The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 21

Dcs Jllotncfl fif ciistc DAMP WITKE, Extant Sporte Editor, 515-284-8130 A Good Omen? lovsa js Vivian Stringer has coached in an NQA title game in Norfolk, where the Hawkeyes play toiLiy. Page Ankeny, Valley give their all, will play for it all Stoetts Sati hday, March 20. Y.m CLASS 3-A CLASS 1-A FRIDAY'S THIRD-PLACE GAME Winneld-Mount Union 59, Pomeroy-Pslmer 57 FRIDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP Hudson 66. Boyden-Hull 55 TODAY'S THIRD-PLACE CAME 12 05 Western Christian (Hull) (20-4) vs. Waterloo Columbus (18-7) TODAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP 6:35 New Hampton (22-1) vs.

Carroll Kuemper(17-7) nal, the unranked Valley boys' basketball team is now one victory away from one of the most improbity ble of state championships. "No one expected us to go this far," Valley guard Todd Fazio said. "That 's a mot i vat ing fad or." Valley, dominated by underclassmen, began the season with four losses and hits seven overall, but the Tigers have matured and won 14 of their last 15 games. Four of I he five teams Valley has defeated in the playoffs were ranked. None of the victories was easy certainly not VALLEY Please turn to Page 3S 4-A boys' basketball semifinals at Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Its opponent in tonight's final league rival Valley. Ankeny won both regular-season games, 73-64 and 79-68. Friday, second-ranked Ankeny and No. 8 Lincoln spent 32 minutes tailgating one another. The final margin was the largest lead.

"We didn't leave anything in the locker room," Lincoln Coach John LaBonia said. "We knew we had to play the game of our lives to win. For ANKENYPfea.se turn toPageiS The Tigers' improbable run for the Class 4-A title continues with a 57-54 victor)' against top-ranked Sioux City Heclan. By SUSAN HARMAN Rlcishr St.ui Wkitfk Who said Valley was a season away? Not top-ranked Sioux City Heelan. After upsetting the Crusaders, 57-54, Friday in aClass 4-A semifi The Hawks escape Lincoln, 67-62, to raise the ante against the Tigers.

Tonight, the CIML rivals will play for the Class 4-A state title. By DAN JOHNSON Register STAr Whiter This wasn't Just another Central Iowa Metropolitan League game. Tonight's doesn't figure to be, either. Ankeny defeated Des Moines Lincoln, 67-62, Friday in the state Class CLASS 2-A CLASS 4-A FRIDAY'S THIRD-PLACE GAME Ma (MononaVMar-Mac (McGregor) 70. Al- gona Garngan 63 FRIDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP Pelia Christian 68.

Council Bluffs St. Albert 63 TODAY'S THIRD-PLACE GAME 1:45 Lincoln (17-6) vs. Sioux City Heelan (22-2) TODAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP (21-2) vs. M. Valley (16-7) mm mm IT 'A Earl's towering plays propel Hawks, 82-69 1 1 'H" Marc Hansen Acie II plays first-rate game ByRONMALY Register Staff Writer -xi i rn.

mm A ashville, Tenn. A few I days before the NCAA basket- jf if ball tournament, Acie Earl re ceived a word or two of fatherly advice. Said Acie I to Acie II: Don't worry about slipping from first-team all-Big i mlU, Ten as a junior to second-team all-Big Ten as a senior. "It's really not important," the father told the son when the awards came out at the end of the conference Mil XinYh Earl the second-teamer is better than Earl the first-teamer. was an intimidating factor." Ryan Stuart, who led Northeast Louisiana with 20 points, said Earl fooled the Indians.

"Acie is very effective inside," Stuart said. "All year long, we've been accustomed to playing against smaller players. We've been able to out-quick them. "You think you're jumping out of Earl's reach, and all of a sudden he's there. He's a great player, and will even get better." Vining, whose team ended its season with a 26-5 record, marveled at Earl's talents.

"We were able to get the ball inside, but couldn't do much with it once we were in there," Vining said. "We didn't want Earl to alter our shots. But human nature took over, and he did alter our shots." Friday's performance was another example of how far Earl has come since being recruited out of Moline (111.) High School as what Coach Tom Davis calls a project. "He wasn't a great player, but he's worked hard and has become great," Davis said. Earl said he had nothing extra to prove in Friday's game.

He was first-team all-Big Ten Conference last season, but was dropped to the second team in this year's voting. "My dad told me it could have been worse," Earl said. "I could have been Mike Peplowski of Michigan State. He was bumped from being a first-team all-Big Ten play-' er last season to honorable mention this season. "The important thing is what a player does for his team." Earl said it's Iowa's goal to get beyond the second-round game.

