The Advocate-Messenger from Danville, Kentucky • Page 15

AdvocateSports THE ADVOCATE-MESSENGER, FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2004 B3 egional seeds advance Thursday's NBA Playoff Box By Tha Associated Prasa Al San Antonio LA. LAKER8 (74) Georga 6-9 0-0 16. Malona 3-10 1-2 7, Nasi 5-8 1-S 11, Paylon 1-5 3-4 5, Bryant 11-27 0-0 22, Madva-danko 1-4 0-0 2. Fisnar 3-7 1-2 3. Rush O-O0-O0, Walton 1-1 04 3.

Totals 31-72 5-13 74. SAN ANTONIO (73) Bowan 3-6 0-1 8, Duncan 7-15 7-10 21, Nastarovic 1-3 0-0 2, Parkar 7-23 0-0 1S, Turkoglu 3-10 0-2 8, Qinobill 4-8 0-0 8, Horry 0-4 0-0 0, Brown 4-7 2-411. Totals 29-76 9-17 73. LA. Lakare 24 16 20 12 74 San Antonio 16 17 1t 20 73 3-Point Lakers 6-15 (Qaorga 4-7, Walton 1-1, Fishar 1-2, Payton 0-1, Bryant 0-4).

San Antonio 6-23 (Bowan 2-5, Turkoglu 2-6, Brown 1-3, Parkar 1-5. Qinobill 0-1, Horry 0-3). Fouled out-Nona. Rebounds-LA. Lakers 46 (Malona 12), San Antonio 57 (Duncan 21).

Ukers 18 (Payton 7), San Antonio 16 (Parkar 6). Total Lakers ,18, San Antonio 16. LAKERS, from Bl Pending an unlikely reversal, the Lakers are headed home for Game 6 Saturday night a win away from the conference finals, while the reigning champions are a loss away from elimination. Los Angeles has taken control of the series since dropping the first two games. With three straight wins, the Lakers', superstar-filled lineup has gone from dysfunctional to dynamic.

They also have history on their side. The winner of Game 5 in a best-of-seven series tied at 2 has gone on to win 96 of the previous 115. The 2002 Lakers were the last to buck that trend, against Sacramento. The 2003 Lakers followed it. The other three series are tied 2-2.

Sacramento and Minnesota will break their tie tonight, as will New Jersey and Detroit. The Miami-Indiana series resumes Saturday with Game 5. Vji, San Antonio, which snapped a 17-game winning streak in Game 3, ended a 17-game home winning string with this loss. The Spurs also are facing elimination, something that didn't happen during championship runs last year and in 1999. Down by 16 with 3:59 left in the third quarter, San Antonio expected to be in this position.

Then came a 26-7 run that put the Spurs up by three with 2:14 left, highlighted Jby Duncan's amazing shot. Baskets by O'Neal and Kobe Bryant put the Lakers back up 72-71 with 11.9 seconds left, setting up Duncan's next sensational play. He took an off-balance 20-footer while falling to his left, again with tight defense frttm O'Neal, and wound up on the ground. From his hands and knees, he looked to the San Antonio, bench with wide eyes and asked, "Did it go in?" "I couldn't believe it went in, honestly," said Duncan, who had 21 points, 21 rebounds and i four block's, but also made seven turnovers. "I just had to take a shot, let it go as high as I could, knowing that Shaq was there." All that remained was defending one more play.

After three timeouts, the Lakers planned on Gary Pay-ton lobbing the ball to O'Neal or hit Bryant curling to the sideline. "Phil knows that I'm going to make the right decision when I take the ball out," Payton said. "I told them, 'Just get open. Anybody who gets open, I'll get it to Two defenders followed Bryant as he ran toward Payton. Fisher, who had been setting a screen for Bryant, popped free from the foul line by taking two steps toward Payton.

Fisher caught the ball, sank the shot over Manu Ginobili, then ran off the court in celebration. Knowing the play had to withstand a video review, Fisher stopped in the tunnel and watched a television with paramedics to see what officials would decide. "I just wanted to get out of there and not give them an opportunity to think that we didn't believe it went in," Fish-er said. Bryant, coming off an amazing 42-point, no-turnover performance in Game 4, had 22 points, five assists and five turnovers. Devean George had 16 points, none in the fourth quarter.

