Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 11

March 24. 1990 Dayton Daily Hmw I Sports GARY NUHN SPORTS COLUMNIST wSSmwwSmm- iv; W9BHBV MWI Cougars romp into state final Scales leads Colonel White over South; Portsmouth next Blanks shoots, hoots hollers for Longhorns DALLAS Gerry Myers, basketball coach at Texas Tech, was asked about the Southwest Conference awards like freshman of the year, player of the year, All-SWC. "It's too bad we don't have a jerk of the year," Myers said. "If have to be Blanks." He was talking about Lance Blanks of Texas. Now, a word from Texas guard Freddie Ricks: "He's the worst.

There's not even a close second. He drives you to hate him." Ww itCBl 1 Si BhK3HlWsB Bf ''3 mm aLK- tdHlaw' LlHaH mWk iiaaaaaaaaaaiaafl RUHH. He was talking about Lance Blanks of Texas. Might Houston's Byron Smith have something on his mind? "Someday, the (blee-pity-bleep) is going to trip over takes its toll over the course of a game. "Ivan and Jervaughn have taken turns carrying us.

Really, we didn't play well. If people aren't matching us basket for basket, our team starts to get sloppy. We need it to be tough. "I pretty much knew what they (Canton South) had as far as talent. They are not that big.

We're bigger and quicker. I'd hate to play a team that has as many big people who can play as we do." Clements said he did not think the Cougars played all that well. "We didn't maintain mental concentration. It was too easy. It was a so-so game.

The first quarter was decent. After that, we didn't do anything. They know how I feel. We get along because of that." Scales said he knew early on that Canton South was in for a long night. "I knew the first time that I got the ball inside that they couldn't handle me," he said.

"They just weren't strong enough. "I was out to prove something tonight that I am the best big man in Ohio. I saw in the paper I was special mention or something all-state. And I just wanted to show I was better than that." "We were confident coming in," said Patterson. "Our defensive intensity was really hot at the start of the game.

After we got a couple of steals and got going, we were really rolling." The Cougars tied one record Their half-dozen 3-point field goals Blanks By Greg Simms STAFF SPORTS WRITER COLUMBUS With just 3:35 expired in Thursday night's second Division II state semifinal game at Ohio State's St. John Arena, Colonel White's performance already had raised questions among many of the 1 1 ,634 guests. One, would Colonel White set a record for points scored? Two, would Colonel White set a record for margin of victory? Three, would boxing referee Richard Steele have stopped the game a minute into the first quarter? Four, how would the Cougars do against the Celtics? Yeah, the guys from Boston. All those questions seemed appropriate as the Cougars routed the Wildcats of Canton South 100-73 to move into the state championship game tonight at 9 against Portsmouth (24-2). Showing off an awesome blend of speed, quickness, jumping ability and strength, the Cougars (18-7) turned the semifinal into a laugher early on.

Jervaughn Scales, the Cougars' 6-foot-6 man-child, led the way with 32 points and 16 rebounds. Point guard Ivan "Hoggie" Patterson, who scored 19 points, guided his teammates with dipsy-doo showmanship. It was what Colonel White Coach Tom Clements expected. "Coming in, I thought that Canton South (20-6) was overmanned," Clements said. "Our size advantage, it wears on you.

It his tongue." EDDIE ROBERTSSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Colonel White's Jeff Elder shoots over Canton South's Matt Leslie in semifinals on Friday SEE C0UGARS2B Lions in 'Elite 8' despite Tide's tactics seven seconds left. Then, after Lowery missed a free throw with 3.6 seconds left, Alabama called a timeout. Horry took a length-of-the-court pass and narrowly missed a 15-foot turnaround at the buzzer. "It was a hard game for us to hang in on because it was much unlike the way we play," Lions Coach Paul Westhead said. "Give credit to Wimp (Coach Sanderson) and the Alabama team.

It was their game, their style and their pace." The Lions advanced farther than they've ever gone despite being held far under their nation-leading average of 125. Bo Kimble, the country's top scorer with a 35.7-point average, finished with only 19, and Loyola scored less than 91 points for the first time all year. But the basket by Lowery, a sophomore from Oakland who scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, provided just enough to keep Loyola on the court. "Bo kind of lost the handle," Lowery said. "The ball was floating near the free-throw line.

I got to it faster than one of the Alabama players did." Alabama (26-9) had its eight-game winning streak snapped despite becoming the first team this year to figure out how to stop Loyola's breakneck offense, shutting down the Lions with a slowdown offense and quick inside defense. Melvin Cheatum, who scored 17 second-half points to tie teammate Robert Horry with 21, missed an inside shot with OAKLAND, Calif. AP) Loyola Mary-mount, which ran into the record books this season, walked into the final eight Friday night. Held to half their average and lowest output in three years, the llth-seeded Lions (26-5) prolonged their dramatic run in the NCAA tournament by surviving Alabama's plodding style for a 62-60 victory in the West Regional semifinals. Terrell Lowery's driving layup with 33 seconds left provided anotherlmprobable victory.

That made it three consecutive wins since the death of center Hank Gathers just 19 days ago. Loyola Marymount Kimble 9-25 0 0 19. Stumer 3 8 0 0 7, Kniatit 0-2 0 0 0, T.Walker 0-5 0 0 0, Fryer 413 2-2 13. Peabody 3-6 1-2 7. Lowery 6-15 2-5 16, Scott 0 00 00.

