Authority OKs W/S Rates, Fees

The Halifax County Service Authority approved its amended rate and fee schedule Wednesday night following its public hearing.
The board amended the proposed sewer base rate for Halifax from $7 to $32, due to the MUNIS system’s inability to switch base rates for billing purposes. The board lowered the volume rate for Halifax customers to make the total amount similar to what would have been charged with the original lower base rate and higher volume rate.
The Authority approved the water and sewer rate schedule as amended. The board also dropped the $5 portion of the proposed fee to be charged for late payments. The original late fee called for $5 plus 5 percent of the outstanding bill. The board voted to amend the late fee to only 5 percent of the outstanding bill.
The board also approved a lower facility fees schedule. The fee for a customer with a 5/8” X ¾” water meter is $1,250, and $1,500 for sewer, for a total of $2,750. That’s down from the original proposed fees of $2,030 for water and $2,310 for sewer, totaling $4,340.
The largest user, one with a 6” meter will pay a total facility fee of $26,400 that includes $12,000 for water and $14,400 for sewer. The original proposed fee for the largest user totaled $217,020, which included $101,520 for water and $115,500 for sewer.
Prior to taking action, the Authority held a public hearing on the proposed rate and fee schedule. Several residents and developers offered comments to the board.
Fordland subdivision resident Thomas Hundley posed several questions for the board regarding the criteria the Authority used to set the $65 sewer-only rate for customers in the Halifax, South Boston, Clover and Grubby Road districts, the $50 rate for Riverdale residents, and why rates could not be equalized now.
Another Fordland resident, Don Hubbard, asked for a list of agencies to could contact if they feel they have been treated unfairly.
Developer Christian Roberts repeated his opposition to the proposed facility fees, citing the negative effect it could have on economic growth in the county.
Mrs. Lucien Roberts also asked the board to answer the questions regarding the facility and connection fees proposed by the Authority.
Developer John Cannon also expressed his strong opposition to the facility fees. “If the facility fee is put in place in Halifax County, it’s going to hurt economic growth, there’s no question about it,” Cannon told the board.
“I’m involved with the Marriott that’s coming on 58,” he added. “I talked to the managing partner, and he said this is the first and last hotel we’ll build here.”
Cannon said the original proposed facility fees would total over $200,000 for the hotel, and there seemed to be no policies in effect to establish when the fees would be put in place. He asked the board to look at the fees on the basis of a per-gallon charge, so everyone would pay a fair share.
Cannon asked the board to create policies and procedures and put them in effect before problems arise. He said other developers may not decide to come to Halifax County because of the facility fees. “They need to be changed and put back on a per-gallon use,” Cannon said.
A.B. Jones Jr. asked the board why so much effort was put into developing a facility fee and determining what to charge. He said, up to now, there has not been such a fee.
Jones said the facility fees are designed to pay for capital costs associated with growth, so to not have growth would negate charging a facility fee. “If facility fees come with growth, and you don’t have growth, I don’t see the argument for charging facility fees.”
VIR General Manager Josh Lief told the board increasing the tapping fees and charging VIR the highest rates of over $18 for water and sewer is telling VIR to stop bringing in industrial development and to stop developing.
“With the villa project underway, there are over 300 employees there now. We’re bringing in more employees, high skill, high paying jobs,” Lief said. “And with other major projects such as the Ariel Atom coming, are we to tell these people ‘you’re going to have tapping fees that are ten times higher than neighboring jurisdictions and rates as high as northern Virginia,” he said.
“Why should we have an $18 water/sewer rate when other places in this county have $8,” Lief asked.
Halifax Councilman Allen Stevens told the board he thought rates would be equalized quickly, but at the end of ten years, there still would not be equalization.
He also expressed his opposition to the connection fees and how they would hurt growth. “All that’s going to do is to run homeowners out into the county or into another county,” Stephens said.
Halifax resident Linda Mercer told the board she was concerned about plans and policies that have not been set down before going into operation.
Following the public hearing, the board answered questions posed at the beginning of the hearing. Chairman Doug Bowman set the next meeting of the Service Authority board for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Center.

