The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 9

OURNAL SCOREBOARD B2 GOLF B4 PRO BASKETBALL Storm dashes Cagerz' title hopes "Tourney host Oklahoma pulls away from Kansas in championship, 122-109 By The Salina Journal r- I ENID, Okla. Less than 24 hours after erasing a 19-point deficit and winning a double-overtime thriller, the Kansas Cagerz finally ran out of gas. The Cagerz came out firing early Sunday afternoon and built a big first- quarter lead in the USBL Postseason Festival championship game. But mid- jway through, the second quarter, Kansas' legs finally gave way and Oklahoma ran away with a 122-109 victory on its home floor. "We went out and played on said Francis Flax, who led the squad to a 23-10 record and its first 'championship game in the Cagerz' four-year existence.

"But I think once pklahoma settled down they just simply outmuscled us. That is tough to mit, but I have to admit it." It looked early on like it might be Kansas which would run away with the title, scoring 12 of the game's first 16 points. But Oklahoma, which survived a two-point win over St. Joseph in the first round and one-point win over Brevard in Saturday's semifinals, again showed its resolve. The Storm, which won the USBL title in just its third year of existence, trimmed the lead to just seven, 23-16, at the end of the first quarter.

Oklahoma kept rolling into the second quarter and eventually tied the game at 31 with 7:45 remaining in the half. Albert White came down and a hit a bucket on the Storm's next possession for a 33-31 lead and the Storm never trailed again. "It was just kind of a gradual thing," Flax said. "We just didn't have the legs tonight. Oklahoma outpowered us and they outmuscled us.

You could tell that we were in trouble when Duane Simpkins went to the foul line and left (his USBL POSTSEASON FESTIVAL At Enid, Okla. SUNDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP Oklahoma Storm 122 Kansas Cagerz 109 Boxacore, B2 free throws) short. That is a sign that your legs aren't there. We were tired today." Oklahoma, which had six different players score in double'figures, outscored the Cagerz 31-11 over the final 10 minutes of the second quarter to take a 54-42 lead into the locker room. The Storm maintained a double- digit lead the rest of the way.

The second half simply turned into a battle of survival for the Cagerz. After starting the game with just eight eligible players, Kansas lost Gary Williams to fouls with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter. That was just the start of Kansas' mounting foul woes. Cedric Suitt fouled out early in the fourth quarter and Jeremy DeVries followed in the final minute. Keil Zepernick, who had left the court with a knee injury, came back and limped through the final minute so Kansas would have five players on the court at game's end.

"When Gary fouled out, that took our leader off the floor," Flax said. "That shouldn't happen as early as it did. That really hurt us. I think that took away any realistic chance we had at making a comeback." The Storm built the lead as high as 21 points late in the third quarter arid took an 85-67 lead into the final period. The Cagerz managed to trim to margin to 13 points on multiple occasions, including the final 122-109 score.

Ira Clark, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, finished his third double-double in the tournament and led the Storm with 29 points. Devin Brown led the Cagerz with 31 points while Simpkins contributed 21 and Williams 17 before fouling out. Chris Porter added 25 points for the Storm. "I'm not going to let this loss taint the season because we had a great season," said Flax, who played without league standout Johnny Jackson (currently playing abroad) throughout the tournament. "We won 23 games this year, which is more than any other BL team.

"These guys are to be commended. They are going to do all right for themselves and the Cagerz will be back next year and give it another try." Flax said the Cagerz' return next season is not a guarantee, but that is the direction the team and owners are headed at this point. "It is not set in stone, but that is the way we are leaning right now," he said. "We still have to come back and shore up some things, but right now I think that we will be back." AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL Hays third baseman Jake Sanders is tagged out attempting to steal by Salina Falcons second baseman Eric Puvogel during the third inning of the first game of Sunday's doubleheader at Dean Evans Stadium. Hays won 14-12 in 10 Innings.

