Lions

Simona Petronyte hit a three-pointer with 39 seconds left to bring Towson within one, but no closer, as the Tigers fell to visiting William and Mary, 61-60, yesterday. Towson (8-3, 0-1 Colonial Athletic Association) missed four free throws in the final 20 seconds. The Tribe (8-4, 1-0) ended Towson's six-game home winning streak and extended its winning streak to three. William and Mary has won five of the past seven at Towson. The opening half featured three ties in the first 16 minutes.

DaJuan Summers (McDonogh) scored 21 points and No. 13 Georgetown (12-3, 3-2 Big East) had its best three-point game of the season in an 88-74 victory over No. 8 Syracuse last night. Eric Devendorf had 20 points and four three-pointers for the Orange (16-2, 4-1). No. 1 Pittsburgh 75, South Florida 62: The host Panthers (16-0, 4-0 Big East) struggled early for the second time in as many games since reaching No. 1. The Bulls fell to 6-10 and 1-3. No. 7 Michigan State 78, Penn State 73: The visiting Spartans (14-2, 4-0 Big Ten)

Packers (9-1) @ Lions (6-4) -- After losing two in a row, the Lions will be scrambling for a wild-card berth on Thanksgiving. The Packers are playing for home-field advantage in the NFC. Texans (5-5) @ Browns (6-4) -- The Texans are a different team with Andre Johnson. The Browns, legitimate playoff contenders, are just different.

Giants (6-3) @ Lions (6-3) -- Both teams are in the wild-card hunt now after difficult losses yesterday left them two games out of first place in their divisions. Redskins (5-4) @ Cowboys (8-1) -- Having swept the Giants, the Cowboys are threatening to run away with the NFC East title.

Moves Baseball ASTROS -- Signed OF Luke Scott and P Chad Qualls to one-year contracts. Colleges DUKE -- Announced that G Gerald Henderson was suspended one game for actions in yesterday's loss to North Carolina. GEORGIA STATE -- Fired men's basketball coach Michael Perry. ILLINOIS -- Suspended WR Jody Ellis and WR Derrick McPhearson from football team for "alleged criminal activity." Football BROWNS -- Signed DB Kenny Wright to three-year contract. BUCCANEERS -- Signed FB B.J. Askew.

Western learned enough from its Christmas tournament loss to Largo to hang with the Lions through the first half of last night's state Class 3A championship, but when Largo heated up in the second half, the No. 5 Doves could not keep pace. Hitting seven of 10 shots in the third quarter, the Lions built a 13-point lead that sparked a 60-42 victory at UMBC's RAC Arena for their first state title since 1997. The Lions (26-1), a Prince George's County team ranked No. 3 by The Washington Post, lost their only game to No. 1 St. Frances, 61-53, in the IAABO Christmas tournament.

Lions (4-2) @ Bears (3-4) -- The Lions appear to be the only team in position to challenge the Packers in the NFC North. Giants (5-2) vs. Dolphins (0-7) in London -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would like to send a Super Bowl to London someday, but this mismatch may persuade the Brits to stick with their brand of football.

On a day when Howard was celebrating its 25th anniversary undefeated state championship football team, the current Lions honored that team the best way it could -- by staying unbeaten and on track for the state Class 2A playoffs.Howard fullback Travis Irving captured the exuberent feeling of the homecoming crowd at the Lions' stadium yesterday when he stood on the team bench and held up his left index finger signaling to a throng of 2,000-plus fans that the Lions are No. 1.A victory celebration then ensued for the No. 8-ranked Lions, 20-7 winners over rival and No. 6-ranked Oakland Mills.

A two-game losing streak. The loss of their second-leading scorer for the season.The Liberty girls soccer team seemed to have all the elements for losing to neighborhood rival South Carroll last night, but the Lions notched the game's first four goals to surprise the visiting Cavaliers, 4-2.Liberty junior midfielder Becky Podobnik led the way with two goals, and junior defender Crystal Rivas and sophomore midfielder Meagan Voight added a goal apiece.A...

Liberty coach Dave Trumbo admitted that his squad did not bring its "A" game to last night's Class 3A West regional volleyball semifinal.But what the visiting Lions did bring was enough to defeat county rival South Carroll, 15-9, 12-15, 15-9, 15-12, in Winfield and earn a berth in Saturday's regional final for the third straight year.Liberty will play the winner of the Thomas Johnson-Seneca Valley semifinal. If Thomas Johnson wins, the Lions will host the regional final. If Seneca Valley wins, Liberty will travel to the Montgomery County school.

I find it interesting, amusing and a little sad that what Greg Dunn today describes as "magic" we once would have described as routine, common, everyday - a way of life, really. I'm talking baseball and what happens on the rare occasions when kids get together, pretty much on their own, and start a game. This happened last week in Baltimore, and these days that's something worth writing home about. And it gave me an idea. But first, let's hear from Mr. Dunn, whose company, The Crew Works, stages, manages and staffs concerts, film productions and other such events.

