Monday, February 5, 2007

Cash, Cocaine Seized In Bust

An alleged Danville drug dealer who attempted to escape from Halifax County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigators Friday is in custody following a car chase where a narcotics investigator’s vehicle was struck, according to Major R.S.B. Pulliam of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office.
Daron Levene Calloway, 28, aka “Twin,” of Gay Street in Danville, was charged with one count of distribution of crack cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, three counts of felony assault of drug investigators and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school, Pulliam said.
According to Pulliam, drug investigators learned of Calloway’s plan to come to Halifax County and set out to arrest him.
“The investigators observed Calloway at the trash dumpsters near the Turbeville Elementary School and turned on their blue lights,” Pulliam said. “Calloway refused to stop his vehicle and Calloway’s vehicle struck the investigator’s vehicle.
“Calloway accelerated the vehicle and crashed through trash dumpsters, crossed over the highway and attempted to drive his vehicle through a wooded area,” Pulliam added. “Calloway was arrested approximately 75 yards from the initial point of contact with the investigator’s vehicle.”
Following the arrest, a narcotics canine was called to the scene and additional crack cocaine was recovered, investigators said.
“Another individual that allegedly was meeting with Calloway was stopped and searched a short distance from Calloway’s arrest,” Pulliam said. “That individual was released after no drugs or illegal substances were located in his vehicle.”
“Drug investigators also seized suspected crack cocaine near the area, which may have been thrown from the vehicle,” the major said. “The investigators will send the items to the lab to be tested for the presence of fingerprints and charges may be forthcoming based on lab results.”
During the arrest, investigators seized approximately six ounces of suspected crack cocaine, over $30,000 in cash and a vehicle, Pulliam said, noting additional assets may also be seized.
Following Calloway’s arrest, Halifax narcotics investigators went to Danville and met with Danville Police Department narcotics investigators, according to Pulliam.
“Working together, investigators were able to identify individuals who allegedly were attempting to purchase drugs from Calloway,” Pulliam said. “Interestingly, these individuals were from Halifax County.
“These individuals did not know Calloway had been arrested and wanted quantities of powder cocaine and crack cocaine,” he added. “These individuals were questioned by investigators and released.”
A vehicle and approximately $640 cash were seized from one of the individuals, investigators said.
Shortly after his arrest, Danville investigators obtained a search warrant for Calloway’s residence on Gay Street, according to Pulliam.
Danville police officers, investigators and Halifax investigators searched the residence and seized a quantity of suspected crack cocaine, Pulliam said.
“The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Department has been conducting an extensive investigation involving Calloway and others allegedly involved in drug distribution in Halifax County, South Boston and Danville,” Pulliam added.
Calloway is being held without bail in the Halifax Regional Jail, investigators said.
Investigators continue to follow up on leads, and if anyone has any information, please contact the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office at (434) 476-3339, Pulliam said.
Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Oakes said this is an example of a dangerous drug arrest.
“I am very proud of the way my drug investigators and deputies handled this volatile situation,” Oakes said. “They were able to contain this dangerous arrest and minimize the damage and destruction.
“Most importantly, no one was injured,” Oakes added. “It was apparent Calloway was willing to do anything to escape. Narcotics arrests are always dangerous, as this incident shows.”
“I would also like to thank the Danville Police Department and their narcotics investigators for their tremendous effort and assistance in this investigation,” the sheriff said.

