Semifinal

Snow Hill coach Stan Griffin calls tonight's Class 1A state semifinal game against visiting Dunbar "the best speed matchup" of this weekend's football playoffs. His rival coach, Ben Eaton, compares it to his Poets' 8-6, Class 2A state semifinal victory over Cambridge-South Dorchester in 1994. "It [Dunbar-Cambridge] had a lot of goal-line stands and a lot of athletes with speed who could run, catch and hit," recalled Eaton, then an assistant, of a game that ended with Cambridge's center snapping the ball over the kicker's head on a field-goal attempt from the Dunbar 1-yard line with 3 seconds left.

All the little things that add up and become huge when the playoffs roll around were done by Severna Park last night in Ferndale. The Falcons rebounded, hit their free throws, defended smart and aggressive and went on to stun No. 15-ranked North County, 60-51, in a Class 4A East region semifinal. Junior guard Jon Garritt led the Falcons (16-8) with 21 points as they avenged a 66-62 loss to North County in the regular season and move one step closer to their second state playoff appearance.

From the moment they suffered a shocking one-point loss to underdog Perry Hall in the region finals last year, Western's players were determined to reach the state semifinals this season.That mission was accomplished rather easily, breezing through four regional playoff games by an average margin of nearly 54 points.Unfortunately for the Doves, they apparently didn't set their goals any higher.An intense Montgomery Blair team out-hustled and outplayed No. 11 Western en route to a 55-46 victory in a Class 4A state semifinal at UMBC yesterday.

After losing to Eleanor Roosevelt by two points in last year's state Class 4A girls basketball championship, No. 5 Arundel had all the motivation it needed to sprint out to a quick start in its bid for revenge in yesterday's state semifinal. But, as Roosevelt senior Elashier Hall said, her team was prepared for a marathon. As the fouls on Arundel's frontcourt players began to mount, the Raiders gained the momentum to close a 16-point gap and hold off the Wildcats for a 47-43 victory at UMBC's RAC Arena.

Maybe the fans were on to something. One of the smallest crowds since the NCAA moved the Final Four to professional venues watched a pair of blowouts in the NCAA tournament semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Saturday. In the first semifinal, No. 2 seed and reigning national champion Syracuse thumped No. 3 seed Duke, 17-7. In the second semifinal, No. 5 seed Cornell stunned No. 1 seed Virginia, 15-6. The Orange (15-2) will meet the Big Red (13-3) on Monday at 1 p.m. in the first All-New York championship final since 1988 when Syracuse defeated Cornell, 13-8.

When asked what his Glen Burnie boys basketball team had to do differently to get past a Broadneck team that had taken both regular-season games, coach Mike Rudd didn't get into specifics before the game. He just said his team had to play a whole lot better. The visiting No. 12 Gophers did just that in last night's Class 4A East region semifinal - particularly on the boards, at the defensive end and from the free-throw line - to come away with a 62-49 upset of the host No. 5 Bruins that sends them to the regional title game.

COLLEGE PARK -The Digital Harbor boys basketball team made an early, bold statement yesterday at Comcast Center. It came out loud and clear: The No. 6 Rams look like the class of Class 1A this season. In yesterday's semifinal against Allegany, the Rams made quick work of the Campers with superior athleticism, relentless defense and balanced scoring, coming away with a 66-45 semifinal win that puts them one victory away from the school's first state championship. Digital Harbor (22-5) will return to Comcast at 1 p.m. today to take on Pocomoke - a 56-54 winner over South Carroll in the other semifinal - in a bid to win the school's first state title.

The Archbishop Spalding boys basketball team overcame a slow and ugly start to defeat red-hot St. Frances, 62-59, in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinal yesterday at Spalding. The win puts No. 3 Spalding (24-6) into tomorrow's title game against No. 2 Cardinal Gibbons, which beat top-ranked Mount St. Joseph, 60-51, in yesterday's other semifinal. But it didn't come without an early scare for the host Cavaliers, who nearly came unraveled after falling behind by 13 points in the first half.

NEW YORK - Maybe it's a physiological thing that he isn't even aware of. But when the lights come on at the U.S. Open, Pete Sampras shines. As Sampras, 31 and the No. 17 seed, walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium last night, the sound system rocked with "Glory Days." Sampras didn't hear it; he said, "I was hoping for Pearl Jam." But certainly he must appreciate the idea of it. The crowd assembled for this men's quarterfinal match between the aging champion and Andy Roddick, the 20-year-old challenger, pumped up and nervous.