The Dallas Post [ . Section 2 Wednesday December 31,1997 By CHRIS BELL Sports Correspondent LEHMAN - With just two seniors on the roster, the Lake- Lehman High School boys basketball team has gotten off to a slow start this season. A heartbreaking loss to Montrose in the opening round of the Crossin Tournament at Wyo- hing Valley West left the Black Knights at 1-8 heading into Tuesday's consolation matchup with arch rival Dallas. “We've had a slow start for a number of reasons,” explained Lehman head coach Rodger Bearde. “We're very young and we've played some very good teams in the exhibition season. We also have a lot of athletes who participated in fall sports Wand had a late start with the basketball team.” However, the primary reason for the Knights’ poor start has been their shooting. “We haven't shot very well from the floor or from the free throw line,” said Bearde, whose team is shooting just 28 percent from the floor. “We expected to shoot around 40 precent. You won't beat many teams shooting like we have so far.” Bearde isn’t totally surprised by his team’s lack of success in the early going. “With such a young team, we thought we might struggle in the exhibition season,” he said. “We've played some good teams and we've only had two home games. That can be tough on a young squad.” The Knights are 1-2 in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division II and Bearde hopes ¥ that his team can improve Sports Black Knights boys get off to a slow start on throughout the regular season. “Our exhibition schedule should help us as we get into our league schedule,” said Bearde. “We hope to be com- petitive in our division, espe- cially in the second half.” To do that, the Knights will continue to rely on sophomore point guard James Lyons, a returning starter and the team’s leading scorer with 18 points per game. “James is one of the top players in the league,” said __ Lake-Lehman coach Bearde. “He has outstanding speed and a great desire to become a better player. He loves the game and works hard to improve.” Part of Lyons’ desire stems from being named second-team all-conference as a freshman and playing with the Pace Setters AAU team during the summer. “He played with and against some excellent players,” said ‘Bearde. “It was like having another season and has really paid off for him. He learned what he needs to do to take his TAKING THEM TO THE MAT Dallas met Lackawanna Trail at home last weekend. In top photo, Bill Duda grappled with his opponent. Lewis Spurlin, lower left, got a SPORTS ROUNDUP GIRLS BASKETBALL Mountain View 62, Dallas 33 The Lady Mounts were outscored 26-2 in the fourth quar- ter to fall 62-33 to Mountain View in the opening round of the Munley Tournament Dec. 26. Katie Aus- tin lead Dallas with 11 points followed by Jen Noon with 8. Dal- las was to face Coughlin in the consulation game Monday night. BOYS BASKETBALL Montrose 42, Lehman 40 Lehman dropped a heart- breaker in the first round of the Crossin Memorial Tournament Dec. 27 at Wyoming Valley West with a 42-40 loss to Montrose. James Lyons kept the Knights in the hunt with 21 points including two three-pointers before Montrose clinched the game with a game winning jumper at the buzzer. Lehman faces Dallas in the consulation game on Tues- day. Valley West 83, Dallas 58 Dallas’ Bruce Kunkle and J.J. Smith combined for 29 points but Valley West had the depth to outgun Dallas 83-58 Dec. 27 at the Crossin Tournament. Dallas drops to the consulation round against Lehman. WRESTLING Lehman advanced four wres- tlers to semi-finals in the Tunkhannock Kiwanis 19th An- nual Wrestling Tournament Dec. 29 in Tunkhannock. Nick Raczykowski (112), Jason Maciejczak (125), Eric Maciejczak (140) and Sam Saylor (145) all had quarter-final victories while Matt Magee (130), Justin Harris (135), Mick Konigus (189) and Matt Kehler (Hwt) were knocked out. Raczykowski had pins in first and second rounds to advance. . Your Sports & News items * - - are welcomed at The Post Pa POST PHOTOS/JIM PHILLIPS grip on the Trail wrestler, while Damian Temperine, lower right, worked to escape. No results were available. game to another level.” Lyons also has the ability to make his teammates better. “When you play with an out- standing player, you tend to work harder to improve,” said Bearde. “As we progress this season, we will also be able to take advantage of our oppo- nents’ focusing on James.” In addition to Lyons, the Knights’ offense has been led Russ Mosier, a sophomore forward who is averaging 11 points per game. Mike Sudal, one of two seniors on the team, is averaging 8 points per game while junior center Matt Morris adds 8 rebounds per contest. The Knights’ lineup features the rotation of sophomores Matt Loftus and Bobby Baird at shooting guard while senior Ed Sichler sees plenty of time at Earl Samuel inducted into the court forward. \ Other key contributors include junior center Ted Sadowski, sophomore forward D.J. Kapson, junior guard Joel Whipple, sophomore guard Dom Castrigano, sophomore center Greg Woronko and sophomore forward Eric Messerle. “We should get better as the season progresses,” explained Bearde. “Some of these guys are just now getting into the groove after the fall season.” “Everything revolves around our shooting,” explained Bearde. “As we shoot better and score more, we'll put more pressure on our opponents and take some pressure off our- selves. Our young guys are still adjusting to the varsity game. As we mature, we'll get better.” Juniata Sports Hall of Fame Earl Samuel, of Dallas, was recently inducted into Juniata College's Sports Hall of Fame. A native of Johnstown, PA and a 1961 graduate of Richland Town- ship High School, Samuel was a four-year letter winner in both track and cross-country, he re- tired the record for Juniata’s origi- nal 4.3-mile cress country course. In cross country dual meets, Samuel lost only twice to runners from other schools. The #1 run- ner for Juniata throughout his career, he finished in the top 10 at the Middle Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championship four times, including a runner-up permission crs, and vol senior captain in cross country and a two-year captain in track and field, where he was the team’s high scorer in 1962, 1964 and 1965. Samuel won the gold medal for the two-mile run at the 1964 Middle Atlantic Conference Track and Field Championships, break- ing the MAC record at that time. He placed second in the MAC two- mile in 1962, third in 1963 and second in 1965. As a senior, Samuel became the first Juniatian to win three athletics awards in the same year after being named MVP in both cross country and track and field, and receiving the prestigious Stanford Mickl PA Fish & Boat Commission to offer basic boating course A PA Fish & Boat Commission basic boating course will be held at the PP&L Susquehanna En- ergy Info. Center (Riverlands), Rt. 11, South of Shickshinny, Wed., January 24, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Registration is required for the course. Interested parties should call 717-542-2306 for a reserva- tion. Lunch will not be provided. A lunch break will be given around noon time and those attending should bring a box lunch and refreshments. The course will acquaint expe- rienced boaters with many as- pects of boating they are not aware of as well as changes in current regulations. The course is open to everyone 12 years of age and older. This course will allow individuals 12 to 15 years of age to satisfy the mandatory minimum age require- ments for the operation of a mo- torboat and the new age require- ments for personal watercraft in Pennsylvania. It is recommended that parents take the course along with their children. The Dallas Post “e-mail Send letters to the editor, story ideas, complants, praise, advertising inquiries. But if you're sending press releases, please call the old-fashioned way — (717) 675-5211 — to make sure it's something we will use.. Aw /
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