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The Fairfax Journal                                 Wednesday, March 10, 1999, B1

State champions await South Lakes
Lee-Princess Anne a historic matchup
by John Keim, Journal staff writer
     His role on his team fits his appearance.
     South Lakes' Todd Garland is a beefy football player plugging the middle of a basketball court. He wears socks that sit just below his knees, and only an inch or two below his shorts. He rarely shaves.
     And his game isn't pretty, built on power and dirty work, muscling opponents out of position  --  hence the nickname, "Beast."
     Other players can have the points. Garland will have to play a large role again, facing the Northwest Region's Player of the Year.
     The Seahawks (23-5) play defending state champion George Washington-Danville (23-4) at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Scope in Norfolk. This is South Lakes' third trip to the semifinals under Byrd. The Seahawks lost the first two times.
     Lee (21-6) will face Prince Anne (24-3) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at The Scope in Norfolk in the other semifinal.

Lee vs. Princess Anne
     Eighteen years ago, Lee and Princess Anne shared common success: both celebrated a championship. For the Lancers, it was a state title. For Prince Anne, it was only a district title.
     Princess Anne finally repeated that success this season. Will Lee also repeat?
     If the Lancers do, they'll first have to beat the Cavaliers.
     "I've though about what it would feel like to win this thing," Lee senior guard Bobby Sapp said. "But I don't think I can comprehend, if we did win, what it would feel like. I'm sure it would be the most thrilling thing ever."
     Teammate Roger Jackson said, "Since the beginning, I've wondered what it would feel like to win the state championship. That's what drives you to work harder."
     What has driven Lee is a knack for having two players have strong scoring games in the postseason. Val Brown, but everyone else from Jackson (16 points Saturday against George Wythe) to freshman Chris Goodin (25 points vs. Robinson in the Northern Region's first round) has contributed.
     The one game that didn't occur, Lee lost to South Lakes in the region final.
     "I seems each game, a player has a good game and helps the rest of the team step up," Jackson said.
     Defense also has spurred this march toward a title. Lee held, Wythe to 48 points Saturday and, while senior guard Omar Philmore garnered headlines with its buzzer-beating, game-winning, off-balanced three-pointer, his defensive play vs. point guard Luqman Jaaber made a big difference.
     He held Jaaber, who averaged 15.1 points per gme and scored 30 in the Central Region final, to two points.
     It's no wonder Liberty District coaches voted Philmore their defensive player of the year.
     "He works very hard in practice every day," Sapp said. "He's probably the best defensive player I've seen in our district and throughout the playoffs.
     "He's good at anticipating an offensive player's moves and he's really quick. His defense and the rest of the team's defense are what got us here."
     The result are steals, which helps ignite Lee's transition.
     "Omar stands out defensively," Jackson said, "but it's equal. It's a balanced [defensive attack]."
     The Lancers will have to defend a team that likes to press and is adept at knifing through the type of pressure Lee uses. But Princess Anne doesn't score a lot, as it reached 70 points just once during the regular season. Ten times the Cavaliers scored 59 points or less.
     But Princess Anne coach Gary Cason understands what it takes to win a state title. He was an assistant at Bayside when the Marlins won back-to-back championships in 1990-1991.So even though Princess Anne has never reached this point, Cason is confident.
     "The only similarity between [the Cavaliers and the Marlins] is the chemistry," said Cason, who spent time at Lake Braddock as a student teacher in the mid-1980's. "You have to have the whole team working together and that's exactly what we have.
    "We set our goals to win a state title – I'm sure that's what everyone does. But when you see there is a chance, that intensity comes out even more. When we won the district, we looked forward to the region. When we won the region, then it became about the state title."
     It also helps being coy with out-of-town reporters: Of the five players Cason said were starters, only two actually start. He never mentioned the other three. And one player (Ryan Braxton), whom Cason said led the team with a 13 ppg scoring average, actually plays only minimally and scores 2.9 ppg, according to the Virginia Pilot.
     But Cason can't hide his talent, especially 6-foot sophomore shooting guard C.J. Fayton, who averages 11.5 points per game and, according to Tidewater observers, is already a Division I prospect. He's averaged 18 points during the past four games.
    Daryl Towe, a 6-foot-4 senior guard/forward, leads the team with a 15.6 ppg average and 6-foot-3 sophomore Sudan Ellington averages 9.9 ppg. David York, a 6-foot-9 senior center, chips in with 5.9 ppg.
     Towe, a four-year varsity member, was named the district player of the year and earned a spot on the all-Tidewater first team. Defense is his forte and he'll likely guard Brown.
     Towe has seen the program's rise from 8-13 in Cason's first season to 10-12 and then 13-10 a year ago. The Cavaliers are playing in the state tournament for the first time since 1966.

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