O'Neal had 11 points and 11 rebounds and played great defense on Duncan. I A Mike MarseeStaff Sydney Napier, right, is congratulated by Garrard County teammate Brittany Gilbert after crossing the plate in the first inning with the first run in Garrard's 9-0 win. GARRARD, from Bl McGinnis said her team made solid contact far more often this time around. "We had some good at-bats day," she said. "We were much more patient at the plate." And the Scotties were in the game until the late innings.

Garrard scored twice in the fifth inning and four times in the sixth to put the game out of reach. "We played a good, solid ballgame up until the fifth or sixth inning, and they started ripping the ball," McGinnis said. A double by Brittany Lane, a single by Meadors and a Mercer error produced the fifth inning runs that made it In the sixth inning, Ball led off with a double and Candi Brooks, Lane, Meadors and Brittany Gilbert had RBI singles. Ball's double capped what she said was her best offensive day of the season. She also singled twice, scored two runs and drove in one.

"I've been waiting a long time for that," she said. "It was due." Mercer County 000 000 0 0 1 5 Garrard County 101 124 9 10 0 Michelle Wilham and Erin Ashford. Tiffany Meadors and Brittany Gilbert. W-Meadors. L-Wilham; 2B-Brittany Lane (GC), Betsy Ball (GC).

ranked in the state would be a good accomplishment." Another of their accomplishments was adjusting to the transition created when former coach Ernie Browning resigned unexpectedly and Meadors was promoted from assistant to head coach earlier this month. The Lions have gone 4-1 since the switch. "There -was nothing we could do about it, but we regrouped well and tried to make the best of the situation," Ball said. Mercer was eyeing its own accomplishment, as a win over Garrard would have created a tie in the race for the top seed in the district ney. "This was a big game for us," Mercer coach Crystal McGinnis said.

"We wanted that No; 1 seed. But we'll get 'em again, hopefully." The Scotties had only two hits off Meadors in their first meeting, a 9-2 loss April 15 at Mercer, and this time they managed but one, a leadoff single by Ashley Fowler in the fifth inning. "We're hitting it; it's just not falling in," McGinnis said. That's a switch from the first meeting, as BEREA All of the area's seeded players who got to take the court won their opening matches as the 9th Region Tournament got underway Thursday. The top local seeds, Phillip Arndt and Will Stevens of Garrard County, didn't lose a game in their second-round matches.

They received man uiwwb. first-round TEOS byes, as did all nine singles and doubles seeds and most other entries. Eight second-round matches, four singles matches and four doubles matches, were postponed by rain, including six matches involving area One of them was the opening, match for Casey Maupin and Chris Bright of Danville, the No. 8-seeded doubles team, who will play Ben Allen and Charlie Fox of Casey County when play resumes today. Jared Holt of Harrodsburg had one of the toughest trips into the third round in the singles draw, beating Estill County's Josh Turpin 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Seventh-seeded Sam Pollom of Danville and Justin Martin of Casey County won matches against other area players. Pollom eliminated Adam Dickinson of Boyle County; Martin defeated David Houston of Lincoln County. Boys 9th Region Tournament At Berea Thursday (Area results) SINGLES First Round Upper Bracket Adam Stuart (Boyle County) def. Jordan Tipton (Lee County) 6-4, 6-2. Lower Bracket Michael Hammond (Pulaski Southwestern) def.

Rod Hacker (Lincoln County) 6-1, 6-3. Second Round Upper Bracket Jeff Rutherford (Model) vs. Stuart (Boyle County), rain. Jared Holt (Harrodsburg) def. Josh Turpin (Estill County) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Will Stevens (Garrard County) def. Zach Ethington (Mercer County) 6-0, 6-0. Jeff Ricker (Danville) def. Markey Gastin (Pulaski Southwestern) 6-2, 6-2. Justin Martin (Casey County) def.

David Houston (Lincoln County) 6-0, 6-2. Lower Bracket Phillip Smith (Estill County) vs. Kyle Chadwick (Mercer County), rain. Bosco Cupac (Somerset) def. Gavin Turpin (Casey County) 6-0, 6-0.

Sam Pollom (Danville) def. Adam Dickinson (Boyle County) 6-1, 6-4. Andrew Brubaker (Model) def. Daarik Gray (Harrodsburg) 7-6 (3), 6-2. Phillip Arndt (Garrard County) def.

Hammond (Pulaski Southwestern) 6-0, 6-0. DOUBLES First Round Upper Bracket Ijaz-Davis (Boyle County) def. Arvin-Jones (Madison Southern) 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3. J. Chadwick-Dailey (Mercer County) def.

