Blacksburg wants rematch to end differently

Travis Miller Ledger Sports Editor

Blacksburg coach Travis Miller wants to make sure the rematch with Calhoun Falls will be different.

Calhoun Falls routed the Wildcats in the opening round of the football playoffs in November.

Instead of the football field, this one will take place on the hardwood tonight at 7 p.m.

“I think we can win,” Miller said. “We need to play with confidence. We are just a couple of baskets away from being a No. 1 seed.”

The fourth-seeded Wildcats finished with a 16-7 overall and at 6-4 in the region. Calhoun Falls enters tonight’s matchup at 15-3 overall and 9-1 in Region I.

“They are extremely athletic,” Miller said. “They will press us and make it an uptempo game.”

Calhoun Falls is lead by Theo Tillman, an inside player who is the team’s leading rebounder. Sharp-shooting Detorrio Tatum and D.J. Roundtree form a potent guard combination for Calhoun Falls.

“Tatum is a good shooter and Roundtree is the team leader,” the Blacksburg coach said. “He makes them go, especially on defense.”

The names should sound familiar since they are the same players who starred on Calhoun Falls’ football team, Miller said.

“They are very athletic,” he said. “It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

The Wildcats are coming off a gutty performance at Southside Christian last Thursday.

After missing the team’s loss at Landrum with a bruised hip, Kyle Shy returned to the lineup to score 16 points in helping the Wildcats to a come-from-behind 64-57 victory over the Sabres. The Wildcats will be at full strength against Calhoun Falls.

In addition to handling Calhoun Falls’ pressure, the Wildcats must hold their own on the backboards. That means sophomore Tim Boyd and Rodney Poston must play well, Miller said.

“They are good on the offensive boards and we must keep them off them,” he said.

The winner of tonight’s matchup will play either Buford or Hunter-Kinard Tyler on Saturday.