Leading off today: Rush-Henrietta star Shenise Johnson will get to play in the Federation girls basketball tournement after it appeared doubtful this week, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.

   Under New York State Public High School Athletic Association rules, playing in an all-star game normally costs an athlete his or her eligibilty for the remainder of the season. Johnson, expected to be named the Democrat and Chronicle's All-Greater Rochester player of the year for the third time this spring, leaves this weekend to take part in the girls McDonald's All-America game on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Rush-Henrietta (24-3) won the NYSPHSAA state Class AA title last week and has a date with Murry Bergtraum (23-0) on March 29 in Glens Falls.

   Rush-Henrietta officials learned last night that state officials had finally given Johnson the OK to play in the McDonald's game without penalty.

   "I've been to Federations before. I've never been to the McDonald's game," Johnson told the paper. "What would you choose? I'm excited that I can play in both. My teammates are not selfish. They wouldn't want me to choose (Federation over the all-star game)."

   Sylven Landesberg of the Holy Cross boys team is in the same boat as Johnson. He was selected for the McDonald's boys game but still has the Federation tournament ahead.

   You've been screwed: Though it wasn't done voluntarily, each resident of New York donated one half of one cent to the re-election campaign of state Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton last week.

   As I reported last week, Empire State Games officials list Libous as a sponsor of this summer's event in Binghamton. One of the perks he receives is having his name on posters and other promotional material that will flood the Southern Tier this summer.

   The trouble is, the sponsorship money he is suppling comes in the form of a New York State Senate grant arranged by Libous. That fund is essentially a pork-project account for members to use on hometown initiatives. Some of the causes, such as helping volunteer ambulance services purchase new equipment, should be lauded.

   This, though, has a strong stench attached to it. Libous is using your tax dollars to promote his name ahead of the 2008 election. I'd call it unconscionable, but that would be redundant considering that we're talking about a politician.

Winter tournament brackets Federation boys and girls basketball NYSPHSAA boys basketball NYSPHSAA girls basketball NYSPHSAA boys ice hockey

   I sent an e-mail to Libous' office last week asking about the appropriateness of attaching his name to your money but did not hear back by the close of business on Friday. In the interest of fairness (a concept with which I do not belive he is familiar), I'll be more than happy to pass along his response in this blog if and when it arrives.

   Getting the word out: Kevin Witt did an interesting story in the Times Herald-Record last weekend on Karen and John Acompora, whose son Louis died in a freak accident on the lacrosse field eight years ago.

   Louis Acompora was a 14-year-old goalie making his Northport High debut when he was struck in the chest by a ball. The blow stopped his heart and, though help arrived in a matter of seconds, CPR failed to revive the young player.

   That tragedy was one of the events leading to the mandatory presence of Automated External Defibrillators at many scholastic, collegiate and pro sports contests. Karen and John Acompora have worked tirelessly in recent years to talk about "Louis' Law" and spread the message about the benefit of AEDs. Last weekend brought them to the Monroe-Woodbury Little League coaches meeting, where mandatory AED training was being done.

   The league recently raised more than $10,000 to purchase eight AEDs, and the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation gave the league a grant to buy another.

   "When his law was signed," John Acompora told Witt, "we were saying, 'God, imagine if there's a save in a school, it would be unbelievable.' All of a sudden, there was a save. Then another one. To date, just schools, there have been 40 saves."

   Extra points: It was August in March yesterday. Sophomore Peter August hit a pair of three-run home runs as Holy Trinity (1-0) defeated Xaverian (Brooklyn), 7-3, in a non-league baseball game in Hicksville. With snow still on the ground in more than a few towns, I'm not even sure pitchers and catchers have even reported yet north of Westchester County.

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