BUFFALO, N.Y., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Walter Szczerbiak scored a
game-high 28 points and, in an unorthodox fashion, knocked away a
passing attempt by Levell Sanders on New York City's last chance to tie
the score, as the Long Island open men claimed the gold medal in
basketball with a 79-77 victory, as the 19th annual Empire State Games
came to a close today in Buffalo.
    "It hit my forehead," Szczerbiak said regarding Sanders' entry pass
to Felipe Lopez in the paint. "It went up in the air and I saw the clock
at two (seconds) and I knew we had it right there." Szczerbiak, from
Cold Spring Harbor, is entering his sophomore year at the University of
Miami, Ohio.
    This was Long Island's first gold in men's open basketball since
1978, the inaugural year of the ESG.  New York City had won the event
eight years in a row up until 1988, but hasn't won gold since.  "We came
out here to have fun," said the Brooklyn native Sanders, a junior at
Seton Hall University.  "We played hard and we played together."  Lopez,
a junior at St. John's University, scored 25 points to pace the New York
City attack.
    NYC also came up short in the scholastic men's final as the Central
Region blew the gold-medal game open in the second half to win 94-78.
Maurice Brown of Syracuse scored a game-high 34 points as Central won
its first gold since 1993 and its fourth gold overall.
    The Hudson Valley region swept the two gold medals in women's
basketball.  Katina Mack's driving layup with six seconds left was the
difference as the Hudson Valley women defeated defending champion
Adirondack, 72-70.  Mack, from Monticello, finished with 30 points as HV
captured its first gold since 1981.
    Karen Vitolo of Fishkill scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the
second half as the HV scholastic team defeated Central, 68-64.  "As the
game goes on, you just get more and more pumped, especially when time is
going down and the score is tied," said Vitolo, who is transferring to
Burke High School because of academics.  The devastating shot in the
contest came off the hands of Jennifer Rutledge of Mahopac, who scored
her only points when she hit a three-pointer to put her team up 65-61
with 1:05 left.   "They were a little nervous," said Hudson Valley head
coach Sal Patane.  "Our kids made some decent shots in crunch time when
we needed it and I'm proud of all of them."  Hudson Valley has won three
golds in five years in scholastic women's basketball.
    The women's scholastic soccer gold medal game was decided in penalty
kicks.  Rochester's Jessica Parmalee's converted kick gave Western its
first gold since 1987 and second overall.  Adirondack, after winning the
last two ESG golds, had to settle for the silver.  Both teams scored one
goal in regulation.  The Western Region also came out on top in the
women's open final -- 2-1 over the Central Region, for its third gold in
four years.  Megan Hanushek of Pittsford scored on a direct kick in the
79th minute to snap a 1-1 tie.
    No such luck for the Western team in men's soccer play as its three-
year reign on the scholastic gold was ended by Central, 3-2.  Brendan
Skonieczki of Vestal scored two goals as Central won its first title
since 1989.  The Hudson Valley won the gold in the open competition, its
first since 1981, by defeating Central, 3-2.  It put 30 shots on goal
against Central goaltender Eric Storch of Binghamton.
    Western pulled out a 3-2 victory over defending champion Long Island
in women's open field hockey to complete a 5-0 week and clinch the gold
medal.  Nora Bender of East Amherst had a goal and an assist to help
give the host team its first gold medal since 1991.  Overtime determined
the gold medal in scholastic field hockey as Carla Tagliente of Marathon
scored 57 seconds into the extra period to give Central a 2-1 victory
over Hudson Valley.  Central has won three straight golds.
    Western came away with the gold in men's scholastic water polo as
Tim Vaughan of North Tonawanda and Ryan Pellow of Niagara Falls each
scored two goals in a 5-0 victory over Long Island.  New York City's
only gold of the day in team competition came in the water polo open
final.  Gavril Chernovsov of Brooklyn scored eight goals in a 22-6 win
over Long Island.
    The fourth straight gold-medal game in men's lacrosse between Long
Island and Central ended in a 7-5 LI victory.  Christia Pforr of Cold
Spring Harbor scored two goals to help lead the defending champions to
the win.  Long Island has also won this event seven times.
    The New York Lottery is the primary sponsor of the 1996 Empire State
Games.  The games are a natural extension of the Lottery's educational
sponsorship, which last year raised more than $1.5 billion in support of
primary and secondary public schools throughout New York.
    Full results of the events are available at the Empire State Games
World Wide Web Site (http://www.empiregames.org).