RICHMOND, Va. - Eli Crawford must like things

in pairs.

The 6-foot-1 junior at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton led his team to its

second straight Group AA state championship and won his second player of the

year award. Opponents of the Leemen can only hope Crawford isn't fond of

triples, too.

Crawford averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 steals as the

Leemen went 31-0, stretching their winning streak to 55 games. In the clutch, he

was, too, averaging 28.5 points as the Leemen kept rolling in the state

semifinals and championship.

Crawford was the runaway choice for his second player of the year award in a row

in balloting by sportswriters from around the state. His coach, Paul Hatcher,

was also an easy choice for coach of the year _ again _ after his fourth state

championship.

Hatcher has coached a Virginia High School League record 771 victories in his

37-year career, and his teams have come out on the short end just 150 times.

The six-player first team also has junior Alan Williams of state runner-up

Greensville County and seniors Paul Debnam of Prince Edward County, Durron

Mitchell of Martinsville, Frisco Sandidge of Heritage-Lynchburg and Horrace

Hubbard of Gretna.

Williams, 6-4, averaged 17.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.1 assists

as Greensville County went 25-2 and lost its second straight state championship

game.

Debnam, 6-3, averaged 24.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and four assists as Prince

Edward County finished 23-3. He closed out his career with more than 1,500

points.

Mitchell, 5-10, averaged 18 points and made 90 of 170 3-point shots, a stunning

53 percent. His average in the postseason was 20.1 points and Martinsville

(24-3) reached the state semifinals. He had 13 in the Bulldogs' 72-62 loss to

the eventual champs.

Sandidge, 6-6, averaged 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists as Heritage

won 28 in a row, then fell 81-66 to Greensville County in the state semifinals.

Sandidge had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the game, but fouled out with 4:18

remaining.

Hubbard, a first-team repeater, averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds and five

assists.

The all-senior second team includes Jason Jordan of Robert E. Lee, who scored 16

in the state championship victory, Travis Brown of Millbrook, John Bailey of

Blacksburg, Michael Scorsone of Abingdon and Bosco Williams of Alleghany

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