THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503020621
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
After squeaking by in the Beach District tournament and in Monday's quarterfinal against Oscar Smith, questions began to surface as to whether Kempsville could keep up with Peninsula power Menchville.
But after five minutes of play, the Monarchs were left wondering how they would ever catch up.
They never did.
Kempsville (27-0) blew away Menchville, 83-56, Wednesday before nearly 500 spectators in the semifinal round of the girls Eastern Region basketball tournament at Churchland High School.
``We ran them tired,'' said Kempsville guard Charlette Fayton, who finished with 14 points. ``Whoever wanted it more was going to win.''
The Chiefs advance to Friday's final against Hampton (23-4), a 40-37 winner over Churchland (20-6) in the other semifinal. Both teams will also advance to the state playoffs, which begin March 16 in Lynchburg.
Menchville, which has made it to the state tournament the last four years, finished at 25-2.
The Chiefs, suffering from first-quarter butterflies, were down, 8-2, in the opening minutes but managed to pull within one at the 3:35 mark.
Lori Henn came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game. A minute later, Henn hit another and by the end of the quarter, Kempsville was up, 23-16.
In the second quarter, the Chiefs' full- and half-court man-to-man press frazzled the Monarchs, who had 11 first-half turnovers.
Menchville's 6-foot-1 center Chalois Lias managed to keep Kempsville's leading scorer, 6-2center Carrie Johnson, at bay, but she didn't keep her off the boards. Johnson, who was 1 of 7 from the field, grabbed seven of the Chiefs' 19 first-half rebounds.
In the second half, the Chiefs went all out.
Kristin Cholewa exploded for 15 of her game-high 19 points and Johnson contributed eight more rebounds and points. Point guard Erin Duckett got 11 of her 13 points in the second half, while Toni Patillo scored eight of her 11.
The Chiefs were 11 for 13 from the free-throw line, their only misses coming in the first half.
The offense wasn't the only thing that improved in the second half. The Chiefs, who forced 11 more turnovers while commiting only eight for the game, commanded the floor from baseline to baseline.
``We took more shots, we took smart shots, we had less turnovers and we passed the ball around,'' Johnson said. ``It was a pretty good matchup, but we just had that extra will to win.''
The Chiefs also had the extra edge on the boards and finished with a 46-26 advantage.
``We've never lost a rebounding matchup offensively or defensively all season,'' Menchville coach Phil Forbes said. ``But the depth of the Lady Chiefs outmanned us and outquicked us in every aspect of the game.''
Lias and Danielle Dawson had 17 points apiece to lead the Monarchs.
Kempsville coach Greg Dunn agreed that the Chiefs' depth was the key.
``I knew that they could run, but we had the edge in depth,'' he said. ``I don't think they had too much in the fourth quarter and we continued to run. We can win pretty and we can win ugly. But our defense has always been consistent. I was very pleased.''
MENCHVILLE: Williams 12, Dawson 17, Edwards 8, Lias 17, Buchero 0, Rodriguez 2. Totals 20 16-23 56.
KEMPSVILLE: Cholewa 19, Patillo 11, Ducket 13, Johnson 10, Fayton 14, Richardson 4, Goodboy 0, Henn 6, Heath 6. Totals 35 11-13 83.
Menchville 16 17 11 28 - 83
Kempsville 23 14 18 12 - 56
3-point goals: Henn 2. Total fouls: Menchville 16, Kempsville 19. ILLUSTRATION: MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
Menchville's Carol Williams, left, beats Kempsville's Erin Duckett
to the ball during second-half play at Churchland High School.
by CNB