Four Public Hearings On Tap

Public hearings on a telecommunications tower, a recycling center, regulations for unsafe structures and VDOT’s six-year road plan top the agenda for tonight’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in the public meeting room at the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
A proposed 190-foot tower to be located on Route 40, three-tenths of a mile east of Perth Road (Route 638), will be addressed in the first hearing.
At its January meeting the Halifax County Planning Commission voted unanimously to postpone Mid-Atlantic Broadband’s conditional use permit request, citing concerns over the tower’s proximity to adjacent residential properties.
The Commission postponed the permit so the applicant could seek another suitable site more removed from residentially developed areas.
In the second hearing the Board will address a proposed recycling center at Emswiler Diesel on Bill Tuck Highway.
The Planning Commission voted 4-3 recommending that Emswiler’s conditional use permit be denied.
Site visibility was a major concern raised by several area residents, but a screening fence is under construction to enclose the operation, it was stated at the Commission’s hearing.
Residents also expressed concern over the runoff of pollutants like antifreeze, oil and gasoline from the automobiles slated to be recycled at the facility.
According to Emswiler employee Carl Hodnett, the company is working with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to assure the site is in compliance with all DEQ standards, particularly in regard to fluid handling.
DEQ has performed two site inspections and both produced good results, according to Hodnett.
Verlyn Emswiler also told the Commission that he is working with DEQ on a possible storm water retention pond for the site. They will be meeting with DEQ officials this month to address the possibility, he said, noting there are monitoring wells on all corners of the property.
Several residents including Randy Guill and Shirley Clark Taylor spoke against the facility.
Guill said he opposed the original rezoning in 2003 because he did not want this type of operation in a residential area.
In 2003, Emswiler said there would be no junk on the site, according to Guill.
Taylor, whose 83-year-old mother lives adjacent to the facility, said the operation is an eyesore that is making loud noises and producing fumes starting at 7 a.m. and continuing all day.
During the third public hearing, supervisors will consider amending county code to streamline the process for addressing unsafe and unsightly structures in the county.
The ordinance amendment will allow county staff to move forward on properties that have not been fixed and demolished by their owners that are unfit for human occupancy or endanger public health without the need of a public hearing.
The notification process to property owners before action is taken will remain the same and the appeals process will also be left in place.
VDOT will then hold a public hearing on its six-year plan for Halifax County addressing secondary system improvements.
The plan was approved by the Board at its Jan. 3 meeting and the hearing will address plan revisions and priority listings of improvements for unpaved roads.
The plan’s amendments should be approved by the Board no later than March 15, Halifax County VDOT Residency Administrator Joe Barkley said.
Following the public hearings, the Board will hear from Bill Gillespie of MRG Consulting who will speak on behalf of Amherst and Appomattox counties to request membership in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority.
The proposed additions have been discussed at previous Board meetings and the Board is expected to vote on a new agreement adding the two counties.
During the meeting the Board is also expected to approve a performance agreement for the ABB expansion project. The agreement is required for state and local incentives to become available.

Celebrating The Enduring Spirit Of Farming

McDowell. Lacy. Link. Wilkins. Bowen. Conner.
The names are familiar, but the contribution of county residents like those listed above may not be so well-known outside of the county’s farming community.
Virginia’s Century Farm program, recognizing families who have owned and worked farms for more than 100 years, has grown to 859 homesteads, including 21 farms in Halifax County, according to the Virginia Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services.
But Halifax County Agricultural Development Director Linda Wallace said the program only includes those farms who have applied for the Century Farm designation.
“We have a bunch of people who haven’t declared (their farm to be a Century Farm),” she said Friday. “I’d guess there are another 10 or so farms in the county that aren’t included.”
The Virginia Century Farm program got under way in 1997, and by December of that year boasted more than 144 farms.
Since September 2004, the program has added 107 farms to the list, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a statement.
Century Farm families receive a certificate of recognition and a sign for display on their property.
But Wallace said the designation demonstrates more than simple recognition for the families who have worked the farm for over a century.
“Century farms demonstrate a long-standing commitment and dedication to agriculture,” she said. “These farms and the farmers who work them should be admired for their determination to remain in agriculture despite fluctuations in the market.”
In Virginia, Century Farms are located in 88 counties and five cities. Rockingham County claims the most - 44 - followed by Southampton County with just one less. Franklin County ranked No. 3 with 29 Century Farms.
To qualify, a farm must have been owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years, must be a working farm and must gross more than $2,500 annually from the sale of agricultural products.
For more information on the Century Farm program, visit http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/century or contact Wallace at 434.476.3066.

Obituaries

Jossie Womack

Ms. Jossie Womack, of Walkman Trail in Vernon Hill, died Thursday, February 1, at Berry Hill Nursing Home. She was 102.
Ms. Womack was born in Halifax County on May 24, 1904, the daughter of the late Watt Womack and Nannie Womack. She was a member of the New Mt. Olive Apostolic Church.
Ms. Womack is survived by two daughters; Gladys Barksdale of Nathalie and Alice Holt of Vernon Hill; three sons, Rooseevelt Womack of New York, Willie Womack and Onzie Womack, both of Vernon Hill; 33 grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Ms. Womack will be held at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 6, with services at the New Mt. Olive Apostolic Church. Pastor Leonia Palmer will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the residence, 1236 Walkman Trail, Vernon Hill.

