Nickeil Alexander-Walker stared up at the scoreboard and smiled Monday night as a tribute video played in his honor as the Timberwolves welcomed the guard back to Minnesota, now as a member of the Hawks.

Alexander-Walker seemed to be holding in some emotion as numerous highlights of his flashed across the screen before he was officially announced amid a standing ovation at Target Center in his honor.

Alexander-Walker noted it was “pretty cool” to see a tribute video dedicated to him. It’s an honor for anyone, but particularly a player with Alexander-Walker’s lack of stature. He wasn’t drafted by Minnesota. He spent just two and a half seasons with the organization. The guard is a self-defined “role player.”

Yet he received a hero’s welcome.

“It was just really cool, you know? You dream of those things as a kid, getting the tributes, getting the love from the fans, the standing ovations. Minnesota has been nothing short of amazing to me, from the organization to the city, everything,” he said after the game. “Honestly, watching (the video), it was hard not to smile and just appreciate it.”

In the same way he’s been appreciated by Minnesota ever since he busted onto the scene during the 2023 postseason. Alexander-Walker noted significant tributes are often saved for folks who defined a team’s culture. But, in many ways, that’s what he did in Minnesota.

His effort, defensive tenacity and positive attitude were some of the primary building blocks for both of the Timberwolves’ two most recent Western Conference Finals runs, and everyone recognized it. Maybe more than even Alexander-Walker knew. It was undeniable to the naked eye Monday, from the fans in Alexander-Walker’s No. 9 jersey to those who lit up at the first sight of him exiting the Hawks’ team hotel.

Alexander-Walker described his entire return to Minnesota as “pretty amazing.”

“To me, I didn’t think (my presence) was as substantial as they made it to seem,” he said. “I was excited to come back, but the love that I got from the moment that I was a part of that trade (with Utah in 2023) in the last minute to when I had to leave, honestly, I have so much love for Minnesota and the fans, and I want to personally thank everybody for that, as well.”

It’s what drives him.

“The small things like that really make the work you put in,” he said. “As you go along, when you have days where you go 3 for 15 and it’s like, ‘Man, I can’t hit a shot’ or ‘My body is hurting, why do I do this stuff?’ It’s just because there’s people that really appreciate the work you put in.”

Alexander-Walker was excellent even in defeat Monday, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Minnesota’s runaway victory.

With the Hawks down 31 in the third quarter, it was Alexander-Walker’s energy that brought Atlanta back to within 16 before Minnesota finally closed the door.

Typical Alexander-Walker — playing hard to the final buzzer. He believes in doing so every time you step onto the floor.

“These things don’t really belong to us. They’re not like a birthright, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “It’s like you earn it and it’s a privilege to be here, it’s a privilege to have this opportunity, and just making the most out of it.”

That, on top of his magnetic personality, are why fans and teammates alike adore the guard. Signed Timberwolves jerseys continued to pile on top of his chair in Atlanta’s locker room after the game.

Alexander-Walker and Anthony Edwards swapped jerseys on the court at the conclusion of Monday’s contest. He estimated he’d have six or seven of his former teammate’s jerseys by night’s end.

Well after the game had ended, Alexander-Walker roamed the halls of Target Center as he connected with former teammates and staff members, greeting each with a smile and one of his patented handshakes.

This was a piece of his family. And he was home.

“All these guys are my brothers. The relationships we have, no matter the personality, all of us just meshed well,” Alexander-Walker said. “We all got along, we were all cool, all cracked jokes and we all went through the same struggles together. I think that’s made us closer. We all related on certain things and we were there to big each other up. Naz had my back when I’d be frustrated, I’d have Jaden’s back a lot. We were there to pick each other up at times, so that’s why I think stuff like this kind of shows up.”

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Sophomore guard Lester Watson has had major weight on his shoulders since the first day of his high school career at Thornwood.

But Watson hasn’t been bothered by the challenge of taking on older players. He’s used to it. He’s the youngest of four basketball-playing brothers.

The oldest of the family, Nehemiah, played professionally in Europe, Asia and Mexico.

“It made me tougher at a young age from the physicality playing against my brothers,” Watson said. “I was getting bumped and I couldn’t cry, you know? They would just go harder. They told me, ‘You’ve got to be a dog.’

