The Marion Star from Marion, Ohio • 16

1 1 I 16 The Marion Star, Thursday. March 10, 1988 Goggled Bird nets 36 in Celtics' win Tribe skipper impressed with young first sacker the Indians in September 1983 after two years at San Bernardino Valley Junior College. In his first two years as a professional, Harper hit .278 and .299 for the Indians' Class -A team at Waterloo, Iowa. In 1986 his career stalled when his elbow was stepped on during a game and he suffered torn ligaments. Surgery was needed, causing him to miss half the season at Class AA Waterbury.

The Indians' front office noted Harper's big year last season and he was added to the Indians' major league roster in November of last year. That ensured Harper of a trip to his first major league training camp. And so far he is making the most of the opportunity, although he'll likely start the season with Class AA at Williamsport, P. 'U Tern Vs. give Boston a 119-118 lead, Johnson then blocked a jumper by Jon Sund-vold with two seconds left and Bird retrieved the ball before time expired.

Johnson finished with 16 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, four steals and just one turnover. The Celtics set an NBA record by taking 21 3-point shots, breaking New Jersey's mark of 20 in a 118-106 loss to the Spu rs on Feb. 2. Lakers 104, Knicks99 Los Angeles snapped New York's 13-game home winning streak as Magic Johnson had 26 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists to help Coach Pat Riley win his 400th NBA game. Mychal Thompson scored eight of his 10 points during a 17-7 run in the first 7:42 of the fourth quarter, turning an 80-78 deficit into a 95-87 lead for the Lakers.

The Knicks were led by Mark Jackson with 17 points and 13 assists. Bullets 115, Suns 111 Washington won its seventh straight game as Moses Malone scored eight of his game-high 24 points in the final four minutes. The Bullets led 91-77 after three quarters, but Phoenix rallied for a 100-97 advantage with 4:29 remaining. John Williams' layup cut the lead to one point and Malone made a pair of free throws to put the Bullets ahead to stay with 3 18 left. Pistons 103, Jazz 98 Detroit snapped Utah's five-game winning streak as Bill Laimbeer scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half.

The Jazz outscored Detroit 15-4 in the first 6:40 of the fourth quarter, closing to 87-86 on a 3-point field goal by John Stockton. But consecutive baskets by Isiah Thomas capped an 8-0 spurt and gave Detroit a 95-86 lead with three minutes left. Nets 97, Clippers 93 New Jersey, 3-26 on the road this season, won its second road game in three tries under new coach Willis Reed, limiting Los Angeles to 32 points in the second half. John Bagley scored 10 of his 24 points in the final six minutes for the Nets. GETTING AROUND-Los Angeles Lakers' James Worthy (42) puts an arch on the ball to get it areound New York Knicks' defender Bill Cartwright for a hoop during Wednesday's NBA battle in New York.

The Lakers defeated the Knicks 104-99. AP TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Spring training is not drudgery for rookie first baseman Milt Harper, who says he is thrilled to get into any Cleveland Indians games. "Just coming to this camp has been the biggest thrill of my life," Harper says. "When I was a kid I never thought about playing baseball for a career, or even playing it in high school.

I was content to be playing it behind my house." Manager Doc Edwards has taken notice of the left-handed hitter and stylish fielder. "He is really a good-looking first baseman," Edwards said. "And the thing I like about him offensively is that he's a guy who can hit for power, a high average, and he still draws a lot of walks." Harper did all of that last year for the Indians' Gass A farm team at Kinston, N.C. In 465 at bats, Harper hit .312 with 20 home runs, 97 RBIs, 31 doubles, and he led the Carolina League with 100 runs scored and 117 walks. "He may have had the best statistical year of any player in the organization," Edwards said.

In three games this spring, Harper has two hits in five at bats, and as a pinch hitter on Monday stroked a two-out single in the bottom of the 10th inning to drive in the winning run in a 4-3 triumph over the Seattle Mariners. "I was pigeon toed and had flat feet as a kid and my mother wouldn't let me play sports," Harper said. "She was afraid I'd get hurt. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that my friends talked her into letting me play." He was signed as a free agent by tor you. By BILL BARNARD AP Basketball Writer Dennis Johnson, having one of his worst seasons, is still dangerous at crunch time.

