Sports Briefs

Palmer girls cagers stop Skyview

The host Palmer girls basketball team picked up a 74-43 Region III/4A victory over Skyview Saturday night.

Palmer's Emily Bolling led all scorers with 21 points, while Renee Dixon and Sara Bergeron chipped in with 12 points apiece.

For Skyview, Jenny Carpenter and Laurel Creel each dumped in 10 points.

MOOSE 74, PANTHERS 43

Skyview 14 14 4 11 --43

Palmer 15 15 21 23 --74

SKYVIEW (43) -- Verba 1 1-2 3, Beever 1 0-0 2, Faigle 2 0-0 4, Gephardt 2 0-0 4, Colvin 3 0-0 6, Carpenter 4 2-2 10, Fay 1 1-3 3, Dalebout 0 1-2 1, Creel 4 1-4 10, Garrant 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 18 6-13 43.

PALMER (74) -- Cox 0 0-0 0, Azure 1 4-6 6, Chapman 3 3-5 9, Hooker 1 0-0 2, Lien 0 0-1 0, Johnson 4 0-0 9, Bolling 8 5-5 21, Dixon 2 8-12 12, Bergeron 6 0-0 12, Harger 0 1-2 1, Virgin 1 0-0 2. Totals -- 28 21-31 74.

3-point goals -- Skyview 1 (Creel 1); Palmer 1 (Johnson 1). Total fouls -- Skyview 22, Palmer 12. Fouled out -- Colvin, Carpenter.

Twelve compete at sled dog race

Twelve kids competed in sled dog racing Saturday at the Soldotna Municipal Airport. The races were sponsored by the Peninsula Winter Games and the Peninsula Sled Dog and Racing Association.

Bud Sparks won the 2-dog, 2-mile race in 11 minutes, 32 seconds; Liana Perzechino won the 2-dog, 1/2-mile race in 1:35 and Maria Perzechino took the 1-dog, 1/2-mile event in 1:57. Maria Perzechino came back to win the 1-dog, 1/2-mile after crashing in the 2-dog, 1/2-mile race. Both Perzechino and her dogs were fine.

Peninsula Winter Games Sled Dog Racing

Saturday at the Soldotna Municipal Airport

2-dog/2-mile race

1. Bud Sparks, 11 minutes, 32 seconds; 2. Iree Wheeler, 12:09; 3. Patrick Mackey, 13:36.

2-dog, 1/2-mile race

1. Liana Perzechino, 1:35; 2. Fox Michaud, 2:05; 3. Shameka Nelson, 2:22; 4. Jason Mackey, 3:14.

1-dog, 1/2 mile

1. Maria Perzechino, 1:57; 2. Lianna Perzechino, 2:16; 3. Asa Nelson, 2:29; 4. Patrick Mackey, 2:59; 5. Madelain Michaud, 3:13; 6. Katie Eaton, 4:08; 7. Jaruby Nelson, 6:57.

Raiders' Russell charged in sexual assault case

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- A lawyer for Darrell Russell said Monday the Oakland Raiders defensive tackle will plead innocent to charges he drugged and raped a woman last week.

Russell was charged Monday with 25 counts relating to the alleged attack, and is being held in jail in lieu of $1.2 million bail.

Police said they seized a videotape of the incident during a search of the house, occupied by Russell's teammate, safety Eric Johnson, where the victim says the alleged assault occurred early Thursday.

Police said the victim, whose name was not released, was tested for drugs at a hospital the evening after the alleged attack, and no drugs were found. Deputy District Attorney Kevin Murphy said the prosecution was doing further drug tests and that other evidence supported those charges.

The 27-year-old woman told investigators she had casually dated Russell off and on for the past four months and that the two had consensual sex ''a few times,'' according to a police report.

Russell appeared in court for the first time Monday and did not say anything as his lawyer, Anthony W. Gibbs, waived arraignment. Gibbs said Russell will enter an innocent plea and seek bail reduction on Thursday afternoon.

After the brief hearing, Gibbs told reporters he had spoken with Russell since his arrest Friday, but had not seen evidence that prosecutors plan to present.

''The truth or accuracy of the charges, I have absolutely no idea about,'' Gibbs said.

Russell, along with two other men, is charged with eight counts of raping by use of drugs, six counts of oral copulation of an unconscious person, five counts of sexual penetration by foreign object and six counts of sexual battery.

Russell, 25, and the other two men, Naeem Perry, 24, of Berkeley, and Ali Hayes, 27, of Oakland, were in shackles when they appeared in court Monday.

Lawyers for Russell's co-defendants said the three men met during the last few years. Perry and Hayes cannot post bail because their arrests violated the terms of their probation on prior felony drug convictions.

Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1997 draft, already is serving a one-year NFL suspension after testing positive for the drug Ecstasy. He also missed the first four games of the 2001 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.