`brigadoon' Is Close To Pitch-perfect

3 More Sports-betting Figures Plead Guilty To Money Laundering

By PAUL SOKOLOSKI; Times Leader Sports Writer
 Thursday, February 23, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 5B 





Not even last year's national champs feel secure as the Middle Atlantic
Conference men's basketball playoffs enter the semifinals today. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "All four teams can win it," Lebanon Valley coach Brad McAlester said.
"There's no question in my mind, whoever's playing the best basketball right
now is going to win the tournament." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lebanon Valley, last year's NCAA Division III national champions, advanced
with a quarterfinal win Tuesday along with Wilkes, Scranton and Widener. That
field will be chopped to two teams after tonight, when Wilkes hosts Widener
and Lebanon Valley hosts Scranton in a pair of 7:30 p.m. MAC semifinal games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Of the four teams that are left, anybody can win it," said Wilkes coach
Jerry Rickrode, whose team has more wins than anybody in the tournament. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All four teams are currently ranked in the NCAA Middle Atlantic Region
poll. Lebanon Valley (20-5) is second, Wilkes (21-3) is fourth, Widener (18-7)
is sixth and Scranton (18-7) is seventh. That means all four teams are likely
to get a berth when the NCAA Tournament bids are handed out to eight Middle
Atlantic Region teams Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's only one team with more wins than us in the region," Rickrode
said. That is Franklin &amp; Marshall (24-0), the top-ranked team in the region. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes enters the semifinals coming off a milestone win. The Colonels'
80-69 victory over Moravian Tuesday was the first playoff victory in school
history, plus is set a school record for wins in a season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Certainly, Widener could care less. The Pioneers are rolling, coming off an
83-49 thrashing of FDU-Madison Tuesday. During the regular season, Widener
split a pair of games with Lebanon Valley -- winning 63-60 on Jan. 18, then
losing the Feb. 7 rematch 62-58. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Widener is strange, because they play a 1-3-1 defense," said McAlester,
whose team has won seven straight games since losing to Franklin &amp; Marshall.
"Usually you don't face that too often. If they're on, they can be very hard
to beat." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes faced a 1-3-1 zone in the first half of Tuesday's game, and Matt
LaBuda ripped it apart. He hit six 3-point goals and scored 20 points in the
first 20 minutes, forcing Moravian to switch its defense. LaBuda's performance
could be critical against Widener. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's going to be a great challenge," Rickrode said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton, unbeaten over the past three weeks, also faces the same sort of
challenge. Lebanon Valley has won 17 straight home games over the past two
years and is 11-0 this season at Lynch Hall, its home court. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm not sure if it's good or bad," McAlester said of the home game,
fretting that the law of averages may catch his Dutchmen. "It's scary." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Royals have won seven straight games, so don't expect Scranton to
cringe over facing Lebanon Valley. Scranton, don't forget, ended Wilkes'
streak of 12 victories and 15 straight home wins Feb. 13. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This game reminds me a lot of the one we had earlier this year," Scranton
Coach Bob Bessoir said. "We're going on the road, against a team playing very
well." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 MAC &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PLAYOFFS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wilkes, Scranton Face Formidable Foes