In IOWA Please turn to Page 4S season. "The pro scouts know what Nashville, Tenn. It was only an NCAA Southeast Regional first-round game, but somehow the National Basketball Association came up afterward. So did the name of Shaquille O'Neal, the standout NBA rookie from Orlando. All because Iowa center Acie Earl scored 23 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked five shots.

The 6-foot 10-inch senior was a dominating factor Friday as the Hawkeyes rolled past Northeast Louisiana, 82-69. Iowa, shooting 63 percent in the last half and 58.9 percent for the game, won despite 26 turnovers. The Hawkeyes' shooting percentage was their best in 20 games since a 59.1 performance against Drake on Jan. 4. The victory, in front of 14,600 fans in Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym, sent Iowa (23-3) into a 1:35 p.m.

second-round game Sunday against Wake Forest (20-8). The Demon Deacons of the Atlantic Coast Conference whipped Tennessee-Chattanooga, 81-58, in Friday's first game. Earl was 4 inches taller than any Northeast Louisiana starter. After the game, he loomed even larger in the minds of Coach Mike Vining and his players. Earl's brilliance played a huge role in ending the Indians' 12-game winning streak.

"I think Earl can play in the NBA, and he'll do well there," Northeast Louisiana guard Keith Johnson said. "Last season we played against O'Neal, and I don't think Earl is as good as him. He's a slow jumper, but he still got a lot of blocks. He you can do and what you can do. Every player, Iowa's celebrated.

center included, has his shortcomings. DAVID PETKRSONTilKRKtilsTER After playing for Iowa State for the final time, Ron Bayless and Justus Thigpen leave the court. UCLA sends Cyclones home, 8 1-70 On Friday, however, the more diffi- cult assignment in Vanderbilt's Memo rial Gymnasium, was trying to deter mine what Earl cannot do on a basketball court. By RICK BROWN Register Staff Writer In the first round of the tournament against a quickish, smallish Northeast Louisiana team, Earl squirreled away 23 points and 15 rebounds. He also blocked five shots while picking up only one personal foul.

The Hawkeyes were much bigger "We expected them to be quick," Iowa State Coach Johnny Orr said "We knew they were quick. We just didn't do the job. We had a hard time stopping them defensively." The Bruins shot 57.9 percent from the floor, and every starter scored at least 1 1 points. Forward Ed O'Bannon, who had made one of 1 1 shots in this building in UCLA's previous game, a 99-80 loss Saturday to Arizona, made nine of 10 shots. He finished ISU Please turn to Page 4S Twelve of UCLA's 18 first-half baskets, and 23 of 33 for the game, came from inside the lane.

"I was really surprised," UCLA forward Mitchell Butler said. "I thought that since they were a running team, and quick, that they'd get out and pressure us. That wasn't the case. We were able to pick them apart." Quick to the basket, indeed. The Bruins (22-10) sliced and diced their way to a meeting Sunday with top-seeded Michigan.

Iowa State ended with a 20-1 1 record. and stronger than the champions of the Southland Conference, winners of Tucson, Ariz. UCLA's first shot from behind the three-point arc came with 12 minutes 34 seconds remaining in the game. That was a telling statistic. The Bruins didn't need a longdistance attack to defeat Iowa State, 81-70, in the first round of the NCAA West Regional at the McKale Center Friday.

They won this game in the lane. 12 straight games before Friday. In Iowa 82-69 victory, Earl was the gest and strongest Hawkeye. The cast changes completely when Iowa Leads Penn State By 19 points Morning Report As freshmen succeed, Iowa controls Husker gymnasts win Dennis Harrison won the all-around and Nebraska won the Big Eight title in men's gymnastics Friday. The Huskers had 283.20 points.

Iowa State finished third. Scores Wake Forest enters the picture sun-day. By almost every measure, Wake Forest and Northeast Louisiana are as different as lobster and shrimp. The Demon Deacons have not one big person in their starting lineup, but three, including Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Rodney Rogers. That's Sunday.

On Friday, sitting in the stands behind Northeast Louisiana's bench was Bernie Bickerstaff, the general manager of the Denver Nuggets. In grading Earl, he couldn't have been less concerned about the all-Big Ten snub or the size of Iowa's opponent. "We're looking for skills," Bicker-staff said. "He has a nice touch. He passes well.

We just have to ascertain whether he can sustain those skills." Against Northeast Louisiana, Earl sustained them for 32 minutes. Having an advantage doesn't always mean taking advantage. A good four inches taller than the tallest Northeast Louisiana starter, Earl made the very most of the opportunity. Size wasn't part of the formula early in the game. Ryan Stuart, the two-time Southland player of the year, was not the problem, as feared.

