`west Side Story' Still A Winner 
Musical Classic Hits All The Right Notes At The Scranton Cultural Center

3 Borough Employees To Get Safety Equipment

Saturday, February 07, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





Uniforms big hit for Royals &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As if an illustrious history and perennial domination of the Middle
Atlantic &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Conference Freedom League weren't enough to impress people, the University
of &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton women's basketball team has another feature to make heads turnThe
Lady Royals are walking around in eye-catching new uniforms these days, which
only adds to the aura of Scranton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's a major change," said Scranton coach Mike Strong, in his 18th season
on the sidelines. "This is only the second-style uniform I've had." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The switch is noticeably sharp, as the university name, which once
displayed across the front of each jersey, has been modified into block-style
lettering, with North Carolina-style diamonds running down the sides. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's not the only difference. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton's royal blue coloring has been replaced by pure purple, the
school's official color. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I've always wanted to be purple," Strong said. "We went with royal blue
because purple was so difficult to get. Royal blue was the substitute color." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The switch was supposed to occur at the start of the season, but the new
uniforms didn't arrive until last week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They were ordered in June," Strong said. "But there was trouble with the
purchase order. The supplier ran into problems. We we've been patiently
waiting." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The wait ended Jan. 29, when the Lady Royals hosted Marywood University
while wearing their white home uniforms with purple trim. Today, Scranton gets
to break out its new purple road uniforms for the first time when it travels
to Elizabethtown for a battle of Middle Atlantic Conference leaders. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Our purples are really nice," Strong said. "I like 'em. We've needed them
modernized for the last couple of years, but it wasn't in the budget. The
girls really like them." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 LIFE ISN'T FAIR: The Wilkes women's MAC playoff hopes are just about
finished. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A 75-61 loss at Allentown College on Wednesday left the Lady Colonels at
4-6 in the Freedom League and three games out of fourth place with four league
games left. To become one of the Freedom Division's four teams in the MAC
postseason, Wilkes would pretty much have to sweep its last four divisional
games and hope Allentown (which holds the tiebreaker after a two-game season
sweep of Wilkes and is now in fourth place at 7-3 in the league) loses out in
Freedom play. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Which is only proof that life isn't fair. Wilkes, which has gone to the
postseason during four of the past five years, is playing with probably its
most talented and hardest-working team during that span. But heartbreaking
losses to King's (67-62), Lycoming (59-57) and Allentown (64-57 in their first
meeting) are costing the Lady Colonels dearly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 VICIOUS CIRCLE: After watching his team surrender 99 points while getting
whipped during a 13-point loss at Allentown College on Wednesday, Wilkes coach
Jerry Rickrode was fuming. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're just not playing good position defense," Rickrode said. "It causes
you to get in foul trouble, then it causes you to go zone, which we're not
good at. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's a circle." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The dangerous cycle, which left 14-2 Wilkes spinning this week, might be
starting before the Colonels even step on the court. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I usually do not put a lot of onus on players for losses," Rickrode said.
"But we're not paying much attention to scouting reports." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That could be intentional. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A couple of Wilkes players have questioned the accuracy of those reports in
the past. Specifically, the players found fault with the game plan that told
them to play Delaware Valley's Jimmy Garrett soft on the outside, then watched
while Garrett burned Wilkes for 30 points and five three-point goals Jan. 20. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Whatever the reason, Wilkes hasn't looked at all like an untouchable in the
Freedom League lately, although the Colonels have kept a shaky hold at the top
of the division. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 COMEBACK KIDS: It took a breath of fresh air from an unlikely hero
Thursday, but the King's College women kept their home unbeaten streak intact. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Former GAR star Christa Galella, averaging four points through 23 games,
came up with a career-high 11 crucial points to spark the Lady Monarchs' 70-61
comeback victory over Centenary. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That made King's 10-0 in games played at Scandlon gym this season, raised
the Lady Monarchs to 16-3 overall and raised their winning streak to seven
consecutive games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This is our home, our gym, our home court," Galella said. "We had a goal
at the beginning of the year not to lose at home. So that's what we aim for." &nbsp;&amp;nb

Uniforms Big Hit For Royals 
As If An Illustrious History And Perennial Domination Of The Middle Atlantic 
Conference Freedom League Weren't Enough To Impress People, The University Of 
Scranton Women's Basketball Team Has Another Feature To Make Heads Turn.

Uniforms Big Hit For Royals As If An Illustrious History And Perennial Domination Of The Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom League Weren't Enough To Impress People, The University Of Scranton Women's Basketball Team Has Another Feature To Make Heads Turn.