Williamsport 
Deaths Possible 
Murder/suicide

Alice Hill 
Jan. 26, 1994 
Alice Hill, Of Easton, Died Wednesday, Jan. 26, In The Easton Hospital.

Tuesday, February 15, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B QUICK WORDS: MAC BASKETBALL 





Although few cared to admit it before around 10 p.m., it was a mere
formality for the Wilkes University Colonels to waltz into the John Long
Center and dispose of the University of Scranton on MondayTo paraphrase Juan
Peron, the former dictator of Argentina, it was sort of the Middle Atlantic
Conference basketball version of "the inconvenience of having to get a
majority." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They had pounded on an average Scranton team by 20 points a few weeks
before. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They are on the verge of becoming the first Wilkes team to win 20 games in
a season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And they are playing so well this season, taking an 18-3 record into
Scranton on Monday night, that their fans and the media are starting to recall
names such as Clarence Ozgo and Jack Brabant, former players who led Wilkes to
its previous best record, 19-6, exactly 20 years ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And so, by around 10 o'clock, they had emptied the Long Center, putting the
formality of a 65-55 victory in the books. The victory clinched an MAC playoff
spot and gave the Colonels their first regular-season sweep of Scranton since
that team two decades ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But for Jerry Rickrode, the Colonels' second-year coach, it was his second
victory in three visits to the MAC's version of Pauley Pavilion or Rupp Arena. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Somehow, through the first two years of his career, Rickrode has made a bit
of a mockery of the dominance that plagued coaches up and down the East Coast
since the Long Center was built in the late 1960s. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I told these guys today that when I got this job, everybody talked so much
about Scranton and King's that I tried to play it down," said Rickrode, who
came to Wilkes last year after being an assistant at Ithaca College. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "But a lot of people have come in here for a long time and never won one,"
he added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last year, Rickrode made his first visit to the Long Center and promptly
took the championship game of the inaugural Laurel Line Classic from the
Royals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That was considered something of a novel victory, and Wilkes failed
miserably in its attempt to repeat it later in the season, losing by 22 points
in a regularly scheduled rematch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But with a team that even Scranton coach Bob Bessoir admitted is probably
better than his, Rickrode came back this year and won the game he and his team
were supposed to win. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Two more victories and the MAC Freedom League title will belong to Wilkes.
The first of those must come Wednesday night at FDU-Madison. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That's tough to do there," Rickrode said. "I've only been there once, but
we lost the game by one point and I got the only technical foul of my young
coaching career there." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When a coach had a .667 winning percentage at Scranton, yet is
0-for-FDU-Madison and worried about going there, it tells you something about
the MAC. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It tells you that, for this year at least, the times, they are a-changing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Savage is a Times Leader sports writer. His column appears Tuesday and
Thursday.

Although Few Cared To Admit It Before Around 10 P.m., It Was A Mere Formality 
For The Wilkes University Colonels To Waltz Into The John Long Center And 
Dispose Of The University Of Scranton On Monday.

Although Few Cared To Admit It Before Around 10 P.m., It Was A Mere Formality For The Wilkes University Colonels To Waltz Into The John Long Center And Dispose Of The University Of Scranton On Monday.