Hogan-Carpenter (Lee County) 6-0, 6-1. Beto-Pelayo (Danville) def. Kolasa-Noland (Lincoln County) 6-4, 6-2. Lower Bracket Thomason-R. Dickinson (Boyle County) def.

King-Stephens (McCreary Central) 6-0, 6-3. Allen-Fox (Casey County) def. Bostic-Carlisle (Mercer County) 6-3, 6-0. Second Round Upper Bracket Keaton-Eubank (Russell County) def. Ijaz-Davis (Boyle County) 6-0, 6-0.

Braun-Simpson (Pulaski Southwestern) vs. J. Chadwick-Dailey (Mercer County), rain. Horn-McGlone (Garrard County) def. Terry-Miller (McCreary Central) 6-0, 6-3.

Gilbertson-Mattingly (Berea) vs. Beto-Pelayo (Danville), rain. Merriman-White (Harrodsburg) def. Razer-Robertson (Breathitt County) 6-0, 6-0. El-Kalliny-Rodriguez (Somerset) def.

C. Jeffries-K. Jeffries (Casey County) 6-3, 6-0. Lower Bracket Thomason-R. Dickinson (Boyle County) vs.

Thacker-Baldwin (Berea), rain. Donaldson-Taylor (Model) def. Beard-Burdette (Lincoln County) 6-0, 6-0. Allen-Fox (Casey County) vs. Maupin-Bright (Danville), rain.

Price-Thorun (Pulaski County) def. Parks-Kwiek (Harrodsburg) 6-3, 6-2. Cimala-EI-Nagger (Somerset) def. Hubbard-Denny (Garrard County) 6-0, 6-2. Mercer defeats Lincoln 10-3 just off of him and try to gain control of the race," Smarty Jones trainer John Servis said.

Lion Heart isn't the only horse in the field to finish second to Smarty Jones. Borrego was runner-up in the Arkansas Derby, closing fast but coming up short by Vi lengths. Borrego finished 10th in the Derby, 164 lengths off the pace, but trainer C. Beau Greely believes that race wasn't indicative of the difference between the two horses. "Smarty Jones is a very nice horse" Greely said.

"I'm not taking anything away from him, but I don't think we're 16 lengths worse than he is." The Preakness could play out like the Derby. There's a good chance Lion Heart jockey Mike Smith will break from the inside and take the early lead. Smarty Jones, under Stewart Elliott, starts from the No. 7 gate and will likely stalk Lion Heart, along with Eddington and Rock Hard Then it's up to Elliott to decide when to make his move with Smarty Jones. Once he does, Servis said Lion Heart could have more company than usual in the stretch.

"When my horse goes to make his move, I think Rock Hard Ten and Eddington will move, too," Servis said. "Instead of one horse, Lion Heart will have three or four chasing him." If Lion Heart can hold off the challenge, then his run of second-place finishes will end. So will Smarty Jones' bid to become the first Triple Crown winner in 26 years. PREAKNESS from Bl time. I said we're the challenger, and we're going to try to beat the other horses, that's all," he said.

The Cliff's Edge, who finished fifth in the Derby, has been bothered by a sore front right foot and was scratched today, dropping the field to 10. Trainer Nick Zito made the decision today after his horse showed no improvement from an abscess that developed following the Kentucky Derby. "We're doing everything we possible can," Zito said. "We pulled the shoes now because he's not going to make the race. That will relieve him and we'll see what happens after that." Lion Heart and the other horses are more concerned with Smarty Jones, the first undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977.

"We play to win, obviously. We're going to try to win," Bian-cone said. "But I'm a very objective person, and I know it's going to be very difficult to beat Smarty Jones. But we, as the challenger, are going to try to do so. If we do it, well done.

If we cannot, we cannot. You cannot punish your horse because another one is better than him." Biancone picked the No. 1 post because his horse loves to break to the front early The question is: If that happens, can Lion Heart hold onto the lead this time? Not if Smarty Jones can help it. "We have Lion Heart inside us. He's going to show early speed I'm sure, and we'll sit and getting runs on the board ourselves and playing good defense and letting Our pitchers work ahead and not giving up those big innings." Jeremy Potts hit his first career home run, a three-run homer in the fourth inning that tied the game, but he also took the loss on the mound, allowing nine runs, (eight were earned) on 10 hits in five-plus innings.

