A Big Bucks Battle

By Beth Robertson
G-V Managing Editor
Coles Hill uranium mining advocates and opponents meet again this morning in the General Assembly with citizens’ safety and the fate of billions of dollars in uranium ore fueling the debate.
At 9:30 a.m., a Virginia Senate subcommittee that last week rewrote some of the legislation to set up a commission to study uranium mining will report to the full Senate Committee on Agriculture Conservation and Natural Resources, yet another step in a legislative battle that began over a quarter century ago.
High stakes, potentially $10 billion in uranium ore nestled in Pittsylvania County’s rolling fields and pastures along Coles Road, fuels the prolonged debate.
It is a battle that major uranium ore landowner and Virginia Uranium Inc. (VUI) Chairman Walter Coles and investors are pursuing with singleness of mind, citing new mining technology, improved monitoring techniques, area economic benefits, national/state energy independence, and citizen safety in their bid to mine and mill uranium.
However, the most essential element in the project remains unknown - how the ore will be mined?
Previously, VUI officials have named three uranium mining techniques, open pit, underground and insitu, which forces water and chemicals into the ground to force out the uranium. And, since the uranium study is expected to take several years, there is always the possibility an alternative method could be developed.
Anticipating a possible start-up date at Coles Hill, Reynolds predicted “a 2014-16 earliest production date.”
Coles also cites regulatory changes since 1983, including the creation of regulatory agencies and more comprehensive federal requirements, which include mining and milling design and closure.
At the company’s Chatham headquarters last week, Coles, Henry Bowen, whose family’s land also holds a vast deposit of the ore, company president Norm Reynolds and company investor and spokesman Henry Hurt made the mining case with a 17-page Virginia Uranium Inc. overview and an accompanying PowerPoint presentation.
During the three-hour presentation, which included a trip to two core drilling sites off of Coles Road, VUI officials challenged Southside Concerned Citizens Chairman Jack Dunavant’s calculations last week that the mining and milling operation would produce a tailings pile 14 miles long, 400 ft. wide at its base and 200 ft. tall, saying the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would not allow it.
A Canadian mining operation featured in the company’s presentation describes ore harvested from an open pit, piled nearby and then milled, with the radioactive tailings returned to the open pit and covered with water as the process continued. When mining is complete, water is removed from the pit and it is covered and capped for final tailings storage.
However, Coles said Saturday that the type of mining at Coles Hill has yet to be determined. He said the proposed uranium study, hydrology studies, etc. would be determining factors.
Reynolds emphasized that VUI’s radioactive tailings will be buried below ground, and Coles said that the mined land will be reclaimed and preserved in a Conservation Easement, which sets it aside in perpetuity.
Coles also made an economic case for the mine, citing opportunity for 300 to 500 employees - depending upon the type of mine - as well as a possible 4 percent excise tax that could be a million-dollar windfall for Pittsylvania and Halifax counties. If approved by the state, Coles said that money could be used for schools, roads and environmental projects.
In setting the economic benefits stage, Coles said that an average wage at one Utah mine (not a uranium mine) is $70,000, and that in southwest Virginia one of the mining operations quoted $70,000 plus benefits, which together neared the $100,000 mark.
“We would be more than competitive,” Coles said Saturday of the VUI project. “We are going to pay good salaries, good solid salaries above the county average.”
During the Friday presentation, company officials also said no aquifer, like those out west, “has been encountered in our drilling” .
In addition to air quality, surface and groundwater pollution are core concerns of uranium mining opponents who fear water contamination could easily spread via an aquifer or rivers.
Company officials also targeted the role the mine could play in the nation’s energy independence, noting U.S. nuclear reactors provide abut 20 percent of the nation’s power supply, purchasing 67 million lbs. of U3O8 while U.S. uranium mines produce only 4.7 million lbs.
Virginia reactors provide about 35 percent of the state’s power supply, according to the 2007 Va. Energy Plan, VUI officials said.
Annually the reactors consume about 1.6 million lbs. of U3O8, but all uranium used in Virginia is imported, according to the report.
Uranium’s Value
At 880 lbs. a barrel and $90/lbs., a barrel of U3O8 is worth $79,000, Coles said. In comparison, a ton of coal sells for about $60, and for a $1,000,000 shipment, 16,666 tons of coal is needed, while only 13 barrels of U3O8 is needed.
Company officials also described the transport of “yellowcake,” the final Coles Hill product, as safer to transport than common fuels. “Yellowcake is essentially harmless unless inhaled or ingested,” according to the VUI overview.
Virginia Uranium
Ownership
Current VUI company ownership includes 78 percent ownership by the Coles and Bowen families, 12 private investors (which includes 31 Virginia investors) and 10 percent employees, management and directors ownership, Coles said last week.
The company’s chairman said in the future he hopes the company will be open to new investors.
While the company’s presentation carried a “uranium is everywhere” section, and Reynolds said “we live in a bath of radioactivity,” perhaps the Coles’ family is the best testament to the safety of the undisturbed ore than lies within sight of their historic home. Walter Coles’ father and mother lived to be 83 and 85 respectively, he said, drinking from the family well.

