The Herald-Palladium from Benton Harbor, Michigan • 16

THE NEWS-PALLADIUM, BENTON HARBOR, MICH. PAGE SIXTEEN MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1972 Three Michigan Ca CD ions Keep Their Growias' BY JIM DeLAND Sports Editor EAST LANSING Michigan's high school basketball championships are always a good show. Even with the same old ending. That was the case here Saturday in an unprecedented performance that saw three champions successfully defend their titles for the first time in the history of the statewide competition. Flint Northern in Class River Rouge in Class and Shelby in Class all emerged with their second straight titles, but not before they had brought their fans to the verge of cardiac arrest in games that were not determined until the final three less.

Rouge enacted a near-miracle by outscoring Muskegon Heights 8-0 in the final 45 seconds to present veteran coach Lofton Greene with his fourth straight Class title and 12th in the past 19 years, 65-64. Flint Northern followed suit by outpointing Pontiac Central 8-2 in the last two minutes for a 774-71 decisionandShelby swamped Saginaw St. Stephen 15-5 in the final three minute? for a 71-61 conquest. The only team that had an easy time of it was top-rated Ewen-Trout Creek, which rolled up a 28-point lead against outmanned Flint Holy Rosary in the Class title game and coasted to its first state Both Flint Northern (25-0) and Trout Creek (26-0) finished the year with perfect records and Northern now has a 33-game winning streak and 47-2 record in two years under coach Bill Frieder. All four championship teams were built around outstanding individual stars who proved themselves under extreme pressure In the case of Rouge it was forward Leighton Moulton, who scored four points in the last 23 seconds including two free throws with only two seconds left to reclaim a game that Heights had won.

"I saw the vision," Heights coach Ossie McCarty admitted, "and I think my players saw the vision, too. We've heard many times about the poise of Rouge, and I think it showed." The usually stoic Greene was as excited as anyone at the end, leaping on the court and embracing Moulton, who finished the game with 24 points. "I'm going i to coach one more year and that will be it," said the perspiring Greene. "I told my assistant to get ready." Flint Northern's "victory was engineered by forward Wayman Britt, who scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half while providing the leadership and playmaking that gave the Vikings their third victory of the season over Pontiac in a rare final between two members of the same league. "They're a great ball club," Frieder said of Pontiac, which has never won a state cham-' pionship despite 22 appearances in the finals or semifinals.

"They're definitely the best we've played. Grand Rapids Union or Detroit Cooley can't compare with Pontiac." Larry Russell, the younger brother of University of Michigan freshman sensation Campy Russell, spearheaded Pontiac's upset bid, with 25 points. Paul Griffin, Shelby's 6-foot-9 center, was the dominant figure in the Class game with 23 points and 21 rebounds as well a major role in beating St. Stephen's zone press. His presence on defense also produce 35 per cent shooting by the Titans compared to -Shelby's 54 per cent accuracy.

Trout Creek simply had too many guns for Holy Rosary and the biggest was 6-4 center Gary Fors, who earned the day's scoring honors by tossing in 26 points. Bob Bessen added 21 and Bryan Besonen 19 for the -Panthers, the first Upper Peninsula team in two years to reach the finals. SlL(IlLc3lLlL3IIL3 One Ihnge Left -For UCLA Collegiate Record Winning Streak In Serious Jeopardy Now McCarter is from Phila delphia, rrgovicn is trom tast Chicago. And that could spell 'title No. 9' for the Wizard of Westwood.

Florida St. (7t) OFT UCLA (ID OFT Hl'lUm 11 1 1 LOS ANGELES (AP) The only province left to conquer for UCLA's incredible basket--ball team is the collegiate record for most victories in a row 60. The way things look, that mark may be in serious jeopardy. After clinching NCAA crown No. 8 Saturday with an 81-76 victory over pesky Florida State, the Bruins took the basketballs home for a year.

Some have said the current John. Wooden group will go unbeaten for at least another two years. The king isn't about to The reason: four of Saturday's starting five return, along -with iihe-three top reserves. Up from a good freshman team come two or three explosive lads who could easily "bump" the stars. UCLA is unbeaten in its last 45 games.

But going unbeaten for another two years is an absurd thought in the mind of All-American center Bill Walton, whose 57 points and 41 rebounds in the Bruins' final two games led to his being named top player of the NCAA Florida State coach Hugh Durham admitted the great poise of the Bruins in the championship game, but said his kids "played one heckuva game." He acknowledged the key was Walton plus the coaching attitude of Wooden. "Wooden is 'way ahead of other coaches in his philosophy. He just says, 'Play your best, be well prepared mentally and physically and be able to hold your head high after the game regardless of the Of this version of Bruins tournament. "I don't know if it's possible to go unbeaten for three years," said the 6-foot-ll sophomore, who appeared annoyed that the question was brought up. "After all, the greatest player who ever played lost two games when he was here." The reference was to Lew Al-cindor, now called Kareem Ab-dul-Jabbar.