Potts was 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring three runs, and C.J. Lynn was 2-for-4. Rich Witten hit his eighth homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning, and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Ronnie Hawkins doubled and Davis Teater and Deshaun Warren singled. Deangleo Durham went hit-less to end his 19-game hitting Witten bitched two innings, allowing two earned runs and two unearned runs on four hits. Lincoln County 210 000 0- 3 7 4 Mercer County 370 000 x-10 13 1 T.

Merriman, Tolar (2), Merriman (5) and K. Merriman, Boyd (5). McRay, Morgan (3) and Bottoms. Morgan, L-T. Merriman.

2B-Boyd (LC), Wickliffe (MC). 3B-Scheller (MC). Somerset 105 006 1 -13 14 0 Danville 102 301 1 8 8 3 W-Thompson. L-Potts (4-2). gan, Ethington, Wickliffe and Andy Potts.

After Kameron McRay pitched the first two innings, Morgan came on in the third and allowed only two hits over the final five innings. "Kameron pitched well and Justin came in and shut the door. We will need them down the stretch," Shope said. Lincoln's seven hits included a double by Logan Boyd. The Patriots also committed four errors, and Trevor Merriman took the loss.

Somerset 13, Danville 8 At Danville, Danville (19-8) couldn't pull off a third straight rally after Somerset scored six runs in the sixth inning. The Admirals, who came from behind to win their, previous two games, tied the game at 6-all after Somerset took a 6-1 lead in the third inning, then gave up six more rims in the sixth. "The last two days we've been able to come back and win games, but today we dug ourselves too deep a hole," Danville coach Paul Morse said. "With two innings to play, that's a pretty tall hill to climb. "We've just got to do a better job coming but early in games Mercer County used a seven-run second inning and five scoreless relief innings by Justin Morgin to defeat Lincoln County 10-3 Thursday at Harrodsburg.

The game HIGH SCHOOL was tied at BASEBALL 3-all when the Scotties sent 10 men to the plate in the second. They had seven hits in the inning, including two by Brandon Scheller, and they had 13 hits in all. It was the third straight game and the 11th overall in which Mercer (16-14) has scored in double figures. "We have scored 31 runs in the last three games and are hitting the ball extremely well," Mercer coach Jeremy Shope said. "All our players are seeing the ball well and making good decisions at the plate." John Wickliffe had three hits for the Scotties, while Scheller, Michael Bottoms and Evan Ethington had two each.

Wickliffe, Bottoms and Joe Collins drove in runs with first-inning hits to Mercer a 3-2 lead before Lincoln tied the game in the top of the second. The bottom of the second featured a leadoff triple and a single by Scheller and hits by Mor VIEWS, from Bl Authorized Dealer uTf) s. NASCAR vs. NBA This really is no surprise. Or shouldn't be.

NASCAR has surpassed the NBA in TV ratings. Since NASCAR started on Fox Sports and NBC, weekly races have drawn audiences that have been more than twice as big as those watching NBA regular-season and playoff games. This year, Nextel Cup races have averaged about 10 million viewers while network telecasts of NBA games average about 3.4 million. Of course, if every NBA game was as dramatic as the Lakers' 74-73 win over San Antonio Thursday night, those NBA ratings would rise to NASCAR-like levels. admit a change was needed rather than giving Paterno a contract that will have him coaching 18-year-old players when he is 80.

Tom Buchanan. No, Big Tom did not win the $1 million on Celebrity All-Stars Thursday night. However, he was in the final four based on voting by 38 million fans. That came as no surprise to me. After Monday's column about him missing his son's final college football games to compete on the CBS show, I've had numerous people call, e-mail or tell me that Big Tom was their Survivor favorite, too.

Too bad there's not a way to get Montgomery and Big Tom together. What a pairing that would be. to kick off the album's release Tuesday. UJoe Paterno. What is going on at.Penn State? Legendary football coach Joe Paterno went 3-9 last season and has had losing seasons three of the last four years.

He's 77 years old. But guess what? He got a four-year contract extension Thursday even though his team-went 1-7 in the Big Ten last year. Loyalty should be rewarded. Paterno won national titles in 1982 and 1986, His overall record is 339-109-3. His team normally has a high graduation rate.

Still, enough is enough. Someone at Penn State should have had the courage to Unlimited Minutes Only 1Q0 National Minutes ri rmm Accessories are Biiv One Free Long Distance Free t-JflZU per month Get One 12 Price Crtrt Twmt avx) CofxMiorw Apply See store tor delate Phone pictured not necessarily tree modal Nokia 3660 available adoWon-al cost. Accessories must da of equal less value lo rial' price..