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Game of the Week |
Rival Tech 71-61 Give Your Account
in Northern Division Note: We intended to provide our usual Game of the Week coverage of the Tech-Central game but were among those shut out of the gymnasium when the doors had to be closed at 6:15 p.m. More on the crowd is in the Notes section below. GEORGETOWN -- Sussex Central High School boys' basketball coach Tim Slade expected the sellout crowd. He figured the doors would be shut to his team's small gymnasium by 6:15 or 6:30. He just didn't expect it to take so long for his Golden Knights to adjust to the hyper atmosphere generated by his team's Henlopen Conference Northern Division showdown with arch-rival Sussex Tech. After hooping and hollering and banging on lockers before the game, though, the Knights finally did settle down to overpower Tech in the second half of a 71-61 victory on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2001. The Knights are now 5-0 in the North and 6-0 overall and have sole possession of first place in the division. Tech, the two-time defending division champion, fell to 5-1 in the North and 7-2 overall. The Knights, plagued by early foul problems that forced Slade to sit three starters for most of the second period, led 27-26 at halftime. But with their complete starting lineup back on the floor for the second half, the Knights began using their considerable size advantage inside to overpower the Ravens late in the third quarter. Down 45-44, Sussex Central went on a 15-2 run to take the game over. Leading the way were the Knights' three big men, Orlando Farrow, James Cannon and Andrew Weatherly. Farrow finished with a career-high 26 points, while Cannon and Weatherly contributed 17 and 11 points, respectively. With them crashing the offensive boards and the Knight guards pressuring the ball more aggressively, Tech's offense stalled as it was forced into tough shots. Guard Tynell Tingle led Sussex Tech with 22 points. Forward L.J. Walston added 17 points and guard Chris Hopkins chipped in with 14.
SUSSEX TECH (61) -- Chris Hopkins 7 0-0 14, Trey Cooper 0 0-0 0, Michael Hooks 2 0-0 4, George Smith 2 0-2 4, Brandon Mann 0 0-0 0, L.J. Walston 7 3-5 17, Tynell Tingle 9 4-4 22, Bryant Thomas 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 27 7-11 61. SUSSEX CENTRAL (71) -- Andrew Weatherly 4 2-2 11, Brewington 2 0-0 4, Leroy Mann 4 0-2 8, Darris Sample 3 0-0 7, James Cannon 8 0-1 17, Orlando Farrow 11 4-8 26. TOTALS 31 6-13 71. Three-point field goals: Sussex Central (Weatherly, Sample, Cannon).
Sussex Central head coach Tim Slade on the victory: "As a head coach, this is my biggest win. My first win was special (three years ago), but as far as feeling that my team has a chance and a shot at the crown, this is definitely my biggest win. As far as respct, I felt Sussex Tech was getting the respect as the best team overall. It kind of hurt because I thought my guys were playing really well. It kind of pumped them up. I felt tonight we just wanted to go out and send the message that Sussex Central is for real, that the No. 4 ranking in the state is legitimate. We just basically wanted to show everybody that we're a dominant team." Slade on the key to the win: "The adjustment at halftime. Tech did a good job getting us in early foul trouble and I had to sit down three starters for most of the second quarter. We had a tough time breaking their press. When my guys got back out there, I told theem to pack in the middle and be more aggressive on their guards. They started doing that and started crashing the boards. In the first half we only had three offensive rebounds. In the third quarter we started playing a more aggressive game and that was the turning point. We were a lot bigger so we utilized our height and were able to score inside." Slade on Orlando Farrow, who scored a career-high 27 points: "Orlando is our silent assassin. A lot of people are focusing on James Cannon and focusing on Andrew Weatherly because of their ability and overall talent. A lot of times teams are forgetting all about Orlando Farrow, but Orlando Farrow is doing a heck of a job this year leading this team. It's obvious you have to watch out forJames Cannon. He's 6-5 in the middle and he's an all-state type player, but Orlando Farrow just eases on in there. He's doing a heck of a job this year." Slade on the effect of the big crowd: "I think the crowd kind of hurt us in the beginning. The guys were so pumped up and we just kept throwing the ball away. I guess Tech the last couple of years is kind of used to that kind of crowd because of Brian Polk, so they had more experience with big crowds, where we really only get big crowds basically for Cape and Sussex Tech. We really weren't ready for that and the guys were nervous coming out. But in the second half they came out and just ran and played their game. We expected the crowd. I just didn't expect our guys not to respond that well. I guess they were a little bit over-excited. They were banging lockers and all that stuff and pushing each other inside the locker room. I was like, 'they're going to be really tired.' I'm surprised they weren't head-butting."
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