When he was at UCLA, the Bruins were 88-2 although Alcindor was named player of the NCAA tournament all three years as the Bruins were winning titles. teams, only senior guard Henry Bibby goes, but his replacement is reserve Tommy Curtis, a run-run fast-break leader. Up from the freshman team comes Andre McCarter, a 6-foot-4 guard who is the younger brother of former Drake All-American Willie McCarter. Also, 6-5 Pete Trgovich, a lithe, sharp-shooting lad with the great quickness Wooden loves so much. Wooden doesn't like to recruit outside of California and only does so when he hears of a player he especially wants.

2 00 4 til 24 I 2 3 18 0 SO 0 1 00 2 4 0-1 8 1 0-1 2 Gar'rf Royals McCray King Sam'l Harrij Petty Cole Totals 11-1 3 5 5-4 15 3 2-5 8 12 3-3 27 3 0-0 6 7 2 3 It 0 1-1 1 0 0 0 0 31 14-19 7 F'rmr Wal'tn Bibby Lea H'lyfld Curtis Nater Totals MMS81 FlorldaSt. J7-7 UCLA SO 11 -II Fouled out Florida McCray Total fouls Florida St. 15, UCLA 15 if' Jill Drieell Ahead Of Schedule NIT Championship Last Goal 14 deficit to a 42-35 halftime lead. Tnm MpMillpn thnnoh haH How does Michigan's high school basketball talent stack up in comparison to Indiana and Illinois? That's a question common among fans from this corner of the stater where television provides much more exposure to players in the out-of-state tournaments than to the homegrown variety. 5 A consensus of opinion probably would tend to favor the Hoosier and Illini cagers, but it would receive no support from Michigan State University basketball coach Gus Ganakas.

"I think we have just as many good players as either Indiana 1 or Illinois," Ganakas says. "Actually, I think Ohio may be the strongest of all, but there's nothing wrong with basketball -here. "If we could get the best players out of Michigan, we'd always be strong." Ganakas may have a built-in bias since his background includes 12 years as head basketball coach at East Lansing high but he also may be right. No Michigan teams in the past couple years probably could have stood up to super-powers like East Chicago Washington or Dolton Thornridge how many teams in the nation could? but the top Class A teams certainly could have provided as much opposition as Quincy or Floyd Central. On an individual basis, Michigan might well be able to match Washington's Pete Trgovich or Thornridge's Quinn Buckner with players like Campy Russell or Lindsay Hairston, who also received prep All-American honors.

Ganakas certainly seems determined to prove this thesis with his own Michigan State teams, which are being built almost solely around players from this state. His varsity this past season had only one player from out of state Allen Smith of Chicago and the Spartan freshman squad had only two Peter Davis of Brooklyn and Steve Borenstein of Highland, HI. Sophomore sensation Mike Robinson the Big Ten scoring champion is from Detroit and the most promising freshmen i are also Michigan products Hairston, Bill Glover of Pontiac Central, Lovelle Rivers of Detroit Mackenzie and Tom McGill of Flint Northern. Three of rival Michigan's top freshmen also are home grown Joe Johnson of Detroit Kettering, Bill Ayler of Detroit Northwestern and Russell, the 6-8 superstar from Pontiac Central who was selected as the No. 1 prep eager in the country i last year by Basketball News.

Ganakas concedes that Buckner is probably the most sought-after player in the midwest this season, but has made no more than a token effort to get him. "We sent him a letter, but that's all," Ganakas says. "We don't have any in with him, so we really have no chance. If he decides on the Big Ten, he'll go to Illinois or Northwestern. They won't let him get away." Probably Ganakas' top recruiting target at the moment is Wayman Britt, the 6-2 forward who led Flint Northern to its second straight Class A championship last Saturday.

"They call him a forward, but he does everything," Ganakas notes. "He brings the ball down, runs the offense, passes off, whatever has to be done. He's a better prospect than Larry Fogle (the Detroit Cooley sensation who scored 73 points in three periods of one game this year) and he won't be playing out of position." Britt was reported headed for Iowa, but Ganakas says that's the one school that definitely won't get him. "Bill Frieder (Flint Northern's coach) called me last week and said Iowa had sent him a tender and then told him he's have to sign right away or it would expire. He wanted to know if this was right.

"I told him it was. why we don't send out any tenders until the tournaments are over. Anyway, he told me Britt didn't sign within 10 days, so that's it. "The tender's dead. never can sign him now." Considering recent Maryland history, it's not a small accomplishment.

