Bird sets up clash

Crunch time in the Dominion District has arrived for the L.C. Bird Skyhawks.

L.C. Bird, ranked No. 4 in The Times-Dispatch Top 10 and the defending Central Region champion, held on to second place in the district with a 56-47 victory over third-place Manchester last night at Manchester.

The victory set up a showdown with top-ranked Cosby tomorrow night at Cosby. The Titans have one loss in the district, a one-point defeat at the hands of Bird. The Titans thumped the Skyhawks in the championship game of the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament before Christmas.

"We start focusing on Cosby" today, Bird coach Chevette Waller said. "This was a big game for us [against Manchester] because we went to overtime at our place. It's always good to win on the road."

The Skyhawks were never seriously threatened after Ruthanne Doherty tied the game at 7, and Barbara Sitton put them up 9-7 in the first quarter.

Doherty led the Skyhawks with 19 points. She also hauled down 14 rebounds and had two blocks and two steals. Sitton finished with 17 points. She had three assists to tie a school career record and added seven rebounds and nine steals.

The Skyhawks led 50-35 midway through the final quarter, but turnovers and missed shots contributed to a 10-0 run by the Lancers. Porche Bentley, who torched Huguenot for 43 points Monday night, scored six in the rally. Jessica Clanton and Lauren Barnett added two free throws apiece.

"As a senior and captain, I knew I had to step up and get things back on track," said Sitton, who drained four free throws to regain a more comfortable cushion.

Bentley scored 25 points last night and grabbed 13 rebounds. She had 11 of the Lancers' 16 field goals.

The Bird defense made it difficult for the other Lancers to score, and when Manchester made it to the free-throw line, the Lancers were just 15 of 28.

The Skyhawks' newest player, Toya Ricks, didn't score in about six minutes of playing time. Ricks, who started the year at Monacan and was one of the heroes in the Chiefs' title run in the district tournament last season, left the Monacan team in December and recently transferred to Bird.

The 6-1 Ricks meets Virginia High School League transfer requirements and is eligible to play. Her presence as a Skyhawk could change the district dynamics considerably.

"Toya is a good fit for our team. She's vocal and brings a lot of energy," Waller said. "She has to get used to our style of play. With more practices, she'll work into more playing time."

Sitton said the Skyhawks will go into tomorrow's game at Cosby like they did in the January encounter.

"We always have a strategy."

Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559 or .

L.C. BIRD (11-2 Dominion, 14-5)

Cruz 3, Miles 0, Rosamont 0, Robinson 2, Walton 5, Ricks 0, Smith 2, Doherty 17, Sitton 19, Tunstell 2, Hines 0, Tweedy 2, Gilliam 4. Totals 23 8-11 56.
MANCHESTER (9-4, 14-5)

Roberts 2, Barnett 4, Clanton 8, Thomas 0, Glenn 0, Peay 0, Wallace 8, Bentley 25. Totals 16 15-28 47.
L.C. Bird ------------------------- 18 13 12 13 - 56
Manchester ------------------------- 11 14 7 15 - 47

3-point goals: LCB - Cruz, Walton.