Hugh Dana ‘Danny’ Acree

Hugh Dana ‘Danny’ Acree, 50, of 6231 Hunting Creek Road, Nathalie died February 1, 2007, at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
Mr. Acree was born in Baltimore, Md. August 18, 1956, the son of Hugh Mason Acree and the late Jeanette Davis Acree, and was married to Yvonne McCraw Acree. He was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife; two daughters, Dana Acree of the home and Danielle Manuel of Baltimore; one son, Damon Manuel of Baltimore; his father; three sisters, Valerie Bond, Carolyn Oliver and Angela Oliver, all of Baltimore; four brothers, Joel Acree of Hyattsville, Md., Conrad Acree, Erwin Acree, and Kenneth Oliver, all of Baltimore; five grandchildren; six sisters-in-law; six brothers-in-law. One brother, Rodney Acree, preceded Mr. Acree in death.
Funeral services will be held today, February 5, at 1 p.m . at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church with the Rev. Ronald Claiborne officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Building Fund, 2185 West Store Road, Nathalie 24577.

Sylvia McKinney Holt

Sylvia McKinney Holt, 89, of Ridgeway Road, Brookneal died February 1, 2007 at Lynchburg General Hospital. She was the wife of the late John H. Holt Jr.
Mrs. Holt was born in Charlotte County July 24, 1917, the daughter of the late Wyatt Corbett McKinney and Vera Williams McKinney Claybrook. She was a longtime member and pianist of Roanoke Presbyterian Church in Aspen, and was a retired school teacher.
Survivors include one son, Michael C. Holt and friend, Brenda S. Perdue; two grandchildren, Gary Holt and wife, Angela, and Lisa Johnson and husband, Dennis; four great-grandchildren, Ryan and Ashley Johnson, Lyndon and Loryn Holt, all of Lynchburg.
One daughter, June Grey Collins; one sister, Catherine Williams; and a brother, Wayne McKinney, preceded Mrs. Holt in death.
A funeral service was held at 2 p.m. February 4, at Roanoke Presbyterian Church by the Revs. John Kidd, Roberta Kidd and Millard Stimpson. Burial followed in the church cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Brookneal Rescue Squad.

Nannie Bet Jones

Funeral services for Ms. Nannie Bet Jones will be held tomorrow in the Brooks Funeral Home Chapel at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Jason Bryant officiating.
Interment will follow in the Black Walnut Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation will be tonight from 7:00-8:30 at Brooks Funeral Home and at other times at her home, 3219 Cherry Hill Church Road in South Boston.
Ms. Jones died Saturday, February 3, at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was 82.
She was born in Halifax County on August 31, 1924, the daughter of the late Robert Jones and Martha Jane Conner Jones.
Ms. Jones was a retired employee at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and a member of the Black Walnut Baptist Church and WMU.
She is survived by two sisters, Hallie Jones Tally of Buffalo Junction and Lucy Jones Duffer of South Boston; a sister-in-law, Lillie Mae Jones of South Boston, and a number of nieces and nephews.
Ms. Jones was preceded in death by four brothers and a sister.
Anyone wishing to give memorials please consider the Cluster Springs VFD, PO Box 110, Cluster Springs, Va. 24535 or the Cherry Hill United Methodist Church.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@earthlink.net.

Ruth Ann Ballou

Funeral services for South Boston native Mrs. Ruth Ann Ballou of Philadelphia will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Berry Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. Tommy Crews Sr. officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Mrs. Ballou, 56, died Sunday, January 28, in Philadelphia.
She was born in South Boston on June 20, 1950, a daughter of the late James Ballou and Anna Chandler Ballou and was married to the late Houston Northern.
Mrs. Ballou was a member of Friendly Baptist Church in Pennsylvania and was a former member of Berry Hill Baptist Church.
She is survived by two sons: Reginald I. Northern of Frederick, Md. and Anthony Adams Jr. of Philadelphia; four grandchildren: Nautica, Tamia, Siniya and Aleara; three sisters, Catherine Morgan of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Jean Oliphant of Sicklerville, N.J. and Freda Bennett of Frederick, Md.; four brothers, James Ballou of Albany, N.Y., Edward Dean Ballou and Willie Ballou, both of South Boston, and Lloyd Ballou of Junction City, Kansas; one daughter-in-law and three brothers-in-law; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Mrs. Ballou was preceded in death by one brother, Larry Ballou.
The family will receive friends at the church following the service on Tuesday.