Fecal Bacteria Contaminating
Dan River Watershed

High levels of fecal bacteria are contaminating the Dan River watershed, according to a draft of an ongoing state bacteria study.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality held its final public meeting on that study Thursday evening in Halifax to get community feedback.
A total of 21 persons attended to learn more about the water quality in the Dan River watershed from a study that was conducted last year.
DEQ held its first public meeting in August.
According to DEQ officials, portions of the Dan River and streams in Pittsylvania and Halifax counties are listed on Virginia’s Impaired Waters List because they fail to meet the state’s fecal coliform bacteria standard.
“Fecal coliform bacteria comes from human and animal waste, and high levels of this bacteria have impaired the recreational use of these waters,” said Amanda Gray, a water planning engineer with the Department of Environmental Quality’s regional office in Lynchburg.
According to Gray, the Dan River and several of its tributaries are not meeting State Water Quality Standards for recreation due to high bacteria levels.
“The state is shifting from using a recreation standard based upon fecal coliform to a standard based upon E. coli. If a stream exceeds these standards more than 10.5 percent of the time, it is considered impaired,” Gray told those in attendance.
Over 36 miles of the Dan River are impaired, along with 7.2 miles of Sandy River and 11.76 miles of Sandy Creek in Pittsylvania County.
In addition, 2.3 miles of Fall Creek in Danville, as well as 2.98 miles of Byrds Branch and 8.28 miles of Double Creek in Halifax County are contaminated with fecal coliform.
Gray said the state is studying these impairments in the watershed and developing a clean-up plan.
Paula B. Nash, TMDL coordinator, detailed portions of the DEQ draft report at Thursday’s meeting.
The year-long study, called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), identifies sources of bacteria, estimates the amounts from each source, and determines the reductions needed to meet water quality standards, Gray and Nash explained.
TMDL is a term that represents the most pollution a body of water can contain and still be healthy, she added.
Human activities and natural conditions contribute pollution to rivers, streams and lakes.
Healthy waters can contain small amounts of pollution, however waterways are considered unhealthy whey they have high levels of pollution, a loss of insects and animals, or fish contaminated with metals or chemicals, Gray further explained.
She listed several causes of unhealthy waters including bacteria from pets, livestock, untreated human waste and wildlife; nutrients from wastewater treatment plants, lawn fertilizer, and agricultural activities; high temperature and low oxygen levels in water conditions that harm animals and insects; sediment from construction activities, rain runoff over fields and city streets; and high mercury and PCB levels in fish.
Now that the DEQ has identified pollution sources and how much they contribute to the impaired Dan River, Gray and Nash said the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will take the lead in developing a cleanup plan.
DCR will work with with stakeholders through committees and public meetings to develop a cleanup plan, Gray explained.
To support the study, DEQ formed a steering committee composed of local governments, planning districts, conservation districts, service authorities, landowners and conservation groups.
In October, the Department of Environmental Quality and Dan River Basin Association signed a memorandum of understanding on protecting the Dan River.
The agreement established a partnership between the two organizations to protect and restore water quality in the Dan River basin.
Gray and Nash outlined tips for reducing water pollution in the Dan River including maintaining septic tanks, bagging pet waste and putting it in the trash, fertilizing lawns only in the fall, and using an alternative water source for livestock to keep them out of streams.
Also discussed were best management practices that include installing fencing to keep livestock out of streams, repairing septic systems, establishing storage areas for animal waste or planting vegetation on stream banks.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the DEQ representatives said the public comment period is continuing through March 3 and encouraged those interested to their send comments on the draft report to Amanda Gray, Study Coordinator, Virginia DEQ – South Central Regional Office, 7705 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502 or email abgray@deq.virginia.gov.
The draft report can be found at http://www.deq/virginia.gov/tmdl/drftmdls/danec.pdf
DEQ also worked on a similar water quality study for portions of the Banister River in Pittsylvania and Halifax counties.
Its report on the Banister River was submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 1.

