Ibex

BaseballAthletics: Optioned P Juan Perez and C Danny Ardoin to Triple-A Vancouver. Optioned P Luis Vizcaino to Double-A Midland. Assigned IF Jeff Ball and OF Brian Lesher and OF Mike Neill to minor-league camp.Blue Jays: Optioned 3B Casey Blake to Triple-A Syracuse.Cubs: Optioned IF Jason Maxwell and P Phil Norton to Triple-A Iowa. Assigned P Scott Watkins to minor-league camp.Indians: Reassigned P Paul Wagner to minor-league camp.Red Sox: Optioned P Brian Barkley and P Jin Ho Cho to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Welcome to Lauren Kadlubowski's basketball world of fun, success, hard work, love for the game and winning.Fun comes from the many hours of low-key practices with her father, Ray, in the driveway and at the YMCA.Success is measured by the fact that six Division III collegiate coaches want the Westminster senior to play for them.Work is an endless desire to excel on defense.The love has come naturally after 13 years of playing.Winning is a 17-4 record for the Westminster girls team that is headed for the 4A regionals, with an opening-round game most likely at home Feb. 27 against Quince Orchard.

In his final year as coach of Westminster's golf team, Jeff Ibex on Saturday coached the Owls to a notable first, as they captured the inaugural Carroll County golf tournament by beating Liberty by 10 strokes. Paced by freshman Spencer Gifford's 6-over-par 77, including a sizzling 37 on the back nine, and Tim Evelius' 80, the Owls negotiated the stiff breezes at Bear Creek Golf Course in Westminster to fire a foursome total of 326, including a respectable 83 by Doug Politz, who only recently earned a starting spot.

Shortly after his Owls' 52-33 loss to visiting Thomas Johnson last night, Westminster coach Bernie Koontz took a look at his team's shot chart and shook his head.It told the story."Fourteen of 64, what is that?" he asked.The answer was 22 percent from the field to go along with a four of 13 effort from the free-throw line.The Owls (9-12, 6-5 in the Central Maryland Conference) played solid defense all night long, hit the boards at both ends of the court and got good looks at the basket, but the ball just wasn't falling.

Baseball Cardinals: Agreed to $1.2 million, one-year contract with P Matt Morris, avoiding salary arbitration. He had asked for $1.45 million; club had offered $1.05 million. Devil Rays: Agreed to minor-league contract with IF Mike Caruso. Marlins: Agreed to $6 million, two-year contract with P Antonio Alfonseca, avoiding salary arbitration. He had asked for $3.15 million; club had offered $2.35 million. Phillies: Agreed to $925,000, one-year contract with P Wayne Gomes, avoiding salary arbitration.

Westminster's disruptive defense was there from the start yesterday afternoon at Howard High.And when the No. 18 Owls' offense also got cranked up late in the second quarter and in the early part of the third, it was simply too much for a young Lions team to handle.With contributions from every player who stepped on the floor, Westminster came away with a 57-48 win over No. 14 Howard.A 9-0 run at the end of the first half gave the Owls (2-0) a 26-20 lead at the break, and it carried over into the third quarter as they pulled away to a 15-point lead.

Western Maryland's Chris McNally, the Centennial Conference's defending wrestling champion at 197 pounds, picked up his second straight league title and helped the Green Terror to its third league crown in the past four years. By finishing first, McNally became one of three Western Maryland wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA championships next Friday in Waterloo, Iowa. Vinny Pedalino and Rob Johns, All-Americans last year, also will be making their second consecutive trip to the nationals.

Senior Jill Ibex scored 26 points as visiting and 16th-ranked Westminster (17-6) defeated Seneca Valley (16-7) of Montgomery County, 68-58, in a state Class 4A West region first-round game last night.On Monday, Westminster will play host to Paint Branch in a region quarterfinal game.In other first-round region games yesterday:Western 81, Southern-Baltimore 5: Marion Moore had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight steals as No. 13 Western (20-3) romped in Class 4A North. The Doves led 28-1 after one quarter and 59-1 at halftime.

Paint Branch had a good season, but coach Becky Clark said rebounding was her team's Achilles' heel -- and No. 17-ranked Westminster found it last night in a Class 4A West region quarterfinal game.Jill Ibex scored 21 points, and nearly half of host Westminster's rebounds were on the offensive end to help the Owls come up with numerous second chances in a 62-41 victory over Paint Branch.Westminster (18-7) will play (home vs. Quince Orchard or at Watkins Mill) tomorrow at 7 p.m. in a region semifinal.

Frankly fake but authentically Baltimore, the Formstone that swaths many a rowhouse may seem low-brow or even tacky to some. But should it be illegal? A proposed overhaul of the Baltimore's zoning code would do just that, banning the faux stone facades on any newly constructed rowhouses. While the city says this would upgrade neighborhoods, some see it as a slap at an endearing if downscale bit of Baltimoreana - akin to prohibiting Natty Boh at the corner bar or beehive hairdos at the beauty parlor.