ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 27, 1996 TAG: 9612270056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
PERIMETER SHOOTER Ronnie Kasey scores 20 points as Patrick Henry wins 62-55.
Been there and done that served the Patrick Henry High School boys' basketball team well Thursday afternoon.
Recalling close and nerve-wracking games earlier in the season, the Patriots remained steely-nerved and effective down the stretch to stop William Byrd 62-55 in the opening round of the NationsBank Holiday Hoops tournament at Salem Civic Center.
The Patriots (5-1) and Terriers (4-2) entered the fourth quarter with the score tied at 45. Patrick Henry rose to the occasion late in the game with a sprint to the finish that featured a 17-10 closing run.
``We had a game with William Fleming that went down to the wire and then we had a game with Martinsville that came down to the last eight seconds,'' first-year Patriots coach Jack Esworthy said. ``Those kinds of games really help you.''
The Patriots accomplished their mission by playing solidly from both the outside and the inside.
Ronnie Kasey led the perimeter attack by sinking a trio of 3-pointers on the way to scoring 20 points. With that sort of outside marksmanship to worry about, Byrd had to spread its defense and became vulnerable inside. Forward Devon Battle exploited the resulting gaps to score 21 points.
``Kasey had a great game,'' Esworthy said. ``His intensity was there right from the start. More and more, he's becoming our leader.''
Patrick Henry will take on Gar-Field, a 57-50 winner over Salem, in today's fourth game as the double-elimination tournament continues. Byrd plays Salem in the second game of the afternoon session.
Kevin Stump paced Byrd with 21 points, most of them coming within 12 feet of the basket. Mayo Wilson added 12, nine of those coming on 3-pointers.
Byrd had 21 turnovers.
``That isn't very good,'' Terriers coach Paul Barnard said. ``We'd like to keep that at about 15 or less. PH's quickness hurt us. We can talk about it all we want, but we can't duplicate it very well in practice.''
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB