THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 28, 1995 TAG: 9502280385
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
There was a chill in the air Monday night at Lake Taylor High School, but you couldn't blame the Hampton Lady Crabbers.
They were hot.
The host Titans (12-8) fell 63-42 in the girls Eastern District quarterfinal matchup after shooting only 33 percent. Peninsula runner-up Hampton (22-4) meets Churchland on Wednesday night in the semifinals at Churchland High School.
``They were breathing fire down our necks all night,'' said Lake Taylor coach Theresa Jones. ``Their shooting percentage was incredible, and they had excellent shot selection. I didn't expect them to shoot that well from the outside.''
Hampton, which shot 46 percent, lost its leading scorer, Stephanie Hicks, who is unable to play because she is seven months pregnant. Instead the Crabbers were led by Waynetta Veney's 25 points and Shanda Bailey's 14.
The Crabbers never relinquished the lead they earned in the opening minutes and led by as many as 28 in the fourth quarter. Both teams struggled from the line - Lake Taylor hit 8 of 20 free throws, and Hampton was only 3 of 11.
The Titans struggled with Hampton's transition game early, but freshman Juritus Thompson was able to find her range from the outside in the second half.
``I'm tired,'' said Thompson afterward, after nailing four second-half 3s to lead Lake Taylor with 20 points. ``We got behind early and then some of our shots wouldn't fall.''
``She created those threes,'' added Jones about Thompson. ``She was hitting NBA threes tonight.''
Tasha Thompson added eight for Lake Taylor, and Ray Ray Johnson and Shnaka Walker each scored six.
``We had a good season,'' said Titans junior Ray Ray Johnson through tears. ``What we really wanted was the district championship, and we got it.'' by CNB