Falcons salvage split with Hays After losing wild opener in 10 innings, Salina doubles up Eagles, 16-8, in Game 2 By LARRY MORITZ The Salina Journal One thing that can be said about this year's Salina Clarinex Falcons: They have shown a marvelous propensity for keeping games interesting. Sunday night's American Legion doubleheader with Hays at Dean Evans Stadium was another perfect example. Salina trailed by as AMERICAN LEGION Hays 14 8 many as five runs in the opener, scored three runs late to force extra innings, then fell to Hays 14-12 in the 10th. The Falcons fell behind 7-0 early in game two, only to score 15 runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 16-8 victory. The loss in the opener snapped Salina's season-best winning streak, while the victory improved the Falcons' record to 25-6 overall.

Salina was coming off a pair of one-run wins Friday over Topeka when it rallied for one extra-inning victory and lost a six- run lead in the other. "It was just a weird night," Salina coach Kris Meis said. "It was something I've never seen before. Even the first game, as bad as we played, we still had a chance to win. We lost a heartbreaker and then were down 7-0 in the second game, but once again these kids showed a lot of heart.

"After the first game I got on them pretty was very upset with our defense and challenged a few guys and they stepped it up. Our book had us for nine errors and the 14 runs Hays scored were unearned." Hays (13-20) picked up its second extra- inning victory in as many nights, split; ting a doubleheader with Topeka on Saturday. No. 8 hitter Cole Stremel opened the 10th inning with a double for Hays and moved to third on Jason Pfeifer's sacrifice bunt. But Pfeifer also was safe when the throw to first was allowing Stremel to score what proved to be the game-winning run on Salina's ninth error of the game.

The Eagles added some insurance when Luke Dreiling singled for his fifth hit of the game, driving in Pfeifer to make it 14-12. Brett Unrein, brought on to try to close the door on Salina in the bottom of the seventh, was instead the winning pitcher. The Falcons scored the tying run in the seventh on a squeeze bunt, but rein worked out of a couple of jams in extra innings to keep his team in it. Salina trailed 6-2 before scoring seven times in the fourth inning, getting a two- run single from Brandon Smith and three RBI from Justin Hartman in the inning on a solo homer and a two-run single. The Falcons trailed 12-11 in the bottom of the seventh, but Jared Lilly opened the inning with an infield single and eventually scored on Eric Puvogel's squeeze bunt.

"We had no business even playing extra innings," Meis said. "When you give up 12 unearned runs in a game, you don't deserve to win, but the upside is these guys believed they could." Hays had nine hits in the first two innings to take its 7-0 lead, but Matt Garretson (2-0) came on in relief and gave up only one run over the final innings. Salina sent 12 men to the plate in both the third and fourth innings, scoring seven runs on only three hits in the third. Garretson had a bases loaded walk, Nick Miles had a run-scoring sacrifice fly, Lilly singled home a run and Puvogel added a two-out, two-run single. The game was tied 8-8 before the Falcons pulled away in the fourth.

Smith, Kerry Kolzow and Garretson each had two-out singles in the inning. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Ibanez sparks Royals' romp Outfielder's big day helps Kansas City cap 5-1 homestand By DOUG TUCKER The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. Don't tell Raul Ibanez he hit .500 with 10 RBIs as Kansas City won five of six on their homestand. "I don't want to know," said the shaven-headed outfielder. "I don't INTERLEAGUE even want to think about it." Facing a Padres 1 Royals 13 San Diego staff so weakened an infielder get the last four outs Sunday, Ibanez singled, tripled and homered and drove in four runs for the second time in three days to help the Royals rout the Padres 13-1.

The only Royals starter without a hit in the 15-hit barrage was AL batting leader Mike Sweeney, who had hit in 12 straight games and homered in a club-record five in a row. Padres reliever Jason Middlebrook left the game with a 2-1 count on Randa in the fourth inning and manager Bruce Bochy said later he would probably go on the DL with a pulled groin. It got so bad for the Padres, infielder D'Angelo Jimenez became the first position player to take the mound for San Diego in almost three years. Jimenez, the fifth Padres pitcher, was the only one not to give up a hit. "We pitched Sweeney pretty well but there are also eight other guys over there who can swing the bat pretty well.

We just didn't throw the ball very well at all today," Bochy said. Aaron Guiel and Joe Randa drove in three runs apiece, and Jeff Suppan pitched seven innings of four-hit ball as the Padres lost for the seventh time in nine outings. "A 5-1 home stand is just awesome," said Ibanez, who also drove in four runs on Friday night. "Everybody's been swinging the bats well. It's a lot of fun." Mike Sweeney chosen to All- Star team Page B3 Suppan (7-6) went over .500 for the first time since May 25.