Fiery Weekend Busiest In 45 Years

The state’s 4 p.m. Burning Law goes into effect today on the heels of the busiest week local firefighters have seen in the last 45 years.
Volunteers from area fire departments spent the better part of last weekend battling wildfires that burned hundreds of acres in Halifax County.
High winds, with gusts reaching nearly 75 mph, blew through this area snapping power lines that sparked many of the blazes.
The Burn Law prohibits burning before 4 p.m. each day (Feb. 15–April 30) if the fire is in, or within 300 feet of brush and woodland or fields containing dry grass or other flammable materials.
A violation of this law is a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine. In addition to the criminal violation, those who allow a fire to escape are liable for the cost of suppressing the fire as well as any damage caused to others’ property.
Forestry Technician Alex Williamson for one is glad to see the burn law go into effect.
This past Sunday, will be remembered by many in Halifax County as the worst day for fires since 1963, he said.
However, he is thankful the high winds only lasted one day and that the fires occurred on a Sunday since more volunteers were available to fight the blazes.
A total of 19 fires destroyed over 468 acres during a 24-hour period last weekend keeping volunteer fire departments and forestry officials on the run. A total of 16 pieces of equipment were called in to help fight the multiple blazes.
The first fire, which Williamson said is believed to have been arson, occurred Saturday night at Hailey’s Store on State Route 626 in the northern end of the county burning a one-acre wooded area.
On Sunday, firefighters were called to a woods fire that burned 4.3 acres of woods on Griffin Trail near the Mecklenburg County line.
The Virginia Department of Forestry’s bulldozer was called in to help battle the Griffin Trail fire, believed to have started from previous burning debris, according to the forestry technician.
As the winds picked up on Sunday, firefighters responded to a three-acre woods fire started by a downed power line in the Riverdale area.
Two acres of woods and three-tenths acres of open pasture land burned on Ramble Road. Slagle’s dozer was called in to help extinguish that blaze caused by previous burning debris, Williamson said.
Previous burning debris also was the culprit in another woods fire that occurred Sunday on Wooding Road at its intersection with Melon Road. A farm building was destroyed and over an acre of woodland was burned, Williamson said. Carrington Brothers furnished equipment that was used to fight that blaze.
Mike Nichols’ bulldozer was called to a fire on Dryburg and Williams Road that burned over an acre of woods. That fire is believed to have started from a power line.
A total of 11 acres of woods and one acre of open land burned in a fire that occurred on Brooklyn and Goode’s Road (State Routes 659 and 688). Craig Church’s bulldozer was used to fight that fire believed to have started from open debris burning.
Williamson said 66 acres of woods, including many pine trees, and an old barn were destroyed in a fire on Armistead Road. Dean Duffey brought in two bulldozers, Dunavant Paving providing one and the Virginia Department of Forestry brought in another bulldozer to battle this large fire started from debris burning.
A break in a power line started a fire near Bojangles on U.S. 58 that burned 4.8 acres of fields and woods. Williamson said the forestry bulldozer assisted in containing that fire also.
Previous debris burning resulted in a huge fire that burned 170 acres on Clarkton Road Sunday. Five dozers belonging to Slagle’s, Mike Nichols, Ray Nelson Logging and two from the forestry department assisted in battling that blaze.
Homes were evacuated and total of 29 acres of woods was burned near Neal’s Corner Sunday, according to Williamson. Three dozers belonging to Charles Fears, Mike Nichols and the forestry department were called in to assist with extinguishing the fire believed to have started from previous burning debris.
A power line was the culprit in a fire on Morton’s Ferry Road that destroyed one-fourth open acre of land, the forestry technician said.
Later on Sunday, a power line was blamed for a fire that burned 13 acres of woods on Rock Barn Road. Wayne Cole’s dozer was called in to assist with extinguishing that blaze.
