Dalton (18), Travis Cantrell (16) and Jesse Slusher (12) also scored in double figures for the Buffaloes.
T.J. King scored 24 points and connected on five three-pointers for Fort Chiswell (12-11).
Both teams appeared to be suffering from a case of the playoff jitters in the first quarter, rushing shots and committing 10 turnovers apiece.
The Pioneers shot 14 percent from the field, at one point missing eight consecutive shots.
Floyd County fared only slightly better (28 percent) in building an 11-8 lead.
``I wanted us to come out with a lot of intensity in the first quarter,'' Cantrell said. ``We rushed a few shots, but I felt we played pretty good defense.''
The Buffaloes opened the second quarter with a 14-6 run to stretch their advantage to 27-14 with 2:02 left in the half.
With Travis Cantrell, Floyd County's leading scorer, struggling through a subpar shooting performance, the Buffaloes looked to Dalton and Slusher to pick up the offensive slack.
The duo combined for 20 first-half points, outscoring the entire Fort Chiswell team.
``I knew that someone was going to have to step up for us tonight,'' Dalton said. ``I didn't think I would have this kind of night. Travis did a good job of getting us the ball.''
The Buffaloes continued to pound away in the second half, leading by as many as 19 points. Fort Chiswell made 11 field goals, including five 3s in the final eight minutes, but couldn't pull any closer than 15 points.
Floyd County offset its opponent's improved shooting by knocking down 17 of 21 free throws in the final quarter.
``Foul shooting down the stretch was key because they were hitting their shots,'' Cantrell said. ``Without it, the game might have been a little different.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 63 linesby CNB