Roaring towards a championship run Led by Alt-Arnerica' n Kely Mazzante, the confided Lady Lions are poised to make a serious dirge in March. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pau-Tbe had horn sonitilled and the 15,0 W strong in anew dance noticed a familiar site. The Jailbird um their Poem o Stare Laxly Lirm oath anodier Big Ten oppinicrit„ this is he belpirss 7344. Just another win, no big deal, right? Wrung. This victory, as the history books will base wen the pronpan on ortaratices ball, they understand this one is a ot" a long sun. Their something about this Lady them utterly am active.. They how to smile ahead in the way of athletics in "We sat bark and smirked a great coach Cheryl Burnett 'As an own* by MontoursvilUe Pennsylvania. who carved up defenses in high school lead ing her team all the way to the state finals two years in a row. AB Mazzamit has done since then is amass 2,729 points to become not only the school's all-time leading scorer, but the Big Ten's all-lime leading scorer. In a word, she is dominant, more so than most anyone else that has played the college game. So much so that she has drawn the comparisons of the all-time women's NCAA scoring leader Jackie Stiles from Southwest Missouri State. - Players; like [Kelly] make all of our jobs easier," joked Burnett, who coached Stiles at SWIMS.. - 1 think they're similar with their ability to score. I think the major difference between the two situations is that we really had to have Jackie, on every single possession be a scorer. Kelly's surrounding out is so incredibly talented because Penn State can go to other people." And that is what separates this Lady Lions team from all of the rest in their con ference, and what could separate them from the rest of the pack come NCAA tour nament time. They have the 1-2-3 punch of Mazzante, senior km Strom, and jun ior Tams' hia Wright that can match up with anyone in the country. In 24 years as the boss of die Lady Lions, Rene Portland has led her team to 19 NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the Sweet 16 three times and the final four once. That blowout loss to eventual National Champion Connecticut served as a benchmark for what it would take to get back to the highest level. Portland has taken the program and twit it from the ground up to become the most dominate swim* program on the campus at this pout in time. "I don't want to get lost in the whole thing," Pordand said with her trademark By ERIC THOMAS Sail Reporter „ maid kids minor. belt no door ado and tto anyone cake knows bake . a bettalhomatt, the pausiblle. tem), good hacks aside, ,I; stdikes a mac on a tarnpas pan yealf pkary a gnat pow, - aal Illichigns head rs I feel bad Mat we couldn't be owe oanctikar in such am inactlibile an d minntent." The arwinnument was die Lawn crowd cror - winucts a wcanen's cage ve has- WWI game at Penn State„ *me i f no rocs m= to &IA that dose 15,389 fans won't show op nect week, in, week after Or Dela lemon, The booms bee, this teams i darn *ay, and it is safe to autanne you will see thew un the final four *is rut. and potabby a handbill of times un the sect decade. '1 bare so much respect for what Rum States done.. Their level of sucorm„ and again their fan bane lone Rs mama &nest" awned said. There is a fee* that soon a kit 1010fe wadies and tee n wig begin infmankg the Lady Lions on a whole new Reed is die very near fluire„ But what makes them so lethal? What makes them the top dog in the Big Ten and one of the top id trams in the own -1130 First you have to look at Kelly Mazzante, the all-world star frond war- ipitnatto by Pat IMO AssmcionEd Plass All-American Kelly Mazzante spits the Michigan defense for two. Mazzante is a major reason why the Lady Lions coukl go deep into the NCAA Tournament this March. snide after die game. - If's meet* so have idbin happen and it shows that is wady about die girls aid that thaw is some mammon about the term_ „ " But our of the key elements duet Roland has iontilled in her team is aisfedcww. The kind winning Rams, naditions aid dynasties elbow Wowing poses and dar ing pout pine press confuenews. - We know we can pretty nosh ma with wry loon we play,"' sail Ihbuzawie„ who dropped in a an 16 points vino litatimia. "Lots of times we play scans aid the final wow should be lopsided."" And dut right thew is the enact mason why this loan is a fame lb be mane with as Math Madams approaches. They can light it up at any time_ They have the immediaHl - switcHir twat dwy can tarn an whenever they win to. They can sane htnn an e„ anytime, any pbcejust km* at what Pikomme aid her is mines btu done this season and aver the last four seasons. "Anybody on ibis team has the peen lilt io shoat," said Pdardast Bat aside from that, they aye yawing, =item* Wealth aid mint iminalma law FY- "This win jolt pis our The test of college basketball shatdd broom Ping Will: said %WC
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers