A roundup of the week April 9-15

U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM QUALIFIERS

CANOEING AND KAYAKING—MEN'S KAYAK: Greg Barton, Homer, Mich.; Terry White, Peru, Vt.; Terry Kent, Rochester, N.Y.; David Halpern, Seattle; Norman Bellingham, Potomac, Md.; Dan Schnurrenberger, Silver Spring, Md.; David Gilman, Berkeley, Calif.; Chris Spelius, Deerfield, Ill. MEN'S CANOE: Bruce Merritt, Ridge, Md.; Robert Plankenhorn, Roselle, Ill.; Bret Young, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.; Rod McLain, Gloversville, N.Y.; Jim Terrell, Milford, Ohio. WOMEN'S KAYAK: Shirley Dery, White Plains, N.Y.; Sheila Conover, Newport Beach, Calif.; Leslie Klein, Lexington, Ky.; Ann Turner, St. Charles, Ill.

PRO BASKETBALL—After five months and 17 days, the race for the Central Division title came down to the final regular-season games for Milwaukee and Detroit. Both had 49-32 records, but the Pistons held a 3-2 edge over the Bucks in head-to-head play. By winning its finale, Detroit would clinch its first crown of any sort in 26 years. Earlier in the week, the Pistons had beaten Indiana 100-98, Philly 126-113 (for their first win in the City of Brotherly Love since 1974) and Boston 128-120; surely, they would rise above the lowly Hawks, right? Wrong. Although Atlanta finished nine games behind Detroit in the standings, they pummeled the Pistons 115-107. Meanwhile the Bucks beat Indiana 104-92 to win their fifth straight divisional title. In its last regular-season outing, Kansas City clinched the Western Conference's final playoff berth by defeating Houston 108-96 in a game also noteworthy because it was Elvin Hayes' last. The Big E closed out his 16-year career as No. 1 in the NBA in games played (1,303) and minutes logged (50,000) and No. 3 in scoring (27,313 points), rebounding (16,279), field goals made (10,976) and blocked shots (1,771). San Diego scored a team-record 146 points in its season ender, thrashing Midwest Division champion Utah by 18 points. Similarly, the Pacific Division-leading Lakers went out with a whimper, losing three (to Golden State 117-115, Dallas 104-103 and Phoenix 123-114) and winning one (over Portland 121-108), while the Celtics, tops in the Atlantic, beat Milwaukee (96-95), New York (102-96) and New Jersey (118-111) to help ease the pain of the Piston loss.

BOWLING—JIMMIE PRITTS JR. defeated Tom Milton 203-188 to win a $115,000 PBA event in Windsor Locks, Conn.

BOXING—GABRIEL BERNAL knocked out defending champion Koji Kobayashi in the second round to win the WBC flyweight title in Tokyo.

Milton McCrory stopped Gilles Elbilia in the sixth round to retain his WBC welterweight title in Detroit.

PRO FOOTBALL—No Star shone brighter on Sunday than linebacker Sam Mills, who set up two touchdowns and a field goal with a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery as Philadelphia battered Chicago 41-7. This win, coupled with Arizona's 20-3 upset of New Jersey, put Philly in sole possession of the Atlantic Division lead. Pacific Division pacesetter Denver ran its record to 7-1 by whipping Los Angeles 35-27 on Monday and Pittsburgh 31-21 on Sunday, but the Gold lost the services of quarterback Craig Penrose for three games when he was nailed by Mauler linebacker Mike McKibben. Penrose suffered a partial tear of the cartilage in his left knee. Birmingham, the Southern Division leader, had no trouble taming Michigan 28-17 as Stallion quarterback Cliff Stoudt fired two TD passes and scrambled two yards for another score. In other games, L.A. beat Memphis 23-17 in OT, San Antonio blanked Jacksonville 20-0 and Washington was walloped both by Houston (31-13) and Oklahoma (20-16). The Outlaws (page 62) are now tied for first with the Panthers in the Central Division.

GOLF—BEN CRENSHAW shot an 11-under-par 277 to win the 48th Masters by two strokes over Tom Watson in Augusta, Ga. (page 20).

GYMNASTICS—UCLA won its first NCAA title, beating Penn State 287.30-281.25 in Los Angeles.

HOCKEY—The Islanders' drive for five was still alive. After squeaking past the Rangers 3-2 on Ken Morrow's overtime goal in the fifth game of the Patrick Division semis, the Isles lost 3-2 to Washington in the first game of the divisional finals. The next night, on the strength of Anders Kallur's 15-foot shot past Caps goalie Pat Riggin at 7:35 in OT, the Islanders won 5-4. It was their 21st win in 26 overtime playoff games. No OT was needed on Sunday, however, as New York again beat Washington, 3-1. In the battle for Norris Division supremacy, Minnesota, which had a 5-2-1 edge over St. Louis in regular-season play, continued that pattern with a 2-1 victory in their series opener. But the Blues, who got 98 saves from goalie Mike Liut in the week's three games, bounced back as rookie Doug Gilmour backhanded in a goal at 16:16 of OT to clinch the second game 4-3, and Bernie Federko scored his first goal of the series to ice the third game 3-1. It was business almost as usual in the Smythe Division, where Edmonton broke to a 2-1 lead, dousing the Flames 5-2 in the first game and 3-2 in the third. Calgary's surprising 6-5 OT win in Game 2 just seemed to prolong the inevitable. And in what some Canadian newspapers dubbed the Battle of Quebec, a defensive war raged between the Canadiens and the Nordiques. In the opener of their Adams Division finals, Quebec outshot Montreal 32-18 but won only 4-2. The Canadiens broke a 1-1 third-period tie in the second game, with goals 82 seconds apart by Mats Naslund and Steve Shutt, en route to a 4-1 win. Then two power-play goals on Sunday helped the Canadiens win 2-1 and take the series lead.

HORSE RACING—MY DARLING ONE ($6.60), Chris McCarron up, upset favored Althea by three-fourths of a length to win the $267,400 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The 3-year-old filly ran the 1[1/16] mile distance in 1:41[1/5].

SOCCER—MISL: Wichita moved into the Western Division lead by half a game by beating New York 3-1, Kansas City 7-6 and Phoenix 6-5. The Eastern Division pacesetter, Baltimore, played just once, defeating Cleveland 3-2.

NASL: San Diego came from 2-0 down in the first quarter to beat New York 7-3 in the third game of their championship playoff series and clinch its third consecutive indoor title. The Sockers swept the series, outscored the Cosmos 22-9 and raised their three-year playoff record to 19 victories in 21 games.

MILEPOSTS—DISMISSED: By an Inglewood, Calif. court, a cocaine possession charge against former WBA junior welterweight champion AARON PRYOR, 28.

TRADED: By the Houston Oilers, fullback DWAYNE CRUTCHFIELD, 24, to the Los Angeles Rams for a 1984 sixth-round draft pick; by the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver BUTCH JOHNSON, 29, to the Houston Oilers for wide receiver MIKE RENFRO, 28.

DIED: DONALD (DUDEY) MOORE, 74, basketball coach at Duquesne (191-70) from 1948 to '58 and LaSalle (79-37) from 1958 to '63; of a heart attack; in Bristol, Pa. His Dukes won the 1955 NIT.

ILLUSTRATION