A structure valued at $20,000 belonging to Dean Newton was destroyed in a fire on South Terry’s Bridge Road that also burned one-tenth of an acre of open land and eight-tenths of an acre of woods.
A shorted out transformer is being blamed in that blaze.
Newton’s equipment and Ray Nelson Logging provided equipment that helped contain that fire.
On Childrey Road in the northern section of the county Sunday, fire from a power line is responsible for burning 109 acres of wooded land, Williamson said.
Mike Nichols’ and Tom Macahorn provided dozers to fight that blaze.
Also in the northern end of the county, a power line fire ignited 6.5 acres of open land and 2 acres of wooded land located near Liberty Mini Mart. Slagle’s Equipment assisted in fighting that blaze.
Neighbors banded together to extinguish a fire caused by a power line that burned one-tenth of an acre on Ponderosa Road.
Hot ashes are being blamed for starting a fire that burned one-tenth of an acre on Cedar Trail Sunday, Williamson said.
Two dozers belonging to Jason Forlines and W. T. Carr were used to contain a fire on State Shed Road in the northern end of the county that destroyed 43 acres of woods. Williamson said burning debris is being blamed for starting that fire.
“These numbers are unheard of in Virginia – a record-setter for sure,” said John Miller, Virginia Department of Forestry’s director of resource protection.
Firefighting resources were in short supply as the day wore on and numerous departments were called in to fight multiple fires.
Across the state, two firefighters were injured during the suppression efforts.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency to help direct additional resources to aid in the effort.
“So much of wild land firefighting is weather-dependent, and the combination of high winds, low humidity and the lingering drought created the perfect fire storm,” Miller added.
“Because people are the cause of more than 94 percent of wild land fires in the Commonwealth, the 4 p.m. burning law may be one of the most effective tools we have in the prevention of wildfires,” Miller said.
“Each late winter and early spring, downed trees, branches and leaves become ‘forest fuels’ that increase the danger of a forest fire. By adhering to the law and not burning before 4 p.m., people are less likely to start a fire that threatens them, their property and the forests of Virginia.”
In 2007, there were 1,509 wildfires that burned 11,200 acres of forest land in the Commonwealth. This was a 16 percent increase in the number of wild land fires compared to the number (1,301) of fires in 2006. While the number of fires was up, the amount of acreage burned actually dropped 19 percent when compared to 13,763 acres that burned in 2006. A total of 20 homes were damaged in 2007. This is a 43 percent increase over the number (14) that burned in 2006.
“If not for the suppression efforts of VDOF employees and local firefighters, 1,124 homes and other structures would have been damaged or destroyed by these wildfires,” said Miller.
Fred Turck, VDOF forest protection coordinator, said, “The leading cause of forest fires in Virginia is carelessness. An unattended fire, a discarded cigarette or a single match can ignite the dry fuels that are so prevalent in the early spring. Add a few days of dry, windy conditions and an escaped wildfire can quickly turn into a raging blaze.”
Of the 1,509 wildfires last year, 28.8 percent were caused by people burning debris or yard waste; 15 percent were arson; 11.8 percent were equipment use. Other causes included lightning, people smoking; children playing; railroads; campfires, and the rest were classified as miscellaneous causes.
Because of the continuing drought conditions and the areas affected over the last few years by hurricanes and tornadoes, this year’s spring fire season is of particular concern to the Virginia Department of Forestry. In addition to creating more forest fuel, large numbers of downed trees and very dry conditions make firefighting more difficult and dangerous.
“People living in most rural areas of Virginia are especially at risk,” said Turck. “To take a quote from Smokey Bear, ‘Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.’”

