THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994 TAG: 9412140593
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Trailing by five points with six minutes to play, Bayside charged back behind the inspiring play of guard Kevin Yearwood to post a 57-47 victory over Cox on Tuesday night.
Yearwood, pressed into the starting lineup due to a hip injury to point guard Shawn Blassingill, sank four 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 15 points as the Marlins improved to 3-1 2-0 in the Beach District.
While his long-range shooting keyed the Marlins' offense, - the 6-foot-3 junior was 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point stripe - it was Yearwood's play at both ends of the court in the game's final two minutes that sealed the outcome.
With 1:35 remaining and Bayside holding a tenuous 50-47 advantage, Cox's Xavier Wilson missed a 3-point attempt. The long rebound bounced wildly until a diving Yearwood controlled it along the sideline. While on his back and with Cox players closing in, Yearwood called time.
``I just knew we needed to keep the ball,'' Yearwood said.
``You can't cover everything in practice, and that's not going to happen a lot in games,'' Bayside coach Ron Jenkins said. ``But he's a gutsy kid, and he was thinking.''
Yearwood followed the timeout with a conventional three-point play, canning a running 8-foot jumper while he was fouled by Cox's Jason Donahoe, to give Bayside a 53-47 advantage.
But he wasn't done. With Cox rushing the ball upcourt, Yearwood drew a charging call with just under a minute to play as the Falcons' Matt Whalen went up for a layup.
Yearwood even had two of his three rebounds in those closing minutes.
``The difference was Yearwood and (Eric) Carballo at the end,'' Cox coach Kenny Edwards said. ``They hit some great shots and made some key plays.''
Carballo, who made three 3-pointers of his own, scored the game's final four points from the foul line to finish with 13.
Lashawn Jones chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds, including a one-hand rebound-dunk on one of Yearwood's few misses.
The victory ended a stretch of four road games in eight days for the Marlins, South Hampton Roads' top-ranked team. Their only loss was to Martin Luther King of New York. The three victories came against ranked opponents - No. 3 Booker T. Washington, No. 4 Cox and No. 7 Green Run.
Cox (2-1, 2-1) slowed the tempo and held a 32-31 advantage after three quarters. The pace quickened considerably in the last eight minutes, and Cox's Ben Green, who finished with 15 points, sank two 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch to give the Falcons a 43-38 lead.
But the Marlins wouldn't fold and when Yearwood canned his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 3:35 remaining, Bayside found itself with a 46-45 lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Whalen, a first-team All-Tidewater player last year, had nine rebounds but was held to eight points, all in the first half. It was the first time in 17 games that Whalen failed to score in double figures. by CNB