ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 16, 1996 TAG: 9603180033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
Liberty High had just come from nine points behind before beating Gate City in overtime Monday in a Group AA boys' basketball quarterfinal game and Minutemen coach Mark Hanks was making the case that voters in the state poll had it all wrong.
Liberty ended the regular season top-ranked in the state and, after beating the Blue Devils, was still undefeated, but he had a compelling argument.
``We don't vote in the poll [sportswriters and broadcasters do],'' he said. ``Nansemond River is the defending state champion. I've seen them and they're incredible. They're No.1.''
Not any more. The Minutemen justified the pollsters' faith in them by nipping the mighty Warriors 59-58 Friday afternoon at the Vines Center to advance to their first state championship game.
Liberty (24-0) plays Lakeland, which whipped Northside 64-54 in the other semifinal, at 2:45 p.m. today for the crown.
Liberty's unlikely victory, the pollsters' views notwithstanding, was a huge upset. It avenged a 78-68 loss to the same team in the same round last year.
``Last year, we came here to save face and play for pride,'' Hanks said. ``This year, we came here for the big thing.''
Presumably, he's referring to the trophy the tournament winner receives. That's big. So was the twisting, contorted layup Gregg Reynolds sank with 3 seconds left that gave the Minutemen their first lead since the 1:10 mark of the third quarter.
Raymond ``Peanut'' Arrington, one of Liberty's two splendid sophomores along with guard Robert Carson, was working the clock down following a Liberty timeout with 15 seconds left. Arrington, an excellent free-throw shooter who had made all eight of his attempts, was the first option. The play didn't unfold as expected, though.
``I tried to take it to the hole, but I ran into a double-team,'' Arrington said. ``So I dished it off to Gregg Reynolds.''
Reynolds, all 5 feet 9 of him, decided to challenge two players, the taller of whom was the 6-4 Lashaun Pugh.
``My main reason for going down was to draw the foul and stop the clock,'' Reynolds said. ``I saw J.J. Coles on the baseline, so I faked the pass to him and went up strong.''
So strong, that Pugh fouled him. Reynolds couldn't convert the three-point play and the Warriors took possession and called time out with 1.8 seconds left. A desperation long-distance inbounds pass was being batted around as time expired, dashing hopes of back-to-back titles (and its third since 1992) for Nansemond River (24-3).
While churning through a schedule that included a healthy dose of Group AAA opposition, Nansemond River topped 100 points three times and more than 90 on six occasions in the regular season. Liberty likes to mash on the gas a little too, but Hanks wouldn't hear of that after seeing Nansemond River make one swooping layin after another on the way to a 10-point lead.
``We like to play fast, but not that fast,'' Hanks said.
Liberty spread the floor for most of the rest of the game, but never lost its aggression. That neither surprised nor dismayed Nansemond River coach Spencer Mayfield, Jr.
``I drove 165 miles to see them play Monday,'' he said. "I knew everything they can do. ... We can play any style. We can play the slowdown game, a medium game, or a fast one.''
The Warriors shot 53.6 percent to Liberty's 38.5 percent and outrebounded the smaller Minutemen 39-26. The difference was that the Warriors had 18 turnovers, twice as many as Liberty.
Antoine Willie, the Warriors' splendid junior guard, scored 17 points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Arrington led Liberty with 17 points and Carson added 13 and four assists. Seniors Reynolds and J.J. Coles combined for 16 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
``I feel like playing another game,'' Coles said.
He might have needed it.
``I don't believe I'll be able to sleep tonight,'' he said.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. Nansemond River's Randell White Jr.by CNB(left) blocks a field-goal attempt by Liberty's Robert Carson on
Friday. The Minutemen weren't denied, though, and beat the Warriors
59-58. color. 2. Liberty's Gregg Reynolds (3) moves around Nansemond
River's Lashaun Pugh to attempt a shot.