Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 45

MONDAY, NOV. 24, 1997 ASBURY PARK PRESS PAGE D9 SCHOLASTIC NJSIAA GROUP II FIELD HOCKEY FINAL QDSu Broken nose can 't stop Allentown from share of title 1 A 0 Lauren Zukowski (left) and Katie Nicholson celebrate after Pam Zukowski's goal gave Allentown a short-lived 2-1 lead. West Essex runs into a wall named Zukowski By BILL EDWARDS STAFF WRITER EWING TOWNSHIP Pam Zukowski was smack in the middle of the celebration, contemplating the end of a remarkable high school career. Katie Nicholson, a sophomore and one of the team's rising talents, held an ice pack to her face, trying to numb the pain of a broken nose suffered during warm-ups. Players and coaches crowded tightly together at midfield, the trophy front and center, posing for photographers, a moment frozen in time.

There were tears of joy and disappointment. They laughed, they hugged and they cried. Allentown's memorable field hockey season came to an unexpected finish on the ALLENTOWN 2 damp carpet WEST ESSEX 2 The College of Game ended Jeeyf!" after three terday. The Red-overtimes and West HB)BH Essex were declared co-champions after their 2-2 tie in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group II final. Through a relentless, highly charged 60-minute regulation, through three tense seven-aside 10-minute sudden death overtimes, they fought like two unyielding prize fighters.

That is how Allentown will remember the first state championship -in school history. "What are you going to do?" said Zukowski, who scored both Allentown goals, finishing with 36 for the season. "We came here to win. We didn't lose. We came so far.

We had three seven-on-sevens. After this, no one deserves to lose." The Redbirds (22-1-1) won second straight Shore Conference Class South crown, the SCT title, and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II. Since a 1-0 loss to Central on Oct. 9, they went 13-0-1. West Essex (22-0-2), with its gaudy reputation eight prior state championships and high level of skill, proved to be Allentown's toughest obstacle.

Yet the two teams matched up superbly in a high-stakes clash that featured constantly shifting momentum, frequent substitutions and constant pressure: There were 34 shots on goal; Allentown outshot West Essex 19-15. "Pride and determination, that's this team was all about," said Mary Ellen Clemencich, Allentown's coach. "This is a shining light for our school. It's been a dream season. We had so many goals when we started in August." West Essex broke on top at 8:23 in the first half when Annie O'Rourke rifled a shot into the left side of the cage.

Allentown, switching to a short-' passing attack to counteract the fast pace, evened the score with 6:05 left in the first half when Nicholson picked up a pass from Laura Harrison just past midfield, then passed to Zukowski at the circle for her 18th assist. An X-ray taken at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, confirmed Nicholson had suffered a broken nose on a shot that deflected off a teammate's stick during warm-ups. Denise Reed was hit in the face in overtime and received several stitches. Gonzca tops No. 5 Clemson In tournament UNHERALDED GONZACA used sharp outside shooting and sheer hustle to beat No.

Clemson 84-71 yesterday to win the Top of the World Classic basketball tournament at Fairbanks, Alaska. Matt Santangelo scored a game-high 19, including 5-tor-7 from 3-point range, and Quentin Hal added 18 for the Bulldogs (4-0). Greg Buckner put in 19 for Clem- son (3-1), but the Tigers couldn't' find way to stop Gonzaga's outside game. Harold Jamison added 16. The Bulldogs shot 68 percent from the field overall, but were even better from tang range, sinking 74 percent of their 3-pointers.

As important Clemson was a weak 2-for-12 from 3-point range. Clemson never led and threatened Gonzaga only once. With five minutes left Jamison got two buckets underneath and Tom Wideman got another tip-in to make it 73-67. That was It for the Tigers, though. Gonzaga figured out how to break through Clemson late-game press and matched Clemson basket for basket down the stretch.

Gonzaga's 14-point halftime lead came on the strength of its outside shooting. Hall was 2 for-2 and Richie Frahm and Santangelo 2-for-3 from long distance early. Gonzaga was 16-for-22 from the field in the first half. The Bulldogs widened their lead to 18 with six minutes left in the half when Santangelo hit a 3-pointer to make it 38-20. Clemson had early trouble gathering up offensive rebounds, with the Bulldogs grabbing 11 boards off Clemson shots.

Buckner and Jamison each scored eight in the first half for Clemson but went into the locker room down 47-33. I0NA 85, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 68: John McDonald and Kashif Hameed each scored 25 to lead lona in the Top of the World Classic's consolation round. Oonell Mitchell added 14 for lona (2-2), and hro Kresta had a game-high seven rebounds. LAFAYETTE 63, DARTMOUTH SI: Brian Enters scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Lafayette win at home. Dave Klaus added 13 points and 13 rebounds in his first start of the season for the Leopards (3-1).

