THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010661
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, last year's Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools' girls basketball tournament champion, proved Thursday that it has what it takes to play with the best of the Group AA schools.
The Saints rolled to a 43-18 victory over Poquoson, the defending Bay Rivers champion, in the season opener for both teams in the first Girl's Varsity Basketball Tipoff at Norfolk Collegiate.
Jill VanGuilder paced the Saints with 13 points and six rebounds.
Using a full-court, man-to-man press, N-SA forced 23 turnovers and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to take a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Poqouson, which shot just 20 percent from the field for the game, managed its first field goal with 6:51 to go in the second period when Corie Forrest shook N-SA's Ann Murden and drained a 3-pointer.
``They're always tough,'' Lady Islanders coach Tim Extine said. ``I don't know if my girls expected that much pressure.''
Down 28-5 at the start of the second half, the Lady Islanders switched to a man-to-man defense to try to stop the Saints' transition game and forced 11 turnovers.
``I think there were points where we could have turned it up a little more,'' said VanGuilder of her team's slow 11-8 third-quarter run. Added N-SA coach Larry Riggs: ``We had our chances to put them away, and we didn't. We stood around on offense a little bit. But I guess if you win by 25 points, you go ahead and take it.''
In other Tipoff games:
York 45, Norfolk Collegiate 37: Julie Tebault scored 17 points for Norfolk Collegiate in its season opener.
Melanie Sandford added nine points for Collegiate, which cut the lead to two with three minutes left, but was unable to close the gap. Heather Thomlison led York with 11.
Norfolk Academy 74, Bruton 45: The Lady Bulldogs, their transition game working to perfection, outscored the Panthers, 33-6, in the first quarter and never looked back in their season opener.
Four Norfolk Academy players finished in double figures, led by Kate Rowen and Angie Hucles with 14 apiece. Catherine Ware added 13 and Kendra Robins chipped in 11. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
L. TODD SPENCER/Staff
York's Heather Tomlison, left, calls timeout after wrestling
Collegiate's Elizabeth Swearingen for the ball.
by CNB