The Daily Register from Red Bank, New Jersey • 21

SP (The Register) TS SCOREBOARD 5 CLASSIFIED 6 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1986 St. John defeats Falcons By JIM HINTELMANN The Register TINTON FALLS When St. John Vianney boys basketball coach Jim Carrigan went into the locker room at halftime, his team was leading Monmouth Regional, 27-10, but he didn't expect the second half to be so easy. Monmouth proved Carrigan right and came back wth a strong secondeffort, but the big early margin built up by the Lancers was enough than preserve a 57-50 North victory. victory avenged an earlier setback.

"Holding Monmouth to 10 points in the half was great," Carrigan said. "But they have a lot of talent and they shot in the second half the way they were capable of shooting. the first game, Monmouth got off to a good start at our place and I don't know why," Carrigan said. (Dave) Howard made a big difference in that game." Howard, who scored 21 points in the first game, didn't start yesterday's game and finished with only six. "We were too conservative in the first half," Monmouth coach Jay Fitzpatrick said.

"The first time we pressed them early, but I didn't want to do it today because we were shorthanded. We had only eight players suited up and two played in the jayvee Monmouth led only once in the game and that was at the beginning when Marcus Skipper put in a jumper, but the Lancers came back with 12 straight, five by John O'Brien, and Monmouth never caught up. Kevin Broderick gave the Lancers: a 29-10 lead by opening the third quarter with a short jumper, but Monmouth finally got going and used an 11-2 burst, four each by Howard and Skipper, to narrow the lead to 31-21. St. John built back the lead to 46-31 with 5:20 left and still was in front, 50-36, with 3:30 remaining.

See ST. JOHN, Page6C SWINGING WIDE Monmouth Regional High School's Kevin Broderick swings wide away from a St. John Vianney defender enroute to the basket during Massimino at his best? By BILL LYON Knight-Ridder Newspapers VILLANOVA, Pa. In the course of a meandering discussion of college basketball, it was suggested that Rollie Massimino might very well be doing the best coaching of his career this season. Not only that, but as good a job as any coach in the country.

From afar, Villanova's numbers appear modest, not especially imposing on the surface: 18 wins, 11 losses. But under closer examination they begin to take on a certain glow. They have been achieved against an adventurous and demanding schedule; the defending national champions have ducked no one. The guts of that championship team graduated, yet here Villanova is with a chance at a 20- win season despite some serious shortcomings. Like, for starters, a center.

So the theory was advanced that the rumpled little dandy who dances the fandango on the sideline must be having himself an MVP kind of season. The man himself would deny this, of course. Emphatically. Impatiently. With a disgusted wave of his hand, which he would then sweep through his thinning hair.

With a snort of derision. Because, above all, Rollie Massimino is fiercely, uncompromisingly, protectively loyal to his play-- ASSOCIATED PRESS WINNER Yannick Noah of France defeated Jan Gunnarsson of Sweden yesterday in the Lipton International Players tournament. Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors also won. For details, see Page 4C. Tar Heels supreme in poll INMOUTH ers.

And to suggest that the Wildcats are still playing practically perfect games against the Georgetowns of this world because the dancing demon on the sideline is coaching up a storm also implies that his athletes might be less than allAmerica candidates. No, Massimino would never own up to the charge of coaching better than he ever has, because it would be a slur on his kids. But what has to be a source of considerable pleasure to him though he conceals it is his sudden ascendancy in the official coaching genius registry. His name is now mentioned in the company of such mythical figures as Dean Smith and Bobby Knight, acknowledged demigods of the clipboard set. And there is a great irony in this.

For in his early seasons at Villanova, some critics insisted on assigning Massimino that most odious of labels: great recruiter, weak coach. There is among the roundball fraternity, you see, this inexplicable compulsion to rush to judgment on coaches, to assign them ratings that become reputations that tend to become enduring gospel. Accuracy is no concern. Once you have been labeled, it sticks. Hence, Knight, for all his detestable behavior, is regarded as positively brilliant.

No matter how many chairs he shatters, his way with an and an will remain unquestioned by the roundball fraternity. See MASSIMINO, Page6C THE MARK GOSTIN yesterday's Shore Conference Division North game at Monmouth Regional. ROLLIE MASSIMINO of week BOB SCRABIS Scrabis: Ivy rookie PRINCETON Former Red A former Register First Bank Catholic High School Team All-Monmouth County basketball star Bob Scrabis player, Scrabis has been a yesterday, was named Ivy starter for the last eight League Rookie of the Week for games. During that period, he his play in helping Princeton has averaged 14.1 points a University win two big games game. His overall average for last week.

the season is 7.4 points and 2.7 It was the second time this rebounds. season Scrabis has won this Scrabis has been playing honor. He was also third in the both guard and swingman for voting for Ivy League Player the Tigers this season and is of the Week. one of the few freshmen ever The 6-3 Princeton freshman to start at Princeton. scored 23 points, a college Princeton returns to the career high, in the Tigers' road this weekend with big 61-43 win over Harvard Uni- games again.t Yale and versity.

