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By LOU HATTER
Rappahannock New* Staff Writer
Though the Panthers’ Tuesday night contest against George Mason was again the victim of snow and ice, last week brought a respite from the chill and a boost to Rappahannock’s district title hopes.
On Jan. 2 the Panthers travelled to Central and slammed the rival Falcons on their own turf, easily besting Central by 18 points, 70-52. Team captain Julian Groves led the team in all-around output with 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Coach Gary Leake said he was satisfied with the balanced offense from his young team. Paul Hitt contributed 16 points, Beryi Roy added another 11, and senior exchange student Francisco Vicente added 10 points and pulled down 18 rebounds.
Going into the game, Coach Leake said, his team was quite aware that the Falcons boasted an undefeated record on the year. “We didn’t do a lot of special preparation. It’s a strong rivalry, and we let it take care of itself.”
The team used communication, rebounding and hustle to win the game as a team, Coach Leake said. “Everybody saw playing time. The entire team played real well — it was our best team effort... our best display this season.”
That team effort, the coach added, “is what it takes to beat a team like Central.
“That’s the way we should play every game,” Coach Leake added.
The Falcons were never really in the contest after their visitors jumped to a 22-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Central’s Chad Kibler drew three fouls in the first quarter, disabling the Falcons’ defense and putting him on the bench until late in the fourth quarter.
Central threatened several times throughout the remainder of the contest, but each time was either shut down by Rappahannock’s strong defense or thwarted by their own offensive miscues. Five points was as close as the Panthers allowed the Falcons to get, and at times the lead stretched to 19 as the clock wound down.
Coach Leake recalled that last year, Rappahannock beat Central twice out of three meetings, including the district semi-final. “Central was the basketball team of the ’80s in the Bull Run District,” he said, “and when yoq play a team like that you putt up a little extra.”
Though tjjg,.. coach praised his team’s effort against Central, he said he was disappointed with their showing against Strasburg last Friday, when the Panthers needed three overtime periods to squeeze out a win, 55-48.
The effort against Central “is the way we should play every game, but sometimes we let down depending on the team — and that hurts us in this district because it’s so balanced. We need to maintain our consistency.”
Consistency was not the woid for
the Panthers’ trip to Strasburg on Jan. 5. Coach Leake said whp he walked into the locker room that the
atmosphere was totally different from the Central game. Thataajght, he recalled, each player was iwhis own world, mentally preparing nimself for the game. “Tonight, they were sitting around. Our pregame preparation really hurt.”
Coupled with Rappahannock’s lacksidasical effort, the Rams “played an outstanding game,” Coach Leake said. “We didn’t expect them to play as hard as they did. But I told them, ‘They have nothing to
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