Early agate
ON THIS DATE
March 11
1978 – Jeff Gordon of Avella and Tom Morell of Immaculate Conception win PIAA wrestling championships. Morell becomes IC’s first state champion by winning the Class AA 185-pound championship with a 5-4 decision over Rick Rigby of Conneaut Lake. Gordon wins the Class AA 132-pound title with a 6-1 decision over Tom Newcome of Hanover.
1981 – Jim Behnke sinks two free throws with 25 seconds remaining and second-seeded Wisconsin-Eau Claire overcomes game-long stalling tactics by Waynesburg for a 22-21 victory in the second round of the NAIA basketball tournament in Kansas City. Waynesburg, which makes 52 passes during one first-half possession, leads 10-9 at halftime and 13-10 with 16:05 remaining. Eau Claire makes only six field goals in the game.
1982 – Russell Todd leads six West Virginia players in double figures with 20 points and the Mountaineers defeat North Carolina A&T 102-72 in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament in Logan, Utah.
1984 – Birmingham’s Joe Cribbs, playing before the first sellout crowd in USFL history, rushes for 191 yards and two touchdowns as the Stallions spoil the Pittsburgh Maulers’ home opener. Many of the 53,771 fans, in near-zero wind chill, throw snowballs at Birmingham’s Cliff Stoudt, a former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
1986 – The Pittsburgh Penguins trade Doug Shedden to the Detroit Red Wingers for Ron Duguay.
1991 – Mike Maloy scores 15 points and Washington High School defeats Huntingdon 72-56 in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA boys basketball playoffs at Altoona.
1994 – Washington & Jefferson opens the second half with a 23-8 run and rallies for a 97-82 win over Illinois Wesleyan in the NCAA Division III basketball tournament in Springfield, Ohio. Kenyon Bonner, Matt Johnson and Terry Wilkins each score 18 points for the Presidents (22-2).
1999 – The Pittsburgh Penguins trade center Stu Barnes to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for right wing Matthew Barnaby.
2000 – Down 10 points late in the third quarter, the Peters Township girls basketball team outscores Lewistown 20-12 in a wild fourth quarter to pull off a 50-48 victory in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs at Greensburg Salem High School. Jill Klinar, who scores a game-high 18 points, makes two free throws with 55 seconds remaining to give PT the lead for good.
2011 — In one of the lowest scoring Big Ten basketball games in years, Penn State upsets No. 13 Wisconsin 36-33 in the conference tournament quarterfinals.