“That helped me a lot because when I got to varsity against these bigger guys, I’m not scared.”

Watson showed off that fearlessness again Monday night, scoring 16 points as the host Thunderbirds rolled to a 68-53 Southland Athletic Conference win over Bloom in South Holland.

Jordan Jones and Mekhi Young led Thornwood (18-9, 5-6) with 19 points apiece, with Jones also pulling down 10 rebounds. Antwaun Sims contributed seven points and eight rebounds as the Thunderbirds avenged an 83-80 loss to the Blazing Trojans on Dec. 12.

Troy Garner finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Bloom (13-12, 5-6). Jaqun Harris added nine points and seven rebounds, while Kaden McClellan and Keiwon Gulley each chipped in with eight points.

Watson, meanwhile, was thrown into the fire as a freshman last season when he immediately became one of the top players on the varsity for Thornwood.

“The physicality was the toughest part,” he said. “Coming into this season, I knew you have to get in the weight room. You have to be ready to finish through contact. My shooting got better, too.

“I spent a lot of time on shooting because I was more of a finisher last year, so I had to even out my game.”

Watson knocked down four 3-pointers Monday night. Thornwood was hot early, racing to a 20-7 lead in the first quarter and never trailed.

After Bloom closed within 43-35 late in the third quarter, Watson scored eight straight points to help the Thunderbirds pull away for good.

Thornwood coach Deoplus Williams pointed out that Watson has been more open to coaching this season.

“He took on the challenge of watching more film and allowing us to critique him a little bit more,” Williams said. “As a freshman, he didn’t want to hear it. He was used to being the best player.

“You get to high school and you figure out there are a lot of other guys who are just as good as you. Now he’s taking the critiques and learning from them and he’s executing a lot more.”

Jones, a senior guard, has tried to take Watson under his wing and offer him veteran guidance. He has seen Watson come a long way.

“He’s grown a lot,” Jones said. “He’s still quiet, but as a basketball player, he’s matured a lot. He’s improved mentally, emotionally and, of course, you see on the court he’s a lot better.”

For Watson, it was just a matter of staying patient and learning from his mistakes. He and Young, his longtime friend, are both sophomores who are quickly growing into dependable stars.

“I’ve just been growing with my teammates,” Watson said. “It’s been a long process. Even though we’re sophomores, we still want to lead the team. We just know we’re dogs and we want to win.”

Watson confirmed that he and Young are constantly pushing each other, comparing stats and staging their own side competition while they work together to help the Thunderbirds win.

“Mekhi and I have known each other since we were young and the chemistry is there,”  Watson said. “Ever since kindergarten, we’ve been going back and forth talking about which one of us is a better basketball player.

“We definitely motivate each other and make each other better.”

Friday night was the game of the year for the Astoria boys basketball team, the Seaside girls team was looking to rebound after a tough loss, while the Warrenton and Knappa teams continued to play on the hardwood.

Astoria downed by hot shooting

What started out well for the Astoria boys basketball team ended quickly.

With Friday night being the game of the year for the Fishermen, the boys opened up hot. Knowing that a loss would pretty much knock them out of Cowapa League contender, the boys used a hyped-up home crowd to put 23 points on the board in the first 8 minutes. A buzzer beater by Quin Gohr had the crowd cheering as the Fishermen looked like they were on their way to a big win.

But the No. 5-ranked Lions flexed their muscles the rest of the way.

The Lions certainly looked to be one of the best teams in 4A over the last three quarters on Friday night. After giving up double digits in the first quarter, they held Astoria to just 33 over the last three.

Perhaps most impressive for the Lions was the pace at which they made shots. After scoring 16 in the first quarter, they finished the game with 74 in their 74-56 victory.

Senior wing Andrew Waite and sophomore guard Noah Bigham took over the game in the second half with some of the best shots Fishermen fans saw all season. Waite in particular was spectacular.

The 6-foot-4 senior showed off a complete arsenal of skills. Waite had four three-pointers, impressive drives and midrange jumpers as well as some deadly passes to his teammates in transition. And Bigham flashed skills well beyond his sophomore status. He was the most creative shot maker for the Lions as he made a number of tough midrange shots and also had a step back three-pointer right in the face of tough defense.

