Eagles

Arizona is streaking and UCLA is teetering in the Pacific-10. Nic Wise scored 26 points, and Jordan Hill had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead Arizona (18-8, 8-5) to an 84-72 victory over the 11th-ranked Bruins (19-6, 8-4) in Tucson yesterday, the Wildcats' seventh win in a row. "We are just fighting and getting better," Wise said. "We still feel we are not at our peak yet. We are still learning things and getting things done on the fly." Arizona broke an eight-game losing streak against UCLA, which was swept in the desert for the first time since 2005.

Century senior Katie Schwarzmann looked forward to playing three solid opponents from outside Carroll County over the Easter weekend, but when Saturday's rain washed out two of those games at Dulaney's Baltimore Showcase, she said, it didn't hurt for her No. 13 girls lacrosse team to have a midseason rest. It sure didn't. Monday morning, the Knights rolled past Roland Park, 16-6, at the 13th Maryland High School Lacrosse Showdown at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field. Schwarzmann had seven goals, and Claire Brady added five.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Arizona, here they come, and Kurt Warner had better watch out. What the Philadelphia Eagles possessed in patience and trust, the New York Giants lacked in sense of urgency yesterday. Donovan McNabb and Brent Celek scored touchdowns while Eli Manning could do little more than produce field-goal drives. The result earned the Eagles a shocking 23-11 win over New York at Giants Stadium and gave them a trip to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in the NFC championship game Sunday.

In a game of runs, No. 11 Fallston finished off Centennial with a big one last night for a 46-31 victory in a Class 3A East regional girls basketball semifinal. The Cougars, who improved to 25-0, dominated the boards and converted seven Centennial turnovers to fuel a 19-1 run that ended with Rachel Holehouse's layup giving them a 46-29 lead with 2:58 to go. "They capitalized on every one of our turnovers," Centennial coach Rob Slopek said. "It felt like every turnover we had was at the top of the key and they had an easy layup."

Right-hander Elaine Nescio (4-1) pitched a complete game, giving up one run on three hits and striking out 14 as No. 4 Archbishop Spalding beat St. Vincent Pallotti, 2-1, yesterday in softball. Nescio (1-for-3) also had the only extra-base hit of the game, a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the fourth for the host Cavaliers (4-1). Institute of Notre Dame 7, No. 10 Mount de Sales 6: : The host Indians (1-4) got their first win of the season behind right-hander Kayla Mohr (1-2) and Madison Grant (3-for-4)

Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham each scored 25 points, and Villanova rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat upset-minded American, 80-67, in the first round of the NCAA tournament last night in Philadelphia. The third-seeded Wildcats (27-7) needed a late 19-2 run to fend off the Patriot League champions. The 14th-seeded Eagles (24-8) sizzled from three-point range early and pushed Villanova to the brink. The loss ended the Eagles' 13-game winning streak. "It wasn't that we took them lightly at all," Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

NFC Matchup: Philadelphia (10-6-1) at New York (12-4), 1 p.m. TV: Chs. 45, 5 Line: Giants by 4 Rematch: The teams split the season series, each winning on the road. The Eagles were in must-win mode Dec. 7 when they beat the Giants, 20-14. Brian Westbrook (right) had 203 yards from scrimmage. The last time they played in the postseason, after the 2006 season, the Eagles won, 23-20. Difference-makers: The elusive Westbrook and rookie WR DeSean Jackson are the Eagles' playmakers. QB Donovan McNabb is 8-5 in the postseason.

Moves Baseball BREWERS -- Signed P Dave Bush, P Zach Jackson, P Dennis Sarfate, P Carlos Villanueva and OF Laynce Nix to one-year contracts. Football EAGLES -- Agreed to three-year contract extension with QB A.J. Feeley. Hockey SHARKS -- Sharks traded D Josh Gorges and 2007 first-round draft pick to Canadiens for D Craig Rivet and 2008 fifth-round draft pick. THRASHERS -- Acquired LW Keith Tkachuk from Blues for C Glen Metropolit, 2007 first- and third-round draft picks and 2008 second-round draft pick.

With the guard tandem of senior Brittany Mallory and junior Becky Cox taking care of the scoring and a puzzling zone defense providing constant frustration, the No. 4 McDonogh girls basketball team reached new heights with a surprisingly comfortable 67-49 road win over No. 2 Towson Catholic in yesterday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinal. After seeing their past three seasons end in the semifinals, the Eagles (21-4) finally get the chance to play in the league championship game - taking on four-time defending league champ St. Frances at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Goucher College.

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- It's Wednesday morning and Ron Jaworski is already disgusted by the word "blueprint." He has been hearing it for a week in connection with the Philadelphia Eagles' surprisingly close loss to the undefeated New England Patriots. By pressuring Tom Brady and blanketing Randy Moss, the theory goes, the Eagles frustrated a previously unstoppable offense. Jaworski, an ESPN analyst and former Eagles quarterback, has examined tape of the game, rewinding as many as 10 times on each play to make sure he hasn't missed anything.