Supes To Award Transfer Station Construction Contract

The winning bid for the solid waste transfer station construction project is expected to be presented Monday night during the Halifax County Board of Supervisors’ meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to get under way at 6:30 p.m. in the public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
The solid waste transfer station will be built off Plywood Trail with J. Harman Saunders Construction offering the low bid of $1,847,000 for the 180-day project.
County Administrator Bryan Foster presented the bid summary prepared by Reynolds Architects during the joint meeting of the board of supervisors and Halifax and South Boston town councils last month.
Saunders offered a total bid of $1,832,282 with the addition of two alternate bids - $4,418 for automated doors and $10,300 for a ventilation system – for the base bid of $1,847,000.
The county received seven bids on the transfer station by the January 17 deadline with bids ranging from a high of $2,298,000 to Saunders’ low bid of $1.8 million.
Foster noted Saunders’ bid – which did not include the price of a tire loader - was higher than the $1.5 million budgeted for the project and suggested looking at making adjustments to bring the cost down.
Draper Aden Associates of Blacksburg is the engineering firm charged with development of the solid waste transfer station to be built on a wooded lot adjacent to the Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Architectural drawings call for a 10,000 square-foot two-level pre-engineered fully enclosed metal building.
Once constructed, the transfer station will primarily be used by the county and towns that provide commercial use garbage collection, and it will not be available for use by individual residents.
The transfer station will operate from 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7-9:30 a.m. on Saturdays, ending its day in time to make the last haul to Mecklenburg before the regional landfill closes.
Six to eight tractor-trailer loads filled with between 100 to 140 tons of trash are expected to pass through the transfer station each day with a typical tractor hauling an average 20 tons per load to the regional landfill.
Also Monday, supervisors are expected to hear Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Residency Administrator J. D. Barkley II present his monthly report as well as review the 2008-09 six-year plan update.
Supervisors will be asked to schedule a public hearing on the six-year plan at their March 3 meeting.
Foster also is expected to recommend LPA Group be awarded a contract for the William M. Tuck Airport Commission for consulting services.
“These services are considered ‘on call,’ and this contract determines the firm we will use on various federal and state grant funded projects,” Foster explained.
Also Monday, supervisors are expected to discuss the creation of an agricultural-forestal district (AFD) as requested by David Medley of Richmond.
AFDs were discussed during the board’s planning retreat held last month at Riverstone.
In his request, Medley is asking supervisors to create an AFD that will include approximately 311.5 acres located in the county.
Also the board has been asked to set a public hearing for its March 3 meeting on a conditional use permit application filed in ED-7 by Gene Comer.
Comer is seeking the permit to locate a general contracting office at 1190 Loftis Road, located on the west side of Loftis Road (State Route 745), 0.25 mile south of its intersection with Whitlow Trail (Route 858).
The planning commission referred the land use application to the board of supervisors after hearing the request at its January meeting.
Also, planners have requested a $25 increase in their monthly salary for a total of $135 per month, Foster said.
The monthly salary has not been changed in recent years, and planners have requested the increase due to overall fuel and travel costs.
The county administrator said the request will be included as part of the 2008-09 budget process currently under way.
In other action Monday night, supervisors are scheduled to make numerous appointments.

Obituaries

Catherine Thompson Newton
Catherine Thompson Newton, 86, of Halifax died February 1, 2008, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Newton was born in Halifax County November 30, 1921, the daughter of the late Hugh H. Thompson and Mary Ellen Ferrell Thompson and was married to the late Wesley Newton. She was a member of Bethel Baptist Church.
Survivors include a number of nieces and nephews.
Graveside services for Mrs. Newton were held February 3, at 3 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Doug Gibson officiating.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Cancer Association, O.O. Box 875, South Boston, 24592, or Bethel Baptist Church.

