THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 19, 1996 TAG: 9601190043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH AND REA FARMER, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Beginning tonight, Eastern District girls basketball teams will have a chance to play ``prime time.''
As a result of a Title IX complaint filed by a group of parents at Maury last year, the Eastern District has agreed to provide girls with the same opportunity as the boys to play their games at 7:30 p.m. Thus, each boys team and each girls team will play four district games at 7:30 and four district games at 6 p.m.
The first girls teams to get prime-time exposure will be Maury and Granby. They play tonight at Granby, following the boys game.
``We had to sit back and take a look at the situation,'' said Bert Harrell, the district's athletic director. ``The situation at Maury brought it to our attention.
``We had to make sure the girls have an opportunity to play prime time. It's been done in Northern Virginia for the same reasons. We're experimenting with it and we're going to see if it meets our needs.''
Harrell said, however, that he's concerned attendance might decline after the boys' early games.
``We don't want people leaving,'' he said. ``They (the girls) had the best of both worlds before. They could show their programs off in the second half when the crowds started coming for the late game.''
An empty gym, of course, would go against the intent of the response to the Title IX complaint.
SINKING FEELING: When the game and a free-throw shooter are on the line, some coaches are sweating on the sidelines because their teams are unable to take advantage of the uncontested shot.
``When we solve the old mistakes, we seem to come up with new ones,'' Deep Creek coach Otis Etheridge said. ``We haven't solved the free-throw shots.''
The Hornets (5-6, 3-3) have been particularly plagued by poor shooting. In three key games, the Hornets lost by a total of five points after shooting a combined 28 of 66 from the line.
Among ranked teams, No. 1 Kempsville nets 65 percent. Second-ranked Churchland has climbed to 49 percent after five 50 percent-plus games. Salem hits 57 percent and Western Branch boasts a 72 percent accuracy rate. Bayside weighs in at 52 percent.
Oscar Smith hits 47.3 percent and Great Bridge is at 47.
KING OF THE HILL: Standing as the only undefeated team in the area, Churchland (9-0) is warily watching for upset bids.
Coach Duke Conrad attributes the Truckers' unbeaten status to fortuitous scheduling.
``We've had a lot of luck in catching people at the right time,'' Conrad said. ``We caught Great Bridge after a couple of tough games and had Oscar Smith and Western Branch at our place.''
Churchland has been sparked by a desire to win its final Southeastern District title. Churchland, Norcom and Wilson are moving to the Eastern District next year.
SIDELINED: Three key players on top teams are working to overcome recent injuries. Kempsville's Charlette Fayton could miss two or three weeks after dislocating her finger Friday. Fayton leads the Chiefs with 14.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game . . . Courtney Hundley, a senior point guard at Churchland, is day-to-day with a sprained ankle . . . Kalisha Brown, who leads Great Bridge with 9.4 points per game, is out indefinitely after spraining her ankle Tuesday.
100th VICTORY: Kempsville coach Greg Dunn picked up his 100th victory at Kempsville with a 59-36 victory over Cox on Tuesday night. Overall, Dunn has compiled a 100-12 record in four years with the Chiefs. by CNB