The Daily News from Lebanon, Pennsylvania • 11

jfcbanan flaiig ffomgf5 Pine Grove seniors hurt A-C Reinhart, Russell lead Cards over Annville-Cleona By MARK PISCO Sports Correspondent ANNVILLE Coming off consecutive losses in the Cedar Crest Tip-off Tournament, Annville-Cleona was looking for a little bit of before its game against Pine Grove. The Little Dutchmen received just that but it wasnt in the form of tropical sun and lazy days at the beach. Instead, it was the lethal twosome of Stacy Reinhart and Jennifer Russell, who enabled Pine Grove to outlast Annville-Cleona 51-42 last night in a nonleague girls basketball game. Holdovers from the Pine Grove team that won the state class AA title in 1996, the two Cardinals seniors did their damage both inside and outside and kept the Little Dutchmen guessing during the course of the contest. GIRLS BASKETBALL Packers break their jinx at Metrodome Page 3C We knew that Russell hurt us last season so we worked hard in the post against her, said Annville-Cleona coach Gregg Andrews, who watched with dismay as the Cardinals senior center had her way with the Little Dutchmen defense with a team leading 22 points.

Reinhart just hit some big three-pointers for their team, and that really took the wind out of us. In the opening minutes of the first quarter, Annville-Cleona (0-3 overall) appeared that it would break out of its shooting woes. The Little Dutchmen matched the Cardinals point for point in an entertaining five minute sequence that witnessed eight lead changes. Reinhart and Russell accounted for 13 of Pine Groves 19 first quarter points, but Margaret Gearhart and Jodi Good countered with key baskets of their own which enabled the Little Dutchmen to take an early 9-8 advantage. Unfortunately for Annville-Cleona, the Cardinals kept up their torrid shooting night from the floor while the Little Dutchmen offense went into a bit of a late period tailspin, which Pine Grove took full advantage of to build a sizeable lead.

We run our stuff pretty well but we are not going to be a good shooting team all year and we showed that during the Elco game, (See CARDINALS, page 30 Enc Smith Lebanon Daily News Annville-Cleonas Kelly Early (left) and Margaret Gearhart put heavy pressure on Pine Grove ball-handler Stacy Reinhart. More photos on page 3C. Hoying has Eagles thinking playoffs Flyers in 1-1 defensive struggle with Sabres Page 4C Im playing now and thats all that matters. Bobby Hoying By JOHN F. BONFATTI AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA Others may wonder why it took the Philadelphia Eagles so long to give Bobby Hoying a start at quarterback, but Hoying doesnt.

I dont spend time worrying about it because there was nothing I could do about it, he said. Im playing now and thats all that matters. The latest chapter in Hoyings journey from third-stringer to local hero occurred Sunday, when he rallied Philadelphia (6-6-1) to a last-second victory over Cincinnati. With the crowd chanting Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Hoying led the Eagles 61 yards in the final 54 seconds to set up Chris Boniols 31-yard field goal for a 44-42 win. With two wins and a tie, Hoying has Philadelphia, which seemed out of the playoff picture three weeks ago, in a position to get a share of the NFC East lead with a win over the New York Giants on Sunday.

Its crazy to think about where we were, where we are now and what the possibilities are for our season, Hoying said. The possibility that Hoying would end up salvaging their season was remote when coach Ray Rhodes elevated him, l'A years after the Eagles drafted him out of Ohio State in the third round. The Eagles were 4-6 at the time, and not playing well under Ty Detmer or Rodney Peete. Earlier in the year, Rhodes insisted he wouldnt turn to Hoying until the Eagles were out of the playoff hunt. By starting Hoying three weeks ago against Baltimore, Rhodes seemed to be saying that was the case.

Hoying put the Eagles in a position to win before they settled for a 10-10 tie when Chris Boniol missed a 40-yard field goal in overtime. Then came victories over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. I think it was good for me (to sit) because it gave me a chance to see things through Rodneys eyes and Tys eyes, Hoying said. I got to see how they prepared for games and I got to see how they run the system and I got to see how they reacted to things happening on the field. Rhodes got a little testy when it was suggested that Hoying should have gotten a chance earlier in the season.

Im not going to sit here and start talking about when we should have played him, he said. I honestly feel by him sitting and watching, its helped him a lot. If you put him in early and things dont go well, what happens to his confidence? Hoying said hes gotten a confidence boost from the Detmer and Peete, the players he displaced. Its very comforting to know when you come over to the sidelines that theyre there talking the game with you, he said. Indians trade Matt Williams to expansion club The Associated Press Bobby Hoying scampers for a big gain Sunday against the Bengals.

Hoying is 2-0-1 as an Eagles starter. while Steelers hope winding road leads home PITTSBURGH (AP) They couldnt contain rookies Bobby Hoying or Jake Plummer one beat them, and the other almost did. So can the Pittsburgh Steelers suddenly suspect defense dare hope to slow John Elway? If it doesnt, the road to the playoffs could become exactly that for the Steelers a road trip that doesnt end until their season does. Yes, the Steelers (9-4) avoided a second consecutive road loss Sunday, surviving two late Arizona drives for a 26-20 overtime victory that kept them tied with Jacksonville (9-4) atop the AFC Central. Both teams have three games left and Pittsburgh holds the edge in tiebreakers.

And, yes, the Jaguars also play their final home game Sunday against New England (8-5) before finishing at Buffalo (6-7) and Oakland (4-9). Yet whatever satisfaction the Steelers derived from only their sixth victory in their last 16 road games was tempered with the knowledge that an already difficult closing stretch gets even tougher beginning Sunday. After the Denver Broncos (11-2) Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium comes New England and Tennessee (7-6). Those two road games will decide not only if the Steelers win a fifth division championship in six years, but if they will begin the playoffs inside the intimidating confines of Three Rivers. Does it matter where the Steelers play in the playoffs? Very much so.

During their five Super Bowl seasons (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1995), the Steelers played only one road playoff game. Also, they are 0-2 in road playoff games under coach Bill Cowher, not counting the Super Bowl two seasons ago, and they havent won away from Three Rivers in the postseason since upsetting Houston in overtime in 1989. This was a big one to win on the road," Cowher said Sunday. Now we have to do this a few more times at the end of the season. Cowher would feel more comfortable about doing so if only he had more confidence in a defense that was shredded the past two weeks by Hoying of Philadelphia and Plummer of Arizona.

Up next: Elway and New Englands Drew Bledsoe. All I know is were giving up too many yards and too many big plays, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. Hoying and Plummer each threw for two touchdowns and more than 200 yards against what supposedly is one of the NFLs premier defenses. Plummer passed for 270 yards, despite being sacked 10 times, as Cardinals receivers Rob Moore and Frank Sanders repeatedly beat comerbacks Donnell Woolford and Chad Scott on long pass plays. Scott, a rookie, was beaten by Moore for 36- and 44-yard catches and Sanders got behind Woolford for a 25-yard touchdown catch.

Weve got to get a lot better back there and in a hurry, because weve got John Elway coming in Sunday, safety Camell Lake said. Bear Tracks: Week in review for the Hershey Bears Page 4C I i i 4 I.