He came back with 19 Brown. The Tigers are 11-10 points in the 70-46 triumph overall and 5-4 in the Ivy over Dartmouth College. League. Furlong dominates es in gym meet SIMSBURY, Conn. Christine Furlong of the She completed her drive to the all-around crown Barnstormers Gymnastics Club of Rumson domi- with a third in beam (8.95) and third in floor nated the individual events of the New England Cup exercises (9.05).

by taking first in all-around and two other Her teammate, Christine Kaiser, was third in bars exercises. with 8.95 and fourth in vaulting with 9.30. Kaiser, Furlong, a 16-year-old junior at Red Bank 16, is a senior at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional. Catholic High School, won the all-around with a The Barnstormers took fourth place in the team 36.65 score. She was first in vaulting with 9.50, the standings in the meet, which had 180 Class I highest score of the meet, and uneven bars with 9.15.

gymnasts from seven states and Canada. North Carolina, unamimous as No. 1 for the second straight week and fourth time this season, led The Associated Press Top Twenty yesterday as the top five teams remained the same as last week. The Tar Heels, who received 62 first-place votes and 1,240 points from the nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, have been in the top spot for each of the 13 polls since the regular season began. North Carolina, which beat Clemson 79-64 in its only game last week and improved its record to 25-1, was behind only Georgia Tech in the preseason poll.

Duke, 25-2, survived a tough weekend to hold on to the No. 2 spot with 1,171 points. The Blue Devils beat No. 17 North Carolina State 72-70 on the road Saturday night and bounced back Sunday afternoon for a 75-74 victory over then-No. 14 Notre Dame.

Kansas, 24-3, held third with 1,087 points, 70 more than Memphis State, 23-2. Georgia Tech, 19-4, rounded out the Top Five with 960 points. The remainder of the Top Ten was St. John's, Michigan, Kentucky, Syracuse and Oklahoma. St.

John's, 24-3 and 928 points, moved up one spot from last week's ranking as the Redmen beat then-No. 9 Georgetown 60-58 on the road and won their 21st straight home game 74-54 over Connecticut. The Redmen's ranking is their highest of the season and they are the only team not ranked in the preseason poll to crack the Top Ten this season. Michigan, Kentucky and Syracuse moved as a pack as the three were 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively in 1 last week's voting. Michigan, 22-3 and 847 points, handled two Big Ten Conferences easily as they downed Minnesota 92-56 and Iowa 82-66, while Kentucky, 22-3 and 784 points, registered a big Southeastern Conference road victory, 73-71 at then-No.

18 Alabama. Syracuse, 20-3, received 678 points, 20 more than Oklahoma, 23-3, which fell to Missouri 101-88. Nevada Cal-Irvine Vegas, 99-92, sixth leads last the week Second before Ten losing followed by Bradley, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Indiana, Louisville, Navy, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and North Carolina State. Last week's Second Ten was Kentucky, Syracuse, Bradley, Notre Dame, Texas-El Paso, Indiana, North Carolina State, Alabama, Louisville and Virginia Tech. Jim Hintelmann Here's how clubs could be seeded he seeding committee for the Shore ConT ference nament will Boys meet and Girls Thursday Basketball at Cronin's TourRestaurant, Rt.

66 in Neptune. The two committees, with a coach representing each division, will select the top. 16 teams to compete in the playoffs which open Saturday at the home courts of the higher seeded teams. For the most part, the seeding committees do a good job, but there are always a few complaints. For our part, we would like to see at least the boys committee expanded to include a representative of each of the shore's three major newspapers: The Register, Asbury Park Press and Ocean County Observer.

That would provide a more balanced committee. Representatives of the local papers are allowed to attend the meetings and provide team records, but they usually can't make any suggestions. Since media people aren't allowed to vote at the meeting, this writer will give his own list of the 16 boys teams that should compete in the playoffs. There are still games to be played tonight, tomorrow and Thursday, but results (with a few exceptions) won't make any difference in these selections. Two of those games are tonight's ManasquanLakewood South showdown and Thursday's Long Branch-St.

John Vianney game. Here is the list: 1. CBA (19-0) This choice doesn't need any explanation. 2. Freehold (16-0) There will be some coaches who will point out that Freehold's schedule is suspect, despite the Colonials' unbeaten record.

True, the South is weak with the exception of Freehold and Lacey Township. The Colonials, however, routed two good teams, Freehold Township (twice) and Long Branch. Center Lee Perry is a solid Division I prospect. Freehold's schedule was weak last year, but the Colonials almost upset a veteran Asbury Park team in the NJSIAA tournament with a team a juniors. 3.

Asbury Park (19-1) The Bishops have come a long way, despite opening the season with only three lettermen from last year's 27-4 powerhouse. 4. Lakewood (16-4) The Piners have been on a roll lately with seven straight wins going See HINTELMANN, Page6C.