Technical Foul

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.

Tony McDougald's free throw with one second left after a controversial technical foul gave the 14th-ranked Woodlawn boys basketball team a wild 78-77 win over No. 17 Milford Mill last night.The bizarre ending left coaches for both schools shaking their heads, but the Warriors (2-0) could take consolation in the fact that they prevailed at home despite blowing a 16-point, second-quarter lead.With the score tied at 77 in the closing seconds, Milford Mill's Jonathan Mason missed a layup, and Tariq Ageymann appeared to tap in the rebound at the buzzer to give the Millers the win.But as Milford Mill fans stormed the court, one official waved off the basket, calling goaltending on Ageymann.

COLLEGE PARK -- Steve Francis said he wasn't looking for trouble just seven minutes into the game last night when he got involved in a shoving scuffle with Clemson freshman guard Will Solomon under the Maryland basket."

In what has been a magical season for Southwestern, not much comes as a surprise to the No. 1-ranked Sabers.But no one could have predicted the turning point in yesterday's game.The Sabers (25-0) defeated host No. 3 Lake Clifton, 64-58, to win the Class 4A North regional championship and earn their first trip the University of Maryland at College Park and the state final four for a semifinal game at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Thursday.How the Sabers got there might be unique.With 35.6 seconds left, Lake Clifton's Corsley Edwards scored on a layup to tie the score at 55 and was fouled, sparking a celebration by the Lakers.

The 1995-96 edition of the Dunbar Poets doesn't evoke memories of past teams that dominated the national rankings. Words like inexperienced, small and young probably would best describe this season's team.But with each game, the No. 4 Poets have displayed improvement and maturity.In a contest that featured four technical fouls in a bizarre sequence, Dunbar withstood a late rally to upset No. 1 Southern-B, 78-70, yesterday to clinch first place in the City East League.Tommy Polley led Dunbar (13-6, 6-0)

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The nasty words exchanged between North Carolina and Clemson during the regular season spilled over into their ACC tournament quarterfinal last night at the Greensboro Coliseum.It led to a heated sideline exchange between coaches Dean Smith and Rick Barnes and into a near-brawl between the teams at the end of the Tar Heels' 78-62 victory.The fireworks started with 3:10 left and North Carolina comfortably ahead. After Jerry Stackhouse was fouled by Clemson's Iker Iturbe going in for a layup, Smith pointed at the Tigers center and appear to yell something at him.That led to Barnes' charging down the sideline at Smith.

The Westminster Owls have been going through some tough times this season and things didn't get any better last night against visiting Quince Orchard.The Owls (0-5) squandered an early double-digit lead and then saw their comeback bid fall short in losing 45-41 to the Cougars.It all unraveled midway through the third quarter.With their once 14-point lead down to six at 27-21 with 3:25 left in the quarter, the Owls had possession of the ball when guard Eric Moreau was called for a dead-ball foul -- an automatic technical foul on coach Dave Byers and a loss of possession.

The struggling Westminster Owls were looking to turn their season around with undefeated Thomas Johnson in town last night.And although the Owls ended up on the short end of a 51-32 decision to the Patriots, it was the kind of effort that still could get things headed in the right direction.It was a second-half offensive drought that did the Owls in. After playing even with the Central Maryland Conference-leading Patriots (11-0, 4-0) in a scrappy, defensive first half, the Owls (3-9, 1-2)

In a game filled with streaks, Rocky Newton and Glen Burnie struck last.Newton scored five of his game-high 22 points in the final 45 seconds to spark a late Glen Burnie run, and the Gophers rallied for a come-from-behind 69-63 victory over host Meade in the championship game of the Meade Christmas Tournament last night.Laurel (2-5) held off a late Edgewood rally for a 68-65 victory in the consolation game. Edgewood (2-4) missed two chances to tie in the final 15 seconds.Glen Burnie (4-3)

I was planning to write about Bob Knight and his bullwhip for today. But then I watched Christian Laettner perform magic Saturday night, and Knight's cheap tricks didn't seem so important anymore.Maybe that's the problem with college sports.We're seduced by the games. We want to believe in them. And when we see Duke and Kentucky play a game that can safely be called majestic, we get blinded to everything else.For sure, the games are more fun. Have you been watching? Michigan and Ohio State go to overtime yesterday, one day after we saw what some want to call the best college basketball game ever.