Janie Daniel Berkley

Mrs. Janie Daniel Berkley, of Hodges Street in South Boston, died Sunday, February 4, at the age of 81.
Funeral services for Mrs. Berkley are incomplete at this time and will be announced later by Brooks Funeral Home.

Lady Lions Win Fifth Straight Title

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
Lions girls basketball coach James Smith issued a challenge to his team in general and center Destiny Betts in particular after a sluggish win over Park View in the semifinals of the Southside Middle School Conference Tournament Friday.
The Lady Lions responded to that challenge in a big way, Betts scoring a game-high 25 points and seven others hitting the scorebook in a 65-28 rout of E.W. Wyatt Saturday that brought the team its fifth straight tourney title.
The tourney championship was also the eighth in coach Smith’s ten years at the helm, the Lady Lions unbeaten in the last five years.
Betts scored nine points in the first quarter and added six more before halftime, while Jamilia Smith had 10 of her 14 in the first half, as Halifax took a commanding 35-10 lead.
Melyse Brown had eight of her 12 points by halftime, and the Lions put it on cruise control in the second half, leading 52-20 after three quarters.
Betts added seven more points in the third period, while Brown and Jamilia Smith scored four apiece and Jameshia Smith two.
Betts added her final three points in the fourth quarter, Stephanie Carr hit all her six points in the period, and Kelsey White and Jaynee Campbell each added a field goal.
Jessica Stamps added a field goal for the Lions in the first quarter. That, along with nine from Betts and four each from Brown and Jamilia Smith made it 19-6 and the Lions remained in control the rest of the way.
Smith said a subtle change in his team’s pre-game routine plus a little pep talk in the locker room may have keyed the fast start.
“Destiny didn’t play well yesterday [Friday] and I told her that it was her last game today. If you’re the best player in the conference, then you need to show why,” said Smith.
Before that, the Lions engaged in an informal shoot-around an hour before the game, Smith added, and that may have helped key the early surge.
“They asked me if they could come in a little early to shoot a little bit and I think the shoot-around helped,” added Smith, who also tweaked his trademark three-quarter trap defense to confuse Wyatt in the early going.
“We went to a half-court trap instead of a three-quarter trap and that took them out of their game. They had trouble finding their best player (A. Drake) inside,” explained Smith.
Drake finished with 11 points, but only four came before halftime, and the game was essentially over by then.
No other Wyatt player had more than five points, while a pair each had three and two points for the Panthers.
With the Lions’ defense triggering numerous buckets in transition and Betts dominating the paint in the half-court offensive set, there was little room left for a Wyatt comeback.
“Our eighth-graders came ready to play today. It looked like Wyatt came prepared for a good game, but we took their heart away early on,” noted Smith.
“We shut the door on their best player, and if you only give up six points in a half, you’re playing good defense.”
Halifax 41 Park View 21
In the end, it all came down to defense for the Halifax County Middle School girls basketball team, the Lions overcoming a subpar offensive showing to beat Park View 41-21 Friday night in the semifinals of the Southside Middle School Conference Basketball Tournament.
Destiny Betts led Halifax with 17 points, Jamilia Smith had 11, Melyse Brown four and Summa Brandon three for Halifax. Jameshia Smith, Jessica Stamps and Trevia Hunt each added two points for the Lions.
Jasmin Smith scored seven points, Dearsha Mckvain added six, and Tiajeh Burnette, Brittney Ponton, Shakera Burchette and M. Clary two points apiece for Park View, which defeated West two seed Lunenburg on the road to reach the semifinals.
Neither team was sharp from the free throw line, The Lions led 12-0 after one quarter, 18-4 at halftime and 30-8 after three quarters, but points were hard to come by for either team early on.
That was due in large part to the Lions eight-day layoff, but also due to a missed practice Thursday when school was canceled for weather-related issues, according to Lions coach James Smith.
A Park View zone also had some success in defending the Lions in the game’s early stages, he added.
We came out a little rusty and we missed some layups, but overall I’m pleased with the win,” noted Smith.
“I hope that with a game under our belts, we’ll come out and play better against Wyatt.”
Park View did some positive things early against the Lions’ press to stay close, according to Smith, including double-teaming Betts in the post.
The game was scoreless midway through the first quarter, with each team cold from the floor, until Betts broke through for a bucket. Jamilia Smith scored on a steal, Betts added two more baskets, Smith another bucket and Brown a steal and basket to make it 12-0 after one quarter.
Jasmin Smith broke through for Park View with a steal and basket early in the second period and Clary hit a putback later in the period, but baskets from Betts, Jamilia Smith and Hunt added up to a 14-point advantage for the Lions at halftime.
A 12-4 run in the third quarter essentially put the game away for Halifax. Park View’s Burchette answered an early 8-0 run for the Lions with a driving layup and Jasmin Smith hit a putback to draw her team to within 26-8.
Jamilia Smith then hit the game’s only three pointer and Betts added one of two foul shots for the 30-8 lead going into the final quarter.
Betts added her final four points of the game for the Lions in the fourth quarter, Brandon three and Stamps and Jamilia Smith two apiece.
Jameshia Smith scored on a steal and the lead grew to as much as 40-13 before Park View scored eight of the last nine points of the contest.
The Lions’ defense keys its offense, and that was again true in the semifinal win, according to Smith.
“We were rusty early in the game and we couldn’t get the ball to Destiny early, but we came out sharp in the third quarter,” said Smith.
“Once we got some easy points in our transition game, we started to get going and I think we just wore them down later in the game.
“You can’t say much more about our defense. We had good pressure on the ball and Trevia had probably her best game of the year on defense, intercepting several passes out of our trap.”