He gave up four hits and struck out three. Julius Matos homered in the seventh, the 21st Suppan has allowed. Ibanez, who also drove in four runs against the Padres on Friday, reached base five times with three hits and two walks. He singled in the third, hit a two-run homer in the sixth and a two-run triple in the seventh. "I just feel like every day is a constant battle, every at-bat," Ibanez said.

"A constant grind and a constant adjustment." Sweeney was 0-for-3 and his average dropped from .365 to .361. He said he was not pressing to keep his homer and hitting streaks alive. "I felt good. I just didn't get the job done," he said. "Raoul did, though.

And Joe and everybody else but me." Randa had a solo homer and two run-scoring singles. The Royals scored three runs in the second off Jake Peavy (02) on a sacrifice fly by Neifi Perez and RBI singles by Luis Alicea and Guiel. Peavy, making his second major league start, went three innings. He was charged with four runs on seven hits, with three walks and three strikeouts. "He couldn't get anything over consistently but the fastball, and they were sitting on it early," Bochy said.

"He just didn't have it today." Randa, taking over the team lead with 52 RBIs, hit his eighth home run on Peavy's 2-1 pitch with one out in the third. Rodney Myers relieved and got Randa to fly out to right. In the sixth, Carlos Beltran doubled home a run and Randa had an RBI single ahead of Ibanez's two-run homer off Rodney Myers, who came in for Middlebrook. Game notes The Royals optioned OF Alexis Gomez to Double-A Wichita and recalled RHP Kris Wilson from Triple-A Omaha. SOCCER Powerful Brazil adds a fifth tide Country solidifies its soccer supremacy behind Ronaldo's play By BARRY WILNER The Associated Press The Associated Press Brazil's Ronaldo (left) celebrates hit victory over Germany in Sunday's final.

YOKOHAMA, Japan The World Cup of upsets and upstarts ended with a fitting champion and a rejuvenated superstar. Ronaldo scored both goals to lead Brazil to a 2-0 victory over Germany on Sunday for the team's record fifth title, capping a superb tournament that helped erase bad memories of his knee injuries and the team's 1998 World Cup final. "Today we lived a beautiful he said. The Brazilians won with a style and artistry reminiscent of their past champions and overcame the jooa cool efficiency of the Germans, who Rjiw were undone by a blunder from the Brazil 2 world's best goal- Germany ..0 keeper, Oliver Kahn. Brazil, just months ago considered one of the weakest teams ever from the country, went 7-0 in the world's most popular sporting event, playing in the final for the third straight time.

Appropriately, the greatest of all Brazilian players, Pele, handed over the golden World Cup phy to captain Cafu as fireworks and streamers flew from a stage on the field and teammates bounced up and down in a sea of silver confetti. Pele then hugged and kissed Ronaldo, who tied his national record of 12 goals by scoring eight times in this tournament the most in a World Cup since 1970. Thousands of flashbulbs went off as the first World Cup in Asia ended in a much more satisfying way for Brazil and Ronaldo than in '98, when he was ill before the game and played poorly In a 3-0 loss to host France. "Everything changes," Ronaldo said through tears. See BRAZIL, Page B2 GOLF: U.S.

SENIOR OPEN Pooley outduels Watson in playoff By DAVID GINSBURG The Associated Press OWINGS MILLS, Md. The playoff duel matched five-time British Open winner Tom Watson against qualifier Don Pooley, whose last big golf moment occurred in 1987. Watson, who earlier roared back from a five- shot deficit, appeared rfnstlnwl to add a U.S. 'Kir Open title to the U.S. Open crown he won 20 years earlier.

But Pooley never backed down even if he did back away from several key putts. Pooley made a 10-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole Sunday to end an epic clash with Watson and become the first qualifier to win the U.S. Senior Open. More than five hours after the duo teed off as the final twosome of the See SENIOR, Page B4 SUGGESTIONS? CALL BOB DAVIDSON, SPORTS EDITOR, AT 823-6363 OR 1-800-827-6363 OR E-MAIL AT 8jbdavld8on.