Southwest
It may have been the first Nike Global Challenge, but the ending was one for the ages. Carlos Hurt put an exclamation point on the Houston Hoops (Texas) summer AAU basketball season with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer Sunday to help his squad claim the Challenge title, 73-72, over the Wisconsin Playground Warriors in Beaverton, Ore. Hurt, a senior-to-be who is transferring from Alief-Elsik High, which is near Houston, to More High in Louisville, Ky., scored 26 points, including eight 3-pointers. He has given the University of Louisville an oral commitment for the 2001 season.

In response to an outpouring of criticism from a parent group, the Albuquerque Public School District (N.M.) is exploring options that could counter new league alignments. The New Mexico Activities Association set the new alignments in late 1998. As of now, a school like Eldorado High in Albuquerque would be put in a district with Clovis, Hobbs and Carlsbad High, all of which are hundreds of miles away. The parent group claims that having these schools compete in the same district will cost students class time due to long trips and could be dangerous because of bus rides along rural highways late at night.

Matthew Rosenfeld, a golfer from Plano, Texas, captured the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship Saturday by defeating Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., 3 and 2. The event was held on the Witch Hollow Course at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.

West
On the girls' golf side of the U.S. Junior Amateur Saturday, Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, Calif., beat Ina Kim of Encino, Calif., 3 and 1.

Midwest
With her 18th American Junior Golf Association title, Leigh Anne Hardin, a Class of 2000 graduate from Martinsville High (Ind.), finished her junior career tied with Kellee Booth and Grace Park - both now play on the LPGA Tour - for the all-time record in tournament championships. Hardin shot 73-73-74 for a total of 220 and a three-stroke victory at the AJGA Dockers Golf Junior in Aventura, Fla., Aug. 3. She will attend Duke University this fall.

Tri-City Red (Minn.), the American Legion World Series champion of a year ago, took a major stride in its attempt to repeat Sunday. Josh Howard knocked in Dan Genung in the bottom of the eighth inning as Tri-City Red dropped Waite Park, 1-0, in the Minnesota American Legion title game. Pitchers Corey Oehlerts and Steve Grasley combined on the shutout.

MidAtlantic
Reggie Bryant, playing for the Oliver Owls (Baltimore, Md.) at the AAU Junior Olympics Saturday, scored 33 points, including seven in the final minute, as his squad took care of Team Tampa (Fla.), 91-88, for the national championship. Bryant, who was named tournament MVP, is headed for Villanova in the fall.

South Richmond Post 137 (Va.) and Danville Post 325 (Va.) combined for six homers in the American Legion state title game Sunday. South Richmond's home runs were the two-run variety, which helped carry it to a 15-6 victory. Eric Latura, Justin Thornton and Eric Davis all cleared the fence for South Richmond. Josh Owen of Danville crushed the opening pitch for a homer, but it wasn't enough to carry his club to victory.

Southeast
Behind the efforts of Donnie Burkhalter, the Orlando Scorpions (Fla.) won the AAU Junior Olympics baseball championship Friday. The West Orange High senior-to-be slugged a two-run homer during the Scorpions' 7-5 win against East Cobb (Ga.). Burkhalter also earned the tournament MVP award.

With a need to cut at least 10 percent of the athletic budget, Mobile County (Ala.) public schools have designed a plan that will eliminate freshman basketball programs, freshman track programs and several assistant coaches' positions. The Mobile Board of Education is in the middle of an attempt to reduce its entire budget by $10 million, which is the reason for the cuts in athletics. The proposal is now waiting approval from the school board.

International
The 2000 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship qualifying team routed the competition July 26-30 at a tournament in Mar Del Planta, Argentina. With the win, the squad of players ages 18 and younger earned a spot to play in the FIBA 2001 Women's Junior World Championship, to be held in the Czech Republic July 14-22.

A couple of graduated seniors led the American attack. Alana Beard of Southwood High (La.) scored 15.4 points, grabbed 4.4 rebounds and added 3.8 steals during the five-game tourney. She is headed for Duke this fall. Diana Taurasi, who graduated from Don Lugo High (Calif.) this spring, scored 12.6 points, dished out 4.6 assists and added 2.6 steals. She will be taking her game to UConn this autumn.