Lions Fall Short In Title Game

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
The Lions boys basketball team came into the Southside Middle School Conference Tournament finals with momentum, having won its final four conference regular season games, including its finale here last week against conference co-champion E.W. Wyatt.
Halifax carried it through a tournament semi-final win Friday against Park View and through most of the championship game against Wyatt.
That momentum, however, faded down the stretch against the Panthers, Wyatt hitting two three-pointers to take the lead in the fourth quarter and going on to a 52-43 win for the tournament championship.
Demetre Faulkner led Halifax with 15 points and Trey Cole was next with 14, while Wendell Adams had six, Kelvin Davis and Cordaro Brown three, and Cameron Dailey two points apiece.
Faulkner counted two treys among his points, but Wyatt countered with eight, five from diminutive point guard A. Pair and three more from game high scorer Russell Gillus (22).
Brandon Allen added 18 points for Wyatt, who hit six of 12 foul shots for the game, including five of nine in the fourth quarter.
The Lions were nine of 18 from the foul line, but four of nine in the fourth quarter, as Wyatt made its comeback.
Key turnovers, missed shots from close in and the foul line, in addition to a missed scoring opportunities cost the Lions down the stretch, according to coach Mike Hailey.
“We mixed our defenses early, starting with a soft half court man-to-man, and going to a box and one,” he said.
“Even though we’re not a good man-to-man team, I was pleased with that, but when they made the run that hurt us in the fourth quarter we were out of position several times for rebounds.”
Noting the eight three-pointers by Wyatt, Hailey said his team did a poor job of marking Gillus and Pair in particular, Pair burying a wide open look for a back-breaker that gave Wyatt a 45-41 lead with a minute remaining.
The Lions got as close as 45-42 on one of two foul shots by Cole and within 47-43 after one of two by Davis with 20 seconds remaining, but Halifax failed to convert a steal on the ensuing inbounds play.
Wyatt converted five of six foul shots in the final seconds to seal the win.
Halifax took the lead in the game’s early minutes and held it until the middle of the fourth quarter. Cole worked inside for four points, while Davis and Faulkner added buckets in the first period to stake the Lions to an 8-7 advantage.
Faulkner added seven points in the second quarter, including a trey, and Cole again worked the paint for six more. Wendell Adams added a bucket and the Lions built a 23-15 lead, but a trey by Gillus and the third of three by Pair for the quarter made it 23-21 at intermission.
It was 28-21 in favor of Halifax after a Faulkner three-point play in the third quarter but another Wyatt trey helped cut the Lions’ lead to 37-34 with a quarter remaining.
Two treys by Gillus and a score after a steal keyed a 8-1 run in the final period that gave Wyatt a 42-38 lead at the 3:31 mark, and the Lions closed to within 42-41 with a foul shot by Brown and basket by Dailey with a minute and a half left. The Lions failed to convert a steal into the go-ahead points, Pair hit his final three-pointer seconds later, and Wyatt held on.
Despite the disappointment, Hailey saw some positives in his team’s play the second half of the season and in the tournament against a solid Wyatt team.