Along with senior Tykiem Kearse, the Lions blew the doors off Astoria in the second half, winning it by 16 points. Waite led all scorers with 24, Kearse had 13 and Bigham had 12.

For Astoria, this game was more competitive than the score indicated. The Fishermen just ran into a team that shot the lights out of the ball. Though the Fishermen could have done a better job of closing out on the shooters, a lot of the shots were just executed at a high level.

Despite the loss, Astoria is well positioned to finish third in the Cowapa League and qualify for the state playoffs. Currently the boys sit at 5-3 in league play and No. 12 in 4A.

The Fishermen also had three players in double figures and they were led by Gohr’s 14. Mulu Starr-Hallow had 13 and Magnus Kryzanek scored 11.

Astoria girls can’t quite close

The nightcap featured the Astoria girls taking on St. Helens.

Coming off a big win against the Seagulls, it was clear the St. Helens team was a little flat earlier on. This allowed the Fishermen to hang tough for all four quarters.

With the girls being out of contention for the playoffs, coach Jordan Ax has said the goal for his team is to put four good quarters together. Friday night should qualify as a step in the right direction. After entering halftime down 10, the Fishermen ended up outscoring St. Helens by three points to lose 39-32.

Though the girls kept it under 10 points at the end, this game felt like one the Fishermen could have stolen. A defensive change by the Fishermen going into the fourth quarter pretty much turned the faucet off for the Lions. After playing a 2-3 zone the first three quarters, the Fishermen played something much closer to a 3-2 as they were trying to take away the wing shooting of the Lions.

This worked as the Fishermen gave up just three points in the fourth quarter, with all three coming at the free line. Multiple times the Fishermen were down and just couldn’t find a way to execute on offense to get the game closer.

Though this was another loss, the hope is this game will give the Fishermen valuable late game experience to build on for next season.

Seaside girls rebound

The Seaside girls basketball team rebounded against a tough Tillamook team.

Cheesemaker gym is always a difficult place to play, but the Seagulls grinded out a quality road win, 56-49, to get themselves back on track. The win helped them keep pace with St. Helens in the league race as both teams currently sit at 6-1.

A busy week is ahead for Seaside as they travel to Scappoose Tuesday, then will host Marist Catholic in an exciting top-five matchup on Friday afternoon. The Marist girls come in ranked No. 5 in 4A and look like a dark horse contender to raise the trophy in March, so this game will give both teams a chance to see where they stack up.

On the boys side, Seaside fell to Tillamook.

The Cheesemakers tied up the season series at one apiece as they answered the Seagulls win with their own, 66-51. Tillamook is now tied with Seaside for fourth place in league at 1-6.

The Seaside boys will also play Marist Catholic on Friday night in the final game of the evening at 7 p.m.

Warrenton boys come up big, girls fall short

The Warrenton boys needed a flurry to finish the season and they are in the midst of one now.

A big win against Yamhill-Carlton on Friday night moved Warrenton up to fourth place in league. They currently are even with Yamhill in the loss column, though the Warriors still have to play Banks to close out the season.

The victory moved Warrenton to 13-8 overall and 5-4 in league play.

The Warrenton girls put up a good fight, but it wasn’t quite enough as they fell to Yamhill-Carlton 54-50.

Though the girls fell short, this was one of their best offensive games of the season as they scored 50 points for just the fourth time this year. Also, the Warriors played a top 15 team in 3A competitively once again as they lost to Yamhill by just 10 in their first matchup.

Next up for the Warriors is another tough game against Rainier on Tuesday.

Knappa girls have good weekend

It was a good weekend for the Knappa girls as they kept pace in the league race after a 60-23 victory over Columbia Christian. Then the girls defeated 3A No. 17 Oregon Episcopal 32-29 on Saturday afternoon.

The victories moved Knappa to 13-10 on the year and up to No. 8 in 2A. Victories against Portland Christian and Clatskanie are standing in the way of another regular season title for the Loggers.

The boys cruised over Columbia Christian by a score of 80-53. The 80 points was the most scored by Knappa this season and has them rolling into their rematch with Portland Christian on Tuesday. With the Loggers trailing by one game, this one will be for the regular season league title. If the Loggers pull off an upset, the teams will tie for the regular season championship.

MIAMI – The low point of this Miami Heat season?

Welcome to it, when Erik Spoelstra’s team on Monday night lost to a team that was trying to lose.

