Regional Final

For much of yesterday's Class 3A North regional girls basketball championship, No. 8 Catonsville managed to slow the pace and keep the game close, but when No. 3 Western picked up the tempo in the fourth quarter, the Doves ran away with it. Akeema Richards and Keirah Hicks scored off turnovers early in the fourth quarter and set off a Doves run that boosted their five-point lead to 16 in four minutes, fueling a 56-40 Doves victory - their second straight...

5 Extra points that Joppatowne kicker Matt Wood converted in the Mariners' 35-14 victory over Snow Hill in a Class 1A regional final on Nov. 23. 21 The ranking that the John Carroll boys basketball team received in ESPN's preseason national top 25 poll. 28 Points that the Joppatowne football team scored in the first half in its win over Snow Hill. The Mariners won and advanced to this past Friday's state semifinal against Allegany. 117 Yards that North Harford's Ben Weimer gained on seven catches in a 26-6 loss to Wilde Lake in a Class 3A regional final on Nov. 23. 432 Yards that North Harford's defense allowed against a speedy Wilde Lake team, which rolled to a 26-6 victory.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Duke women's basketball coach Gail Goestenkors warned her Blue Devils in the locker room that their East Regional semifinal meeting with Old Dominion yesterday would more likely resemble Darwin than Naismith."

The perfect Final Four would have been Connecticut, St. John's, Duke and Kentucky. The first game would have been Connecticut-St. John's III. The second game would have been Duke-Kentucky, a renewal of one of the great rivalries in NCAA tournament history.Kentucky beat Duke in the 1966 Final Four. Kentucky beat Duke in the 1978 championship game. Duke beat Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional final. And Kentucky beat Duke in last year's South Regional final in St. Petersburg, Fla., site of this year's Final Four.

Kentucky's vaunted bench got most of the raves in the buildup to the Midwest Region final against Michigan State, but the Spartans' bench had all the answers in a 73-66 win yesterday.The Spartans' bench outscored Kentucky's bench, 35-27, and, adding an exclamation point, put two players on the All-Midwest tournament team.Joining starting Spartans point guard Mateen Cleaves were reserves A.J. Granger and Morris Peterson. After a 19-point, 10-rebound effort against Kentucky, Peterson was named most outstanding player in the regional.

SAN ANTONIO -- Coaches who get their teams to the Final Four suddenly find their tunnel-visioned worlds turned inside out. From the time they help cut down the nets at the regional final until they arrive for their first pre-game practice, they have little time for what they are paid to do.Coach."

In a certain sense, this year's Final Four is indicative of the wind of change that seems to be blowing through women's basketball, with two teams, North Carolina State and Arkansas, making their first appearances in the national semifinals in Kansas City, Mo.And with only one No. 1 seed, Tennessee, making it through -- the first time in 17 years that fewer than two top seeds have gotten there -- and Arkansas, the No. 9 seed in the West, becoming the lowest-seeded...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- There are some holes in the synthetic dome at Tropicana Field yesterday that probably will be patched up by the time the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays begin their first season here next week. They did more than let in a little air yesterday during the NCAA South Regional final between Duke and Kentucky.They let in some ghosts.They had been hanging around for six years, haunting more the school's fans than the Wildcats themselves, waiting for the moment for revenge against another bunch of Blue Devils.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Dominating the women's Final Four, there's the Tennessee story, and then there's the coaching story.The Tennessee story is easy enough. With two wins, the Volunteers will earn an unprecedented third consecutive NCAA title and only the third undefeated season since the NCAA started holding the tournament in 1982.On the other hand, "It's time you see some new faces here," Arkansas coach Gary Blair said, referring to himself and N.C. State coach Kay Yow, both making their first appearance in the Final Four.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It seems only fitting that if the Tennessee women's basketball team is going to be crowned the greatest team in history that it should have to earn it, and the Lady Vols certainly did last night in the Mideast Regional final.Trailing second-seeded North Carolina by 12 with 7: 35 to go and facing perhaps their sternest test of the season, the two-time defending champion Lady Vols dug down from some well of resilience and turned back the Tar Heels, 76-70, to earn a berth in Friday's Final Four in Kansas City, Mo.Junior forward Chamique Holdsclaw, the leading candidate for national Player of the Year honors, strapped the Lady Vols (37-0)

When Kourtney Salvarola struck out the final batter in Friday's Class 4A East regional championship against Chesapeake-Anne Arundel, the top-ranked Broadneck girls softball team gathered at home plate and chanted in unison, "Win it for Coach Ware." The 8-2 victory over the visiting Cougars was huge for Broadneck's program. Not only did the Bruins end two consecutive years of the frustration of losing to Chesapeake in the regional final, but they also were able to dedicate a monumental win to their late coach, Jim Ware, who died over the summer at the age of 62. Bruins coach Reese Kiple, who served as Ware's assistant, was almost overcome with emotion after the teams finished shaking hands.

