WPPA/T102 SPORTS-THURSDAY

PIAA BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

CLASS A GIRLS

TRI VALLEY 34
DELCO CHRISTIAN 29

NORTHERN CAMBRIA 53
NATIVITY 52


TRI VALLEY WILL FACE STEEL-HIGH ON SATURDAY. SITE AND TIME TO BE DETERMINED

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - ANDRE IGUODALA SCORED 20 POINTS, JRUE HOLIDAY ADDED 19 AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS SNAPPED A FIVE-GAME LOSING STREAK WITH A 108-97 WIN OVER THE NEW JERSEY NETS LAST NIGHT. ELTON BRAND ADDED 12 POINTS, AND LOU WILLIAMS, WILLIE GREEN AND RODNEY CARNEY HAD 11 APIECE FOR THE 76ERS. CHRIS DOUGLAS-ROBERTS LED THE NETS WITH 23 POINTS.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - PATRIK ELIAS SCORED A BREAKAWAY GOAL AND SET UP ANOTHER FOR THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS AS THEY BEAT THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 5-2 LAST NIGHT. THE WIN LIFTED NEW JERSEY INTO A FIRST-PLACE TIE WITH THE PENGUINS. BOTH TEAMS HAVE 87 POINTS, BUT THE PENGUINS HAVE PLAYED ONE MORE GAME THAN THE DEVILS.

CLEARWATER, FLA. (AP) - JAYSON WERTH HIT A THREE-RUN HOME RUN IN THE FIFTH INNING TO BREAK OPEN A TIE GAME, AND THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES BEAT THE NEW YORK YANKEES 6-2 YESTERDAY. WERTH, JIMMY ROLLINS AND RYAN HOWARD ALL FINISHED 2 FOR 3 AND COMBINED FOR THREE RUNS AND FOUR RBIS.RIGHT-HANDER JOE BLANTON HELD THE YANKEES TO TWO EARNED RUNS IN FIVE INNINGS.

BRADENTON, FLA. (AP) - PITTSBURGH STARTER KEVIN HART WALKED SIX OF THE 12 BATTERS HE FACED, FAILING TO MAKE IT OUT OF THE SECOND INNING IN THE PIRATES' 6-3 LOSS TO THE DETROIT TIGERS YESTERDAY. HE THREW 53 PITCHES, ONLY 19 FOR STRIKES, AND REACHED THREE-BALL COUNTS ON NINE BATTERS. TIGERS LEFT-HANDER NATE ROBERTSON WORKED FOUR INNINGS AND ALLOWED TWO RUNS ON FOUR HITS.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - SECOND-SEEDED VILLANOVA OPENS IN TONIGHT'S NCAA TOURNAMENT AGAINST NUMBER 15 ROBERT MORRIS IN THE SOUTH REGIONAL. THE WILDCATS GOT THE HIGH SEED EVEN AFTER LOSING FIVE OF THEIR LAST SEVEN GAMES. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA PREDICTED THE WILDCATS WOULD REACH THE FINAL FOUR.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - TOP-RANKED KANSAS OPENS THE NCAA TOURNAMENT TODAY AGAINST NUMBER 16 SEED LEHIGH IN THE MIDWEST REGIONAL. THE GAME HAS SIMILARITIES TO THE FIRST-ROUND LOSS KANSAS SUFFERED TO BUCKNELL IN 2005: IT'S AT OKLAHOMA CITY'S FORD CENTER, AGAINST THE PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPION, ON MARCH 18 IN THE NIGHT SESSION, AND IT FOLLOWS A GAME FEATURING NORTHERN IOWA.

LEWISBURG, PA. (AP) - WARWICK HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN EMILY CAMERON BECAME THE FIRST FEMALE SCHOLASTIC SWIMMER IN STATE HISTORY TO BREAK THE TWO-MINUTE MARK IN THE 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY IN THE PIAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS YESTERDAY. HER TIME OF 1:59:00 IN THE CLASS AAA FINALS WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FOUR-DAY EVENT.

CHESTER, PA. (AP) - MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER'S PHILADELPHIA UNION'S WILL HOST VALENCIA OF SPAIN'S LA LIGA IN AN EXHIBITION AT PPL PARK THIS SUMMER. THE EXPANSION TEAM ANNOUNCED THE GAME YESTERDAY, BUT A DATE HASN'T BEEN SET. VALENCIA IS IN THIRD PLACE WITH 13 WINS, FIVE LOSSES AND EIGHT TIES, 18 POINTS BEHIND REAL MADRID AND BARCELONA.

NEW YORK (AP) - FORMER METS AND PHILLIES STAR LENNY DYKSTRA HAS SUED JP MORGAN CHASE FOR $100 MILLION, SAYING HE DIDN'T GET THE LOAN HE NEEDED WHEN HE BOUGHT HOCKEY GREAT WAYNE GRETZKY'S CALIFORNIA HOME. THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS HE BOUGHT THE PROPERTY IN THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA FOR $17.4 MILLION BUT THE BANK RENEGED ON A PLEDGE TO REFINANCE. CHASE DECLINED TO COMMENT.

NASHVILLE, TENN. (AP) - THE TENNESSEE TITANS HAVE SIGNED DEFENSIVE END JASON BABIN TO AN OFFER SHEET. UNDER A SPECIAL CLAUSE THE EAGLES PUT INTO BABIN'S CONTRACT, PHILADELPHIA HAS ONE WEEK TO MATCH THE OFFER. WITHOUT THE CLAUSE, BABIN WOULD BE AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT BECAUSE OF HIS SIX YEARS OF NFL SERVICE.

TAMPA, FLA. (AP) - FREE AGENT SAFETY SEAN JONES HAS AGREED TO A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WITH THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS. JONES PLAYED FOR PHILADELPHIA LAST SEASON AFTER SPENDING THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF HIS CAREER WITH THE CLEVELAND BROWNS. HE STARTED NINE GAMES WITH THE EAGLES, FINISHING WITH 72 TACKLES, ONE SACK AND TWO INTERCEPTIONS.