Governor’s Proposed Budget Could Deal
Halifax School Budget Over $1M Hit

County schools would take over a $1 million funding hit if Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s budget is approved, according to House of Delegates’ budget figures.
That’s in addition to the county system’s already tight budget squeeze.
“He (the Governor) dropped a $1.4 billion budget cut with two big things, a general fund cut for basic education k-12, and a cut in higher education,” Del. Clarke Hogan, R-60th District, said yesterday.
The bottom-line reduction for the Halifax division (biennium) is $1,443,482, according to House figures.
“The Governor’s cuts to education would mean $3.5 million less funding going to the localities’ schools that I represent,” observed Hogan. “With our local communities struggling to deal with budgets relying on property taxes, it is ill-advised and the Commonwealth can ill-afford to pull the carpet out from under our schools. Gov. Kaine’s cuts would do just that.”
“It will just destroy us,” Superintendent of Schools Paul Stapleton said yesterday. “We’re already in a quandary about how we’re going to give raises because there’s no money to give. The next step is cutting positions,” he added. .
“If we can’t undo this, it is really going to hurt our community,” Hogan said.
House Republicans were responding to Kaine’s proposal to address the billion dollar budget shortfall between fiscal years 2008-2010 by eliminating over $220 million in dedicated General Fund support for local school divisions.
Earlier this month, Kane proposed elimination of the $55 million of construction grants and the $165 million of lottery profits dedicated for school building projects. The Governor’s cuts to education in this area total $220 million.
“There is no doubt that Virginia’s current economic situation presents Gov. Kaine and the legislature with difficult decisions on how best to allocate taxpayer funds,” noted Del. Lacey E. Putney, I-Bedford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “However, that is no excuse to decrease important funding for our local elementary and secondary schools. Should the Governor’s recommended education cuts be implemented, the negative impact will be felt on school children across the Commonwealth.
Ultimately, Senate, House and Governor budget conferees will work together to balance and finalize the state budget. Hogan serves as a budget conferee on that committee.

Obituaries

Daniel Alfred Canada
Daniel Alfred Canada, 82, of South Boston died February 12, 2008, at The Woodview Nursing Home.
Mr. Canada was born in Halifax County on December 25, 1925, to the late Aaron Canada and Betty Baldwin Canada. He was a U.S. Navy veteran.
Survivors include his niece, Carol A. Casillas and husband, Ray, of South Boston; a devoted cousin, Edith Gillespie of Halifax; and other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Two sisters, Edith Carrington and Peggy Canada; and two brothers, Major and Ralph Canada, also preceded Mr. Canada in death.
Funeral services were held February 14, at 7 p.m. at the Crawford House Chapel in Halifax with the Rev. Bruce Featherston officiating. Burial will be held at Ellis Creek Baptist Church Cemetery today, February 15, at 4 p.m. with full Military Rites.

Jack Carter
Jack Carter, 48, of Roanoke, formerly of Halifax County, died February 12, 2008, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Carter was born in Halifax County on February 3, 1960, the son of the late William Lester Carter and May Emma Petty Carter.
Survivors include one son, Justin Hamlett of South Boston; one sister, Elizabeth Carter of South Boston; two grandchildren, Trevion and Jada Hamlett; and other relatives and friends. Two brothers, Andrew and Galore Carter; and one grandchild, Jamarcus Hamlett, also preceded Mr. Carter in death.
Funeral services will be private.

Kenneth Carlyle Lacks
Kenneth Carlyle Lacks, 42, of 1020 Woods Creek Lane, Scottsburg died February 14, 2008, at UVA Medical Center.
Mr. Lacks was born April 15, 1965, in Halifax County the son of Bea Guill Lacks and Marlow Lacks. He was a member of Grace Baptist Church and was a carpenter with Sterling and Michael Lacks.
Survivors include his parents; his fiance’, Angela Seamster of South Boston; one daughter, Kristin Amanda Lacks; one son, Daniel Steven Lacks, both of South Boston; one sister, Donna L. McCann of Virgilina; one brother, Rickie K. Lacks of Ringgold; his stepchildren, Kelly Wayne, Heather and Jonathan; and one step-granddaughter, Karli.
The family will receive friends this evening, February 15, from 7:00 to 8:30, at Brooks Funeral Home, and other times at the home of his parents, 1007 Pine Court, South Boston.
Funeral services for Mr. Lacks will be held at Grace Baptist Church tomorrow, February 16, at 1 p.m. with the Revs. Jack Stewart and Dave Cline officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Cancer Association, P.O. Box 875, South Boston, 24592.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@embarqmail.com

