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By JERRY VERNONSports WriterJust like stuffing the puppet’shead back into a jack-in-the-box Blacksburg High School put away Gate City High School, 65-60, Saturday night is Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum.The win gave the springy Indians Group AA Region IV , honors and advanced i Blacksburg to the state scheduled for this Thursday evening at 8:45 inUniversity Hall at Charlottesville on the University of Virginia campus. Blacksburg’s opponent will be the winner of Saturday night’s Region HI clash Dan River.The Tribe’s first trip to the state sin.ee 1975 resulted from an Indian scoring attack that overpowered Gate City's one man show-Eric Fugate.tA 9The senior forward plowed in a game high 30 points, but•v-i: iBy JERRYVERNON Sports WriterJohn Vicars knows a lot about regional competition.The Gate City coach has brought his team into Region IV action for the past four years. His Blue Devils have nevermade it any further. t , ,Saturday night he was no exception as Blacksburg handed Gate City a 65-80 setback and another runnerup trophy.“Maybe after five tries well do it,” said the Blue Devil coach. “We’ll see next year.”If Gate City returns to the reglonals again next season the Blue Devils will be operating without one familiar player—Eric Fugate. Hie forward closed out his career Saturday night with a 30 point performance that leftBlacksburg in awe. ' ' • •“He Just takes charge and tries to establish himself, explained Indian postman Scott King. “He’s one of the bestplayers we’ve seen ali year.”Fugate dominated the opening minutes of the game as he rifled in eight straight points to give his squad an frOlead before Blacksburg dosed in on him.“They did a good Job helping each other cover him,” admitted Vicars. “They usually had two men on him.Fugate’s decline in the game came after he hit Ms tenth point in the first four minutes. At that point, he moved from his outside position to the Inside and play for Gate City was never quite the same.“He plays inside and outside depending on who is on the floor,” said Vicars. “It was nothing unusual. It’s just part ofSee Bridesmaid Page 12couldn’t carry the Blue Devils alone. •“He could shot that thing,” said Blacksburg forward Joe White who spent the evening chasing .the Blue Devil leader around. “He put me in a daze throwing that thing up. I was hoping he would cool off after a while.”Someone answered White's wishes after Fugate fired in ten points in the game’s first four minutes. However, before he hitagain Blacksburg had reversed a 12-8 Indian deficit to a 35-26 Blacksburg lead at half.“There’s a lot more time in a game than four minutes,’1 said Blacksburg Coach Bob Trear.“I think after that start White made it tough for him (Fugate),• to get the ball. It looked like they moved Fugate from the outside to the inside .where he couldn’t get the ball anymore.” While White hung around Fugate's elbows, Blacksburg’s own leaders sprang into action. Steve Fuller popped up first and Scott King followed. The duo headed an Indian first quarter burst that demolished any momentum the Blue Devils had commanded.During a six minute stretch in the first half Blacksburg out-• scored Gate City 16-2 with Fuller and King accounting for ten of the crucial points.“They kept changing defenses,” explained King who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. “Then we just worked up better teamwork to get inside.”-Fuller, who scored 18 points- and snagged nine rebounds, utilized his precise outside eye to assist in opening the lane for his teammates.“When they jumped out 10-0 we started popping from the* outside,” said the senior. “I■ think that was what opened up the inside.”Blacksburg’s Sidney Snell was the mainstay in the lanfe for the Indian offense. The senior ' chalked a team high of 23 points and grabbed seven missed shotsbefore exiting with a gash over his right eye with 2:47 remaining in the contest, “Anytime you have a ball game like this,” said Trear,“you know it's going to betough.” -•Life got even more rugged for Blacksburg which protected a 63-52 lead alter Snell left the game. Hie Blue Devils out-scored Blacksburg 8-2 during the final lapse; but folded when Fugate fouled out with 1:02. remaining.“I figured everybody on our team would get mad after hewent out,” admitted White, “and I’d have to calm them down. When they came back we just started holding onto the ball a little too long.”Even when the Indians turned the ball over late in the game, Gate City failed to fully capitalize on it. According to Blue Devil Coach John Vicars, that^as the stopr of the game.“They put it in the hole from the outside and we didn’t,” he said. “Theys just wouldn’t fall for us and they did for them.” Vicars’ game plan was to beat the Indians from the outside, -but Blacksburg threw in a chunk of action he did not expect.“We were going to let them shoot from outside and they did,” he lamented. “Look at those statistics. That • kid, Fuller, hit eight of nine shots.” Despite Fugate's own dominance from the floor (13-22), Blacksburg argued Gate City was not a one man act.“It wasn’t really a one man show,” said White. “I think he's thebest individual player we’ve faced this year, but their guards were pretty good too.”The Blue Devils’ outside men, Harold Godsey and Steve Kilgore, finished the game with six points apiece.Blacksburg's eye from the outside had less worry than did Gate City when it threw up perimeter shots. The Indians won the rebounding battle 31-21.
Newspaper Details
Radford Times Journal
Radford, Virginia, US
Sun, Mar 06, 1977
Page 17
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
VA, USA 01 Jun 2021
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