The problem was the enemy guard corps. For more than a few frightful moments, it looked as if the littlest of the Northeast Louisiana little people weren't even going to let the Iowa ball-handlers into field-goal position. How can his teammates get the ball to Earl when Keith Johnson and Isaac Brown won't even allow them past the half-court line? In the Iowa locker room afterward, Val Barnes was asked if he'd ever seen a quicker, more aggressive guard corps. Sitting on the floor, an ice pack resting on each knee, Barnes shook his head and repeated, "No, no, no," before the questioner could get halfway through his question. Not even Duke.

But slowly and steadily, Iowa's size HANSEN Please turn toPage also sent three wrestlers into championship matches and was third with 67 points. Mollica's 7-5 semifinal decision over Dan Wirnsberger of Michigan State at 158 pounds helped Arizona State move into fourth place with points. Then came Ohio State with 48 and Iowa State with 45. In addition to Mcllravy, Iowa's other championship hopefuls are top-seeded Chad Zaputil at 118 pounds, Terry Steiner at 150 and JoelSharrattatl90. "We really wrestled tough, espe-daily after Troy Steiner got beat," Iowa Coach Dan Gable said.

"It reminded me of 1970, when I got beat by (Larry) Owings. The other guys (his Iowa State teammates) pulled together and went on to win the championship. "Troy's brother and Mcllravy came back and won, and it was a tribute to them that they didn't allow themselves to get down." Gable voiced mild criticism about the officiating in Troy Steiner's loss. "He definitely should have had more chances to wrestle in stalemate positions," Gable said. "Those are judgment calls, and I'm not going to complain, but the breaks didn't go his way." Kolat took Steiner down twice in the first period, a repeat of what he did in the Big Ten meet, when he wound up losing in overtime.

8-ti. "I just tried to stay in my game, keeping my offense going." Kolat said, because Steiner wants to While three freshmen reach the finals of the NCAA wrestling tournament, the Hawkeyes pull away. By BUCK TURNBULL RfXJisTKR Staff W'kitrr Ames, la. Freshmen don't normally play a major role in NCAA wrestling tournaments, but they sure did Friday night in the semifinals of this year's meet. Three of them earned spots in tonight's championship matches Lincoln Mcllravy of Iowa, Cary Ko-lat of Penn State and Markus Molli-ca of Arizona State.

Mcllravy upset the No. 1 seed at 142 pounds, Shannyn Gillespie of Lock Haven, 12-7, to help offset what Kolat did to Iowa's Troy Stei-nerin a 134-semifinal bout. Kolat avenged his loss to the top-seeded Steiner in the Big Ten Conference championship match, scoring an 8-4 decision that snapped Steiner's 74-match winning streak against collegiate competition. But while it was the dawning of a new era for some of the rookies, there was an old, familiar name atop the leader board after the semifinals. Iowa's two-time defending champions totaled points and produced four finalists, widening the gap over second -place Penn State.

The Nittany Lions had three finalists and 7ti'4 points. Nebraska fr W-HW. i NATIONAL BASKETBAU. ASSOCIATION Atlanta 121 Minnesota 103 Boston 129 LA. Lakers 119 Chicago 104 Washington 99 Dallas 89 Philadelphia 87 Golden State 113 Sacramento 101 Indiana 112 Charlotte 108 New Jersey 99 Milwaukee 85 Phoenix 127 Detroit 97 Portland 106 Houston 98 San Antonio 96 Orlando 93 Seattle 108 Utah 97 NCAA BASKETBAU EAST MGrOHAL Cincinnati 93 Coppm State 66 Massachusetts 54 Pennsylvania 50 NewMewcoSt.

93 Nebraska 79 Virginia 78 Manhattan 66 SOUTHEAST ITCGKWAL Iowa 82 NE Louisiana 69 Kentucky 96 Rider 52 Utah 86 Pittsburgh 65 Wake Forest 81 Tenn -Chart. 58 WIDWtn IttfOMl Indiana 97 Wnght State 54 Louisville 76 Delaware 70 Oklahoma St, 74 Marquette 62 Xamer(Oto) 73 New Orleans 55 wtnKBKwm Washington 82 NewMewco 68 Mhigan 84 C'staiCarokna 53 Southern 93 GeoraTech 78 UCLA 81 Iowa State 70 WAnONAl HOCKEY LEAGUE Pyg-s 8 San Jose 1 Washing on 5 Hyttyj 2 BIIXM.IWHi.IX,Tiii Rii.mik Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable watches intently as his 142-pounder, Lincoln Mcllrav beats Charlie Branch of Virginia Military Institute, 12-7, at the NCAA tournament on Friday. WRESTLE Vase urn to Page 6S.