Calvert Hall ran its defensive game plan to near perfection Saturday against No. 2 McDonogh. The No. 11 Cardinals harassed star quarterback Rudy Johnson, took away the run and left one of the area's most prolific offenses searching for answers. And, still, it wasn't enough. Johnson completed a 23-yard pass to Justin Gross early in the fourth quarter, setting up the quarterback's 1-yard touchdown plunge, and the host Eagles eked out a 7-0 win to set up Saturday's showdown with rival Gilman for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title.

Captain Niya Summerville's four aces and eight kills led Poly as the Engineers captured their third straight Baltimore City volleyball championship with a 25-17, 25-23, 26-24 victory Thursday night over host Western. With Poly up by a game, Summerville used her jump serve and two aces to widen Poly's lead. After the Doves closed to 24-23, Poly's Cynthia Johnson hit a cross-court winner to take the second game. With the Doves leading 16-14 in the third game, Summerville served four straight winners.

Handling the offensive burden early and then leaning on its strong defense the rest of the way, the McDonogh boys soccer team came away with a 3-0 win over visiting Loyola Friday afternoon. Senior midfielder Jake Weiner scored in the second minute and senior defender Neal Desai followed with a goal minutes later for the early advantage. The visiting Dons often pressed, but the home team's sturdy defense, led by seniors Joe Meyer and Marquez Fernandez, didn't budge. The victory assures the No. 2 Eagles (17-2)

Set to play lacrosse at Notre Dame next year, McDonogh senior Margaret Smith is realizing her soccer days are quickly coming to an end. Another reminder came Tuesday afternoon, when the No. 2 Eagles celebrated Senior Day with No. 7 Mercy visiting. Smith made sure it was a day to remember. Scoring two goals, adding an assist and putting in her typical 80 minutes of hard work at midfield, Smith was the catalyst in a 3-0 win over the Magic that assured McDonogh the second seed in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference playoffs.

Each time top-ranked Loyola called a running play or quarterback Connor Bruns dropped back into the pocket, a swarm of McDonogh players converged on the ball, forcing the Dons to stare at the first-down marker 8 or 9 yards down the field. On offense, Eagles quarterback Rudy Johnson showed why he is one of the top playmakers in the metro area by throwing a 39-yard touchdown pass and running for a 52-yard score to lead No. 7 McDonogh to a 21-0 upset over the visiting Dons. The Eagles broke Loyola's 19-game winning streak dating to Oct. 19, 2007.

When Centennial coach Larry Schofield was asked whether he thought his No. 4 Eagles had something to prove Friday night, his answer was an emphatic "Yes." "We'd played lackluster in the Bulldog Tournament [which features many of the best teams in the area], and I've been pushing to get our intensity back," he said. "I think we got it back tonight." In a key Howard County league game, host Centennial (8-0 overall, 7-0 league) rallied from deficits in all three games to defeat neighborhood rival and second-ranked River Hill (7-1, 6-1)

Mt. St. Joe tops No. 1 McDonogh:: Playing without three starters, the No. 3 Gaels soccer team upsets the Eagles, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation, 2-1. The win avenges a 1-0 double-overtime loss to the Eagles. PG 10 Broadneck edges Severna Park: : Ryan Bugarin scores with 10:55 to play to lift the No. 4 Bruins boys soccer team to a 1-0 win over the No. 2 Falcons. PG 10 Dunbar shuts down City:: The 12th-ranked Poets score three second-half touchdowns after playing to a scoreless tie at halftime in a 22-0 win over the Knights.

Third-ranked Mount St. Joseph had the daunting task of playing top-ranked McDonogh without three starters in Friday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference matchup. Gaels coach Mike St. Martin shuffled his lineup and moved 6-foot-2 forward Dave Arnold into the midfield to give the Gaels more height to win balls out of the air. The Gaels also relied on their top playmaker, Geaton Caltabiano, and some of the younger players to give the team a spark. The changes worked, as Caltabiano scored once in each half - including the game-winner with just under 10 minutes left in the game - to give the host Gaels a 2-1 victory over the Eagles, who also are ranked No. 1 nationally.

Jimmy Schneider had an 83-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and the host Calvert Hall football team upset No. 9 Mount St. Joseph, 17-0, on Friday night. The Gaels (2-3) have dropped three straight, including a 22-12 loss to Fort Hill on Sept. 18 and a 42-0 loss to Good Counsel on Sept. 12. The Cardinals (3-2) have won three straight, including two shutouts. Calvert Hall beat Havre de Grace, 44-0, on Sept. 18. Patrick Fitzgerald had a 13-yard touchdown run as Calvert Hall took a 7-0 lead with 14 seconds left in the first half.

Amid tight marking in the latter stages of Wednesday's girls soccer game between No. 5 South River and No. 8 Severna Park, it would take something special to decide the outcome. Settling a short throw-in from Morgan Torggler, Severna Park sophomore midfielder Gabby Moreno made one dribble to find space before unleashing a left-footed shot from 20 yards over South River senior goalie Lyndse Hokanson that found the top right corner. The goal, Moreno's first of the season, came with 7:50 to play and proved to be the decider as the Falcons left Edgewater with a 2-1 win over the Seahawks in the teams' Anne Arundel County opener.