The Times-News from Twin Falls, Idaho • 21

I 49ers wrap up division San Francisco pummels hapless New Orleans, 35-14 ISll The Associated Press Free throws help Filer top Oakley By Amy Denton Times-News writer FILER The Wildcats' 17 points from the charity stripe lifted them over Oakley, 54-40, in girls' basketball action Monday night. "Our free throws really were the key. We were probably the poorest free throw shooters in the conference, so we did some individual changes and ended up 17-for-20 tonight," Filer coach Bruce Lenington said. With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Karla Coon, Jolene Haskins and Daffny Denton laid in five points from free throws to seal the victory. Coon and Haskins both scored eight points, to follow Janalen Chandler's 12.

Chandler gathered her points with four three-point goals. Filer scored the majority of its points a I love those people and those are some off my best friends on that team. But when I'm on the field I'm trying to cold-cock them every chance I get. 49er Rickey Jackson before Monday night's game against his old team, the New Orleans Saints NEW ORLEANS The San Francisco 49ers are back at their accustomed spot, NFC West champions for the 11th time in 14 years with more they hope to come. So what if there were a few stumbles and fumbles on the way.

Steve Young threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns Monday night, overcoming a pair of seemingly costly fumbles as the 49ers beat New Orleans 35-14 to become the first NFL team to clinch a playoff spot this season. More important, it kept the Niners (10-2) on top of Dallas (10-2) for the home-field advantage on their inevitable course toward a third straight NFC title game. San Francisco, which won for the seventh straight time, would get the home field if both teams win out because it beat the Cowboys two weeks ago. Young, who had completed 68.2 percent of his passes entering the game, was 24 of 30 as he hit four TD passes in a game for the fourth time this season. He threw first-half touchdowns of 4 yards each to Brent Jones and John Taylor, found Jones again from 6 yards out on a drive that consumed 9:02 at the start of the second half and capped the H7i' AP photo 3 San Francisco 49ers' running back Ricky Watters slips by two New Orleans Saints defenders during the first quarter of their game Monday night The 49ers clinched their 11th Western Conference title in 14 years.

Walsh steps down as Stanford head coach STANFORD, Calif. Bill Walsh, who scoring with a 43-yarder on a slant to backup Nate Singleton. That was enough to negate Tyrone Hughes' 86-yard return of a fumble by returned to Stanford "to find my bliss" after coaching the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl titles, resigned Monday after two straight losing seasons. Walsh, who had two years remaining on a five-year contract, will become a special assistant to Stanford athletic director Ted Leland. He turns 63 Wednesday.

Walsh returned to Stanford three seasons ago after compiling a 102-63-1 record in 10 years as coach of the 49ers, including Super Bowl crowns in 1981, 1984 and 1988. He from the outside adjusting to the motion offense, Lenington said. "They are starting to take better care of the basketball. We didn't turn the ball over too much tonight," Lenington said. The Wildcats gave up 1 1 turnovers.

Rebounding also proved to be key for Filer. The Wildcats totaled 10 offensive and 27 defensive boards, and held Oakley to 14 total rebounds in the second half. "The rebounding sparked the offense," Lenington said. Lenington also praised the team on defense and the matchup zone against Oakley's Catherine Hale outside and Erica Cranney inside. Frale scored 15 points and Cranney had 1 1 for the majority of the Hornets' points.

Filer jumped out to a quick start, and was up 13-3 at the end of the first quarter, but Cranney scored seven points in the second to bring Oakley within seven at the half. The Wildcats took control early in the third, as Karla Coon scored a quick two. Christi Hall stole the ball, and Chandler dropped in a three-point goal in the first 90 seconds of the second half. Once they started, Filer didn't look back. The closest the Hornets could come was within eight.

''This was a good win for us," Lenington said. The 4-2 Wildcats host Gooding tonight. FAer 13 25 39 54 Oakley 3 18 25 40 Filer-Chandler 12, Larson 2, Cowger 6, Hall 3, Lutz 10, Haskins 8, Kara Coon 2, Karla Coon 8, Denton 3. Totals-11 17-20 20 54. Oakley-Bedke 4, Hardy 4, Hale 15, Archibald 6, Craney ll.Totals-10 11-16 1740.

3-point goals-Chandler 4, Cowger, Hale 2, Archibald. was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Ricky Watters for the Saints (4-8) and a second-quarter fumble by Young at the Saints' 12 that held the Niners to a 20-14 lead at halftime. San Francisco now has won 10 or more games for 12 straight seasons and qualified for the playoffs in 1 1 of them, missing only in 1991 despite a 10-6 record. This year's team, however, is one rebuilt by the signing of a half-dozen veterans to bolster a defense that can stop Dallas.