David W. Jewell Jr.
David W. Jewell Jr. of Kensington, Md., and formerly of Halifax County, died Sunday, January 27, 2008 at his home.
Born November 24, 1944 in Halifax County, he was 63-years-old.
He was the son of the late David W. Jewell Sr. and Kathleen Whitlow Jewell and was married to Brenda Tyler Jewell who survives him.
He also is survived by aunts, uncles, many cousins, and his faithful companion Buckaroo.
A memorial service will be held at Powell Funeral Home Chapel on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 11 a.m.
The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until service time at 11 a.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to CCCF-Naomi’s Hope, 10400 Connecticut Ave., Suite 205, Kensington, Md., 20895 or to Research Center for Genetic Medicine, CNMC, Attn: Marie Pichaske, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20010.

Comets Face A Week Of Opportunity

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
This week will be tough for the Halifax County High School varsity boys basketball team.
Yet, it could also be a week of opportunity for the Comets.
The Comets open hosting arch-rival and Western Valley District leader GW here Tuesday night. On Friday night, the Comets will host William Fleming, the second-place team in the Western Valley District, on Senior Night in the team’s final home game of the regular-season.
Those two games are the first two of the Comets’ three remaining games. A week from Tuesday, the Comets are slated to finish regular-season play with a road game against Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke.
Each of the three remaining games are big for the Comets who are battling Patrick Henry for fourth place in the Western Valley District standings. The team that finishes in fourth place in the standings will be the final team to land a home game in the opening round of the Western Valley District Tournament.
The Comets got some help in that regard Friday night as Franklin County defeated Patrick Henry 67-47. Halifax County’s 50-47 win over E.C. Glass in Lynchburg coupled with Patrick Henry’s loss, put the Comets in sole possession of fourth place.
Halifax County’s win over E.C. Glass assured the Comets of no worse than a fifth-place finish. The way the scenario is seeting itself up, Halifax County can secure that much-covet ted fourth-place spot and a home game in the tournament by winning one of its three remaining games.
“This is what it’s all about,” Comets head coach Lynn Ramage said of the excitement that surrounds his team’s final three games.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what we do this week. We have a chance to do something special. This coming week could be a great week for our program, whether we win or lose.”
The Comets (12-7 overall, 3-4 district) have already accomplished a great deal. Friday night’s win over E.C. Glass has assured the Comets a winning record for the regular-season, regardless of the outcome of the final three games. It also has given them two district wins in a row.
While both GW and William Fleming hung big losses on the Comets in their previous meetings, the Comets were in contention in both games until about midway through the third quarter in both co
ntests.
Ramage says he feels his team will give both GW and William Fleming a better contest this time around.
“We’re a lot better now than we were then,” Ramage pointed out.
“If we go out there and compete and play well and show them we can play with them, who knows what can happen in the district tournament.”
Ramage said he hopes Comets basketball fans will pack the Halifax County High School gym for both games.
“We need the fans to come out and support us,” Ramage said.
“Both of these games are big games and we need the fans to come out and be our “sixth man.” Friday night will be Senior Night and we want the fans to come out and support the kids and give our seniors a big send off.”
Tuesday night’s game against GW will be a big rivalry game for both GW and Halifax ÎCounty. Ramage said his Comets team will ready to face the task of taking on the Western Valley District leader Tuesday night.
GW pulled off a big win Friday night, downing William Fleming 79-70 in overtime. GW, last year’s Group AAA state runner-up, now holds a two-game over second-place William Fleming in the district standings. It would take two losses by GW in its last three games to give William Fleming any chance at winning the regular-season district title.
“I can’t wait for us to play them,” Ramage said of GW.
“I’m looking forward to it and our kids are looking forward to this game. Our kids are not intimidated by GW. I’m not going to say we’re going to beat them. I’m not predicting anything. They may beat us by 40 (points), but there is no fear.
“I don’t think anybody will want to see us (in the tournament) if we win two of these next three or three of these next three games,” Ramage continued.
“This is a great time to get on a winning streak. Hopefully we can keep it going.”

