THE OC
In a battle of nationally ranked California powers,
Artesia ( Lakewood) nipped Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 58--57 to win the Orange
Holiday Classic. Renardo Sidney, a 6'10" sophomore, had 16 points and 17
rebounds for Artesia (13--0), while Mater Dei's 6'8" Taylor King (left,
he's headed to Duke) reached an Orange County career record of 2,642 points,
breaking a 32-year-old mark set by Mark Wulfemeyer of Troy ( Fullerton).
GRAPPLE JUICE
Shaler Area ( Pittsburgh) senior Nick Nelson (right,
behind foe) was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Powerade Christmas
Tournament in Canonsburg, Pa. Nelson, the No. 2 seed, won five matches on his
way to the 145-pound championship.
ANOTHER MAGIC JOHNSON
Senior guard Brittany Johnson became the leading
girls' basketball scorer in Illinois while helping Olney East Richland win the
Class A State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington. The Ohio State signee scored
32 points in the final as the Tigers (18--0) ended St. Joseph-- Ogden's 15-game
winning streak 62--48. She now has 3,472 points, eclipsing the 3,403 scored by
Angie Sapp-Hartman of Williamsville between 1989 and '93.
A FLYER FLIES ON
Don Donoher, 74, who reached the NCAA Sweet 16 as
Dayton's coach five times between 1964 and '89, can't quit the game. Donoher
(above) is an assistant boys' basketball coach at Bishop Fenwick ( Franklin,
Ohio), where his grandson, Kevin, plays guard. "At this stage, I'm trying
to stay under the radar," says coach Donoher. "Obviously I haven't
succeeded."