Ninth-ranked Hereford picked a good time to play its most complete game of the season in Saturday's Class 3A-2A state semifinal against Walkersville. The Bulls quickly took away any sense of drama against the Frederick County school by opening up a 12-goal lead at the half before walking away with a 15-0 victory at Annapolis. Hereford will look to defend its state title against Centennial on Tuesday or Wednesday at UMBC. "They played us hard," Hereford coach Brian King said. "Today, I think [the difference]

News item: The Detroit Lions took all the suspense out of the first pick in the NFL draft, agreeing with Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford on a huge contract Friday. The face value of the deal is $78 million, and he's guaranteed $41.7 million, even if the Lions go 0-16 in each of the next six seasons. My take: Based on their past success drafting quarterbacks early in the first round, I think it's fair to assume this will not end well. News item: Minnesota Vikings first-round draft choice Percy Harvin, a wide receiver who might have been of interest to the Ravens, was reportedly one of the college prospects who tested positive for marijuana at the NFL scouting combine.

girls basketball Player of the Year Nyree Williams, Howard The 6-foot-1 senior forward brought a powerful inside game to the Lions, but she was also a strong defensive presence. With her quickness and long arms, she gave even the slipperiest small guards trouble on the defensive end. On offense, Williams excelled in the paint and was particularly difficult to stop on the offensive rebounds. She averaged 17.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Williams, who is headed to North Carolina, led the Lions to the best record in school history, 20-5, and a second-place finish in the Howard County league.

Fallston's undefeated girls basketball team knew that Largo, its opponent in last night state Class 3A semifinal, liked to run, so the No. 11 Cougars showed they could, too. Largo went into the game at UMBC's RAC Arena averaging 83 points, but it was the Cougars who set the fast pace, executed their offense, controlled the boards and hit their free throws en route to an 80-65 victory. "They play a high-pressure defense, but we like to run, too," said Fallston coach Mike McTeague. "We knew they like to run ... so it was all about how well we handled the ball and how well we limit our turnovers and put the pressure on them and that's what we did very effectively."

River Hill's girls basketball team took a 20-point lead into the second half and held off a couple of Howard rallies to win its seventh Howard County championship in 10 years, 54-40, last night. The No. 5 Hawks (23-0) used their press to stop a five-point run that brought the No. 14 Lions within 48-39 on Kendall Neff's two free throws with 3:05 left. Ryann Dannelly converted a follow shot after a Lions turnover to spark six-point Hawks run that sealed the victory. "Our press and our transition is our bread and butter," said Hawks senior Alicia Seelaus, who finished with 11 points.

DaJuan Summers (McDonogh) scored 21 points and No. 13 Georgetown (12-3, 3-2 Big East) had its best three-point game of the season in an 88-74 victory over No. 8 Syracuse last night. Eric Devendorf had 20 points and four three-pointers for the Orange (16-2, 4-1). No. 1 Pittsburgh 75, South Florida 62: The host Panthers (16-0, 4-0 Big East) struggled early for the second time in as many games since reaching No. 1. The Bulls fell to 6-10 and 1-3. No. 7 Michigan State 78, Penn State 73: The visiting Spartans (14-2, 4-0 Big Ten)

Simona Petronyte hit a three-pointer with 39 seconds left to bring Towson within one, but no closer, as the Tigers fell to visiting William and Mary, 61-60, yesterday. Towson (8-3, 0-1 Colonial Athletic Association) missed four free throws in the final 20 seconds. The Tribe (8-4, 1-0) ended Towson's six-game home winning streak and extended its winning streak to three. William and Mary has won five of the past seven at Towson. The opening half featured three ties in the first 16 minutes.

It's becoming an annual event: A prime coaching job opens up and Bob Stoops' name lands on the supposed short list of candidates, only for him to say he's happy at Oklahoma. The latest supposed will-he-or-won't-he scenario: Stoops to the Denver Broncos? Not happening, Stoops said yesterday after his team practiced at Barry University, just a few miles south of the site of Thursday's Bowl Championship Series title game between his Sooners and the Florida Gators. "What situation? That's a rumor that I have not heard, and no one has contacted me about that so I don't know anything about it," Stoops said.

Jamal Lewis (right) became the 24th player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 career yards. Lewis entered the Cleveland Browns' game with the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday needing 63 yards and went over the milestone on an 8-yard burst in the third quarter. He finished with 76 yards on 16 carries as the Browns lost, 14-0. Lewis, 29, played seven seasons with the Ravens, where he gained 7,801 yards before signing as a free agent with the Browns in 2007. He gained 1,304 yards last season, his best since 2003, when he rushed for 2,066 for the Ravens.