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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide for Reeves County, Trans-Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

Sports

Tuesday, January 20, 1998

Eagle, Steer squads need wins tonight

PECOS, Jan. 20 -- Three of the teams really need a win to
stay close to the leaders in the District 4-4A playoff race.
The fourth needs one to keep their hopes of a seventh
straight district title alive.

That's the situation facing the Pecos Eagles and Big Spring
Steers tonight, when the Eagles host the Steers in varsity
girls and boys games at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Pecos' girls and both the Eagle and Steer boys are the teams
really in need of victories. The girls are 1-3 in district
as they reach the halfway point tonight, while the Eagles
and Steers both stand 0-2 after one week of 4-4A play.

Big Spring's girls are in better shape, but they also lost
both their games last week, and with a 2-2 mark probably
need to run the table if they're to keep the 4-4A title
they've won every year since 1991.

That's also the last year the Eagles reached the playoffs,
and they'll need a win tonight to still have a shot at
ending their six-year drought. Pecos comes off a 62-52 loss
on Friday at San Angelo Lake View, where, as in their other
two losses to Andrews and Sweetwater, the Eagles kept things
close before faltering in the final period.

Lorie Marquez had 16 points to lead Pecos in the loss, which
left them with an 11-10 season mark.

Big Spring, meanwhile, suffered their worst district loss in
seven years last week in Sweetwater, falling 46-26, then
dropped a 45-37 decision at home on Friday to first place
Andrews. The Mustangs shut down Keesha Lott and Kristi
McWherter, holding them to nine points combined. Maggie
Haddad and Nadia Cole each had 11 to lead the Steers, who
are 12-9 on the season.

Big Spring's boys, meanwhile, have often started off the
basketball season with poor records, only to come on in
district play to advance to the post-season. Right now,
though, it will take a major turnaround, as the Steers stand
at 3-17 on the season.

They played a close game against 4-4A favorite Sweetwater to
open district, losing by only a 73-60 score, but were beaten
at home on Friday by Andrews, 73-53. Justin Myers, who had
four 3-pointers against the Eagles in last year's 76-54 win
at Pecos, put in 14, while Greg Wollenzein added 11.

Andrews broke things open with a 20-7 fourth period on
Friday, after pulling away from the Eagles a week ago in
their 66-56 home-opening win. Pecos the went to Lake View on
Friday, where the Chiefs used a 15-9 advantage in the final
period to beat the Eagles, 56-53.

Omar Hinojos scored 22 points while Jacob Chavez had 15 of
his 17 points off 3-pointers in the loss, which dropped
Pecos to 13-9 overall. Last season, Big Spring was able to
hold Hinojos to nine points, while Fabien Adame scored 22
and Chavez had four 3s in Pecos' home loss to Big Spring.

Tonight's games are the first of two straight at home for
the Eagles. They host Fort Stockton this Friday, then make a
210-mile trip to Sweetwater a week from tonight.

TV copter is bad news to Broncos' Shanahan

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 20 -- Super Bowl news flash: Helicopter
hovers over practice field. Coach not happy.

Day 1 of Super Bowl week produced little news other than
Denver coach Mike Shanahan's displeasure with a television
news helicopter that made a lot of noise while his team
practiced Monday.

He attempted to be upbeat about it by saying the news crew
was just trying to prepare the Broncos for crowd noise at
Sunday's game.

Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren tried to be even
funnier.

``Flying that helicopter was fun,'' he joked.

Truth is, Shanahan was annoyed.

``It was inappropriate,'' Shanahan said. ``There are things
we're doing from a game-plan standpoint that we would like
to keep within our organization, just as the Green Bay
Packers have a game plan that they would like to keep
private.''

There were no such disruptions with the Packers. The only
real news is that Dorsey Levens will be looking to make a
whole lot of money now that the NFL has its record-breaking
$17.6 billion TV deal.

``It's great timing as far as my contract is concerned,''
the running back said. ``I really struggle sometimes not to
think about it with this one more game to play. But that's
got to be what I'm thinking about, playing in the Super
Bowl.''

