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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Wednesday, February 23, 2000
Turnovers help Indians skin Bears
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Feb. 23, 2000 -- The turnover bug bit the Balmorhea Bears hard
Tuesday night, as their 1999-2000 basketball season came to an end at the
hands of the Fort Davis Indians.
The Bears threw the ball away often due to pressure by the Indians'
defense, and lost it several more times on unforced errors, as Fort Davis
used a 19-6 third quarter to break open a three-point game and score a
59-40 victory over Balmorhea, in their Class A bi-district playoff game
at the Pecos High School gym.
"We had way too many turnovers. I can't emphasize that enough," said
Bears' coach Adolfo Garcia, who added that the Bears also let the Indians
control play inside after halftime.
"We out-rebounded them in the first half, but after that we could only
get one shot at a time, and that hurt us."
Phillip Prude and Aaron Liddell found openings inside in the first quarter
to help the Indians race out to as much as a seven-point lead. They would
go up by eight with three minutes left in the second period, before some
bad foul shooting allowed Balmorhea to rally to within three points, at
27-24, by halftime.
But guard Orly Sanchez led a third quarter run that got the margin up
to nine in the first three minutes of the period, and Prude then nailed
his team's only 3-pointer as part of a 9-2 run that left Balmorhea trailing
46-30 by the end of the period.
"My main guards turned the ball over so many times when the pressure
was there," said Garcia, whose team did cut a 50-30 deficit down to 50-39
with just under two minutes to play, but then lost Mendoza and Kevin Rodriguez
to fouls and saw Fort Davis go to the foul line for 16 free throws, hitting
eight of them, to close out the game.
The last lead for Balmorhea was at 6-5, on a lay-up by Billy Lozano,
who led the Bears with 17 points. The Bears started off the game well,
with Mendoza scoring on a lay-up off the opening tip. The Indians would
take a 4-2 lead before Balmorhea tied the game on a rebound lay-up by Isaiah
Rodriguez. But Rodriguez would then pick up two fouls in a span of 27 seconds,
and wound up fouling out of the game late in the third quarter.
"Our game plan was to attack them and take the two point shots," Garcia
said. "But then we started getting kids into foul trouble and we got scared
to drive it in. Then my main man taking the ball inside Isaiah fouled out
in the third quarter, and that really hurt."
Fort Davis managed to hit just 14 of their 35 foul shots in the game,
and the Bears took advantage in the first half, hitting eight of their
13 free throws to get back into the game by halftime. But the Bears were
only 5-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter, when they had a chance
to cut into Fort Davis' lead back down to single digits. Sanchez, who led
all scorers with 18 points, then broke the Bears' run with a foul shot,
and after a Lozano free throw, the Bears were unable to score again the
rest of the way.
The loss end the Bears' season at 14-9, while Fort Davis improved to
20-6 and will face Rankin, 68-51 winners over Grandfalls on Tuesday, in
the area round of the Class A playoffs.
"We've got a lot of potential coming up," Garcia said, looking towards
next season. "Of our starters, I only had two seniors out there, and we've
got some good freshmen and sophomores coming up, who have a lot of potential."
BALMORHEA (40)
B. Lozano 5 5-9 16; M. Mendoza 3 3-4 9; K. Rodriguez
1 0-0 2; A. Rodriguez 0 0-0 0; R. Lozano 0 1-2 1; Barragan 1 0-2 2; Js.
Mendoza 0 2-4 Jr. Mendoza 1 0-0 2; Lethco 0 0-0 0; Matta 0 0-0 0; Is. Rodriguez
2 2-2 6. Totals 13 13-23 40.
FORT DAVIS (59)
Sanchez 6 6-12 18; Reinberg 5 0-0 10; Evans 0 0-0 0;
Prude 6 1-4 14; Martinez 0 2-10 2; G. Hernandez 3 1-3 7; Liddell 2 4-6
8; Cotton 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-35 59.
Balmorhea
11 13 6 10
- 40
Fort Davis
15 12 19 13 - 59
Three-point goals: Balmorhea 1 (B. Lozano), Fort
Davis 1 (Prude). Fouled out: Balmorhea, Is. Rodriguez, M. Mendoza,
K. Rodriguez. Fort Davis, Prude, Reinberg. Total fouls: Balmorhea
26, Fort Davis 23.
JV golfers second at Andrews
PECOS, Feb. 23, 2000 -- The Pecos Eagles' junior varsity girl's golf team
took second place last week, in a one-round tournament in Andrews.