Given every opportunity to string together only their second winning streak since early January, the Heat disastrously declined the gift, falling 115-111 to the Utah Jazz at Kaseya Center.

Facing with the prospect of losing their first-round pick in June’s draft if it is not among the first eight, the Jazz pulled leading big men Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the night midway through the third quarter, with Jackson with 22 points at that stage and Markkanen with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Utah then played the entirety of the fourth quarter without four of their five starters.

And, still, the Heat could not take what was being given, albeit while paying in the injury absences of Norman Powell, Pelle Larsson and Tyler Herro.

The difference is those absences weren’t by choice, with Powell out with back pain, Larsson forearm discomfort and Herro a rib issue.

So, instead, empty numbers for the Heat, with Andrew Wiggins closing with 26 points, Kasparas Jakucionis with 20 and Bam Adebayo closing with 23 points and one rebound.

Five degrees of Heat from Monday night’s game:

— Game flow: The Heat led 32-26 at the end of the opening period, after taking an early 15-point lead. Utah then moved to a 61-52 halftime lead.

The Heat then tied it late in the third period, before Utah went into the fourth up 85-82.

From there, with the Jazz sitting their best, the Heat moved up five in the fourth quarter.

No matter, not when Utah’s Brice Sensabaugh converted a 3-pointer for a 113-111 Utah lead with 41.1 to play.

Misses on both ends followed, leaving the Heat in possession down two and out of timeouts with 8.6 seconds to play.

A wayward Jakucionis 3-point attempt later and it basically was over.

— Here’s why: So why did the Jazz sit their best for a second consecutive game when carrying a lead into a fourth quarter?

Because if Utah does not wind up with one of the first eight picks in June’s NBA draft, the pick goes to the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The protected pick dates to a 2021 Jazz trade that unloaded the contract of Derrick Favors.

This is the third year the debt has rolled over. The pick was Top 10 protected in 2024 and ’25, now down to top-eight protection.

If the pick does not go to the Thunder this season, the transaction instead will be completed solely though a cash transaction.

The Jazz also sat their top players in the fourth quarter on Saturday night in Orlando, in a loss to the Magic.

The Jazz entered Monday with the NBA’s sixth-worst record.

— More big: With Larsson and Powell out, and with the Jazz opening big, Spoelstra returned to the Adebayo-Kel’el Ware opening pairing, the first time Ware had started since the Jan. 8 loss in Minnesota.

Whether it was matchup based or the reward of a solid pairing Sunday in Washington remains to be seen.

But it certainly seemed to make sense in this one, with the Jazz opening with a front line of 7-foot Jusuf Nurkic, 7-0 Markkanen and 6-11 Jackson.

The pairing then was limited in the second half, with Ware called for his fourth foul 1:35 into the third quarter, with Ware fouling out with 10:55 to play.

Ware closed with eight points and six rebounds in his 14 minutes.

— Still going: A game after shooting 6 of 6 on 3-pointers, Jakucionis this time made his first three 3-pointers and opened 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

With Powell out, Spoelstra played all three of his point guards early, including playing Jakucionis and Dru Smith in trandem.

Smith did not play until mop-up duty on Sunday in Washington.

Jakucionis later returned in the second period to play alongside starting point guard Davion Mitchell.

— Attack mode: After falling to 2 of 10 for the night in the third quarter, Adebayo seemingly said enough was enough, moving on to score 11 points in the period.

That effort was eased with Jackson and then Markkanen off the court for the Jazz during the bulk of that surge.

Ultimately, it still wasn’t enough.

____

Feb. 9—ST. CLOUD — The Bemidji State softball team played four games against conference foes at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud over the weekend.

While all four games at the Husky Dome were in nonconference play, the Beavers struggled ot get over the hump.

BSU lost 5-4 against Concordia-St. Paul in eight innings and 12-4 against St. Cloud State in five innings on Friday. On Saturday, Southwest Minnesota State beat BSU 7-1 before SCSU took down Bemidji State again by a score of 9-1 in six innings.

Calleigh Richards had a standout weekend at the plate, going 4-for-12 with a home run, a double and five RBIs. Alayna DeGraef went 5-for-11 with five singles.