“Wyatt is a little stronger at the one, two and three spots, and that was a difference in the game, but I think we were stronger inside and it showed, especially in the first half,” noted Hailey.
“We had an offense for their man-to-man when they went to it, but our guards couldn’t get good looks inside, because Wyatt’s strength is their guards and they could defend the entry pass.
“But, having said all that, we did a lot of good things tonight. I told the team after the game to hold their heads up and that there was nothing to be ashamed of.
“To come from where we were is quite an achievement. We’ve won or shared the conference title and advanced to the tournament championship game each year since I’ve been here.
“The legacy lives.”
Halifax 49 Park View 25
Demetre Faulkner scored a game-high 20 points, all in the second half, Wendell Adams added 19, and the Halifax Middle School boys basketball team overcame a slow start to defeat Park View 49-25 here Friday in the semifinals of the Southside Middle School Basketball Tournament.
Halifax reached the semifinals with a forfeit win over Nottoway, while Park View upset West one seed Lunenburg on the road to advance.
Cordaro Brown and Trey Cole scored four points apiece, while Cameron Dailey and Thomas Owen each added a foul shot for the Lions in the semifinal matchup. Halifax was eight for 17 from the charity stripe.
Jamar Alexander led Park View with 15 points, seven in the first quarter, while Harold Bennett, Lamar Jones, Jarvis Drummond, William Thompson and DeAndre Alexander added two apiece.
Park View also had a subpar night from the foul line, hitting only four of 11 chances as a team.
Halifax held only a 15-11 lead after one quarter and a 19-12 lead at halftime, before breaking the game open in the third quarter and holding off Park View from there.
Lions coach Mike Hailey said that the nine-day layoff before the game had a lot to do with his team’s slow start, as well as Park View’s defensive attention to Faulkner early on.
“It’s hard to look as smooth as we did against Wyatt in the final regular season game when you don’t play a game in nine days,” noted Hailey.
“Park View did some things we hadn’t seen, a box and one on Faulkner. It didn’t confuse us, but we didn’t react well to it at first and it made us press a little bit.”
The game was close throughout the first half, Adams scoring 11 points for Halifax and Jamar Alexander seven for Park View in the opening quarter, as the Lions held a tenuous 15-11 advantage.
Both teams went cold in the second quarter, Brown and Cole hitting field goals for Halifax, and Jamar Alexander a foul shot for Park View.
That made it 19-12 at halftime, but a 16-6 run in the third quarter gave the Lions some breathing room.
Two foul shots by Jones brought the Cougars to within 19-14 early in the third quarter, but Halifax responded with a pair of treys and basket from Adams and a three-pointer among six points for Faulkner.
Thompson’s basket got Park View as close as 32-18 in the closing seconds, but Faulkner hit a buzzer-beating trey to give Halifax a 35-18 lead going into the final quarter.
Jamar Alexander’s trey brought his team to within 40-25, but Faulkner broke loose to score all of his team’s 14 points.
Faulkner hit a pair of three-pointers in the quarter and scored the final nine points of the game as Halifax sealed the win.