The JV girls were in action, while Pecos' varsity squad skipped tournament
play last weekend, and instead played a practice dual meet in Monahans
against the Loboes.
The JV shot a 427 in the Feb. 16 tournament, finishing 36 shots in back
of Andrews, which won with a 391 total on their home course. The Eagles
finished four strokes ahead of third place Monahans, who were followed
by Lamesa at 447, Andrews JV `B' at 448, Midland Trinity and 492 and Seminole
at 519.
Coach Tina Hendrick said Dena Dutchover had the low round of the day
for the Eagles with a 101, and was followed by Brandi North at 105, Kelsey
Riley at 110 and Amanda Armstrong with a 111 total.
Hendrick said no team scores were officially kept for Saturday's 18
holes of golf at the Ward County Golf Course. "It was just a dual meet,
and we took all our girls," she said.
Unofficially, the Eagles' varsity golfers shot a 358 on the day, led
by Candace Hillard at 85 and Salem Mitchell at 86. Cassie Foster shot a
93, Amanda Stickels a 94 and Brandi Bradley a 94 for the other Pecos scores.
Hendrick said she would be taking her varsity squad, along with two
medallists, to Fort Stockton this Friday and Saturday for the Blue Ribbon
Invitational. Along with the host Prowlers, all of Pecos' former district
rivals _ Andrews, Big Spring, San Angelo Lake View, Snyder and Sweetwater
_ would be at the tournament, and while none of the Eagles' current District
2-4A opponents will be there, the tournament will also feature four El
Paso area schools, Irvin, Montwood, Hanks and Eastwood, along with Odessa
High, Midland High, Seminole and Hereford.
Pecos' boys also had this past weekend off. They'll return to action
on Friday and Saturday competing at the Tall City Invitational in Midland.
Failed test may be end of Strawberry's career
By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 23, 2000 - Darryl Strawberry might be out of second
chances.
The New York Yankees designated hitter tested positive for cocaine on
Jan. 19, it was revealed Tuesday, and could be facing his third suspension
from the major leagues.
A high-ranking baseball official, speaking on the condition he not be
identified, said the commissioner's office is investigating. A decision
whether to take disciplinary action likely would be made by Thursday at
the latest.
The official did not detail what action the sport was likely to take
against Strawberry. But given his past penalties, a suspension that would
last most - if not all - of this season appears likely.
Rich Levin, the spokesman for commissioner Bud Selig, declined comment.
Strawberry, an eight-time All-Star, came back from colon cancer surgery
in October 1998. He hit .333 with two home runs and four RBIs in the postseason
last year in helping the Yankees to their second straight World Series
sweep.
The Yankees were counting on Strawberry, who turns 38 next month, to
be their primary DH this season following the retirement of Chili Davis.
On Tuesday, before the problem became public, Yankees manager Joe Torre
gave a hint that something was up.
"I have a sense something will happen here that will stir the pot,"
he said.
Strawberry is tested two or three times a week as part of his no-contest
plea on May 26, 1999, to charges of cocaine possession and soliciting a
prostitute. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation and 100 hours of
community service.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman
declined comment on the news, first reported by WTVT in Tampa and WLWT
in Cincinnati. WLWT obtained the three-page report on the probation violation
from the Florida Department of Corrections and made it available to The
Associated Press.
Strawberry, who has been working out at the Yankees complex, could not
be contacted after positive test became known. He lives in a gated community,
Cheval, just north of Tampa in the suburb of Lutz.
He already has served two drug-related suspensions.
The first, for 60 days, was in 1995 after he tested positive for cocaine.
The second, from April 24 to Aug. 4 last season, came after he was arrested
in Tampa last April 4 for possessing 0.3 grams of cocaine.
Strawberry didn't rejoin the Yankees until Sept. 1, but hit .327 with
three homers and six RBIs.
The Feb. 8 report by correction probation specialist Shelley J. Tomlinson,
which was approved by deputy regional director Nancy L. Ham and signed
by Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Florence Foster, said Strawberry did
not make a statement about the violation on the advice of his lawyer.
The report did not ask that Strawberry's probation be revoked or modified.
It recommended Strawberry "remain under supervision with enhanced treatment
sanctions and continued urine monitoring 2-to-3 times per week."
In addition, the report said Strawberry should receive "updated substance-abuse
evaluation" and have weekly counseling and continue to attend Alcoholics
Anonymous-Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Dr. Joel Solomon, the medical adviser to the players association, recommended
"an enhancement of his aftercare program consisting of regular individual
therapy sessions while in Tampa and also once he moves to New York," according
to the report.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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