Concordia-St. Paul 5, Bemidji State 4 (F/8)

BSU 100 102 00 — 4-10-1

CSP 000 310 01 — 5-7-1

WP: Schwab (8 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)

LP: Klusman (4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K)

St. Cloud State 12, Bemidji State 4 (F/5)

BSU 200 02 — 4-7-0

SCSU 108 03 — 12-14-0

WP: Porter (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K)

LP: Joachim (2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

Southwest Minnesota State 7, Bemidji State 1

SMSU 401 020 0 — 7-6-1

BSU 100 000 0 — 1-4-1

WP: Marsh (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K)

LP: Joachim (0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K)

St. Cloud State 9, Bemidji State 1 (F/6)

BSU 001 000 — 1-4-4

SCSU 305 001 — 9-12-0

WP: Clark (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

LP: Klusman (2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K)

Feb. 9—SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — While it's not unique that college baseball teams commence their seasons in early February, playing games in the Midwest this soon is.

Due to some fortunate weather in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, No. 25 Augustana hosted Bemidji State for a four-game series on Sunday and Monday at Ronken Field, winning the games by scores of 5-1, 11-2, 14-0 and 42.

The first three games were in NSIC play, while the fourth game was a nonconference matchup.

Augustana 5, Bemidji State 1 (F/7)

BSU 000 000 1 — 1-4-1

AU 000 302 X — 5-6-1

WP: Michek (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K)

LP: Haugen (5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

S: Gomez (2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

Augustana 11, Bemidji State 2

BSU 100 000 010 — 2-5-1

AU 302 401 01X — 11-14-0

WP: Sutton (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)

LP: Smith (3.1 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)

Augustana 14, Bemidji State 0 (F/7)

BSU 000 000 0 — 0-3-2

AU 130 055 X — 14-14-0

WP: Hoffman (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)

LP: Barry (4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)

Augustana 4, Bemidji State 2

BSU 000 011 0 — 2-4-0

AU 000 130 X — 4-3-0

WP: Henry (1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

LP: Koch (4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)

Feb. 9—The final weeks of regular season basketball and the time to crown champions has arrived.

The majority of girls regular season games will conclude by Saturday with district tournaments starting Monday.

There are two full weeks left for the boys and the first tournament draws for Divisions III through VII will take place Sunday.

Most of the girls league races near the Miami Valley have wrapped up. There are two left to be determined.

Lakota West (16-4, 13-1) is a half-game ahead of Cincinnati Princeton (15-3, 12-1) in the Greater Miami Conference race. The Firebirds have the tougher remaining schedule with games against the two teams tied for third — Mason and Sycamore — remaining this week.

St. Henry (18-1, 7-1) and Versailles (14-6, 7-1) will play for the Midwest Athletic Conference title on Thursday at St. Henry.

West Liberty Salem (18-2, 14-2) is assured of at least sharing the Ohio Heritage Conference North Division title and is awaiting the final result for Fairbanks (16-5, 13-2) on Tuesday at Northeastern to determine if it will be a tie or outright.

Tippecanoe (18-2, 16-0) can wrap up the Miami Valley League Miami Division outright with a win against Fairborn on Monday or Greenville on Wednesday.

Other league champions include: — Bellbrook (19-2, 10-0 — Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division) — Carroll (18-3, 8-2 — Greater Catholic League Co-Ed) — Dunbar (11-9, 9-1 — Dayton City League) — Fairmont (20-0, 13-0 — Greater Western Ohio Conference) — Legacy Christian (17-4, 8-0 — Metro Buckeye Conference) — London (19-1, 9-0 — Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail) — Miami East (16-3, 14-0 — Three Rivers Conference) — Mississinawa Valley (17-4, 10-0 — Western Ohio Athletic Conference) — North Union (19-1, 9-0 — CBC Mad River) — Russia (18-3, 11-1 — Shelby Count Athletic League) — Stebbins (13-7, 12-4 — MVL Valley Division) — Waynesville (16-5, 13-1 — SWBL Buckeye Division)

There are only a handful of boys conference races already determined.

Centerville (14-5, 12-1) are the GWOC champs for the eighth consecutive year. Northridge (19-1, 12-0) pulled out a pair of close wins last week to clinch the TRC. Tippecanoe (16-2, 16-0) also has at least a share of the MVL Miami and can win outright if it were to defeat second place Butler (14-4, 14-2) on Friday.