Levance Fields pointed Pittsburgh in the right direction just in time - as usual. For the second straight game, the orchestrator of the offense took the big shots himself, hitting a three-pointer with 50.9 seconds left, then scoring off his steal as the top-seeded Panthers reached a regional final for the first time in 35 years with a 60-55 win over No. 4 seed Xavier on Thursday night in the East Regional in Boston. One more win and they will be headed to Detroit for the Final Four. "We came in expecting to win two games," Fields said.

For much of yesterday's Class 3A North regional girls basketball championship, No. 8 Catonsville managed to slow the pace and keep the game close, but when No. 3 Western picked up the tempo in the fourth quarter, the Doves ran away with it. Akeema Richards and Keirah Hicks scored off turnovers early in the fourth quarter and set off a Doves run that boosted their five-point lead to 16 in four minutes, fueling a 56-40 Doves victory - their second straight...

With his team ahead by 21 points almost midway through the fourth quarter in last night's Class 1A North regional final, Digital Harbor coach Johnny Grimes implored the Rams not to underestimate the resilience of Baltimore City rival Dunbar. His words would prove true. The visiting Poets stormed back and pulled within four with 1:32 remaining, close to adding another chapter to their storied history. But the sixth-ranked Rams made four free throws down the stretch and held on for a 79-70 victory.

City guard LaShay Taft accidentally collided with a Poly player's elbow 30 seconds into last March's regional final, knocking out one tooth and pushing back another. The injury sidelined her for the rest of the game, which the Knights lost, and missing that contest upset her terribly. But Taft exorcised some demons in last night's Class 2A North regional semifinal. She hit four three-pointers in the first quarter and scored 18 of her game-high 27 points in the first half as No. 4 City rolled to a 78-38 victory over visiting Poly.

Stanford (33-3) vs. Maryland (33-3) What -- Women's NCAA tourna ment Spokane Regional final Site -- Spokane (Wash.) Veterans Memorial Arena Time, TV -- 9:30, ESPN Outlook -- This will mark the sec ond meeting between the two schools. Maryland beat the Cardinal, 82-48, in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 1982. ... Stanford, which won the Pacific-10 regular sea son and the conference tournament, is on a 21-game winning streak. The Cardinal has reached the regional fi nal for the fourth time in five years.

5 Extra points that Joppatowne kicker Matt Wood converted in the Mariners' 35-14 victory over Snow Hill in a Class 1A regional final on Nov. 23. 21 The ranking that the John Carroll boys basketball team received in ESPN's preseason national top 25 poll. 28 Points that the Joppatowne football team scored in the first half in its win over Snow Hill. The Mariners won and advanced to this past Friday's state semifinal against Allegany. 117 Yards that North Harford's Ben Weimer gained on seven catches in a 26-6 loss to Wilde Lake in a Class 3A regional final on Nov. 23. 432 Yards that North Harford's defense allowed against a speedy Wilde Lake team, which rolled to a 26-6 victory.

Football Class 4A North regional final Thomas Johnson (9-2) @No. 10 Perry Hall (10-1) When -- Friday, 7 p.m. Outlook -- Both teams are coming off exciting semifinal wins, with the host Gators outlasting a good North Carroll team, 28-21. Thomas Johnson defeated Linganore, 21-19, on Jake Nichols' 22-yard field goal with eight seconds left. The Patriots will play in their first regional final since 1997. The Gators lost to Sherwood in last year's regional final. Class 3A North regional final Catonsville (8-3)

When Centennial seniors Alex Bechta and Austin Harclerode reflect on their freshman year, one game - more specifically, one play - instantly comes to mind. The Eagles were ahead by a run in the top of the seventh inning of a regional semifinal playoff game against River Hill. With a runner on first and two out, a Hawks batter hit a hard shot that skipped down the left-field line. Bechta, the left fielder, raced toward the ball, snagged it with his glove and hurled the ball to third base.

Perry Hall coach Bob Kucharski said striker Christa DeBole has been his Gators' playmaker all year. Last night at C. Milton Wright, he couldn't have been more right. DeBole set up the first goal on a great run and scored the last as visiting and unranked Perry Hall (12-4) upset the host Mustangs, 3-0, to win the Class 4A North regional championship. The Gators advance to this weekend's Class 4A state semifinals at a site and time to be determined. Seventh-ranked and defending state champion C.M. Wright finishes the season with an 11-3-2 record.