Magic

STATE COLLEGE, PA. -- Fledgling ghost-hunters step expectantly into the darkened theater. It's nearing midnight, the campus is otherwise deserted, and an autumnal breeze rustles the drying elms. Moody. Just the way they like it. With hope in their hearts and fresh batteries in their electromagnetic field detectors, they've come searching for signs, for evidence, for validation. They pad carefully along the carpeted aisles of Penn State's century-old Schwab Auditorium, which, word has it, is haunted by as many as four spirits.

Down 11 points with a couple minutes gone in the fourth quarter yesterday, Mercy's seniors simply decided they wanted to play another day.So the No. 7-ranked Magic clamped down on defense, boxed out on the boards, got timely baskets, and hit some big free throws in the final minutes to survive a 65-62 scare from No. 10 St. Frances and advance to today's Catholic League semifinal.The Magic (20-11) will meet No. 6 St. Mary's, a 56-21 winner over the Institute of Notre Dame, at 1: 45 p.m. today at the Towson Center.

First was the sluggish first half, which included 13 turnovers and translated into an eight-point deficit, that had to be dealt with.Next came the task of playing the last four minutes of a tight game without the team's top scorer, rebounder and leader.The No. 7-ranked Mercy Magic stared at a possible fourth straight Catholic League loss a number of times last night against No. 9 Archbishop Spalding but, in the end, chose to look the other way.Clutch outside shooting, buckle-down defense, and perfect work at the free-throw line made the difference in the final minutes as the Magic came away with a 53-45 win over the Cavaliers in Severn.

Julian Cierkes, who was better known as Bob Denning, roving street reporter and photographer for the old East Baltimore Guide, died Monday of heart failure at Franklin Woods Center Genesis Eldercare. The Rosedale resident was 86.Bob Denning was Mr. Cierkes' stage name when he was a vaudeville magician during the 1920s and 1930s, and he continued using it until his death."Most people never knew his real name, and I have no idea where he got that name," said his daughter, Joanna R. Chelette of Rosedale.

Just as No. 10 John Carroll started to break away in yesterday's game at No. 13 Mercy, the home team provided the spark for the Patriots to build an insurmountable lead.After a Mercy technical foul, Megan Sparks converted both free throws and the Patriots went on to build a 13-point third-quarter lead en route to a 45-33 victory in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game.The Patriots (5-1 overall, 2-0 conference) broke out of a 22-22 tie early in the third quarter to score 13 unanswered points.

NEW YORK -- As we approach the annual college basketball carnival known as the Final Four, it's hard to believe that it's barely been a generation since the event had a kind of also-ran status attached.As recently as the early 1970s, highly ranked teams would pass up berths in the NCAA tournament to play in the National Invitation Tournament."It wasn't even a happening in San Diego," said CBS analyst Billy Packer, who called his first Final Four there 24 years ago. "It was a happening for the four teams that finally got there and back in their hometowns, but it wasn't a national deal."

The St. Mary's roster is filled with sophomores and freshmen this fall, but that doesn't mean the No. 7-ranked Saints aren't battle-tested.Evidence came yesterday afternoon at Mercy, where the Saints dominated the two 10-minute overtime periods to come away with a 4-2 win over the No. 9 Magic as the teams opened play in the new Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland League.Midfielder Kelly Coppedge, one of three seniors for the Saints, scored her second goal of the game two minutes into the second overtime session to provide the winner, with freshman Mary Key scoring an insurance goal four minutes later.

A year ago, Doug Flutie lived an American fairy tale when he returned from Canada and led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs, apparently proving to the skeptics that he could play in the NFL.He became a fan favorite, but not all fairy tales have happy endings, and Flutie seems to have lost his magic.Opposing teams seem to have figured him out: Bottle him up in the pocket so he can't make plays on the run.He has played poorly in two of the past three games, and his quarterback rating, which was 11th in the league last year, is 25th.

IN THE MID-1980s, I fell hopelessly, fanatically and totally in love with professional basketball. There were three reasons for my unbridled passion for the game. Each of those reasons is no longer playing: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.Johnson first retired in late 1991 when he tested HIV-positive. Bird left a year or so later because of back problems. Jordan announced this week that he was hanging up his Nikes.The National Basketball Association's golden era -- which began in 1980, when Magic and Bird entered the league -- ended this week with Jordan's retirement.