The Terps had three straight losing seasons before Driesell came on the scene and changed the complexion. enough time to tie Bodell for team-high scoring honors with 19 points, and Len Elmore had enough time to bully the Purple His record steadily jumped irom a43-13 won-losLmark jn Eaeles unmercifully under the his first year, 14-11 his second basket. He blocked 11 shots and seized 15 rebounds. McMillen's performance in the tournament included 91 points and 44 rebounds and earned him the Most Valuable Player trophy. Before the feature game before 14,668 fans at Madison Square Garden, Jacksonville nipped St.

John's, N.Y. 83-80 for third place in the tourney. NEW YORK (AP) When Coach Lefty Driesell joined Maryland's beleagured basketball team three jifcars ago, he had three goals jn mind. He got the first two during the regular season this year and the last one on Saturday. "I'm ahead of schedule," said Driesell after his Terrapins pounded Niagara 100-69 for the championship of the 35th National Invitation Tournament.

The NIT, or more precisely "a national championship," was one of Driesell's goals. "As far as I'm concerned, this is the national championship," said Driesell who also lifted Maryland to "national prominence" and "national -ranking" this year. Those were the other goals. "The victory in the NIT is the greatest win I've ever had because it is my first national title," said the Maryland coach. and 27-5 this year.

"Our record this year wasn't bad, you know," Driesell said, stressing his disappointment over the No. 14 ranking in the Associated Press' final poll. He thought the Terps deserved better, pointing to Saturday's easy triumph. He had something there. Once the Maryland club broke Niagara's press with its fast break, it was all over.

That fast break was Jed by Bob Bodell, part of Maryland's maligned backcourt. Bodell scored 15 points in the first half, most of them on uncontested breakaway shots, and pulled Maryland from a 21- Maryland (180) Niagara () 5 6 19 0-1 18 12 12 16 0-2 18 Ch'sr Street Roystr Wil'lms Reedy Taylor Raylor Ellis Miller Mc'ln O'B'rn E'lmr White Bodell Porac Neal Trm'bl Brown Blank 3 4 0 0 0-1 0-0 0-0 00 FAMILIAR SCENE: A happy Henry Bibby of UCLA's basketball team accepts the NCAA championship trophy today from Tom Scott of Davidson College, chairman of the NCAA tournament committee, after UCLA beat Florida State, 81-76 in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The championship was UCLA's sixth straight. (AP Wirephoto) Wn'gte 10 10 14 30 Whalen 0 0 0 100 Totals 27 15-27 Totals 40 20-26 Player Takes New Orleans Title Maryland 42 58100 Niagara 353449 Fouled out None. Total fouls Maryland 17 Niagara 20.

Technical fouls Niagara coach Layden. A 14,668. Drags Postponed CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The $20,000 World Record Drag Racing Championships were postponed over the weekend until April 15-16 because of a three-inch snow. iron to within 3V2 feet on the final hole for a birdie that gave him a 71 and a tie with Nicklaus for second at 280.

Each picked up $11,575 from Lister, 71, came on to share fourth at 281. Defending champion Frank Beard finished far back at 287. England's Tony Jacklin had a last round 76 for 294. Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino did not compete. the total purse of $125,000.

I tershis next stop and the first to string together 10 consecutive $100,000 seasons. Billy Casper, who had led or shared the lead through the first three rounds, collapsed with a 76 and finished well back 4 at 283. He wasn't a factor after the first three holes. Rookie Billy Ziobro, with a 70, and New Zealand's John pushed Nicklaus' season-lead ing money total to $109,651. Nicklaus thus became the first player ever to amass more than $100,000 prior to the Mas Tonnirimey ATTENTION MEN! NEW ORLEANS (AP) Gary.

Player was standing in the locker room next to Jack Nicklaus and was peeking at a list of the season's top money winners, which showed his total as $38,000. "Not. bad for a few weeks work, eh, laddie?" the little South African asked, nudging Nicklaus in the ribs. "Not good for you, perhaps but fine for me." J- He turned to some passersby "You know the old story about Sam Snead burying his money -in tomato cans? This one (and he indicated Nicklaus) needs barrels." Player, competing in only his -fifth tournament on his current American swing, had just picked up $25,000 Sunday with his victory in the Greater New Orleans Open. He'd surged past Nicklaus with a final round 69, three under par, and finished the 72 holes at 279.

Nicklaus, who held a two stroke lead at one stage of the final 18, had to bircjie the last hole to close to within one stroke. He had a a 73 including a double bogey five for 280. "I just played terribly," Nicklaus said. "I hit the fairway on the third hole and didn't see one again until the seventh." He was in the woods, once salvaged par from the water, was plugged in bunkers and once lost a good lie when "a 280-pound man came tromping along. My ball was sitting up real good, but he was shaking the ground and the ball rolled into a hole." Dave Eichelberger, Nicklaus' playing partner, in the final round, ripped a long CI Class ass Flint Northern (74) Pontiac Central (71) This Week's Spotte GdiB TUESDAY 11:00 p.m.

