Cavaliers

The Washington Bullets' week started with a game against the league's best team. Now it's on to the NBA's hottest.That's the Cleveland Cavaliers, who take a league-best nine-game winning streak into tonight's game against the Bullets at the new Gund Arena in downtown Cleveland.Washington might get center Kevin Duckworth (sore Achilles' tendon) back to its injury-depleted lineup tonight. Guard Rex Chapman, who has missed eight of Washington's past nine games, is out tonight. But the Bullets aren't the only team hit hard by injuries.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- Understand, oh Boston Celtic fan, that with three or four strategically placed defensive rebounds last Friday night in Game 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers would already have wrapped up this series.Face it: The Celtics can't stop Cleveland from scoring. In the last three games, the Cavaliers have shot 57 percent, 54 percent and 56 percent from the field. Go back to Game 2 and we can throw in a 52 percent. The Celtics had built themselves a nice little reputation as a defensive team, but now that we're in the playoffs, Cleveland is embarrassing them with coldly efficient offense.

The stage was set for history to be made last night in Westminster.The seven-time defending county champ South Carroll Cavaliers (0-2) were coming to town to face the Owls (2-2) having played only one game so far this season under new coach Jeff Alisauckas.When Westminster sophomore Dave Baker scored his second goal of the game with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, it gave the Owls a 6-5 lead they would not relinquish in coming away with a 7-6 win over South Carroll.The Owls' win over South Carroll snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Cavaliers that dated back to 1986 -- a 3-2 double-overtime win.Mark Ruby, who was the Owls' offensive star with four goals, scored what turned out to be a much-needed insurance goal with just over a minute left in regulation to give the Owls a 7-5 lead.

The expected showdown between Howard High's Mona Jackson and South Carroll's Nicole Spencer never materialized last night.Jackson was out of town, leaving Spencer free to dominate the middle against the previously unbeaten Lions.Spencer, a 5-foot-10 junior, pulled down 13 rebounds and scored 11 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 39-23 victory over the Lions at South Carroll.Spencer scored most of her points on follow shots off her misses inside, and could have had a lot more points if she had just an average shooting night.

- The Maryland women's basketball team took a significant step toward overcoming its road deficiencies with a dramatic 61-60 victory over No. 23 Virginia on Monday night at John Paul Jones Arena. Senior guard Lori Bjork scored a season-high 20 points, and sophomore center Lynetta Kizer added 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Terrapins, who had lost three of four on the road and almost wasted a six-point lead in the closing minutes. But in the final few seconds, Maryland surrounded Virginia senior guard Monica Wright after she received the inbounds pass and forced a wild shot as time expired, spoiling a milestone night for the ACC preseason Player of the Year.

If Archbishop Spalding's girls basketball team had any doubts about its ability to compete with the Baltimore Catholic League's elite, that skepticism should subside after its performance in yesterday's matchup with visiting Mercy.The Cavaliers didn't win, but they proved worth their weight in hardwood before falling to the Sharpshooters,58-56, in a game that left everyone on hand white-knuckled."A year ago, with the team we had, a tight loss like this wouldn't have helped us much, but with a young team like this, they need to know they can play with these teams," said Spalding coach Paul Leimkuhler, whose team still was recovering from a 70-36 loss last Thursdayto St. Mary's.

Head coach: Debbie Barnes (seventh season).Assistant coach: Donna Fleming.1990 record: 0-15.Top returnees: Seniors Beth Bonde, Holly Stevens, Kelley Wachter; juniors Erica Bouther, Erin Windsor, Malanie Zahn.Top newcomers: Juniors Sarah South, Linda Smith, Jennifer Myers, Amy Larrick, Andrea Snyder, Amy Blevins, Nicole Carter; sophomores Melissa Gettemy, Nicole Spencer.Coach's outlook: "We ran into a bad stretch the past couple of years, but hopefully, the next few years we'll get back on track with some good young players coming up. All the county teams are going to be tough.

South Carroll heavyweight Dan McKennie stood alone -- exhausted and heartbroken -- in the middle of the North Carroll mat last night before coach Pete Olson came over to console him.North Carroll heavyweight Bill Beltz -- red-faced and just as exhausted -- was at the far end of the gym being mobbed by his Panther teammates.The visiting Cavaliers, ranked 11th in the metro area, took a four-point lead going into the final bout and any thoughts of a technical fall by Beltz -- which would have given the No. 5 Panthers the win -- were gone by the third period.

CHICAGO -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are such a likable little team, so carefully built with hard workers and solid citizens, that it's a shame what's about to happen to them.They finally are mended after three seasons of injury problems and trade-induced strife, and they have diligently played their way into the Eastern Conference finals.But against the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs are receiving the unkindest of revelations: They still aren't good enough.Last night, the Bulls made that point emphatically in a 103-89 opening-game victory that left little doubt as to the better team.

Look out North Carroll and Francis Scott Key.The South Carroll wrestling program appears to be on the verge of joining the Panthers and Eagles as high school wrestling powers in Carroll County in the next few years.Especially if the Cavaliers add a few more premier wrestlers such as Mike Chenoweth over the next few years.All the ingredients of a super wrestling program are in place in Winfield.The stands are packed for every match with never-say-die fans, they cheer even when the Cavaliers are getting blown out by North Carroll, young wrestlers from the junior Warriors feeder program show up in full force to watch, the air is always filled with electricity the night of a match, and, in general, every match is an event in the community.