Totals 25 74 5-962. Alabama- Horn 8-16 5-7 21. Cheatum 1018 1-2 21. Benoil 2-50 04, Waites 1-10-0 3, Sanders 3 7 2-38. Askins 14 12 3, Webb 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals 25-51 9-14 60. Halftone-Loyola Marymount 22. Alabama 21 3 point goals -Loyola Marymount 7-28 (Fryer 310. Lowery 2 8. Stumer 14, Kimble 15, Paa-body O-li.

Alaoama 17 iWaites 11, Horry 0-3. Sanders 0 3). Foubd Out Askins. Rebounds Loyola Marymount 39 (Stumer 12l. Alabama 40 fChealum.

Askins 9) Assists Loyola Marymount 8 'Stumer. Fryaf 21 Alabama 13 (Sanders 5). Total fouls- Loyola Marymount 17, Alabaman Technical i-D' He was talking about Lance Blanks of Texas. Finally, Todd Day of Arkansas: "It doesn't bother me what he does, but I don't understand why he wants to get out on the floor and embarrass his team like that." Bulletin! Bulletin! Bulletin! Lance Blanks is not a very beloved lad down here in Savings Loan Bustland. Pass it on.

Leader of Ail-Hate team "I know I'm on the All-Hate team," Blanks said. "I'm not proud of it, but there's nothing I can do about it. I like guys like Charles Barkley, Bill Laimbeer, Danny Ainge, who don't hold anything in." Xavier got a taste of Blanks' cartoon-like qualities Thursday night in an NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal. Tex and were tied 79-79 inside the five-minute mark in a game Texas would win 102-89. Blanks drove the lane, was fouled in midair, did a 180-degree twirl as if in a revolving door, tossed the ball up backward over his shoulder and it ricocheted off the board and into the basket.

It was a play worthy of celebration, but Well, but Lance went a bit overboard. He strutted along the baseline like a member of the Texas marching band, pointing to the crowd with both arms thrust upward. Then he began shooting imaginary six guns with both hands. Then he sashayed out oncourt. dancing like Paula Abdul, and met with his teammates in hugs and high-fives.

Oh, wait. How 'bout some more six-shooting? Then he whipped up the crowd a little more with arm-flapping and histrionics. He's an entertainer Would he take off like a bird, or would he shoot his free throw? Only Lance knew. Finally, he found the free-throw line and took his toss. He made it.

There was more arm-flapping, head-shaking and shoulder-rolling, and then, as he came back downcourt. Lance Blanks did not one but two 360-degree spins like Katarina Witt doing Carmen. It was precious, basketball fans, just plain precious. "Lance is an entertainer," teammate Joey Wright said. "Some singers just take the stage and sing.

Lance is Michael Jackson, all flash and pizazz." "If I had to watch somebody," Blanks said, "I'd watch me." No kidding. Arkansas will be watching today in the regional final in what figures to be nothing short of a SWC Holy War. "That six-gun charade ain't gonna help him Saturday," Arkansas center Mario Credit said. "He's gonna have to bring real guns." SEE NUHN5B City slicker Dayton's finest part of Trotter clan Charlton rates high with Reds kmmX TOM ARCHDEACON SPORTS FEATURE COLUMNIST Strains of gray now run through his hair and moustache. The newspaper clippings that peek from the pages of the worn scrapbook laying next to him are brittle and yellowed.

Although time has left its mark, there were no signs of surrender. Rather than wear those black-framed glasses, he kept them buried in the palm of his long, narrow hand. But then he didn't need glasses for this. It had nothing to do with seeing. It was all about touch.

"Back then, basketball wasn't what it is now," he was saying. "Mostly, it was two-handed set shots and patterned offense. "I could dribble almost like that guy aaah, let's see. what's his name? Ejrving That Dr. fella.

And I had this little deal where I'd come in for a basket and I knew the defense was going to jump with me. So I'd give a little fake and almost swing over. "They tried to make a rule By Hal McCoy STAFF SPORTS WRITER PLANT CITY, Fla. If the message Cincinnati Manager Lou Pin-iella transmits these days is not garbled, well, left-handed starting pitcher Danny Jackson can expect a change of address. Why else would Piniella keep saying, "Norm Charlton won't be in long relief." Piniella said it again Friday in his office after supervising another 3'4-hour Reds' workout: "We'll use our best pitchers in our best situations as much as we can.

With his record, Charlton could jump right into a starting situation. And we've told Norm that." What makes this peculiar is that the Reds already have seven starting candidates Jackson, Tom Browning, Jose Rijo, Rick Mahler, Ron Robinson. Jack Armstrong and Scott Scudder. What do they need with another? There are several clues. If Jackson, not a favorite of majority owner Marge Schott, is eliminated it leaves Browning as the only left- around here.

Said I was traveling. But actually I just was running in the air. It was just something a little different, something they weren't used to seeing." Across the room, Geral-dine, his wife of 49 years, added a moniker to that memory: "That's why they called him Slick Al." When he heard that old nickname. Al Tucker couldn't help but smile. Although the slick days were decades ago and Tucker is now about six weeks shy of 75, those basketball moves and where they took him are never far removed.

Especially tonight, when the SEE ARCHDEAC0N5B CHARLES STEINBRUNNER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Al and Gftraldinfi TtJCkef arc nf r.omnr.oc.