Bulls-Lakers (playoff) Channel 9 THURSDAY 11:00 p.m. Bulls-Lakers (playoff) Channel 9 Saginaw (61) Shelby (71) Britt 11 2 2 24 Russell 10 5 6 Furlow 6 3 4 15 White 5 2 6 Johnson -3 3 7 Marshall 5 3 4 Coates 25 Beavers 12 Moody 13 Webber Wilson Boswell Jacques 14 12 04 0 0 26 3-7 00 00 15 J.Grfin 13 P.Grfin 4 Vndnen 0 Goselin 16 Sanford 13 Raeth 0 Danville 0 Beckman Maybe You Do or Don't Care How You Look BUT SHE Now in Michiana A REVOLUTIONARY NEW PART THAT WILL CHANGE THE WHOLE HAIR WEAVING INDUSTRY. We know you will be anxious to investigate and see THE PART NEXT TO NATURE'S OWN. NOT a Toupee NOT a Transplant NOT a Hairpiece NOT Surgery Sleep Shower Shampoo Swim with Full Head of Hair! Will Never Come Off! For complete information and FREE consultation 7 6 2 0 7 5 0 0 27 Ragland 2 11 5 Green 4 0 0 12 Jones 7 12 15 Cole 3 0-1 6 Bridges 1 4 6 6 Herring 11-13 Totals 30 14-22 74 Totals 30 11-1171 12 6 3 Johnson Flint Northtrn ....24 16 16 7-19 61 Totals 30 11-18 71- 17 18 20-71 Exhibition Baseball .15 13 13 2061 Pontiac Central ...14 27 17 1371 Shelby -Fouled Out Pontiac Central, Marshall. Saginaw Fouled out None.

Total fouls Shelby 14, A 12,500 St. Stephen 12 Glint Northern, none. Total Fouis Flint Northern 14, Pontiac Central 15. A 12,500 Class Saturday's Results New York (N.) 7, Philadelphia 4 Detroit 4, St. St.

Louis 1 Houston 9, Los Angeles 3 Pittsburgh 7, Chicago (A.) 3 Texas 7, Atlanta 5 Cincinnati 6, Kansas City 2 Cleveland 2, California 1 Minnesota 5, Boston 2 San Diego 9, Chicago (N.) 6 Milwaukee 5, Oakland 3 Baltimore 4, New York (A.) 3 E5e up (Koest TO VIEW AN EVENING OF Judo EACH TUESDAY THURSDAY EVENING 6t30 to 9 P.M. BRING THE FAMILY Class Rosary Ewen-Trout (74) Heights Holy Creek Rivtr Roug (45) Muskegon FT (44) Flint (6?) 24 Moulton il 2-4 Martin 1 00 2 Merwther CONTINENTAL HAIR STYLING, LTD. I 1321 East McKinley Mishawaka, Indiana 26544 I Name ADULTS ONLY! RED AfiROW BOOKS 2158 Red Arrow Hwy. Benton Hts. NO ADMISSION 11 Besnen 19 Niemi 15 Fors 13 Bessen 4 Carlsle 13 35 59 1-1 00 00 9 1 12 10 2 0 1-2 22 24 1-3 0 1 0-1 Wilson 5 35 Steele 6 1-2 Ridgell 2 1-2 Perry 4 0 2 Kelley Savoie K.Bukly Zafrf J.Bukly Torok JCrbsbn 13 Hardy 13 McGlthn 3 Smith Jones Myles Wa statu Sunday's Results Cincinnati squad) 5, Pittsburgh 4 Detroit 3, Philadelphia 1 Boston 7, "Chicago (A.) 0 Mglgln JLflJL Wnwing r0 0-4 0 New York4A Totals 29 7-15 45 Totals 27 10-21 64 Leas New York in.) 9.

Los Anael 1 Address Phone I I I Minnesota Atlanta 0, 11 innings Montreal 11, Houston 5 Cincinnati squad) 5, St. Louis 3 LARGE SELECTION NEW STOCK TWICE A WEEK LOW LOW PRICES Totals 26 10-18 62 Totals 34 6-14 74 Rivar Roug IB 9 1 65 Flint Holy Rosary 16 7 ,14 2362 Muskegon Heights 12 13 24 15 64 Ewen-Trout Creek 19 21 23 1174 Fouled out none. Fouled out None. I I einan Judo (Club 505 Pleasant St. St.

Joseph Baltimore 6. Texas 5, 14 Innings I City Stat Zip, Total fouls River Rouge 18, Muskegon Total fouls Holy Rosary 12, Ewen Chicago (N.) 3, Milwaukee 2 Heights 13. Trout Creek 12 California 7, Cftveland 1 A 12,500. A Oakland 8. Diego 3 10 TO 9-M0N.

-SAT..