The latest newcomer, Tim Harris, got a sack Monday night in his first game under a contract that pays him $5,000 each time he dumps the quarterback. The Niners led 20-14 at the half, but it might have been more if not for those two San Francisco fumbles. But Hughes also contributed to San Francisco's scoring, fumbling a punt on his own 7 late in the first quarter, a play that led to the Niners' first TD. San Francisco took a 3-0 lead on its first possession on Doug Brien's 40-yard field goal. The Niners' made it 10-0 with 10 seconds left in the first period on Young's TD pass to Jones after Hughes' fumble and appeared to be heading for a 17-0 lead when Young fumbled as he was scrambling to the Saints' 12 and Jimmy Spencer recovered.

Walsh led the Cardinal to a 10-3 record and a win over Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl in his first year back at Stanford in 1992. But the Cardinal slipped to 4- 7 last season and went 3-7-1 this year. Thailand boxer would rather give up title than defend it EAST ORANGE, NX- Pichit Sithbang-prachan of Thailand has given up the IBF flyweight championship rather than defend his title against top-ranked Jose Luis Zepe-da of the United States. fii I AP photo The move was announced Monday by IBF president Robert Lee and took effect last Friday. Sithbangprachan won a split de San Francisco's Steve Young scrambles away from a Saints defender.

Young threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns Monday night. cision over Zepeda May 8 in Bangkok, Ihailand. He had been ordered to make a mandatoray defense in a rematch by Dec. 4. Allegations force GSU coach, assistants to resign UMass leaps to No.

1 City Council delays vote on golf fee increase STATESBORO, Ga. Georgia Southern basketball coach Frank Kerns and two of his assistants resigned Monday because of allegations that a recruit was given academic help with their knowl edge. Resigning with Kerns were Mike Backus and Mark White, the school said. Compiled from staff reports Today we stay focused on what we have to especially with the semester winding down. Three teams used early season tournament victories to vault into the top 15.

Arizona State, which beat Michigan and Maryland in winning the Maui Invitational debuted in the poll this season at No. 12, while Minnesota, which beat Arizona in its three-game run to win the Great Alaska Shooout, came in the rankings at No. 15. Arizona State was last ranked in the 1991-92 season. Ohio University, the preseason NIT champions which included Virginia and New Mexico State among its four victories, moved from 23rd to 14th.

UCLA moved from sixth to fifth and was followed in the Top Ten by Duke, Kansas, Florida, Arizona and Cincinnati. Maryland, which dropped from seventh, led the Second Ten followed by Arizona State, Wisconsin, Ohio University, Minnesota, Connecticut, Michigan, Michigan State, Georgetown and Georgia Tech. Wake Forest was No. 21 with Syracuse, Virginia, Villanova and New Mexico State rounding out the Top 25. Indiana, which lost two of its three games at the Maui Invitational, and Oklahoma State, which did the same at the Great Alaska Shooout, dropped from the rankings having been 11 and 19 last week.

Alabama, which didn't play after losing in the second round of the Preseason NIT, also dropped out of the poll. The Associated Press Massachusetts, which shocked the college basketball world by trouncing Arkansas in its season-opener, took over the No. 1 ranking for the first time Monday. The Minutemen, who beat the top-ranked defending, national champions 104-80 in the Tipoff Classic, received all but seven of the 65 first-place votes cast by the national media panel. Kentucky, which had the other first-place vote, moved up one spot to third and Arkansas, which bounced back with a 97-79 victory over Georgetown, dropped to fourth.

Calipari said being ranked No. 1 never was on his list of goals for the program that he has turned around in his six seasons. The Minute-men got as high as No. 6 last season and this year's No. 3 ranking was their highest ever.

"I never even thought about it," he said of No. 1. "I only wanted the bat in our hands, swinging to win the national title. If you don't have the bat you can never hit a homer. Every year there is talk of 10, 12, 15 teams who can win it all.

If you're up there enough maybe you'll get lucky and bunt one out of the stadium one time." It doesn't get easy for Massachusetts as it faces No. 7 Kansas on Saturday and then plays No. 1 1 Maryland the next weekend. "I told them this could make you mentally soft," Calipari said. "So we're having practice at 5:30 in the morning this week to make sure Virginia Undhjem said the city may lose as many as 25 percent of its pass-holders if it approved the surcharge.

