Leading off today: Emily Lipari tuned up for the Millrose Mile with a national-best time for the indoor track season yesterday during the New Balance Games at The Armory.

   Lipari, a Roslyn senior who has committed to run for Villanova after also weighing soccer offers, won the mile in 4:53.85, easily holding off Joelle Amaral of Randolph, N.J. (4:56.61).

   Lipari, with an outdoor best of 4:47.44 in the mile, will be one of seven New York girls in the Millrose field next weekend.

   Other highlights from the New Balance meet included a slew of outstanding efforts from the Medger Evers squad. The girls 800 relay qualified in 1:41.62 and then won the final in 1:41.35, the 1,600 relay won in 3:52.17 and Shnell Wishart pulled off a long jump/triple jump double of 18-1.75 and 39-8.5.

   The Sheepshead Bay boys moved to No. 1 in the nation in the 800 relay with a 1:29.00 performance.

   St. John the Baptist improved to No. 4 in the nation in the girls sprint medley in 4:12.27.

   Record-setting oddity: That was no ordinary record-setting feat by Tappen Zee swimmer Lance Neuendorf yesterday in the 100-yard backstroke.

   Competing at the combined Conference IV and Rockland County Championships at North Rockland, he broke the 1980 school record set by his father, Robert. The winning time was :53.73, bettering the record by .07 seconds.

   "It means so much to me and my dad," Lance Neuendorf said. "Ever since I've been on the team and we broke the medley record, I've been looking up and saying that I wish I had that record. He's been saying that it's time for the record to come down. He came down to the water and he hugged me."

   J-D keeps rolling: Jamesville-DeWitt improved to 13-0 in boys basketball by handing Shenenedehowa its first loss, 74-57, in an intersectional game at Onondaga Community College.

   J-D is ranked No. 1 in state in Class A; Shen (11-1) is 10th in Class AA.

   Sophomore center Dajuan Coleman posted 18 points and 12 rebounds, and guard Lamar Kearse added 17 points. Dan Lee made four 3-pointers and scored 19 points for Shenendehowa.

   J-D broke open a 56-49 game by opening the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run.

   Jamesville-DeWitt already owns non-league wins this season against Bishop Kearney (twice) and Albany

Academy.

   Next up on the non-league schedule is a game Friday at Onondaga CC against Buffalo Nichols, ranked fourth in Class A. The game was a late addition to the schedule after Nichols, which also plays at Albany Academy next Sunday, played one less game than planned last month at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

   "These games are going to help us down the stretch,” J-D coach Bob McKenney said.

   Commack coach re-assigned: Veteran Commack teacher and soccer coach Sebastian DiRubba has been reassigned after being accused of slapping a player on his team last fall, Newsday reported.

   The reassignment was confirmed by DiRubba, a district official and the parents of the student.

   The player's parents complained to the district after their son told them that DiRubba hit him while the player was sitting on a bench during practice. DiRubba, who has been teaching for 42 years, denies hitting the player.

   "The accusation is totally false," he told the paper. "I never hit any of the kids."

   DiRubba alleges the player fabricated the story because he was unhappy over playing time. DiRubba said he has been reassigned to the district's central office; he said he has put in papers to retire in June.

   The Commack district was rocked last week when Bryan Tornee, an assistant track coach and part-time custodian, was charged with sexual misconduct with a minor. Tornee had been suspended by the district and was arraigned Wednesday on charges of third-degree criminal sex act, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Tornee pleaded not guilty to the charges, the paper reported.

   Retired newsman dies: James Peters, a sports writer and editor for Buffalo's major newspapers for 36 years before his retirement in 1993, died Friday in Williamsville at the age of 77.

   Peters joined the Courier-Express in 1957 and upon that paper's closing in 1982 moved to The Buffalo News.

   "Jim Peters was a man's man. I have nothing but love and respect and accolades for the man," said Cookie Gilchrist, a Bills running back from 1962-64. "Lou Saban, Jack Kemp, Paul Maguire, Jim Peters, they were men who spoke their mind,. "I'm on their bandwagon. They spoke their mind, they tell the truth. They are men of character.

   "You don't find men like Jim Peters. ... I'm proud to have been his friend," Gilchrist said.