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By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer Mercy High's girls basketball team fell behind early, worked its way back but ultimately lost to the visiting Uni- versity Prep Panthers on Friday, 56-38. Mercy (16-5, 4-3 Five Star League) struggled offensively early and trailed 10-0 in the first quarter before a free throw and late field goal from Jessica Curl put the Warriors on the board. Up 10-3 going to the second, the Panthers (13-7, 7-0 FSL) were outscored 14-9 in the quarter as the Lady War- riors' Marissa Starman and Curl combined for 11 points. Mercy went to the half down only two as they trailed 19-17. But the Panthers' offense, consisting most- ly of Kelsie Jurin cuts to the basket and jump shots, came alive in the second half. Jurin dropped 13 points in the third quar- ter and finished the game with 31. U-Prep, which holds the top spot in the Five Star League, went to the fourth with a 39-27 lead. Curl, who has been a reliable scorer and rebounder all season, finished the game with 18 points and 18 rebounds while going 12 of 17 from the free throw line. Starman scored 12 points, Mahalee Gaumer had four, Cheyanne Johnson notched two, and Caitlyn Safford and Michelle Jaramillo each scored one. Mercy next hosts Chester (3-13, 1-4 FSL) at 6 p.m. Friday. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Record-setting offense versus relentlessly stingy defense. Coaches who actually smile, are quotable and think football should be fun. A wintry outdoor setting. And the two best teams in the NFL. Sunday's Super Bowl has just about everything a fan, a player, a coach — and certainly a league — could ask for. "It's very special to be here," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "Look at this event that our players are having to take part of. The game, the matchup, the cul- mination of the season, all of this is just extraordinary." Carroll is correct about the special nature of this Super Bowl. It could have a profound effect on the immediate future of pro football, too. Whether it becomes a referendum on hosting the big game in the elements in a cold-weather city is unknown. But more possible is it having a strong bear- ing on the future of the quarterback position in a sport that has become ever more dependent on the passer. In other words, we have the classic pocket passer emblematic of the old guard — that would be Peyton Manning, of course, and no quarterback has ever had a more prolific season. And we have the quick-footed, quick-witted scram- bler in Russell Wilson representing for the millennials such as Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, even Andrew Luck. Seattle's miserly defense wants to force Manning into uncomfortable territory, which basically means anywhere outside the passing pocket. Denver's D will be intent on giving Wilson a taste of claustrophobia by keeping him hemmed in the pocket. Obviously, both QB approaches work for their offenses, or else these two teams wouldn't each be 15- 3, top seeds in their conferences and facing off for the championship. The quarterback differences — aside from age, time of service in the pros, or even their height (Manning at 6-foot-5 is about 6 inches taller than Wilson) — make this Super Bowl even more intriguing. It's all in the styles. "They both have different styles," Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase said in perhaps the biggest understatement during a week of hyperbole. "But men- tally it sounds like Russell's kind of heading in that direction of what Peyton's done with his career as far as being a very intelligent quarterback and using the tools of his game to his advantage." But they are entirely different tools, and the question becomes which set of tools will fit the NFL best if it continues to evolve into a light-up-the-scoreboard game? There will always be a place in anyone's starting lineup for a Peyton Manning, who is in the conversa- tion for greatest quarterback in history regardless of whether he adds a second Super Bowl ring on Sunday. Teams will simply construct their offense around a tal- ent like that. Whether most teams will stick with convention or choose the route the colleges — the NFL's farm system — have gone, building around mobile, creative and elu- sive passers such as Wilson, won't be decided by who wins at the Meadowlands. But it could play a signifi- cant role in a copycat league. The evaluation systems won't change no matter what species of quarterback is prevalent in the pros. "As a talent evaluator for college and even free agency, the toughest thing to evaluate is process," Broncos quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp said. "Can the guy process in the pocket during the heat of battle?" Everyone knows Manning has had that skill throughout his career, and Wilson has provided strong evidence in his two NFL seasons that he's got it, too. "Peyton might be one of the best I've ever been around that can process, 'Ok, I've got these tools to use, and in 10 seconds I've got to make a decision, and exe- cute in less than four,'" Knapp added. Wilson's multi-faceted abilities on the field might differ in method to Manning's, but Carroll sees many similarities off the field. "He's an incredible competitor in every way," Car- roll said of his quarterback, who at 25 is 12 years younger than Manning. "In preparation, in game day, he's the epitome of what you want in your competitor. He's got tremendous work habits. He's got extraordi- nary athleticism. He's got a general all-around savvy that allows him to make great decisions under pressure. "He's extremely confident, too, so no matter what is going on, he's not going to waver in his focus and abil- ity to handle things." Manning believes elements of all styles will always be in demand. "I think I could describe the perfect quarterback. Take a little piece of everybody," he said. "Take John Elway's arm, Dan Marino's release, maybe Troy Aik- man's dropback, Brett Favre's scrambling ability, Joe Montana's two-minute poise and, naturally, my speed." After the laughter stopped, Manning continued: "I could take a piece of everyone, of some of my favorite quarterbacks, and I could take 30 traits from different guys, and put them in that perfect quarter- back." But will that perfect QB in years to come feature more of Manning and his mold or of Wilson and his ilk? Sunday's game could provide a glimpse into that future. 