Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • 4

CLASSIFIED Cars, jobs, homes, Page 6C Section Press Sun-Bulletin THURSDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2001 HIGH SCHOOLS 4C, 5C COLLEGES 5C CHARLIE JAWORSKI EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR 607-798-1191 1-800-365-0077 cjaworskbinghamt.gannett.com pressconnects.com PORTS ft ft ted. fciBi Leading Off o)fir o)lyl LEADERS OF THE PACKS NHL Coverage, Page 3C Pittsburgh 3, Florida 2 (OT) Washington 2, Nashville 1 Carolina 6, Atlanta 3 Vancouver 2, Montreal 1 Dallas 6, Minnesota 2 Detroit 7, Chicago 3 Columbus at Phoenix Boston at Colorado San Jose at Anaheim NBA Coverage, Page 3C Detroit 90, New York 85 Philadelphia 1 07, Vancouver 91 Phoenix 100, Miami 85 LA Clippers 100, Cleveland 94 New Jersey 113, Toronto 111 lege at the Civic Center in Providence, R.I. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30. The Friars are ranked No. 25 in the nation in this week's Associated Press poll and have the second-best record in one of the nation's top conferences, the Big East.

The Bearcats have never faced a nationally ranked Division 1 team. "It'd mean a great deal if we played really well, but it's meaningless if we don't play well," BU coach Al Walker said. "If we don't play well, we just label it as we're in over our head, which is legitimate because there's a heck of a lot of teams The game doesn't mean much to the Friars. It won't affect their RPI rating a key factor in determining berths and seed-ings for the NCAA Tournament because BU is in its final year of compliance and didn't play enough games against Division I opponents to have an RPI rating of its own. For the Bearcats, it's simply another chance to compete against Division I competition.

BU is 1-5 in those games this season. "If Providence plays well, we just don't match up," Walker SEE BU 5C Providence ranked 25 th in AP poll BY STACY CLARDIE Staff Writer Binghamton University, preparing for its step up to Division will get a huge dose of big-time men's basketball tonight. BU, in the highest-profile game in the school 's 55-year history, will face Providence Col that are in over their heads against a team like Providence if Providence plays well. Providence (19-7) is coming off a 96-56 home victory over VirginiaTech on Tuesday night. It was the Friars' 10th Big East win in 14 games, matching their highest victory total ever within the conference.

It would seem Providence is assured of its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1997-98, since no Big East team with at least 18 wins has ever been left out of the field. BU (14-11) has won seven of its last 10, including three straight by an average of 31 points. WRIGHT BINGHAMTON Conference: Unaffiliated Record: 14-11 Points: Jeffrey St. Fort 1 3.0 pg Rebounds: Joost Ooms 5.8 pg Assists: Michael Wright 3.1 pg Steals: Wright 2.1 pg. PROVIDENCE Conference: Big East Record: 19 7 Points: Abdul Mills 1 1 .4 pg Rebounds: Karim Shabazz 7.3 pg Assists: John Linehan 3.9 pg Steals: Linehan 3.32 pg LINEMAN HIGH SCHOOLS Fourth-quarter burst propels U-E 1 Houston 89, Minnesota 83 i LA Lakers 101, San Antonio 99 Denver at Seattle MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Coverage, Page 5C Top 25 (4) Duke 98, Georgia Tech 54 (6) Iowa State 62, Kansas State 51 (7) Florida 75, (1 2) Mississippi 55 (8) Arizona at Arizona State I (18) (11) Kansas 91, Colorado 79 (13) Kentucky 84, LSU 64 Auburn 72, (14) Alabama 69 (1 9) Wisconsin 64, Minnesota 54..

St. John's 73, (21) Georgetown 70 I Georgia 88, (22) Tennessee 76 (23) St. Joseph's 82, Dayton 72 (24) Wake Forest 92, Clemson 60. Upstate New York i Xavier 77, St. Bonaventure 60 Rumors have Mets pursuing Sheffield But 3-way deal may be needed FROM WIRE SERVICE REPORTS PORT ST.

LUCIE, Fla. If the New York Mets are to succeed in acquiring outfielder Gary Sheffield from the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's becoming apparent it's going to take a three-team trade to 4 il? A For late scores: 798-1343 Guard's play helps Tigers advance BY KEVIN STEVENS Staff Writer ENDICOTT -i. Athletic superiority outweighed too-frequent offensive and for that reason Union-Endicott's boys will step forward in Section '4's Class A basketball bracket. The Tigers used a closing 16-6 surge Wednesday night to dispatch Horse-heads by a 65-55 final tally that was hardly indicative of the difference between the two on this night. U-E guard Kashif Summers provided ignition for the telltale fourth-quarter first by claiming one of his 10 rebounds and turning it into two points to break a 49-49 deadlock that was the final tie of the night.

Summers would go on to convert back-to-back layups, each rewarding U-E's defensive efforts, and the Tigers (14-5) eased away to claim a semifinal berth against Elmire Free Academy. That contest is scheduled for, Saturday at a time and "I jfst wQiflaiMl'the fans in for our practice U-E coach Mark Ward, lamenting his team's inability to translate practice-floor performance into game-night production. "I don't know if it's nervousness or our aggressiveness or what it is, but we just don't seem to execute, to break (defenses) down." This was a Horseheads team that took the floor with a 5-15 record, but which clawed back from a seven-point hole in the waning seconds of the third period to tie the game 97 seconds into the last. A three-point goal from Chris Burgess followed by a jump shot by Andrew Tuni-son after he'd beaten U-E back up the floor in transition evened the contest at 49 with 6:23 to play. It was then that Summers got down SEE U-E 4C SHEFFIELD get the job done.

