THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 11, 1995 TAG: 9501110586
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Maurice Fofana may have had the most difficult job of anyone on Nansemond River's basketball team Tuesday night.
Fofana injured his left ankle last Friday and had to sit and watch his Warriors down crosstown rival Lakeland, 62-55, before a packed Nansemond River gym.
The Warriors are in full command of the Bay Rivers district at 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the district and as head coach Spencer Mayfield puts it: ``What fool wouldn't feel fortunate to be where we are right now with this young team.''
Lakeland (5-5, 2-2) finds itself in a four-way tie for third behind Southampton.
For all the size and strength the Warriors possess, it may have been Fofana's replacement, 5-foot-2 sophomore Leroy Skinner, who caused the most problems for Lakeland.
With 4:00 left in the game, Skinner sank a short jumper to give the Warriors a 49-43 edge.
Sebastian Yates responded by draining a 3-pointer from a seated position.
The Cavaliers turned around and once again Skinner was there hitting anther short jumper and drawing the foul. Skinner failed to convert the 3-point play.
A pair of free throws from Damon Tillery and a Yates bucket pulled the Cavaliers to 51-50 with just less than three minutes to play.
Montorian Valentine dribbled the ball off his foot and into Yates' hands, but there was Skinner again to take the ball right out from under the 6-2 senior. Skinner got the ball back to Antoine Willie, who laid it in for a 53-50 lead.
``He knew he was going to have to step up and be the big man on campus tonight,'' Fofana said of Skinner. ``I worked with him at practice every day and he went out there and did what he needed to do.''
Tillery sandwiched a Valentine layup with a pair of his own and the margin returned to one, 55-54, with 1:00 to play.
Valentine answered again with 43 seconds left to put the Warriors up by three.
Tillery then scored the Cavaliers' final point with :34 left to play with a free throw. From there all the Cavaliers could do was send the Warriors to the line, where they were 5 of 7.
The Cavaliers took a 32-27 lead into the locker room, but the Warriors rolled off nine straight points off three Lakeland turnovers to take a 34-32 lead at the beginning of the second half.
Yates and Tillery paced the Cavaliers with 15 points apiece, while Willie and Valentine accounted for more than half of the Warriors points with 27 and 16 respectively. Skinner totaled seen points, but forced five turnovers and countless bobbled balls.
Fofana is scheduled to see a bone specialist tomorrow to determine if his ankle is fractured or just severely sprained.
In other western area games:
FRANKLIN 65, SMITHFIELD 54
Sidney Gainey scored 20 points and Josh Freeman and Linwood Joyner added 12 each for Franklin (6-4, 2-2 Bay Rivers).
Lamont Tucker scored 19 for the Packers (1-8, 0-4).
SOUTHAMPTON 61, YORK 55
Shawn Tann had 20 points and Greg Scott added 16 points for the Indians (4-6, 3-1 Bay Rivers).
TIDEWATER ACAD. 61, ROCK 53
Shawn Cowlings scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to spark Tidewater Academy.
Adam Roach led Tidewater (8-4) with 25 points and Cowlings finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. by CNB