Former St. Rose standout P.J. Halas had 11 points for Dartmouth. IN WOMEN'S GAMES: TENNESSEE 73, 32: Chamique Holdsclaw scored 16 points to lead the No. 1 Lady Vols to a road victory over the alma mater of coach Pat Summitt.

Tennessee, which led 31-16 at the half, went on an 1 1-2 run to open the second half to take control of the game. OLD DOMINION 79, ILLINOIS 65: The No. 3 Lady Monarchs withstood a late rally to beat the No. 7 lllini in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic. The event was held at Assembly Hall and 8,275 people attended, the second biggest crowd ever for a women's basketball game at Illinois.

Nyree Roberts scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Old Dominion (1-0). Aubrey Eblin also had 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Ticha Penincheiro added 11. PURDUE 78, STANFORD 68: Ste- phanie White scored 27 points to lead the unranked Boilermakers to a home win over the No. 4 Cardinal.

Purdue (2-0) also received double-digit scoring from Ukari Figgs with 16 points and freshman reserve Katie Douglas with 13. TEXAS TECH 93, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 83: Alicia Thompson scored 25 points and the No. 7 Lady Raiders shot 74.2 percent in the second half en route to victory over the No. 17 Ladyjacks in the final of Texas-San Antonio Classic Tournament.

Thompson scored seven points and had six rebounds in just nine minutes of first-half action and Rene Hanebutt connected on three 3-point baskets to help Texas Tech (2-0) secure a 35-35 tie. Ladyjacks guard Katrina Price scored 28 points for the second straight day to lead Stephen F. Austin (1-1). The Ladyjacks tied or led for 14:46 of the game's first 20 minutes, but shooting problems kept them from building more than a five-point margin. VIRGINIA 59, WEST VIRGINIA 58: Mimi McKinney scored all of her 11 points in the second half, including the game-winning jumper with 53 seconds to play, as the No.

12 Cavaliers won at home. McKinney was 6-for-6 from the line in the second half and grabbed six rebounds. Her 15-foot jumper after the Mountaineers missed a free throw gave Virginia (3-0) a 59-55 lead. ARKANSAS 83, IOWA 57: Kamara Stancle scored 20 points and Tennille Adams added 13 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Lady Razorbacks to an upset over the No. 11 Hawkeyes in the Reebok Women's College Basketball Classic in Boston.

Arkansas (2-0) held Iowa to two field goals in the first eight minutes of the second half and took a 53-33 lead on a jump shot by Treve Christensen with 12:48 left in the game. Adams, who had the first double-double of her career, including her first 3-pointer, scored five of Arkansas' points during that run. FLORIDA 68, NORTH CAROLINA 48: The fifth-ranked Tar Heels tell to the No. 9 Lady Gators in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic at Champaign, after falling behind 30-12 in the first half, and shot 27 percent tor the game. The closest North Carolina got in the second half came in the third quarter, when field goals by Teasley and Reid made it 34-17.

But Florida then scored nine straight points, including a 3-pointer by Bingham, for a 43-17 lead. VANDERBILT 59, JAMES MADISON 42: Jennifer Holmes scored 15 points and added seven rebounds as the No. 10 Commodores won at home. Holmes made consecutive layups during a 10-3 Vanderbilt run to put the Commodores ahead 38-28 with 11:50 to play. Holmes extended the lead to 52-39 on a layup with 3:58 remaining and added two free throws to make it 58-42 with 1:27 left.

BOSTON COLLEGE 82, TEXAS 68: Cal Bouchard scored a career-high 32 points, and Alissa Murphy added 17 as the Eagles upset the No. 25 Longhorns in the Reebok Women's Classic at Boston. Bouchard scored 22 of her points In the second half as the Eagles (2-0) went on a 11-2 run that broke open the game. The run started when Bouchard converted a layup and free throw with 13:32 left to give Boston College a 48-41 lead. The surge was capped by a jumper by Kim Beezer with 10:11 left to extend the BC lead to 56-43.

Boston College made 25 of 32 shots from the tree throw line and 16 of 28 shots from the field in the sec-Jhd half. 1 DAVID BERGELANDStaff Photographer kowski said. "I kept asking Tiffany and Dana (Woods) if they wanted to switch, especially when it looked like they were losing their breath. I was willing to play anywhere;" Zukowski's confidence on defense began growing early. "After the first time I stopped the girl I was marking in a one-on-one, I felt I could play with them," Zukowski said.

Lauren Zukowski's play was typical of her entire team's effort in the battle against West Essex, which has now won nine state titles and is known for its high skill level. The scouting report on the Red-birds: good athletes, very physical. But Allentown took advantage of the turf to show it is a highly skilled team as well. Players like Lauren and Pam Zukowski, Fodera and Katie Nicholson (who showed a ton of heart by playing the game after suffering a broken nose) showed they belonged on the same field with the Knights, Working combination after combination as Allentown matched West Essex scoring opportunity for scoring opportunity. In fact, Allentown finished with more shots, 19-15.