Larry Bird, with a broken nose and a broken eye socket, is still dangerous anytime. Johnson, with a career-low 41.5 shooting percentage and a 12.5 scoring average that is the lowest since his rookie year of 1977, had six points, two offensive rebounds and a victory-clinching blocked shot in the final 1:13 Wednesday night. The performance carried the Boston Celtics to a 119-118 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. "DJ saved us at the end," said Bird, who had 36 points and 13 rebounds while wearing goggles for the first time in his career to protect his eye. Bird said the goggles "bothered me throughout the game, but if I get hit there again it could mean surgery." Elsewhere in the NBA, it was Washington 115, Phoenix 111; Cleveland 117, Milwaukee 91 Detroit 103, Utah 98; the Los Angeles Lakers 104, New York 99; New Jersey 97, the Los Angeles Clippers 93; and Seattle 106, Sacramento 97.

San Antonio scored 10 consecutive points to pull ahead 116-113 with 1:31 left before Johnson hit a jumper with 1: 13 left and a layup with 56 seconds to go for a 117-116 Boston lead. Mike Mitchell, who led the Spurs with 20 points, then sank a jumper with 37 seconds remaining, but Johnson rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Bird and was fouled after rebounding his own missed follow shot. After making both foul shots to Soccer rule gets reluctant court backing DAYTON, Ohio (AP) Youth soccer backers hope a court decision that says a rule restricting high school players' rights is constitutional but blasts it as unfair will prompt legislative action. U.S. District Judge Walter H.

Rice on Wednesday said the Ohio High School Athletic Association can ban a player from varsity competition if the player competes on an independent team during the school year. But Rice also said he was frustrated the law forced him to rule that as long as the OHSAA was not arbitrary, its regulation was constitutional. The judge called the OHSAA regulation "unfair because it denies to high school athletes both the opportunity to develop their team and individual skills in independent soccer competiton and the opportunity to participate as members of their high school teams in interscholastic soccer matches." "It will give us more impetus in our push with the (Ohio) Legislature," where bills are pending to bring the OHSAA under state control," said James A. Martella of Cincinnati, president of the Ohio South Youth Soccer Association. Martella said varsity players who competed last year without any warning the rule would be changed will have to decide whether they want to play for their high schools next year or follow Olympic development programs this spring.

Some already are in tryouts for independent teams, he said. Soccer groups unsuccessfully had asked the OHSAA to delay its regulations. After a previous case lost by soccer players in 1985, exemptions covering Olympic development programs were loosened. But the OHSAA, reacting to concerns that other high school sports were losing players to spring soccer, tightened the exemptions again in October to make players show they are true Olympic prospects. OHSAA Commissioner Richard L.

Armstrong testified that he has rarely granted exemptions without extensive documentation, although the United States Soccer Federation has qualified Ohio's youth soccer programs as Olympic development programs. Soccer players and three independent soccer associations said the rule also violated the 1978 National Amateur Sports Act, which was designed to encourage Olympic development. "It's the very action that organizations like the OHSAA have taken that is the cause of our lack of competitiveness, be it in Calgary this winter or Korea this summer," said Richard J. Holzer, one of the attorneys who challenged the rule. Armstrong could not be reached for comment, but William S.

Heichel, OHSAA attorney, said the ruling was consistent with other cases. Holzer said he wanted to see Rice's final order, and how the judge dealt with the question of the national sports act, before commenting on a possible appeal. YOUNG'S OIL CHANGE SPECIALS PREMEX $14.95 NITREX $19.95 Both Includes Filter and tiihA Center 8 Reed 7 AM 10 PM AAA We Sell ATLAS Tires Batteries TRY OUR 2 BRAND NEW GAf OLINES SOHIO PLUS AMD SOHIO SUPER Get In The Swing For Spring New Grip Special $2.50 Victory or Tacimac MIRACLE WATER DRIVING RANGE 1984 Smeltzer 387 0150 Open Sat. Sun. 10 dark hi -Ml Sonics 106, Kings 97 Dale Ellis scored 24 points and Seattle hit 24 of 25 free throw attempts against Sacramento.

The Sonics never trailed. Sacramento, which got 27 points and 10 rebounds from Otis Thorpe, pulled within one point three times in the final quarter. The Kings hit only 61 percent of its free throws, with Kenny Smith missing seven of eight. SPORTS FANS I BET YGU DIDN'T KNOW Brought To You By Jeff Bennett Here's an interesting the start of this season in the National Basketball Association, there were 44 players in the league who are 7-feet tall or taller- while there were only 6 players who are 6-1 or shorter. Amazingly, one high school in America has produced 2 players who went on to win the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the Wilson High in Dallas produced both Tim TCU who won the Heisman in 1938.

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