"I really don't think you want to do that," Undhjem said. Several other golfers, most of them retired, said they play upward of hundreds of rounds each year at the Muni. Senior 5-day passes cost $205 in 1994; 7-day passes cost $235. Playing 100 rounds of golf in 1995 might cost an extra $200 under the proposed surcharge. Council members said the golf course has not been making any money.

City Manager Tom Courtney said if fees were unchanged, the city could expect running $30,000 short on the course. This year, the course produced a $25,000 shortfall, with expenses of $266,593 and revenues of only $241,571. In 1993, the deficit was $10,500. "We are not going to be a status quo municipal golf course anymore," said Councilman Howard Allen. "We have to have an increase of some kind to keep the course viable." What fees will increase is yet to be determined.

The City Council hopes to consider '95 Muni fees again at its Dec. 5 meeting. By Sean L. McCarthy Times-News writer TWIN FALLS Local golfers will have to wait another week to find out if, and by how much, their fees will go up to play at the municipal golf course next year. The city's golf advisory board has recommended charging $2 for each round played by a season pass-holder.

To longtime pass-holders, that suggestion sounded about as bright as sending a five-some of beginning golfers out in front of a twosome. Umpteen twosomes packed City Hall on Monday to let the City Council know they wouldn't play at Muni if they had to pay an additional $2 each time they teed it up. "All of a sudden we have a season pass that's not a season pass," said Greg Lanting. "It's now a season discount card." Lanting told the council that the golfers who buy season passes are also the golfers who take the most care for the course, fixing divots and hallmarks. Many of them could not afford to play as often under the proposed surcharge, he said.

Prep girl's basketball: Twin Falls at Borah, 4:30 p.m. Jerome at Buhl, 7:30 p.m. Camas County at Wood River, 6 p.m. Gooding at Filer, 6 p.m. I.

Glenns Ferry at Wendell, 6 p.m. Castleford at Hagerman, 6 p.m. Kimberty at Valley, 7:30 p.m. Murtaugh at Jackpot, 6 p.m. Rockland at Raft River, 6 p.m.

Carey at Bliss, 6 p.m. Shoshone at Richfield, 7:30 p.m. 5 p.m. Channel 13, college basketball. Florida vs.

Boston Cotega 7 p.m. Channel 23. boxing, Patterson vs. Pinckney 7:30 p.m. Channel 13.

college basketball, Duke vs. Connecticut 1:30 a.m. Channel 13, Florida vs. Boston College SPORTS LINE PRO COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL SCORES WSU gets to prowl around down south once again Bowl roundup D-3 For the latest scores call and follow the simple instructions. state, and we want them, so were going to be zeroing in on them." Price is familiar with some Baylor players because his staff tried to recruit them as high school prospects, including their starting quarterback and running back.

The Cougars will begin practicing for the game Dec. 8 and plan to travel to San Antonio on Dec. 26. A bowl appearance gives the team a chance to spend time together away from home, Price said. "It's things like this that enables the team to get closer, to build the esprit de cors we're looking for," he said.

"This is not just going to help our players by getting in more practices. Just being in a different area together builds team I think, and it's its something were going to continue to work on." Washington State has been allocated a block of about 8,000 tickets, ranging in price from $25 to $60, Dickson said. The Associated Press PULLMAN, Wash. For the second time in three years, Washington State coach Mike Price and his Cougars are making plans for a post-season bowl game in the Southwest. Washington State officials announced Monday that the No.

24 Cougars (7-4 overall) will play Baylor in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 31. The Bears of the Southwest Conference also are 7-4. The New Year's Eve game will be played in the Alamo Dome at San Antonio, Texas. "Baylor is a real competitive opponent," Price said.

"I'm excited about playing in the dome." The Cougars, who finished fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference standings, were guaranteed a bowl berth, but were unsure of where they would play until Monday's announcement. "We've known for a while we were going to a bowl, but its exciting to know where and when," athletic director Rick Dickson said. The invitation represented only the sixth time that a Washington State team has gone to a bowl. Price's 1992 team went 9-3 by beating Utah 31-28 in the Copper Bowl. Washington State had an outside shot at making the Freedom Bowl Dec.

27 in Anaheim, Calif. Arizona and Utah were selected instead. Price had earlier said a Freedom Bowl invitation would be better for recruiting, because many Cougars players are from the Los Angeles area, but he saw new opportunities in Texas. "I think the exposure of being down there will allow us to continue to recruit down there and even recruit a little more," Price said. "There are great running backs in the.

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