Comets Rally To Edge Glass

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
In the first four and a half minutes of Friday night’s game against E.C. Glass in Lynchburg it appeared that Halifax County High School’s bid for its second straight Western Valley District win was in dire jeopardy.
The Comets trailed the Hilltoppers 9-0 and had victimized themselves with four turnovers and a spate of poor shooting. Comets head coach Lynn Ramage called a time-out mid-way through the quarter to try to stop the E.C. Glass march.
“Do you what 9-0 is?” Ramage queried.
“Three shots. When they came to the sidelines I told them you have two choices - you can freak out at being down 9-0 or you can play hard and come back and chip it away.”
The Comets players took Ramage’s message to heart.
Little by little the Comets chipped away at the Hilltoppers and came away with a come-from-behind 50-47 win. The victory gave the Comets a sweep of their two regular-season games against the Hilltoppers who dropped to 3-14 overall and 0-7 in district play with the loss.
“I think the kids showed poise and patience to come back,” Ramage said.
“Now, if we start that way against some other teams, it could hurt us.”
Deshon Dabbs, who had led the Comets’ effort in the team’s double overtime win over Franklin County High School Tuesday, got the Comets on the scoreboard for the first time with 4:26 left in the first quarter on a jump shot from eight feet out.
Kejuan Mayo added another basket off of an offensive rebound and Michael Ferrell connected from inside the paint to bring the Comets back to within three points at 9-6. Durrell Chandler hit a basket with 59 seconds left in the quarter to complete an 8-0 Comets run to bring the team to within a point at 9-8 with 34.2 seconds left in the quarter. At the end of the first eight-minute period, the Comets were back in contention, although trailing by three points at 13-10.
Five unanswered points,a lay-up by Hakeem Ager off of a steal and a three-point shot from Chandler, gave the Comets their first lead of the game at 15-13 with 6:24 left in the first half.
E.C. Glass cut the Comets’ lead to a single digit, but a 5-0 spurt that included a free throw from Dabbs, two free throws from Ben Chandler and a short jump shot from Tyler Truitt put the Comets up 20-14 with four minutes left in the half. Halifax County held on from there and took a 24-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Hilltoppers regained the lead at the start of the third quarter, but that was last basket E.C. Glass would score for the better part of the next six minutes. While miscues and turnovers took away several scoring opportunities, the Comets got two baskets from Chandler and a three-point basket from Dabbs to take a 31-25 lead with 3:17 left in the third quarter. Halifax County scored only one more basket in the third quarter, a lay-up by Ager with 49 seconds left, and held a 33-29 lead going into the final quarter.
The Hilltoppers, trailing by four points after the first minute of the fourth quarter, tried to keep the game close. But, Truitt killed the Hilltoppers’ momentum with a three-point shot that allowed the Comets to extend their lead to 38-31 with 5:44 left in the game. Mayo added another basket for the Comets just under a minute later to put the Comets up by nine points at 40-31 with 4:48 left.
E.C. Glass got as close as four points on two more occasions. But, the Comets were able to seal the win by hitting all six of their free throws in the final 1:30 of the game. Ferrell canned the last four in a row to put the Comets up 50-44 with 11.1 seconds left. A three-point shot by Glass’ Dexter Bowling with a second left cut the Comets’ final margin to three points at 50-47.
Ramage noted that this was another case of his team managing to win despite not having played as well as it should have.
“I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that we’re never going to blow anybody out,” Ramage said.
“We’re going to fight and it’s going to be ugly. We’re never going to make it easy for anybody, especailly me. I think I get more gray hairs every week. My wife is calling me Old Man Winter.”
Friday night’s win gave the Comets their second straight Western Valley District win improved the team’s rec ord to 12-7 overall and 3-4 in district play and guaranteed the Comets a winning record for the season.
The win also put the Comets in a position to contend for fourth place in the district standings, the final spot that will guarantee a team a home game in the first round of the Western Valley District Tournament.
“If everything goes according to plan, if we can win one of our last three games, we can host a tournament game,”Ramage noted.
“That would be big for us.”
The fact that the Comets had guaranteed themselves a winning regular-season record was also big, but Ramage said he won’t be satisfied to see it stop right there.
“We’re not happy just to be guaranteed a winning season,” the Comets coach said.
“Now, we’ll try to end the season with less than 10 losses. That’s the next goal.”

