Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Every 15 years or so, the Golden State Warriors make a BIG mistake, and they made one last night, right on cue.Trading Chris Webber will haunt this franchise for as long as the 1980 trade of Robert Parish and the 1965 trade of Wilt Chamberlain -- and that's if the Warriors are lucky.Webber, only 21, may haunt them longer.On paper, Webber to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round draft picks is a better deal than those previous Hall of Shame entries. Gugliotta is a very good player, better than Joe Barry Carroll or Connie Dierking and the two other stiffs the Warriors got for Chamberlain.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- How far have the Marquette Warriors come? Far enough to give themselves a chance to return a favor to Duke tonight in the biggest game Marquette has played in 15 years.The basketball revival at Marquette is in full swing under fifth-year coach Kevin O'Neill. The Warriors are an era removed from the days of Al McGuire and the 1977 national title that stands as the program's hallmark achievement. But, they have also left behind the mediocrity that defined the team throughout the latter half of the 1980s.

This time, Walbrook didn't leave any doubts.The No. 3 Warriors defeated host and No. 6 Southwestern, 79-69, in a battle for first in a Maryland Scholastic Gamper Conference 3A Division game before a capacity crowd.Sophomore guard Travone Broadway led the Warriors (10-1, 6-0) with 17 points. Andre Rafus added 15 and Antwan Wingo had 11 for Walbrook, which had defeated No. 7 Southern of Baltimore, 66-58, Tuesday."We did what we had to do," said Walbrook coach Gus Herrington. "We knew they were going to put some pressure, and we just handled it."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- OK, party animals, you can take those funny hats off.The Golden State Warriors enjoyed their Game 2 upset to the max, even having the rap group, Run DMC, introduce them before Friday night's game. Unamused, the Los Angeles Lakers cooled Run TMC off and beat the Warriors, 115-112, Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the second-round best-of-seven series.After Don Nelson labeled the Warriors "The Little Train That Could" and Tom Tolbert suggested the Lakers post-up game reminded him of "Minnesota with gold uniforms," the Lakers walked onto the court frowning and there went the good times.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Chris Webber likes the Washington Bullets, and badly wants to play alongside former Michigan teammate Juwan Howard. It appears now that the only thing holding that up is just what the Golden State Warriors want in return.Webber's agent, Fallasha Erwin, was on the phone all day yesterday with Webber, Bullets general manager John Nash and Warriors officials as he attempted to broker a deal that would send the Warriors' restricted free agent to Washington."The Bullets still have a strong interest, and the league is looking at this situation closely," Erwin said.

Don Nelson won deserved praise last season for guiding the Golden State Warriors, the smallest team in the NBA, to 44 victories and an upset of the San Antonio Spurs in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.But Nelson, whose Warriors play the Washington Bullets at the Capital Centre tonight, realized that he could not be a legitimate contender without a gifted big man. The lack of rebounding and interior defense prohibited a serious title run.His only real option was to break up his dynamic "Run TMC" trio of point guard Tim Hardaway, off guard Mitch Richmond and small forward Chris Mullin, which combined for an average of 72 points a game.

The big question had already been answered when the Manchester Wrestling Club took to the North Carroll High mats at Sunday's Manchester Holiday Tournament finals.Dundalk, a perennial Maryland Junior Wrestling League power from Baltimore County, had already clinched the team title with 299 points, more than second-place Manchester could possibly have earned.But one interesting question remained -- where would the Winfield-based Warriors finish?The Warriors, a 1990 last-place finisher in the Manchester tournament, eventually took fourth in the 11-team field, with 162 points.

LANDOVER -- Washington Bullets guard Scott Skiles had just hit a three-pointer midway through the third quarter and the crowd at the USAir Arena was going wild. The Bullets were leading by 18 points and were on the verge of their third straight win, something that hasn't happened all season.And then the Bullets totally collapsed. By the end of the quarter, the lead over the Golden State Warriors was just six, and by the fourth quarter the Bullets were playing catch-up, only to suffer a 121-118 overtime loss before 15,911.

It wasn't the way Anton Jenifer's senior season should have started.In Walbrook's season-opening 85-59 victory over Northwestern at the Tip-Off Mixer at Lake Clifton, Jenifer scored a game-high 39 points.One problem. A teammate was mistakenly credited with the points in the official score book."I was upset a little at first," said Jenifer. "But I have learned to keep my head straight and everything will work out."Things have worked out quite nicely for Jenifer, a 5-foot-9 shooting guard, especially against opposing defenses this season.

Walbrook's wrestling team just keeps going.The Warriors went 12-0 for their second straight Maryland Scholastic Association B Conference championship. Yesterday, they added the title from the first District 9 tournament.The Warriors (92 points) placed nine wrestlers in the top four of each Wrestlingweight class to seven for runner-up Poly (67) of the A Conference in the tournament at Southwestern.Walbrook's four champs were Dana Harris (119 pounds, 22-4), George Chandler (130, 24-2), Mark Hollingsworth (140, 16-2)