The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 5

5. PORT, THE BEACON JOURNAL SATURDAY, DEC. 23, 1989 SECTION Copley downs Horse racing 6 Wadsworth Obituaries 7 by 56-48 5 Classified 8 Bucks Cavaliers throw one away in loss to Ferry series to begin Sunday Guard's errors are most costly Cavalier in waiting jcav By Terry Pluto Beacon Journal staff writer Six weeks ago, the Cavaliers orchestrated the most talked-about trade of the young NBA season, sending Ron Harper and three draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for Reggie Williams and the rights to former he doing in Italy? The Beacon Journal sent pro basketball writer Terry Pluto and staff photographer Ed Suba Jr. to Rome last week to find out. Their exclusive report will be presented in a 3-day series "Danny we'll turn it over." Ehlo is the logical candidate at shooting guard, but he seems more effective coming off the bench.

Making matters worse Friday was that Ehlo was bothered by a groin pull injury that severely hampered his mobility. Reggie Williams, who came to the Cavs for Harper, has been unable to take hold of the position and has little idea of how to throw the ball to a big man near the basket. The Cavs also miss All-Star Brad Daugh-erty, the best passing center in the league who has been out all year after foot surgery. "With so many guys hurt, we haven't been able to have decent practices so we can get to know each other," said Price. "It's very frustrating." The Cavs stayed close Friday night because they worked hard on defense, they scrambled and showed some grit.

But heart alone won't get the job done on the road against a team such as Milwaukee. See CAV ALIERS, page C4 all, it would be the kind that turns a laboratory to ashes. "It was as if we had never seen each other before, like we all showed up at the gym and just played," said Price. "We were like strangers to each other." Passes went one way, people went another. Even the normally reliable Price had severe problems trying to figure out where everyone was going and what he should do with the ball.

He came very close to a bizarre quadruple-double for Price, logging 20 points, nine assists, eight turnovers and seven rebounds. There were several trouble spots, but the main one was shooting guard. Since the Ron Harper trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, no one has been able to establish himself as the guard next to Price. "I used to know where Ron would always be," said Price. "Also, when Ron was here I could let him handle the ball and I could run off picks to get my shot.

"Now, I worry that if I don't have the ball, i Milwaukee Last week, Milwaukee coach Del Harris fined his team $50 a man (the money going to charity) for failing to execute down the stretch. The Cavs are lucky Coach Lenny Wilkens didn't hit them with a $50 fine per turnover in their 112-100 loss against the Bucks here Friday night. Wilkens had, the money could have been enough to feed the starving people of Sudan for a week. The Cavs threw the ball away a season-high 28 times. The guard crew of Mark Price, Craig Ehlo and Reggie Williams made 17 of those turnovers.

If the Cavaliers had any chemistry at Duke All-American Danny Ferry. Ferry has opted to play his first season of professional basketball in Italy rather than the National Basketball Association, and probably won't be in a Cavaliers uniform before next season. But just who is this player the Cavs regard so highly, and what is Ferry: Cavalier in waiting" beginning Sunday. The series provides insights into Ferry the person as werl as the player, and also examines pro basketball in Italy and what it's like for Americans to play there. Look for the series starting In Sunday's Beacon Journal.

Crunch stumbles again Losing streak grows to 3 (y: ,5 1 1 A- f-. -n :3 '-fir 'ft fj, tkfjSr Jriit. fi-' X'iSi 4 jpfu 'it By Dick Shippy Beacon Journal staff writef Mack's time may be here Browns likely to rely on big back By Ed Meyer Beacon Journal staff writer Houston When Kevin Mack was doing his time for a drug offense, the Browns tried to look on the bright side of.4the season's darkest hour. 7Hopefully," executive vice president Ernie Accorsi said at the time, "we'll have him back when we need him most." To say the Browns need Mack in tonight's climactic game against the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome, a game in which the winner will lay claim to the AFC Central Division championship and an automatic playoff berth, is like saying Patton needed tanks. Take away the tanks and Patton 's army had no spearhead attack, which pretty much describes how the Browns have had to go to battle for most of this campaign.

Without Mack, who has played in only the last three games, no Browns back has cracked the 100-yard barrier this season. No Browns back has cracked the 90-yard barrier this season, for that matter. Why are those numbers important? They're important because the offense almost always has control of the game when a runner is producing 4 or 5 yards per pop for 20-plus carries. They're important because a strong running game sets up the play-action fake. All year, opposing coaches and players have said Bernie Kosar is most dangerous when he has the luxury of throwing off the play-action fake.

For the first time this season, Mack's presence gives the Browns a good chance to force defenses into guessing what they're going to do, which creates that invaluable split second of indecision as Kosar fakes the handoff and drops back to throw. After grinding out 55 yards in 18 carries in the overtime win over Minnesota, which doesn't sound like much until you consider it was the second-most productive day by a Browns fullback this year, See BROWNS, page C3 3 4 Santa Claus kicked out the first ball for the Cleveland Crunch at the Coliseum Friday night, then when that stunt was over the Crunch played like Donner" and Blitzen through most of three quarters in absorbing a third consecutive defeat. Dallas' 5-3 victory, achieved before 4,971, also was Cleveland's second consecutive setback in the team's 4-game holiday homestand. "It's high time to start getting back together," player-coach Kai Haaskivi said in reviewing another decisive thumping. played a quarter (of the season) and it's like we said 'Hey, we can play with BuQCfien we stopped." The Western Division-leading Sidekicks had a 5-2 lead after three periods, both Cleveland goals scored by Pato Margetic on power plays.

