Leading off today: Kevin Wagstaff has resigned after two seasons in charge of the Maine-Endwell football program, The Press & Sun-Bulletin reported last night.

   Wagstaff submitted his letter of resignation to AD Dave Cook this week, citing what he termed "borderline burnout."

   "Ordinarily when a season ends, I can re-group for a couple months and get ready to go; I just haven't been able to do that," Wagstaff told the paper. "It's not an easy decision, but if I couldn't give everything I have to the kids, I just don't think it'd be fair."

   Wagstaff, 52, was 14-6. He had previous stints as an assistant at Union-Endicott, Maine-Endwell and Seton Catholic.

   Noteworthy on Friday: Shenendehowa, ranked fourth in Class AA, beat previously perfect Pioneer, top-ranked in 'A,' 58-53, in the Lockport Kiwanis Girls Basketball Invitational. Barb Shea had 14 points and Marissa Ray 13 for Shen.

   A (JV) game for the ages: The Democrat and Chronicle reports Tuesday's boys JV basketball game between Newark and Wayne turned into a six-overtime epic.    Newark won, 96-89, as sophomore Ben Holt scored 56 points without the benefit of a three-pointer.

   Ready to call it a career: Monticello boys basketball Coach Dick O'Neill is wrapping up his 36th and final season (the first 13 were at Burke Catholic) on the bench, with his record standing at 405-185.

   If he's lost a tiny bit of the fire, his sense of humor certainly hasn't gone away.

   "It's not one time I've coached basketball that (wife Diane) said a damn thing about it — not one time," he said. "Some Saturdays she wanted to know why I wasn't having

practice. They (his family) are not happy with this decision by any stretch. They have grown to be a part of it. The excitement of two nights a week when Diane (complains) to the refs and then, when I get home, second-guesses me."

   Why so soon? Add this one to my pet peeves list. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association has already announced its high school player of the year. I don't have a problem with the winner, 6-foot-5 Elena DelleDonne of Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del., who was dominating despite missing 10 games with mononucleosis and is almost certainly destined for stardom at UConn.

   But what's the rush to select the winner of such a significant national award? Most states are a minimum of three weeks away determining their champions. The fact that the announcement was made yesterday strongly suggests that the selection was made at least a week ago.

   Major League Baseball voting for MVP and other major awards is conducted the day after the regular season ends, and college basketball's Wooden Award for the nation's top player is determined before March Madness begins. It's marginally silly to vote on MVPs or players of the year before the postseason wraps up.

   DelleDonne was also one of 20 players named to the WBCA's Nike High School All-America Game on April 5 at the University of South Florida. Shenise Johnson of Rush-Henrietta was also selected.

   Extra points: Derek Wolfley of Attica has committed to play basketball for Iona. He's averaging 23.8 points and 15.4 rebounds, flying under the radar in the nowhere zone between Buffalo and Rochester. . . . Newark's hopes for a girls Class A basketball title suffered a huge blow this week when junior forward Shakista Woolfolk was lost for the season with a knee injury . . . With money tight, ambitious plans for a new sports complex behind Niagara Falls High will have to wait. An possible upgrade of Sal Maglie Stadum may be a short-term solution.

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