Strong Start Gives Lady Comets Win

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
There is a lot to be said for starting things off on the right foot.
The Halifax County High School varsity girls basketball raced to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes and went on to score a 59-38 win over E.C. Glass Friday night in Lynchburg.
Friday night’s win gave the Comets a sweep of their two regular-season contests against the Hilltoppers and improved the team’s record to 10-9 overall and 2-5 in Western Valley District play.
Most importantly, the win virtually assures the Comets of no worse than a fifth-place finish in the Western Valley District standings with three games remaining.
“This was a very good win,” remarked Comets head coach Ray Reaves.
“This was a big road win. We needed this win. We’ve got a tough stretch (of games) coming up but, we’ve got a stretch in which I feel like we can compete and maybe steal a few (wins).
“We needed to play well tonight,” added Reaves.
“We improved on some areas that we had been struggling in over the last few games. Hopefully we will continue to get better each night.”
Whitney McCargo had a big night for the Comets, scoring a game-high 16 points. Teammate Tiffany Wilson chipped in nine points andMyisha Younger added eight points as all 10 Comets players that were suited up for the game scored.
The contest was a much different contest than when the two teams met for the first time here on Jan. 15. Halifax County won the first meeting 54-45, but, because the Comets hurt themselves with miscues on several occasions, the outcome remained in doubt until the last two minutes.
Spurred by three easy lay-ups off of steals, the last by Wilson, the Comets bolted to a 9-0 lead with 5:57 left in the first quarter.
After Glass broke the Comets’ run, the Comets hit another run, this one a 6-0 spurt that included back-to-back lay-ups from Melyse Brown and a 10-foot jump shot from McCargo, all off of steals in the backcourt, to take a 15-2 lead with 3:39 left in the first quarter.
With Reaves going to his bench early, E.C. Glass bounced back to cut its deficit to nine points at 19-11 at the end of the first quarter.
With starters back on the floor, the Comets got themselves back into gear quickly in the second quarter, going on a 10-0 run in the first 4:51 of the quarter to take a 28-11 lead.
While the game was still very much in the Comets’ control, they went through a brief stretch in which they victimized themselves with turnovers and poor shot selection. Even with that and with the Hilltoppers getting a three-point basket with two seconds left in the half, the Comets were still up by 11 points at 32-21 at halftime.
Baskets by Brown and Younger to open the third quarter put the Comets up 36-21 with 6:07 left in the third quarter. Halifax County let things slip away briefly afterr that as they went scoreless for the better part of the next two and a half minutes. Destiny Betts broke the ice for the Comets with a basket with 3:27 left in the third quarter to put the Comets up 38-23.
The Comets failed to score the rest of the way in the third quarter and Glass cutr the Comets’ lead to nine points at 38-29 at the end of the quarter.
If there was aby doubt as to the game’s outcome, the Comets erased it with a 6-0 run in the first 1:50 of the fourth quarter. A lay-up from Brown, followed bybaskets from Wilson and Younger off of offensive rebounds put the Comets up 44-29 with 6:10 left in the contest.
The closest E.C. Glass would get the rest of the game was 13 points as the Comets easily put the wraps on their tenth win of the season.
“We were fortunate that we didn’t turn the basketball over nearly as many times as we did (in the first meeting of the two teams),” Reaves remarked.
“We were fortunate that we made the baskets that were makeable. We missed a lot of easy ones at home and that caused the game to be a lot closer than what we wanted. We just did a lot of the little things that we didn’t do the first time and hadn’t been doing the last few games.”
Reaves said he was disappointed in the two brief stretches, one in the second quarter and one in the third quarter, in which his team got out of its rhythm and hut itself with turnovers and miscues.
“Between the third and fourth quarters I had to really jump on them,” Reaves noted.
“There were too many offensive rebounds for them (Glass), too many unforced turnovers, and us just making silly fouls. Those things really hurt us.Those three things really hurt us tonight in the stretches in which we didn’t play well.
“I’m proud of the girls for playing hard and playing agressive and getting themselves out of that little rut they got themselves into,” added Reaves.
“When they get themselves in that rut like that, sometimes we can’t do anything (about it) as a coaching staff. They have to do it for themselves. They did it tonight.”