"People were expecting West Essex, with all its skills, to come out and blow right by us," Pam Zukowski said. "But we're an outstanding team, too." "We are just as skilled as West Essex," coach Mary Ellen Clemencich said. "We put a lot of pressure on them. A lot of people thought we were underdogs, but we stayed right with them." red Siegle is a staff writer for the Asbury Park Press. Val Millet (left) shoots past Kristen Gavin of West Essex as Allentown outshot the favored Knights 19-15.

EWING TOWNSHIP 'S tonewall" Zukowski? Allentown sophomore Lauren Zukowski earned the right to some sort of nickname after her performance in overtime against legendary West Essex in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group II title game that ended in a 2-2 tie and co-champi- onship for the two teams yesterday on the turf at the College of New Jersey. Zukowski played very well in regulation for the FRED SIEGLE Redbirds. But in the three 10-minute sudden-death, seven-a-side overtime periods, she took her game up several levels and put on the kind of performance that makes her a candidate for a fitting nickname. Fewer players on the field opens up the play and makes overtimes exciting in ordinary games. All that was magnified yesterday by the turf field which makes end-to-end action even more likely and the game's stakes.

One defensive mistake and you go home with no title. Time after time, the talented West Essex forwards brought the ball toward the Allentown circle. And time and again, Zukowski, Allentown's sweeper, stopped them cold and sent the ball back the other way to give Allentown an opportunity. "Lauren was so good today. She Skinner rallies for THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SUZUKA, Japan It took a long time for Mike Skinner to become Winston Cup rookie of the year.

Once he did that this year at age 40, his first victory against top-level competition wasn't long in coming. He beat Mark Martin by 3.742 seconds to win the NASCAR Thunder Special Suzuka exhibition race yesterday. Starting in the fourth spot, Skinner made a late charge to the front in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. He passed Ricky Craven on the 103rd lap, and raced nearly even with Martin's Ford Thunderbird through the final lap. 7 i mi DAVID BERGELANDStaff Photographer trying to get out of the sweeper position, especially as the overtime periods went on and the other players on the field tired.

She even created one of Allentown's best scoring chances in the waning minutes of the third overtime by carrying the ball deep into West Essex territory. "Being back there was pretty scary at first. I'm the last person besides the goalie, and I didn't want to be," Zu Sorenstam THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS By the time she parred the 18th hole to get into a three-way playoff in the LPGA Tour Championship, Annika Sorenstam had already wrapped up the player of the year and season money titles. Three holes later, she took care of one last remaining bit of unfinished business. Sorenstam capped her season the way she began it, beating Lorie Kane and Pat Hurst in a playoff to win the $160,000 first prize in the season-ending tournament yesterday.

"I feel like I'm living in a dream and I never want to wake up," Sorenstam said. "It's just' an unbelievable sweeps LPGA titles was stopping everything," Allentown senior Tiffany Fodera said. "Every time it was one against her, she came up with the ball." "She did an outstanding job," said Lauren's sister, senior Pam Zukowski, who scored both Allentown goals. "If it wasn't for her, we'd have been in trouble. She came through like a rock." Ironically, Lauren Zukowski kept NASCAR win Martin, who has won 22 Winston races including four this year, was driving in the first international race of his 24-year career.

He started from the pole position and led for 45 laps, until his first pit stop. "I tried everything in the book," Martin said. "I finally kept abusing my car more and more. At the end, we were all done." "We had a remarkable pit stop and I almost stalled it leaving," said Skinner, who made the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Scries tour stop at Flemington Speedway last year. "It was barely just enough to get in front of Mart." She pulled off the same feat in 1995.

This time it was much sweeter for the 27-year-old from Sweden. "When I won in '95 it felt like it just happened and I didn't feel like I was in control of it," she said. "This time set it as a goal when I started the; year." Kane, a 32-year-old non-winner in her first full year on the tour, started the day 6-under and bogeyed the first hole. She was flawless from then on, however, making six birdies the rest of the way in. Kane was aggressive in the playoff, running a putt by three feet on the second playoff hole, then rapping hejr 20-footer on the final hole five fcdt past.

,1 Sorenstam, who parred the last nine holes in a 2-under 70 final round, made three more routine pars in the playoff, winning when Kane pulled a 5-foot par putt to the left on the 17th hole. Hurst dropped out on the first playoff hole when she put her second shot in the water. It was the sixth win of the year for Sorenstam, who set an LPGA record with $1,236,789 in season winnings, and had already assured herself of the player of the year and money titles by finishing in a three-way tie after 72 regulation holes. "She's the best in the world," Kane said. It is the second time Sorenstam has won both playerof the year and been" the top money-winner for the season..