Seconds Left

As Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts attempted to come back from a herniated disk in his back this spring, he said his final test would be stealing a base and emerging 100 percent. He has stolen two in two games this week and hurt himself on each attempt, including Friday, when he didn't return after the first inning because of a strained abdominal. He slid headfirst into second, later scored the Orioles' first run in their 7-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays and then didn't return to the field in the top of the second.

The Towson men's lacrosse team is winless no longer. Simmering over a 0-3 start, the host Tigers scored the game's first goal and never trailed in stunning No. 17 Navy, 10-9, before an announced attendance 1,240 at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Tuesday night. Senior midfielder Christian Pastirik scored three goals -- including the game-winner with six seconds left in regulation -- and junior attackman Tim Stratton added three goals, all in the first half. Towson (1-3) didn't make things easy on themselves.

Centennial's Kenitra Alston wasn't having a good second half in Monday night's Class 3A East girls basketball regional quarterfinal at Atholton, so coach Rob Slopek pulled her aside and told her she was playing too timidly. The talk worked for the junior guard, who hit a short jump shot off a pass from Julia Benjamin with six seconds remaining to give the Eagles a 37-35 victory. Centennial (15-5) advances to meet River Hill in Wednesday's semifinal. "He told me, 'You need to start playing like I know you can. I have confidence in you, and you should have confidence in yourself.

Even after watching his team fritter away a 12-point lead, senior Anthony Goode never had any doubt that No. 8 Milford Mill would get the job done in Tuesday night's Baltimore County championship game. The 6-foot guard then took matters into his own hands, nailing a 3-pointer from the corner with three seconds left to lift the Millers to a 59-57 win over host Randallstown, giving the county its first repeat boys champion in a decade. After inbounding the ball under his basket with eight seconds left, Goode set up in the corner, took a pass from guard Chase Cormier and made the shot, with players and fans mobbing the court as time expired.

Terrell Tullis scored six of his seven points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning layup with seven seconds left as the No. 8 Arundel boys basketball team beat host Westlake, 59-58, Saturday in the first round of the Waldorf Holiday Hoops Classic. The Wildcats (7-0) trailed 17-10 after the first quarter before tying the score at 30 at halftime. Behind R.J. Lewis (11 points), Arundel took a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter. "It was a defensive battle," Wildcats coach Jeff Starr said.

SANDY SPRING - All Josh Furman wanted was a second chance. He got it, and now No. 2 Old Mill is going to its first state championship game on the strength of its fabulous senior running back. After fumbling inside the Sherwood 20-yard line with less than four minutes left, Old Mill regained possession with 94 seconds to play. The Patriots drove 82 yards, capped by Furman's 6-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion with 17 seconds left to give Old Mill a 20-13 win over defending champion Sherwood in a Class 4A state semifinal Saturday before an estimated 3,500.

In the final seconds of Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the disgruntled voices emanating inside M&T Bank Stadium shouted "Refs, you [stink]" while a crowd of 71,161 waved their fingers at the officials. The Ravens, however, pointed at only themselves. Although they disagreed with three defensive penalties on the Bengals' game-winning drive, the Ravens blamed themselves - not the officials - for losing their grip on first place in the AFC North. The final, painful blow came when the Ravens let Cincinnati wide receiver Andre Caldwell run wide open for a 20-yard touchdown catch with 22 seconds left, capping one of the most excruciating defensive series in team history.

Riley Skinner scored on a 1-yard keeper with 2 seconds remaining and host Wake Forest rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Stanford, 24-17, on Saturday. Skinner finished 18 of 26 for 187 yards with a touchdown pass for the Demon Deacons (1-1). His 44-yard pass to third-stringer Lovell Jackson with less than a minute left set up his winning score. Redshirt freshman Andrew Luck was 23 of 34 for 276 yards with two touchdowns to Ryan Whalen for the Cardinal (1-1). They were denied their first 2-0 start since 2004.