Today's Sports-Thursday, December 29, 2011

High School Basketball
Girls
Tri Valley 55
Williams Valley 30

Mt Carmel 62
Minersville 59

Sch Haven 31
Tulpehocken 23

Northwestern Lehigh 50
Pottsville 34

Pine Grove 44
Harriton 36

Dunmore 40
Marian 38

Boys
Pottsville 58
Northwestern Lehi 19

Tri Valley 48
Upper Dauphin 43

Williams Valley 50
Millersburg 41

Danville 77
Pine Grove 62

Northern Lehigh 48
Jim Thorpe 30

Salisbury 65
Tamaqua 45


SIXERS-SUNS
76ers surge past Suns 103-83
PHOENIX (AP) — Andre Iguodala scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures and added six assists and the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Phoenix Suns 103-83 on Wednesday night. Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young also scored 15 each for the Sixers, who used a 19-0 run at the beginning of the third quarter to extend a 14-point halftime lead to 67-34 with 6:44 remaining. Ronnie Price, signed as a free agent on Dec. 13, matched a career high with 16 points, and Grant Hill and Hakim Warrick added 14 each for the Suns, who are off to a 0-2 start for the first time since 1996-97. Philadelphia needed less than 90 seconds of the third quarter to stretch a 48-34 lead at halftime to 11 at 55-34 on Spencer Hawes' steal and dunk with 10:34 to go in the period.

STEELERS
Veteran Batch ready if Roethlisberger sits again
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch wants Ben Roethlisberger to play on Sunday in the regular-season finale against Cleveland. Just in case Roethlisberger's sprained left ankle is still too balky, Batch will be ready. It's what he's done over the last 10 seasons as one of the league's most consistent — and arguably most ego-less — reserves.
The Steelers are 5-2 when Batch starts over the last decade. The 37-year-old played almost flawlessly in a 27-0 romp over St. Louis last weekend, showing some surprising mobility that allowed him to extend plays and find receivers downfield. He could get the nod again versus the Browns as Pittsburgh (11-4) tries to stay alive for an AFC North title. Roethlisberger practiced on Wednesday.

EAGLES-FINISHING STRONG
Eagles playing for .500
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A meaningless regular-season game for the Philadelphia Eagles usually means resting their starters for the playoffs. Not this year. The Eagles (7-8) are going home after Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins (5-10). It's the first time since 2007 they didn't make the playoffs and just the fourth time it's happened in coach Andy Reid's 13 seasons.
That doesn't soften the blow. "Obviously 8-8 wasn't our goal," quarterback Michael Vick said Wednesday. "We expected to be in the playoffs. I think we have to take all the positives we can learn from this season and hopefully we'll come back and look like a different team next year."
As the season winds down, the Eagles are playing their best football. They've won three straight games and have outscored their opponents 91-36 in that span. The problem is they didn't play that well in the beginning. A 1-4 start doomed Philadelphia.

PENGUINS-CROSBY
Crosby still experiencing concussion-like symptoms
UNDATED (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is participating in light exercise but remains sidelined indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms. Crosby hasn't played since Dec. 5 and hasn't practiced in three weeks after getting jostled in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Coach Dan Bylsma said Wednesday that Crosby is dealing with lingering symptoms and isn't sure when he'll return. Crosby was sidelined for nearly 11 months after sustaining head shots in consecutive games in January. He returned on Nov. 21 and scored two goals in his season debut against the New York Islanders. He collected 12 points in eight games before being re-injured.
Bylsma said defenseman Kris Letang, out since Nov. 26 with a concussion, is feeling better but his return date is unknown.

76ERS-SALE-FINDER'S FEE
Pair sue ex-76ers owner over $2M finder's fee
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two sports executives have sued former Philadelphia 76ers owner Comcast-Spectacor seeking a $2 million finder's fee over the team's October sale. Robert Whitsitt and Thomas Shine say they introduced investor Jason Levien to Comcast-Spectacor chairman Edward Snider. They say they were promised $2 million if they found a buyer and met other conditions. Levien is a former Sacramento Kings executive. He's one of many new investors in the 76ers, including Hollywood power couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Whitsitt is the former president of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers. Shine is an executive at Canton, Mass.-based Reebok International Ltd. Comcast-Spectacor LP spokesman Ike Richman says the company will vigorously defend the lawsuit. The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported Wednesday on the lawsuit, filed a day earlier in federal court in Philadelphia.