Geneva Davis Jones
Geneva Davis Jones, 53, of 5116 Beulah Road, Nathalie died February 14, 2008, at her home.
Mrs. Jones was born in Halifax County July 1, 1954, the daughter of the late Irvin Charlie Stephens and Lucy P. Tucker Stephens and was married to Gene Jones. She was a member of Elkhorn Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband of the home; one daughter, Alacia Davis of Raleigh, N.C.; one son, Brian Davis of Nathalie; one stepdaughter, Tyishba Harris of NJ; one stepson, Rashawn Newman of South Boston; five brothers, Robert Stephens of Nathalie, McArthur Stephens of Java, Jerome Brooks of Richmond, Roy Stephens and Clyde Brooks, both of South Boston; four sisters, Mary Younger of Halifax, Geraldine Norwood of Fla., Rosa Logan and Ethel Venable, both of Nathalie; seven grandchildren; her mother-in-law, Irene Jones; three brothers-in-law, Stevie Jones, Thomas Younger and Charles Venable; two sisters-in-law, Rebecca Brooks and Edith Jones; and other relatives and friends.
Four brothers, Ernest, Eddie and Harold Stephens and Michael Brooks, also preceded Mrs. Jones in death.
Funeral services will be held February 17, at 2 p.m. at Elkhorn Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. C. Lewis Motley officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Public viewing for family and friends will be at the Crawford House Chapel in Halifax tomorrow, February 16, from noon to 6 p.m. The family will receive friends from 5 to 6 p.m., and other times at the home.

