The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Devils Stay Hot at Home

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Continental Arena is becoming the place where hot teams cool down. The Devils equaled a team record Tuesday night with their eighth consecutive home victory, holding on to beat the previously streaking Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-4, in front of only 10,191 fans.

Rutgers Relishes Big Win

STORRS, Conn. -- Now, maybe now, C. Vivian Stringer will feel safe calling this a rivalry. Tuesday brought some of the usual histrionics. And the crowd at Gampel Pavilion did its best to offer the usual vicious ill will. But the one thing that had become usual, the lousy on-court game that Rutgers' coach insisted precluded a real rivalry, well, that finally went missing.

Giambi's Pumped Up ; Upbeat Jason Taking Bats, Not Baggage, to Florida

NEW YORK -- His shaggy hair and casual persona remain distinct reminders of Jason Giambi's Southern California style. But having weathered the worst of times in the biggest of cities, Giambi can speak with unique authority about the metropolitan area and how to gain support from its fan base.

Ih Speeding Along in 400 ; Coffman, Kroner Starring

NEW YORK -- For now, at least, Indian Hills High School appears to be the North Jersey capital for 400-meter runners. Sophomore Rebecca Coffman ran the eighth-fastest girls 400 in Bergen County history, 58.9, to take fifth Monday in the prestigious Varsity Classic meet at the Armory Track Center.

Varsity Classic

Varsity Classic At The Armory Track Center

Gibbons Propels Lakeland to Win

WANAQUE -- Mike Gibbons' hot hand is making a habit of showing up when the Lancers need it most. Gibbons, Lakeland's sophomore guard, was 6-of-9 from three-point range and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lancers stop Orange, 72-59, in boys basketball Tuesday night. Gibbons finished with 24 points, junior forward Ryan Schounnot had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and junior guard Dan Kusnic dished out 10 assists.

Rutherford Refuses to Yield to Keegan

RUTHERFORD - Courtney Keegan did all she could, but it was Rutherford's foul shooting down the stretch that proved to be the difference in Tuesday's 54-51 girls basketball victory over Queen of Peace. "We played good help defense on her, but she just went off to keep them in it," Rutherford coach Nick DeBari said. "If Keegan doesn't go off, we probably win by 10 or 12, but she made it so much more interesting than I wanted it to be."

Highlands' Girls Settle Score with Ridgewood

WYCKOFF -- The coaches called it the tiebreaker. After finishing tied for second at the Bergen County girls championships, Northern Highlands settled the score with Ridgewood, beating the Maroons, 94-76, in a dual meet Tuesday night at the Wyckoff Family YMCA.

Seniors Help Hc Roll Past Hawthorne

HAWTHORNE -- Hawthorne Christian's 12th-graders were honored during Senior Night, and the six answered the acknowledgement by scoring all their team's points except the last two. This is considered the Defenders' best boys basketball team in the school's 25-year history, and Tuesday's 66-48 non-league victory over Hawthorne was further evidence that the Class of 2006 is something special.

Westwood Raises Stakes ; Builds Confidence for Rematch with Fort Lee

FORT LEE -- Advantage, Westwood. How big? Well, the answer to that question won't really be known until after Sunday's Bergen Jamboree quarterfinals.

Old Tappan On a Roll ; Knights Take 4th Straight Division Title

OLD TAPPAN -- Brian Dunn can be heard loud and clear, which is a direct reflection of the season Old Tappan is having. The Golden Knights' coach usually is struggling to get his voice back this late in the season, but a roster loaded with seniors and a 15-game winning streak have him speaking with nary a rasp. Old Tappan extended its streak and clinched the NBIL Division 1 title with a 58-40 victory over visiting Demarest on Tuesday. The division title was the fourth in a row for the Golden K...

Redick's Missiles Propel Duke

J.J. Redick had 22 of his 35 points in the second half, freshman Josh McRoberts added a season-high 17 points and No. 2 Duke held off No. 23 North Carolina, 87-83, on Tuesday in Chapel Hill, N.C. Redick was 12-for-22 from the field -- including five three- pointers -- and set a career high with four steals. Three of those led to breakaway layups.

Villanova Makes a Strong Point

On a night when Philadelphia basketball celebrated its past, No. 4 Villanova proved there's no better team in the area in the present. Kyle Lowry jump-started a sluggish offense with 17 of his 25 points in the second half, and Randy Foye and Allan Ray each had 14 points as the Wildcats beat St. Joseph's, 71-58, Tuesday at the Palestra to win the coveted "Big 5" title.

Knights Land Two Tv Games

Rutgers' reward for making the Insight Bowl last season will be two nationally televised games in 2006. The Scarlet Knights will have the two games on ESPN, according to the Big East Conference football schedule that was released Tuesday.

Tonight's Game

Tonight's game The matchup: Seton Hall men vs. South Florida

Knicks Continue to Sink ; Cassell Adds to Their Pain with Key 3s at the End

NEW YORK -- Maybe it's a Michigan thing. With 2.2 seconds to play and the Knicks down one Tuesday, former Wolverine Jalen Rose stood with the ball in his hands, a clock ticking away in his head as he searched in vain for an open teammate.

Kidd Shrugs Off Marbury's Barbs

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The confrontation on the court is unlikely with Stephon Marbury nursing a bruised shoulder. But the constant banter off the court between Marbury and Jason Kidd will continue tonight. The who's-better snipes by Marbury off the court have been answered by Kidd on the court through the years since the two were traded for each other. But Kidd rarely has spoken out, choosing to let his play speak for itself.

Isiah Eyeing Deal for K-Mart

There's little doubt around the league that the Nuggets wouldn't mind moving Kenyon Martin by the Feb. 23 trade deadline to rid themselves of the five years and $65 million left on the contract he signed when he left the Nets. There's great doubt the Knicks, who have inquired about him, can get him unless they're willing to surrender rookie Channing Frye or they can convince Denver to take Maurice Taylor (two years, $18.85 million left on his contract), Malik Rose (three years, $19.6 million)...

Pittsburgh Uplifted by Steelers

League Backs Refs; Montana Scrambles

The NFL defended the officiating in the Super Bowl, and Joe Montana got defensive. Two days after the Steelers beat the Seahawks, 21-10, in the title game, the league said Tuesday that no mistakes were made by the game officials, although Seattle coach Mike Holmgren might disagree.