Comets Remain Cellar Dwellers

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
The plight of the Halifax County High School varsity boys basketball team failed to improve as a surging Patrick Henry team dropped the Comets 77-57 here Friday night in the annual Senior Night contest.
Friday night’s loss, the eighth in a row for the Comets, dropped the team’s record to 6-13 overall and 0-6 in Western Valley District play.
The result is that the best the Comets can do now is finish in a tie for fourth place. Halifax County, currently in last place in the Western Valley District standings, has two games remaining, a road game Tuesday against GW in Danville and a Thursday contest against E.C. Glass in Lynchburg.
If the Comets win both of their games this week, the best they can do is finish in a tie for fourth place. Should the Comets lose one of the two games this week, they will finish in last place and will have to go on the road to play a play-in game against the district’s fourth-place team on Monday, Feb. 12 in the opening round of the Western Valley District tournament.
Patrick Henry concluded its season by winning six of its last seven games to finish at 13-8 overall and 4-4 in Western Valley District play.
Comets head coach Ron Parson said the focus now turns to trying to get the team ready for the Western Valley District Tournament play-in game.
“We’ll try to work out a few things for the tournament,” Parson said after Friday night’s loss to Patrick Henry.
“Everything else is shot now.”
Parson had four of the five players that missed Tuesday’s game against Person High School back on the floor with Allen Stephens remaining out of action due to illness. However, with the group of players not having played or practiced for a week, things didn’t mesh well for Halifax County.
“It wasn’t like we played lousy basketball,” Parson pointed out.
“I didn’t have a problem with the effort. We hustled, but we didn’t have any chemistry because we played five guys that haven’t practiced since last Friday. We’re just out of synch. There is no team chemistry right now.
“It’s nobody’s fault,” Parson added.
“Your timing and all of those things is off when you play guys that haven’t practiced within a week. It’s not their fault.”
The Comets had two players, Morgan Brown and Michael Ferrell, to hit double figures with Brown scoring 17 points and Ferrell canning an even dozen points. Pierre Brandon chipped in eight points.
Still, the Comets’ offense wasn’t as productive as it needed to be.
The Comets kept the game close through the first quarter and trailed 19-16 at the end of the first eight minutes. Four points from Brown in the first minute of the second quarter brought the Comets to within two points at 19-17.
Then the Comets went dry, scoring only three points in the last four minutes of the second quarter, all coming from free throws, opening the door for Patrick Henry to race to a 35-22 lead at halftime.
“ A bad shot, a bad pass, the same old story,” Parson said noting the spate of turnovers and miscues that took the Comets out of the contention in the second quarter.
Yet, the Comets didn’t give up.
The Comets got as close as 12 points in the third quarter, that coming when Brandon stuck back an offensive rebound for a score with 2:17 left in the period. Later, trailing by 18 points, Durrell Chandler drained a three-point basket at the buzzer to pull the Comets to within 15 points at 55-40.
A pair of three-point baskets from Ferrell to start the fourth quarter allowed the Comets to cut the Patriots’ lead to nine points.
The Comets held their own for a brief time and trailed by 10 points when Patrick Henry put together a 13-1 run midway through the fourth quarter to forge a 71-49 lead with 2:08 left in the game. Halifax County never recovered.
“The biggest thing hurting us is team chemistry,” Parson reiterated.
“You just do what you can do. That’s all you can do.”
PATRICK HENRY
NAME FG FT F TP
Statum 2 3-6 0 8
Smith 1 1-2 1 4
Elliott 4 2-4 2 13
DeJesus 0 0-0 0 0
Asante 3 4-7 1 10
Keith 0 0-0 0 0
Payne 8 6-6 4 22
Banks 3 0-0 3 6
Webb 0 1-2 0 1
Nowlin 3 7-10 3 13
Totals 24 22-37 14 77
HALIFAX COUNTY
NAME FG FT F TP
Glenn 2 0-0 4 4
Ferrell 3 4-6 3 12
Pippen 0 0-0 0 0
Chandler 2 0-0 5 6
Brown 5 4-4 2 17
Brandon 3 1-2 3 8
Bumpass 0 0-0 3 0
Waltman 2 0-1 3 4
Ford 0 0-0 0 0
Stovall 2 2-5 2 6
White 0 0-0 2 0
Totals 19 11-18 27 57
Three Point Field Goals: Brown (HC) 3, Ferrell (HC) 2, Chandler (HC) 2, Brandon (HC) 1, Elliott (PH) 3, Statum (PH) 1, Smith (PH) 1
Patrick Henry 19 16 20 22-77
Halifax County 13 9 18 17-57