The Crunch offense otherwise had less blood than anemia in that span. The first, of Margetic's man-advantage goals was an awfully messy thing that bounced around like a jumping bean before rolling into the net on a deflection. Still, the messy stuff was not onesided. The Sidekicks had two shots reach the back of goal on deflections off hips. Margetic's second goal was more legit, the Crunch forward booting a rebound through the legs of a Dallas defender.

That should have cut into the Dallas lead except that, following the first Cleveland power-play score, the Sidekicks got downfield and had the ball in the nets 10 seconds later. Haaskivi, who sat out the game again with his bum right foot, said of that glaring letdown, "One of the things you emphasize is to stay on your toes after you score. It's a free kick theVi (for opponents) and we weren't ready; "It's like the first three games of our See ANOTHER, page C4 i J'itik 2 it 4A 4 HlfllM JP 4 a fciyiiiiiiiflffivriKmtiiiiiiiiioiiw Beacon Journal photo' Jocalyn William Crunch forward Hector Marinaro (21) tries to control ball and fight off Sidekicks' Richard Chinapoo Jamerson all the way back Rehab work pays off in NCAA record TOP MAC SCORERS I if The top individual scoring games by Mid-American Conference basketball players, with pomts. player, school and year; 60 Dave Jamerson (Ohio, '89) S3 Tommie Johnson (C '8?) 52 x-Jim Darrow (BG. '60) SO Butch Komlves (BG, '64) 49 Bert Kelso (C '73) 49 Don Potopsky (Kent, '73) 49 Butch Komive (BG.

'64) jt-Darrow ha'd two 52-poim games, 1960 Invaders' first loss a stunner Special to the Beacon Journal Fort Wayne, Ind. It had to happen sometime, but the Canton Invaders' first loss of the season was still a stunner, especially the way it happened. The Invaders (13-1) led the Indiana Kick here Friday night 8-4 late in the game. However, the Kick (6-8) came back to tie the score on two sixth-attacker goals. That got the Kick into overtime, where it gained a 10-8 victory.

Bob Poursanidis was the hero for Indiana. His first goal brought the Kick to 8-6 with 3:16 to play in regulation. But it was Bronn Pfeiffer who got the Kick into overtime on a 2-point goal with just 28 seconds to play. Poursanidis then scored the game-winner 7:24 into overtime. The Invaders' loss came in the team's second game of a stretch of three games in three nights in three different cities.

Canton defeated Milwaukee 8-4 Thursday night. Tonight it plays at Dayton. ed toward a good game. "My legs felt good warming up," he said. "I felt good early in the game.

I was hitting my shots early and getting a lot of opportunities. Others were scoring and making contributions, too." Jamerson started his barrage of 3-pointers midway through the first half. By halftime, he had 13 field goals, including nine consecutive 3-pointers, and 37 points. "I didn't know how many points I had, but I knew it was a lot," Jamerson said. "I didn't know what the records were." His fourth field goal in the second half broke the NCAA record set by Gary Bossert of Niagara, who hit 12-of-14 against Siena on Jan.

7, 1987, It also broke Fred Moore's 32-year-old single-game Bobcats record of 45 points. Jamerson's 60 points bettered the MAC single-game record of 53 set by Central Michigan's Tommie Johnson, and the Convocation Center record of 50 held by Scott Tedder of Ohio Wesleyan. Before Thursday night's game, Jamerson was averaging 28.5 points per game and had hit 31-of-65 3-point field-goal attempts. Associated Press Athens Dave Jamerson's basketball career might have ended his sophomore year at Ohio Universi- ty when he missed the entire season because of knee surgery. Jamerson refused to quit, however, and in a spectacular performance Thursday night the 6-foot-5 senior guard from Stow High set an NCAA Division I record for 3-point field goals, hit- "ting 14-of-17 shots.

7 "A lot of work went into it," Jamerson said. "After I injured my knee, it took a lot of work and it paid off. Now I am starting to get the real benefits." Ohio beat Charleston 110-81 as Jamerson made 21-of-28 shots from the field while scoring 60 points, setting school, arena and Mid-American Conference records. "Was there a record he didn't set?" Charleston coach Todd Landrum said. "He's a great player, and that's a huge understatement.

"That was just phenomenal." Jamerson played defense, too, OU coach Larry Hunter noted. "Jamerson's offensive performance overshadowed the great defensive job he did on Trimill Haywood, who was averaging 25 points a game and Dave held him to 10. "Dave put on a great show, and he deserved a night like that. Dave is a team player, and all of his teammates were with him all the way." Jamerson's performance was even more impressive considering he didn't play the entire game. He left with the Bobcats leading 95-60 with 8:33 to play.

Jamerson said all signs point Beacon Journal til photo Dave Jamerson (33) couldn't be stopped Thursday.