Comets Fall To PH; Lose Bid For Home Tournament Game

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
The lights in the Patrick Henry High School gym went out for a few brief moments after the Patriots’ Ronnie Thomas hit the last of his four three-point baskets with 2:49 left to play in Wednesday night’s season finale against Halifax County.
Unfortunately for the Comets, the lights had already gone out on their bid to finish fourth in Western Valley District standings and land a home game for Monday’s opening round of the Western Valley District Tournament.
Thomas’ basket gave the Patriots a 64-43 lead over the Comets and the Patriots easily held on from there to defeat the Comets 70-52.
The Comets (12-10 overall, 3-7 district) will return to Roanoke Monday night to face Patrick Henry in the first round of the district tournament. Monday night’s winner will advance to Tuesday night’s second round and will travel to Danville to face regular-season champion GW.
Wednesday night’s contest was a tough one for the Comets who were seeking to end the regular season on a high note with a win.
“We had a chance to get a home game (in the first round of the tournament) and we didn’t get it done,” said Comets head coach Lynn Ramage.
“This was a winnable game. They (the Comets players) know it, too. This (Patrick Henry) is a team we can compete with. We didn’t have the fight in the dog we needed to have. We’ve got to come back up here Monday and play them again. If we don’t have some fight in the dog, it will be our last game of the year.”
Halifax County got off to a good start and led much of the first quarter before the Patriots forged ahead near the end of the first eight-minute period. The Comets got a basket from Jeremy Dixon with one second left on the clock to deadlock the game at 11-11 to end the quarter.
The Comets kept the game close in the second quarter, battling back to close the gap to two points after having fallen behind by six points midway through the period. But, when the Comets scored only two points in the last two and a half minutes of the half, Patrick Henry was able to get its lead back to five points at 29-24 at the end of the half.
The tandem of Michael Ferrell and Hakeem Ager kept the Comets in contention in the second quarter as they combined to score 10 of the team’s 13 second-quarter points.
“I thought we had played with them (PH) in the first half,” Ramage noted.
“ I know we can play with them. They (PH) were a little more aggressive to the ball and a little more physically active than our kids.”
A lay-up by Deshon Dabbs to start the second half allowed the Comets to cut the Patriots’ lead to three points. Back-to-back baskets by Ager allowed the Comets to cut the Patriots’ lead to two points with 5:50 left in the third quarter. A three-pointer from Ferrell with 3:02 left in the quarter pulled the Comets to within a point at 37-36.
That was as close as the Comets would get the rest of the way.
Hurt by poor shot selection and a lackluster rebounding effort, the Comets, the Comets were outscored by the Patriots 11-2 in the final two and a half minutes of the quarter, opening the door for the Patriots to take a 48-38 lead heading into the final stanza.
Halifax County’s woes continued to mount in the fourth quarter. After Ferrell hit a basket with 7:36 to play to cut the Patriots’ lead to nine points at 49-40, the Comets went four minutes and 29 seconds without scoring. Before Durrell Chandler could break the ice with a three-pointer with 3:07 left, the Comets had fallen behind by 21 points.
The Comets scored 12 points in the final 3:07 of the game including the three from Chandler. But, it was too little too late as Patrick Henry landed the night’s prize with a 70-52 victory.
“We started off the second half pretty well,” Ramage pointed out.
“Every time we get close, we take a “three.” That’s a not a time to take a “three.” We need to work the ball and get a good shot. We hurt ourselves. Our shot selection in the third quarter really hurt us.”
So did Patrick Henry’s big rebounding effort.
“They (PH) play hard and attack the glass,” said Ramage.
“The big story is they got a lot of second-shot opportunities. If we can get our kids to play hard like that, we have a shot at getting them (PH). They’re not 20 points better than we are. But, life goes on. Now, we’ve got to focus on what we’ve got to do to get ready to come back up here Monday night and face Patrick Henry again.”