Levens turned down a contract extension last summer,
agreeing instead to play for $785,000 this season and then
test free agency. Edgar Bennett got hurt in the exhibition
opener, and the Packers' running game tandem that helped
take them to the NFL championship last year became a one-man
show.

Levens rushed for 1,435 yards, 39 short of Jim Taylor's
club record. Then he broke Green Bay's playoff rushing
record twice with 112 yards against Tampa Bay and 114
against San Francisco.

Agassi, Chang survive at Australan Open

MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 20 (AP) -- After an off year --
off form or simply off the tour -- former No. 1 Andre Agassi
made a stumbling start in this year's first Grand Slam. Then
he began to look like the Agassi of old.

Coming back from a year-end slump and a strained stomach
muscle, Michael Chang struggled through his first-round
Australian Open match Tuesday.

In contrast, women's defending champion Martina Hingis'
match was easy enough to allow her to try out new strategies
to defend her No. 1 ranking against a wave of teen-agers.

Agassi took an early 3-1 lead, but then lost five straight
games against Italian qualifier Marzio Martelli, ranked
133rd. Agassi let the second set's second game slip away
after six break points and 11 deuces.

Then he rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 6-2 victory,
finishing the 2-hour, 22-minute match with a trademark play,
forcing a short return and putting away a forehand
crosscourt.

``Everybody is viewing it like a comeback. I'm just going
back to work with a passion again,'' said Agassi, who had a
12-12 singles record on the regular tour last year and 4-1
on the Challenger circuit, where he dropped down to try to
regain his form after falling as low as 141st in the world.

``To be quite honest, I was very surprised. In fact I felt a
little nervous when I got out there. ... I just played
really cautiously, and I didn't find my rhythm until after
the second set,'' he added.

``My shots are there. I just have to get out there and play
big-time tennis, and it's going to happen.''

Between an extended honeymoon and a wrist injury, Agassi
played only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments last
year, reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open. At the end
of the year, he and Martelli were ranked about the same --
122 for Agassi and 127 for Martelli, a teaching pro two
years ago who is playing his third Grand Slam event.

One big difference: Agassi, who since has climbed back to
No. 87, has $13.37 million in career prize money to $149,061
for Martelli, who served 25 aces in this match.

No. 3 seed Chang needed slightly more than three hours to
overcome Denmark's Kenneth Carlsen 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-3.

Chang, who lost seven of eight matches at the end of last
year, said that ``it was a good wake-up call for me and I
learned quite a bit from it so I was able to make good use
of the off season, relax and start off this year hopefully
on a very fresh note.''

The muscle injury was not bothering him, he said.

In other men's matches, U.S. Open finalist Greg Rusedski,
seeded fifth, served 27 aces in beating David Witt 7-6
(7-4), 6-3, 6-4. French Open champion and No. 12 Gustavo
Kuerten won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Spain's Jacobo Diaz.

No. 9 Marcelo Rios trounced South African Grant Stafford
6-1, 6-0, 6-3 and No. 16 Albert Costa beat Germany's Tommy
Haas 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4.

Prominent among the losers were No. 8 Thomas Muster, who
fell to Sweden's Jan Apell 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, and No. 13
Goran Ivanisevic, beaten 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-4 by
Dutchman Jan Siemerink.

Britain's Tim Henman, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist last year
and now ranked 18th, fought off two match points at 6-7 in
the final set before losing 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 3-6, 11-9
in 4 hours, 19 minutes to 101st-ranked Jerome Golmard of
France.

Last year, Hingis used the Australian Open as a launching
pad to the No. 1 ranking. She ended the year with three
titles and one runner-up finish in the four Grand Slam
tournaments and a 75-5 match record overall.

But a week ago in a tuneup tournament, she lost 3-6, 6-4,
7-5 to Venus Williams.

``I can only learn from that loss in Sydney,'' Hingis said
after beating German Wiltrud Probst 6-1, 6-2. ``I probably
will change my strategy.''



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