Cedarville (16-2, 13-1) was the first boys team in the area to clinch in the OHC South Division, and Emmanuel Christian (17-1, 9-0) was the latest for the MBC.

The closest races remaining both belong in the SWBL. The Buckeye Division has Waynesville (15-2, 10-1), Oakwood (14-4, 9-2) and Valley View (14-4, 8-2) all near the top. The trio will all play one another during the final stretch of the season. The Southwestern Division is tied between Monroe (16-3, 7-2) and Edgewood (13-5, 7-2), with Bellbrook (12-6, 6-3) making a late charge up the standings. The final results will be determined after Friday's games.

The WOAC title will be determined Friday as Tri-Village (19-0, 10-0) hosts Preble Shawnee (16-3, 10-0).

The advantage in the DPS also will be gained between either Dunbar (13-3, 7-1) or Belmont (9-8, 7-1) on Tuesday in a rematch of the first meeting that Belmont won 50-48 on Jan. 20.

Alter (13-6, 8-1) and Badin (16-2, 8-1) are also tied for the GCL Co-Ed lead and play their respective final league games Friday.

West Carrollton (14-5, 12-4) and Stebbins (13-6, 11-5) play Friday with MVL Valley stakes on the line.

Fairbanks (18-2, 13-1) is ahead of WLS (16-3, 12-2) with both having two games left. The biggest games remaining are WLS hosting West Jefferson on Friday, and Fairbanks travelling to Cedarville on Feb. 17.

Urbana (14-3, 6-2) needs Jonathan Alder (15-5, 8-1) to drop its last game to have a chance in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail race. Marion Local (16-1, 6-1) is also a game back of the only team it has lost to this season, Delphos St. John's (19-0, 7-0) in the MAC race.

Feb. 9—The final weeks of regular season basketball and the time to crown champions has arrived.

The majority of girls regular season games will conclude by Saturday with district tournaments starting Monday.

There are two full weeks left for the boys and the first tournament draws for Divisions III through VII will take place Sunday.

Most of the girls league races near the Miami Valley have wrapped up. There are two left to be determined.

Lakota West (16-4, 13-1) is a half-game ahead of Cincinnati Princeton (15-3, 12-1) in the Greater Miami Conference race. The Firebirds have the tougher remaining schedule with games against the two teams tied for third — Mason and Sycamore — remaining this week.

St. Henry (18-1, 7-1) and Versailles (14-6, 7-1) will play for the Midwest Athletic Conference title on Thursday at St. Henry.

West Liberty Salem (18-2, 14-2) is assured of at least sharing the Ohio Heritage Conference North Division title and is awaiting the final result for Fairbanks (16-5, 13-2) on Tuesday at Northeastern to determine if it will be a tie or outright.

Tippecanoe (18-2, 16-0) can wrap up the Miami Valley League Miami Division outright with a win against Fairborn on Monday or Greenville on Wednesday.

Other league champions include: — Bellbrook (19-2, 10-0 — Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division) — Carroll (18-3, 8-2 — Greater Catholic League Co-Ed) — Dunbar (11-9, 9-1 — Dayton City League) — Fairmont (20-0, 13-0 — Greater Western Ohio Conference) — Legacy Christian (17-4, 8-0 — Metro Buckeye Conference) — London (19-1, 9-0 — Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail) — Miami East (16-3, 14-0 — Three Rivers Conference) — Mississinawa Valley (17-4, 10-0 — Western Ohio Athletic Conference) — North Union (19-1, 9-0 — CBC Mad River) — Russia (18-3, 11-1 — Shelby Count Athletic League) — Stebbins (13-7, 12-4 — MVL Valley Division) — Waynesville (16-5, 13-1 — SWBL Buckeye Division)

There are only a handful of boys conference races already determined.

Centerville (14-5, 12-1) are the GWOC champs for the eighth consecutive year. Northridge (19-1, 12-0) pulled out a pair of close wins last week to clinch the TRC. Tippecanoe (16-2, 16-0) also has at least a share of the MVL Miami and can win outright if it were to defeat second place Butler (14-4, 14-2) on Friday.

Cedarville (16-2, 13-1) was the first boys team in the area to clinch in the OHC South Division, and Emmanuel Christian (17-1, 9-0) was the latest for the MBC.