After Friday's victory over St. Mary's left No. 2 Seton Keough alone atop the Catholic League standings, the Gators knew it might be harder to stay there than it had been to get there.No. 7 Mercy proved that theory correct yesterday.The Magic built an early lead and, despite quickly losing it, were within five points with 44 seconds to go before the visiting Gators escaped with a a 51-44 victory.For a team that prefers to milk the shot clock, the Gators (20-4, 12-1 league) looked comfortable in an up-tempo first quarter.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Derek Fisher played the role of Kobe Bryant in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Fisher nailed two decisive three-pointers, becoming the clutch player the Lakers needed in a 99-91 overtime win over the Orlando Magic to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Lakers have three tries to win their 15th NBA championship. They get their first opportunity to clinch the title in Game 5 on Sunday night. The Lakers overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to send the game into overtime when Fisher hit the game-tying three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in regulation.

ORLANDO, Fla. - -The Orlando Magic is riding high after its Game 3 NBA Finals victory Tuesday night at Amway Arena, but history remains against the team as it continues its series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Since the NBA moved to its current 2-3-2 NBA Finals format during the 1984-85 season, the team scheduled to host the middle three games - as the Magic is - has won the championship six of 24 times. Only two teams, the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and the Miami Heat in 2006, have swept the middle three games at home.

ORLANDO, FLA. -- One piece of movie theme music is played more often inside Amway Arena than any other. It is the familiar refrain from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, and it blares over loudspeakers whenever Dwight Howard throws down a dramatic dunk or initiates a thrilling three-point play. In Orlando, Howard is considered the real-life Superman. But, nationally, that doesn't make him a superstar. At least not yet. The NBA Finals, which get under way Thursday in Los Angeles, will give the Orlando Magic's 23-year-old center the greatest national exposure of his burgeoning pro career and his best opportunity yet to reach the superstar status of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

ORLANDO, Fla. - - It might have been the shot heard 'round the NBA, but the Orlando Magic refuses to let it define this series. LeBron James hit what many analysts were quick to call one of the greatest NBA postseason shots of all time, nailing a three-pointer with one second left in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals to give Cleveland a huge win over the Magic and tie the series 1-1. It didn't turn out to be a fatal blow. Orlando relied on its depth, defense and deafening home crowd to bounce back from James' dagger, claiming a decisive 99-89 win over the Cavaliers in Game 3 on Sunday night at Amway Arena.

NBA Magic beats Celtics, forces Game 7 The pressure is back on the defending champions. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics, 83-75, on Thursday night to force a decisive Game 7. Rashard Lewis had 20 points, and Hedo Turkoglu made a three-pointer to highlight an 11-2 run to close the game for the Magic, who haven't made it to the conference finals since 1996. Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and Paul Pierce scored 17 for the Celtics, who led by 10 points in the second half before falling apart.

Vince Carter had 27 points and nine assists, and the New Jersey Nets ended visiting Orlando's bid for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Magic, 103-93, on Saturday night. The Magic (58-22) might have lost more than the No. 2 seed. Star forward Hedo Turkoglu hurt his left ankle with 6:51 left in the game and had to be helped to the locker room. There was no immediate word on his condition. Keyon Dooling added 12 points and 10 assists for the Nets (33-47), who played without All-Star guard Devin Harris (shoulder)

Archrivals Mercy and the Institute of Notre Dame like to refer to their annual basketball matchup at the Towson Center as "The Game." By midway through the first quarter of last night's 43rd edition, however, it wasn't much of one. Playing before a sellout crowd of 3,800 boisterous fans and alumnae, No. 12 Mercy dominated from the outset, time and again forcing turnovers and making IND pay at the offensive end in a 65-29 win. "We were stressing [a...

Tonight's is one of those big games that makes Mercy basketball coach Mary Ella Marion nervous. Her No. 12 Magic is expected by most to win "The Game," the 43rd annual showdown between Mercy and the Institute of Notre Dame, which draws a sellout crowd of about 4,500 fans to the Towson Center. The atmosphere is loud, highly charged and sometimes a bit overwhelming for the players. This season, the Magic defeated IND, 61-26 (only one game per year gets to be The Game), and it has a 13-5 record to the Indians' 3-13.

Magic@Lakers 10:30 p.m. [ESPN] Fresh off a tight loss to the Spurs, the Lakers next challenge one of the Eastern Conference's top teams, the Magic. Orlando's record is only a half game worse than Los Angeles'.

Denver Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony will miss at least three weeks with a broken bone in his shooting hand, but he won't need surgery. Anthony (Towson Catholic) was fitted with a red removable splint yesterday after breaking a bone in his right hand in a victory over the Indiana Pacers the night before. He has been told by doctors he'll be out three to four weeks. "Hopefully the healing process will be a lot quicker," Anthony said after returning to the Pepsi Center after his visit with a hand specialist.