He wants to change, said Jimmy Patsos, the hot-tempered men's basketball coach at Loyola College. There's a peace sign on the silver wrist bracelet that he has worn since June, and a muzzle on his mouth. "I'm trying hard to grow," said Patsos, the Greyhounds' fifth-year coach known for his fiery antics. "I haven't cursed an official this year. St. Augustine said, 'Patience is wisdom.' Want me to recite the Serenity Prayer? I say it every day." How goes the makeover? Perhaps Patsos still has some work to do. Early in Loyola's 82-72 loss to Cornell in the National Invitation Tournament Season Tip-Off on Tuesday in Boston, Patsos was slapped with a technical foul, his second of the season.

COLLEGE PARK - He has yanked his starting lineup early in a game, publicly challenged his team through the media and, at times, been at odds with one of his star players. But all it took to wake up the reeling Maryland men's basketball team was for coach Gary Williams to turn his full attention and anger on the referees. With his team trailing by 11 in the first half and looking hopelessly inept and uninterested in its first-round National Invitation Tournament game vs. Oral Roberts, Williams received his third technical foul of the season, and it ignited the Terps on their way to an 85-72 victory before a small but spirited crowd of 7,047 at Comcast Center.

By the numbers 1,100 Days between Duke's last home loss (to Maryland's in 2001) and Wednesday's 76-68 loss to Georgia Tech. He said it "Why would I? To get suspended? Is that what you want me to do?" Mike Krzyzewski, Duke coach, asked to comment about getting a technical foul Wednesday night

Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest was fined $20,000 by the NBA for making an obscene gesture to fans in Cleveland Wednesday night. The incident occurred with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter of Indiana's 103-82 win as Cleveland's Jumaine Jones was leaving the court following his ejection after a technical foul. Artest, who said he was struck by a coin thrown onto the court, extended both of his middle fingers and waved them at the crowd at Gund Arena. Earlier in the game, Artest had been called for a technical foul.

Suddenly back from a 15-point deficit, No. 5 Dunbar got lit up by guard Landy Thompson in the fourth period and visiting Archbishop Spalding went on to rout the Poets, 79-62, last night in boys basketball. Thompson, a senior transfer from defunct Newport Prep, fired in 19 of his game-high 32 points in the game's last eight minutes. Third-ranked Spalding (6-1) took a 52-50 lead into the last quarter of a matchup of Baltimore Catholic League and Baltimore city powers. The Cavaliers outscored the Poets 27-12 in the final period at their storied gym. It was Dunbar's first loss at home in three years.

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.

Tony McDougald's free throw with one second left after a controversial technical foul gave the 14th-ranked Woodlawn boys basketball team a wild 78-77 win over No. 17 Milford Mill last night.The bizarre ending left coaches for both schools shaking their heads, but the Warriors (2-0) could take consolation in the fact that they prevailed at home despite blowing a 16-point, second-quarter lead.With the score tied at 77 in the closing seconds, Milford Mill's Jonathan Mason missed a layup, and Tariq Ageymann appeared to tap in the rebound at the buzzer to give the Millers the win.But as Milford Mill fans stormed the court, one official waved off the basket, calling goaltending on Ageymann.

COLLEGE PARK -- Steve Francis said he wasn't looking for trouble just seven minutes into the game last night when he got involved in a shoving scuffle with Clemson freshman guard Will Solomon under the Maryland basket."

In what has been a magical season for Southwestern, not much comes as a surprise to the No. 1-ranked Sabers.But no one could have predicted the turning point in yesterday's game.The Sabers (25-0) defeated host No. 3 Lake Clifton, 64-58, to win the Class 4A North regional championship and earn their first trip the University of Maryland at College Park and the state final four for a semifinal game at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Thursday.How the Sabers got there might be unique.With 35.6 seconds left, Lake Clifton's Corsley Edwards scored on a layup to tie the score at 55 and was fouled, sparking a celebration by the Lakers.

The 1995-96 edition of the Dunbar Poets doesn't evoke memories of past teams that dominated the national rankings. Words like inexperienced, small and young probably would best describe this season's team.But with each game, the No. 4 Poets have displayed improvement and maturity.In a contest that featured four technical fouls in a bizarre sequence, Dunbar withstood a late rally to upset No. 1 Southern-B, 78-70, yesterday to clinch first place in the City East League.Tommy Polley led Dunbar (13-6, 6-0)