Panthers

Trailing by just one point at the half, Middle Township was in position to hand St. Basil its first loss of the season on Wednesday night in a first-round girls' basketball game in the Boardwalk Classic at the Wildwood Convention Hall. Instead, the Panthers raced out of the locker room and outscored Middle Township by 11 points in the third quarter en route to a 41-31 win to advance in the John Carlson Memorial Bracket. Junior point guard Kalee Fuegel was the lone St. Basil player in double digits, scoring 11 points, including a three-pointer that began the Panthers' 13-4 run midway through the third quarter.

SUNDAY New Orleans at Dallas 1 p.m. Line: Cowboys by 21/2    This game is critical for the Cowboys, who are in a three-way tie with the Giants and Redskins in the NFC East. Dallas controls its fate, but a loss would complicate its postseason possibilities. San Diego at N.Y. Jets 1 p.m. Line: Jets by 2    The underachieving Jets will start neither Mark Sanchez nor Tim Tebow, but rather Greg McElroy. There is similar frustration in San Diego, where coach Norv Turner's six-year run is likely to end. Tennessee at Green Bay 1 p.m. Line: Packers by 121/2    The Packers clinched the NFC North, but they are still competing for a bye. That will give Green Bay something to play for in the final two weeks.

HEY EAGLES FANS, want to let Jeffrey Lurie know how you feel and help out your favorite newspaper in the process? Follow the lead of Carolina Panthers supporters, who purchased a full-page ad in Monday's Charlotte Observer ripping team owner Jerry Richardson. The ad was paid for by the "Peturbed Panthers PSL Owners Federation. " The group claims the team is more interested in personal seat licenses and season-ticket sales than winning. Oddly enough, the Eagles are mentioned in a section that questions why Richardson entrusts the team in "the hands of highly speculative NFL managers and coaches - including our young defensive coordinator who was given his walking papers in Philadelphia just prior to you hiring him?"

Brendan Nolan had resigned himself to the fact that he probably wouldn't be coaching high school basketball again. With 15 years of coaching at the junior varsity level, 11 seasons with the Cheltenham boys and four with the girls, Nolan spent the 2011-12 season working the clock and the door on game days, deciding it was time to step down from a coaching role. He had "made peace" with his decision, acknowledging that it was getting tougher as his children got older. Then longtime girls' head coach Bob Schaefer retired after 750 wins and 31 seasons.

Brendan Nolan had resigned himself to the fact that he probably wouldn't be coaching high school basketball again. With 15 years of coaching at the junior varsity level, 11 seasons with the Cheltenham boys and four with the girls, Nolan spent the 2011-12 season working the clock and the door on game days, deciding it was time to step down from a coaching role. He had "made peace" with his decision, acknowledging that it was getting tougher as his children got older. Then longtime girls' head coach Bob Schaefer retired after 750 wins and 31 seasons.

In what was billed as a star-studded showdown between Imhotep Charter's Brandon Austin and St. Joseph's Prep's Miles Overton, Austin shined brighter as the Panthers posted a 61-56 win in the Kyle Lowry FamJuice Tip-Off Classic Sunday at Philadelphia University. Austin, the 6-foot-6 senior guard who plans to play at Providence College next season, paced Imhotep with 25 points, scoring from all over the court. "I wanted to make a point, prove that I'm one of the best players in the city and the country," Austin said, clutching his game MVP trophy close to his chest.

A potent wing-T offense, a quick-to-the ball defense, and a Notre Dame-bound standout ended Imhotep Charter's drive toward Hershey. With Alex Anzalone leading the way, Wyomissing totaled 275 yards on the ground, held the previously explosive Panthers to two scores, and coasted, 35-13, Saturday in a PIAA Class AA state semifinal at Benjamin L. Johnston Stadium in Mount Airy. "When you're building a program, you have to go through some ups and downs," Imhotep first-year coach Albie Crosby said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Against the backdrop of an unthinkable tragedy, the Kansas City Chiefs gave themselves a reason to be proud Sunday - and perhaps the impetus to let the healing begin. Brady Quinn threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns, and Jamaal Charles ran for 127 yards in the Chiefs' 27-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak during one of the most difficult seasons the franchise has ever experienced. The game was played one day after Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend multiple times at a residence near Arrowhead Stadium, then drove to the team's practice facility and turned the gun on himself as general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel looked on. "As far as playing the game, I thought that was the best for us to do, because that's what we do," Crennel said, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

DeMECO RYANS put his hands up in the air and grabbed his helmet in disbelief. Safety Kurt Coleman was flabbergasted. Rookie linebacker Mychal Kendricks looked lost. And that was all in less than a three-minute span in the first quarter, in which the 22nd ranked Panthers' offense picked apart the Eagles' defense for two touchdowns easier than slow-cooked Carolina barbecue falls off the bone. Amazingly, the three-win Panthers finished with four different receivers with at least 50 yards receiving on Monday night.

Bryce Brown sprinting down the visitors' sideline on Monday night past overmatched defenders is evidence that there could be something more entertaining during the next month than simply waiting for the final decision on Andy Reid's future. Brown's record-setting performance in a 30-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers, along with the development of other rookies, will be among the reasons to pay attention to the final five games of the season. There certainly will not be any chance of a winning season.