Leading off today: Abraham Lincoln, ranked No. 25 in Class AA by the NYSSWA, edged No. 11 Boys & Girls 61-58 in PSAL boys basketball action yesterday.

   The Railsplitters’ third straight win moved them into a tie with No. 9 Thomas Jefferson in the Brooklyn AA league.

   Bishop Ford transfer Kamari Murphy produced 10 points, 18 rebounds and five shots in the win, with Shaquille Stokes adding 18 points and five assists. Reuben King, a junior transfer from Nazareth, added 10 points.

   Boys & Girls was without starter Jeffland Neverson and sixth man Jamal, serving one-game suspensions for what coach Ruth Lovelace termed disciplinary reasons.

   Players exchanged words and shoves after the game, but school safety officers stepped in before any harm could be done.

   "Those guys don’t like to lose, that’s their reputation,” Lincoln coach Dwayne "Tiny" Morton told The New York Post. “It’s kind of hard losing to Lincoln every year. We still gotta go there. When we do, they’ll get a chance to beat us."

   More basketball: When Nichols, ranked No. 2 in Class A, downed Class AA No. 5 Niagara Falls by a 68-53 score on Wednesday it was the Wolverines' worst loss ever to a Western New York squad.

   Virginia-bound Will Regan scored 25 points for Nichols in the featured matchup of the Monsignor Martin-ECIC Challenge.

   Since the Wolverines were born in 2000 courtesy of the consolidation of two district schools, they had lost locally (by single-digit margins) only to Bennett (2002) and Sweet Home (2007) in Section 6 championship games and to St. Joe's during the 2005-06 season.

   PSAL intrigue: Frances Lewis lost a boys basketball game that didn't make it beyond the end of the first quarter Tuesday even though it was leading at the time. The circumstances surrounding the forfeit to vs. Newtown are a bit nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake.

   For starters, only one ref (James Howard Jr.) showed up for the game, and he walked off the court after a series of arguments according to Lewis coach Perry Dortch.

   And, of course, now no two versions of what transpired sync up.

   Dortch told The New York Post he left with his team after Howard left the building. There was a discrepancy with the scoreboard that was fixed, but the final basket of the first quarter, a put back by Jaivon Blair, came long after time expired, Dortch said.

   Dortch told the paper he was hit with a technical for arguing Howard's call and attempted to lodge a protest. He said that's when Howard walked out, the coach said.

   But Newtown coaches Pat Torney and Wayne Crawford and basketball assignor Nick Gaetani all told a different story -- Dortch pulled his team off the court after the technical foul. "I’ve been coaching basketball 40 years and I’ve never seen anything like that," Torney told the paper.

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   Francis Lewis AD Arnie Rosenbaum said he will meet with his coach and principal today.

   Dual meet derailed by threat: Thursday's wrestling dual meet between Brewster and defending Section 1 champ Fox Lane has been rescheduled for Jan. 12 because of an anonymous threat against Fox Lane in an online chat room, school officials said.

   Upon learning of the threat from Bedford police, Fox Lane officials dismissed classes and canceled extracurricular activities, including the wrestling meet.

   Franco picks Brown: Poly Prep right-handed pitcher and leadoff-hitting shortstop J.J. Franco will continue his career at Brown University next fall. Franco, the son of major-league reliever John Franco, was 8-0 on the mound and hit .472 as a junior as Poly Prep won the Ivy League regular-season crown. The New York State Sportswriters Association named him the Class B player of the year.

   "My wife and I are very proud parents," John Franco told The New York Post.

   In limbo: The Journal News took a long look recently at the story of 17-year-old Michael Reyes, whose athletic career is on hold after his transfer to Yonkers Gorton.

   Reyes was expected to be a top Section 1 player this winter after his transfer from Yonkers High last spring to pursue a medical curriculum offered only at Gorton. Instead, he's awaiting an eligibility ruling that might not be made in time to get back on the court for a meaningful portion of the season. Section 1 has already banned him and turned down two appeals for not meeting the state's transfer guidelines.

   It's way too complicated to summarize here, but the issue at the heart of the matter is one I don't recall seeing: Though Reyes' family moved over the summer -- usually a suitable reason for a transfer student to gain eligibility -- Section 1 is citing a rule that restricts transfers within a single school district.

   Interestingly, Reyes was also shot down when he sought a waiver on academic grounds. He was denied because the three AP courses he's taking (and not offered at his old school) are not required for graduation.

   Nina Van Erk, the executive director of the NYSPHSAA, said the case is being scheduled for a decision.

   Calling all helpers: The New York State Sportswriters Association will compile its first set of 2009-10 hockey rankings Sunday afternoon. League and sectional officials wishing to suggest teams for consideration can use the e-mail link below.

   Extra points: Francis Lewis sophomore Alina Cerda has filed a lawsuit against the school, contending she broke an ankle during varsity softball practice in May because she had no idea how to slide. Cerda had a plate inserted into the ankle after the incident, lawyer Clay Evall said in the filing. . . . Tickets for the NYSPHSAA wrestling championships next Feb. 26-27 in Albany are on sale. Weekend passes range from $33-38.