Senior Night Win Slips From Lady Comets’ Grasp

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
A chance at a win on Senior Night to close out the regular season slipped away from the Comets varsity girls basketball team at Comets Gym Tuesday, with Patrick Henry pulling away late to a 48-37 win.
Halifax (2-8 WVD, 10-12 overall) will carry a five seed into the first round of the Western Valley District Tournament Monday in Roanoke against four seed Patrick Henry.
Halifax led 9-8 after one quarter and 26-23 at halftime. The Comets’ Shauna Harris knocked down a basket to tie the contest 33-33 early in the final quarter, but a three-pointer by Bianca Jones put the Lady Patriots ahead to stay.
Halifax later got as close as one point after baskets by Destiny Betts and Whitney McCargo, but Derika Finger hit a follow shot and was fouled when attempting another.
Her two free throws gave the Lady Patriots a 42-37 lead at the 3:00 mark and the Comets went scoreless the rest of the way, committing four turnovers down the stretch while the Patriots added four made free throws.
Harris, one of two Comets seniors, led Halifax with 11 points, including back-to-back three-pointers in the second quarter that gave her team its biggest lead at 19-12.
Whitney McCargo finished with seven, Miyisha Younger and Destiny Betts four apiece, while Brittany Roberts, Tiffany Wilson and Nia Brown each chipped in three points for the Comets, who hit eight of 14 free throw attempts for the game.
Jones led Patrick Henry with 11 points, while Sarah Williams had 10 and Finger nine for the Lady Patriots, who hit eight of 21 from the charity stripe.
Comets coach Ray Reaves knew going in that limiting turnovers and controlling the boards would be keys in handling Patrick Henry’s three-guard offense.
Halifax unfortunately came up short in both categories, committing 27 turnovers for the game, and allowing two many offensive rebounds by their opponent, according to Reaves.
“We knew we had to avoid turnovers and one thing we wanted to do was keep them from penetrating with their three guards, each of whom can handle the ball and hit the gaps,” said Reaves.
“We wanted to box out and be patient on the offensive end, and we did a real good job until the fourth quarter when we fell behind and started pressing a little.
“There were some turnovers and some missed shots, but they absolutely killed us on the offensive boards, many times by the player following her own shot.”
It took one quarter for each team to find its rhythm on offense, the Comets getting their first lead at 5-4 on a three-pointer by Roberts.
A basket by McCargo made it 7-4, and two foul shots by Betts helped Halifax to the 9-8 lead after one quarter.
A Harris foul shot and three-point play by Younger made it 13-8 early in the second quarter and the Comets’ lead was 19-12 after the two Harris treys, but a 8-0 Patriots’ run capped by a Flint trey gave Patrick Henry a 20-19 lead.
A foul shot and bucket by Brown and a three-point play on the break at the buzzer by Wilson helped the Comets take a 26-23 lead at intermission.
Harris and Daniel connected on field goals for Halifax in the third quarter, and McCargo hit one of two free throws after a technical foul on the Patriots’ bench.
That gave the Comets their last lead of the game at 31-29 with a minute remaining in the period, and Halifax managed only three field goals in the fourth quarter, while missing two free throws.
The Lady Patriots hit five field goals, including a trey, and hit six of 14 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter to pull away.
The loss was a disappointing end to Senior Night for Harris and fellow senior Mary Beale.
“I had a couple of good looks at the basket but the shots didn’t fall,” said Beale. “Anyway, I knew Shauna was on fire tonight and I tried to find her.
“We did okay the first half, but they went to full court pressure in the second half and we weren’t jumping to the ball the way we should have.”
Harris, who enjoyed her best scoring night since her return from an injury, also pointed to the Patriots’ second-chance points as a big key in the loss.
“We lacked a few fundamentals in boxing them out, and they were so quick to the basket, it was hard for us to find them.”
“That hurt twice as much as the turnovers down the stretch,” added Reaves.

Jayvees Cap Season With 20 Wins

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
It isn’t very often that a team gets a chance to enjoy a 20-win season.
But, it is something that this year’s Halifax County High School junior varsity boys basketball team can celebrate.
The Comets jayvees finished their season on a high note Wednesday night by downing the Patrick Henry High School jayvees 71-47 in Roanoke. Wednesday night’s win improved the Comets’ record to 20-2 on the season and gave the Comets the unofficial district jayvee title.
“This feels really good,” said Comets head coach Chris Johnson.
“I’m very proud of these guys. As good as it feels to me, I want it to feel even better for the kids. I wanted the kids to be able to experience something like this. They may not understand it now. But 15 or 20 years from now, they can look back at it and say it was a heck of a season.”
The game was nothing short of a total team effort for the Comets. Every player that suited up for the game scored. Ironically, it was a group of players that usually were not among the first five or six players in the scoring column that scored the most points.
Ricky Carr led the team with 10 points and was the only player to reach double figures. Deshawn Clarke chipped in seven points and Iric Webster, Deion Lipscomb, Devin Walton and Keith Gutrich each scored six points.
“Everybody that played contributed in some way,” Johnson pointed out.
“Everybody scored, everybody played good defense and I think just about everybody had at least one steal. What more can you ask for from a group of guys?”
The Comets raced off to a 12-3 lead in the first four and a half minutes only to see the Patriots rally to make it a five-point game at 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.
A 6-0 Comets run in the middle of the second quarter, the last basket coming from Marcus Williams, gave the Comets a 28-17 lead. After the Patriots broke the run with a free throw, the Comets scored nine unanswered points to up their lead to 37-18 with less than a minute left in the first half.
After leading 41-21 at halftime, the Comets continued to build their lead in the third quarter, using a 6-0 burst midway through the quarter to run up a 51-27 lead with 3:38 left in the period.
Halifax County led 57-31 at the end of the third quarter and easily held on through the final seven-minute period to cap the 71-47 win.