1C Weekend February 1-2, 2014 Sports Different QB styles on display Sunday AP photo Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, right, shakes hands with Denver Broncos head coach John Fox, left, after the Seahawks beat the Broncos 40-10 in a preseason NFL football game in Seat- tle. The two teams square off in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, Feb. 2 in East Rutherford, N.J. Tehama Tracker Saturday's schedule WRESTLING Red Bluff at Corning Invitational, 9 a.m. NBA Sacramento at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. NHL Chicago at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's schedule NFL SUPER BOWL XLVIII Seattle vs. Denver, at East Rutherford, N.J., 3 p.m. Monday's schedule NBA Chicago at Sacramento, 7 p.m. NHL Philadelphia at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Sports on TV Saturday GOLF 10 a.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Phoenix Open, third round, at Scottsdale, Ariz. Noon CBS — PGA Tour, Phoenix Open, third round, at Scottsdale, Ariz. 1 a.m. TGC — European PGA Tour, Dubai Desert Classic, final round, at Dubai, United Arab Emirates MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 8 a.m. ESPN2 — Richmond at VCU ESPNU — Coastal Carolina at Campbell 9 a.m. ESPN — Ohio St. at Wisconsin 9:30 p.m. FS1 — Marquette at St. John's NBCSN — George Washington at Day- ton 10 a.m. CBS — National coverage, Ken- tucky at Missouri ESPN2 — NC State at North Carolina ESPNU — Toledo at Ohio 11 a.m. ESPN — Baylor at Oklahoma St. 11:30 a.m. NBCSN — George Mason at Saint Louis Noon ESPN2 — Clemson at Florida St. ESPNU — Evansville at Wichita St. FS1 — Michigan St. vs. Georgetown, at New York 1 p.m. ESPN — Kansas at Texas 1:30 p.m. NBCSN — Drexel at Towson 2 p.m. ESPNU — Arkansas at LSU 3:30 p.m. ESPN — Duke at Syracuse 4 p.m. ESPN2 — Wright St. at Green Bay ESPNU — Colorado St. at San Diego St. 6 p.m. ESPN2 — Tennessee at Alabama ESPNU — UCF at Louisville NBCSN — Penn at Harvard 8 p.m. ESPN2 — Saint Mary's (Cal) at BYU ESPNU — UC Irvine at Cal Poly MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY 3:30 p.m. NBCSN — Wisconsin at Michi- gan MOTORSPORTS 7 p.m. FS1 — AMA Supercross, at Ana- heim, Calif. NBA BASKETBALL 5:30 p.m. ESPN — Miami at New York SOCCER 6:55 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Manchester United at Stoke City 2 p.m. ESPN2 — Men's national teams, exhibition, United States vs. South Korea, at Carson, Calif. WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Noon. FSN — Oklahoma St. at Oklahoma 4:30 p.m. FSN — Texas at Baylor Sunday GOLF 10 a.m. TGC — PGA Tour, Phoenix Open, final round, at Scottsdale, Ariz. Noon CBS — PGA Tour, Phoenix Open, final round, at Scottsdale, Ariz. MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 9:30 a.m. ESPNU — Virginia at Pitts- burgh 10 a.m. CBS — Michigan at Indiana 11:30 a.m. ESPNU — UCLA at Oregon St. NBCSN — William & Mary at James Madison NFL FOOTBALL 3 p.m. FOX — Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle vs. Denver, at East Rutherford, N.J. NHL HOCKEY 9:30 a.m. NBC — Detroit at Washington SOCCER 5:25 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Liverpool at West Bromwich 7:55 a.m. NBCSN — Premier League, Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace, at London WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m. ESPN — Notre Dame at Duke 1 p.m. ESPN2 — Stanford at California Monday MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 4 p.m. ESPN — Notre Dame at Syracuse ESPNU — Hampton at Morgan St. FS1 — Xavier at Villanova 6 p.m. ESPN — Iowa St. at Oklahoma St. ESPNU — Prairie View A&M at Alabama A&M FS1 — Georgetown at DePaul NHL HOCKEY 4:30 p.m. NBCSN — Colorado at New Jersey WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 4 p.m. ESPN2 — Baylor at Oklahoma U-Prep rides big 2nd half to 56-38 win over Mercy Daily News photo by Andre Byik Mercy High's Jessica Curl attempts a shot against University Prep during a basketball game Friday night at Mercy High School. Nowitzki leads Mavs past Kings 107-103 GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points and the Dallas Mav- ericks held off Sacramento 107-103 Friday night, handing the Kings their sixth straight loss in another game without leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins. A night after being named an All- Star for the 12th time, Nowitzki helped the Mavericks rally in the fourth quarter after they squandered a double-digit lead in the first half and fell behind by 14 in the third. Brandan Wright had his first dou- ble-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, including a floater in the lane that put the Maver- icks ahead for good at 96-94. Rudy Gay scored 35 to lead the Kings, who have the worst record in the Western Conference (15-31) and were without Cousins for the fifth straight game because of a sprained left ankle. He is likely to miss his sixth straight in San Antonio on Sat- urday night. Dallas was up 102-100 after a bucket by Gay with 24 seconds left. But the Kings didn't foul right away, and Vince Carter found Monta Ellis underneath for a three-point play. Sacramento was still within two after a 3-pointer by Marcus Thorn- ton, but Ellis made a pair of free throws to seal it. Ellis scored 11 in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 after going scoreless most of the first half. The Mavericks, who couldn't hold a double-digit lead in the first half, went back in front with a 9-0 run capped by a pair of free throws from Nowitzki for an 89-87 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Kings matched their longest skid of the season despite starting the second half with a 17-3 run that included consecutive 3-pointers from Thomas, who scored 13 in the third quarter but was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting in the fourth. Thomas finished with 19, but he and Gay were the only double-figure scorers for the Kings. Sacramento's lead grew to 14 on a layup by Aaron Gray before the Mavericks finished the third on an 11-3 run highlighted by Ellis' steal and breakaway dunk that got the deficit back under 10 at 78-70.