There has been speculation that the Chicago Cubs may be involved in the negotiations. The buzz is that a deal could be in the works that would move the unhappy Sheffield from Los Angeles to New York, prospects from New York to Chicago and Quick Hits U-E grad swims to personal bests Union-Endicott graduate David Watts capped his freshman swimming season at Lafayette College with personal-best times in three events at the Patriot League Championships last weekend at Colgate University. Watts, a Southern Tier Athletic Conference All-Star last year, posted times of :49.32 in the 100-yard freestyle, 1:48.78 in the 200-yard freestyle and 5:08.59 in the 500-yard freestyle. The Lafayette men's team finished fourth, behind Army, Lehigh and Bucknell. Scott Brown ESCOBAR Is 4 1 i INSIDE More boys basketball.

SUZIE O'ROURKE staff photographer Ing the first half of Wednesday's Section 4 Class A tournament game. U-E went on to win at home, 65-55. Union-Endicott's Kevin Mihelc, left, and Horseheads' Andrew PAGES 4C, 5C Kelly scramble for the ball as it heads out of bounds dur- Sidney graduate receives honor Sidney High graduate Craig Dawson was an honorable mention selection to the All-SUNY Athletic Conference men's basketball team. Dawson, a junior center for Oneonta, was among 16 players recognized by the SUNYAC coaches. Will Mensah, who played for Delhi College before moving on to UticaRome, was a second-team selection.

Sean Mayer Norwich junior excels at swimming qualifier 0 ,1 si slugger Sammy Sosa from the Cubs to the Dodgers. The Chicago Tribune reported that Alex Escobar, last year's Eastern League Rookie of the Year as a member of the Double-A Binghamton Mets, would be among the players going from New York to Chicago. "We still have some things to talk about with the Dodgers, as well as some other clubs," Mets general manager Steve Phillips said Wednesday. "As people have time to talk through issues, other teams end up having ideas about things, too. Sheffield feels he is unappreciated by the Dodgers.

He wants out of Los Angeles unless his six-year, $61 million contract, which runs through 2003 and has an option for 2004, is renegotiated. But the Dodgers wanted the Mets to part with either catcher Mike Piazza or second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo. Phillips said no. "The Dodgers don't want prospects, so therefore we can't make a proposal because we have already said no to the guys they are interested in," Phillips said. The Cubs-Dodgers-Mets trade is intriguing but has potential drawbacks.

Sosa becomes a free agent at the end of the 2001 season and has indicated he'll seek a six-year contract worth between $17 and $20 million a year. The Mets may have denned the two major-league-ready prospects the Cubs are said to be seeking, but Sosa must give his approval to any deal that involves him. And the Dodgers, payroll, are said to be hes-itant about taking on a player who may be very costly after the 2001 season. INSIDE Mattingly happy with Yankees role. PAGE 2C BY MIKE MANGAN Staff Writer OWEGO Norwich junior Dan Holmberg advanced to the state meet in three events, and teammate Jon Aikins and Vestal's Ray Standish each did so in two events Wednesday at the Section 4 State Qualifier swim meet at Owego Free Holmberg won the 50-yard freestyle and was second in the 100 free.

Holmberg and Aikins each swam legs on Norwich's winning 400 free relay team. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships are March 2-3 at Erie Community College in Buffalo. STORY 5C Get off the couch Tonight's event worth seeing: Binghamton at Union-Endicott Class A volleyball semis, 7 p.m. SUZIE O'ROURKE staff photographer Vestal's Ray Standish qualified for the state meet in the 100-yard backstroke and 200 freestyle. Icemen schedule gets tougher as UHL forces Prowlers to fold One to WATCH 0h x4 -l-J It could have a big impact on the BC Icemen, who were supposed to play the last-place Prowlers three, more times.

Under the week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court claiming the Prowlers were damagingthe league 'sintegrity and competitive balance. A hearing was held Wednesday, and Judge Stephen D. Gerling ruled for the UHL. "I don't see how anybody would've benefited from them playing," said Snyder, whose Icemen beat the replacement Prowlers 18-4 on Feb.

11 and 6-0 three days later. "The fans weren't supporting it, players tend to get hurt in those situations and it wasn't helping the league." ville, and road games March 25 and March 30 will be played March 1 against Kalamazoo and March 28 against Northeast Division-leading Adirondack. The Icemen are one point behind Elmira for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot Elmira had only one game left with Mohawk Valley. "I didn't think they'd be able to finish the season, and I didn't want them to," Icemen general manager Patrick Snyder said. "We didn't have a lot of options in redoing the schedule, so we have to accept what BY SCOn LAUBER Staff Writer BINGHAMTON Under pressure from the United Hockey League, the bankrupt Mohawk Valley Prowlers ceased operations Wednesday, going out of business in only their third season.

The UHLhas issued a revised schedule that will preserve each team's 74-game schedule by replacing games against Mohawk Valley with other opponents. Each team will still play 37 home games. they've given us." The Prowlers, nearly $2 million in debt and unable to pay players' wages or housing allowances for January, filed Feb. 1 for Chapter 11 in United States Bankruptcy Court and have played with replacement players since their regulars went on strike Feb. 11.

The regulars were released from their contracts Feb. 13, and many have signed with other teams. With the replacements, Mohawk Valley went 0-5-0 and was outscored, 50-7. The UHL filed papers last SNYDER SABRES AT DEVILS 7:30 tonight, Empire (27) The Sabres lead this matchup featuring two of the NHL's best goalies 3-0. Buffalo's Dominik Hasek is 24-18-4 with a 2.20 goals-against average.

New Jersey's Martin Brodeur has even better numbers 27-13-11 with a 2.36 GAA. revised schedule, two of those games will pit the Icemen against division leaders. A March 31 home game will now be played against Southeast Division-leading Ashe-.