MUNCHAK-PENN STATE
Munchak: No contact with Penn St., loves Titans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mike Munchak says he is not heading to Penn State as coach.
The Titans coach says Wednesday he's flattered to be mentioned for his alma mater, but insists he loves what he's doing in Tennessee. Munchak says he is going nowhere despite reports in Pennsylvania calling him Penn State's top target to replace Joe Paterno. This is the third time since Paterno was fired that Munchak has denied interest in the job. He refuted it the day after Paterno was fired and again Dec. 2 when his name came up in connection with the opening.
Munchak says he's not been contacted by anyone at Penn State nor reached out to the university.

TICKETCITY BOWL-PENN STATE
Penn State seniors stay focused at bowl
DALLAS (AP) — Penn State defensive end Eric Latimore admits his senior season has been "interesting." The Nittany Lions are making their first bowl appearance without Joe Paterno on the staff since it tied SMU 13-13 in the 1948 Cotton Bowl. A child sex abuse scandal has engulfed Penn State, leading to the departures of university president Graham Spanier, vice president Gary Schultz, athletic director Tim Curley and Hall of Fame coach Paterno.
The scandal has overshadowed the Nittany Lions (9-3), who will play Houston (12-1) in the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2 at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Latimore says it's a "little weird" not having Paterno around: "We have to stay Penn State and continue to stay focused."

BIG TEN-PAC-12 SCHEDULE
Conferences expand without expanding
NEW YORK (AP) — Realizing bigger isn't necessarily better, the Big Ten and Pac-12 are going ahead with a plan to start regularly competing against one another in the hope that together they can increase their national exposure. While the partnership is for all sports, the most noticeable changes will be seen in football. The two 12-team leagues are aiming to create a 12-game inter-conference schedule by the 2017 season that would have each school play an opponent from the other conference every season. That could mean a steady diet of matchups between heavyweight programs such as Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin from the Big Ten against Pac-12 powers such as Southern California and Oregon — and fewer games against lower-level Division I programs.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Final Indiana 90 Toronto 85
Final Miami 96 Charlotte 95
Final Cleveland 105 Detroit 89
Final Atlanta 101 Washington 83
Final New Orleans 97 Boston 78
Final Oklahoma City 98 Memphis 95
Final San Antonio 115 L-A Clippers 90
Final Philadelphia 103 Phoenix 83
Final Denver 117 Utah 100
Final Golden State 92 New York 78


NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Final New Jersey 3 Buffalo 1
Final Washington 4 N-Y Rangers 1
Final 2OT Nashville 2 Minnesota 1 (SO Nashville 1-0)
Final Los Angeles 2 Chicago 0
Final OT Boston 2 Phoenix 1
Final OT Vancouver 3 San Jose 2


TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final ( 1) Syracuse 75 Seton Hall 49
Final ( 2) Ohio St. 87 Northwestern 54
Final ( 3) Kentucky 86 Lamar 64
Final (12) Georgetown 71 ( 4) Louisville 68
Final ( 6) Baylor 54 (15) Mississippi St. 52
Final ( 9) UConn 60 South Florida 57
Final (16) Michigan St. 80 (13) Indiana 65
Final (19) UNLV 124 Cent. Arkansas 75
Final Missouri St. 77 (21) Creighton 65


TOP-25 WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Final ( 3) Notre Dame 92 Longwood 26
Final ( 5) Maryland 84 Lafayette 36
Final Middle Tennessee 70 ( 6) Kentucky 58
Final ( 7) Tennessee 90 Old Dominion 37
Final (12) Miami 89 Holy Cross 49
Final (14) Louisville 70 UT-Martin 57
Final (17) Georgia 83 Furman 58
Final (19) Delaware 60 East Carolina 40
Final (22) Texas 89 Delaware St. 35