The closest races remaining both belong in the SWBL. The Buckeye Division has Waynesville (15-2, 10-1), Oakwood (14-4, 9-2) and Valley View (14-4, 8-2) all near the top. The trio will all play one another during the final stretch of the season. The Southwestern Division is tied between Monroe (16-3, 7-2) and Edgewood (13-5, 7-2), with Bellbrook (12-6, 6-3) making a late charge up the standings. The final results will be determined after Friday's games.

The WOAC title will be determined Friday as Tri-Village (19-0, 10-0) hosts Preble Shawnee (16-3, 10-0).

The advantage in the DPS also will be gained between either Dunbar (13-3, 7-1) or Belmont (9-8, 7-1) on Tuesday in a rematch of the first meeting that Belmont won 50-48 on Jan. 20.

Alter (13-6, 8-1) and Badin (16-2, 8-1) are also tied for the GCL Co-Ed lead and play their respective final league games Friday.

West Carrollton (14-5, 12-4) and Stebbins (13-6, 11-5) play Friday with MVL Valley stakes on the line.

Fairbanks (18-2, 13-1) is ahead of WLS (16-3, 12-2) with both having two games left. The biggest games remaining are WLS hosting West Jefferson on Friday, and Fairbanks travelling to Cedarville on Feb. 17.

Urbana (14-3, 6-2) needs Jonathan Alder (15-5, 8-1) to drop its last game to have a chance in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail race. Marion Local (16-1, 6-1) is also a game back of the only team it has lost to this season, Delphos St. John's (19-0, 7-0) in the MAC race.

The Chicago Cubs know they will get contributions this season from players who aren’t yet on their 40-man roster.

Spring training presents an opportunity for those nonroster players to put themselves on the organization’s radar. The Cubs on Monday announced invitations to big-league camp for 18 such players.

The breakdown by position:

• Pitchers (8): Jeff Brigham, Grant Kipp, Corbin Martin, Connor Noland, Connor Schultz, Collin Snider, Trent Thornton and Jaxon Wiggins.
• Catchers (3): Ariel Armas, Christian Bethancourt and Casey Optiz.
• Infielders (4): Scott Kingery, Jonathon Long, B.J. Murray and Jefferson Rojas.
• Outfielders (3): Brett Bateman, Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick.

The group notably features two of their top prospects in Wiggins and Rojas, while the position-player invitees give the Cubs depth options with big-league experience in Kingery, Carlson and McCormick.

Carlson and McCormick have the clearest path to making the opening-day roster as the Cubs look for a fourth outfielder to back up their three starters. Both Carlson, a former first-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals, and McCormick, who when healthy played well in Houston, can play all three outfield positions.

The Cubs hold their first formal workout for pitchers and catchers Wednesday at the team’s complex in Mesa, Ariz. Their first full-squad workout is slated for next Monday.

HIGH POINT – Shorthanded High Point University lost 72-57 against Radford in Big South Conference women's basketball Saturday in Radford's Dedmon Center.

Anna Hager scored 26 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Panthers (21-3 overall, 10-1 conference) – who were without notable contributors Nevaeh Zavala and Aaliyah Collins following Wednesday's fracas at Winthrop.

Zavala missed the game with a concussion while Collins automatically sat out after being ejected from Wednesday's game in which Winthrop's Tocarra Johnson punched Zavala. Johnson has since been suspended eight games.

Chana Paxixe added 13 points and five rebounds, while Macy Spencer, limited by foul trouble, chipped in seven points and four assists. Brecken Snotherly followed with six points and six rebounds.

The Highlanders (16-10, 8-3), led by Georgia Simonsen with 19 points and seven rebounds, closed the first on a 20-6 run to lead by 12 and extended their advantage to 23 in the second before taking a 42-21 lead into halftime.

High Point got as close as 16 in the third and 13 in the fourth but couldn't pull closer. The Panthers, who are still one loss clear of Longwood, will host the Lancers on Wednesday.

HPU MEN'S LACROSSE OPENS WITH WIN

HIGH POINT – High Point University opened its men's lacrosse season with a 19-11 win over VMI on Saturday at Vert Stadium.

Justin Wixted had three goals and six assists to lead the Panthers (1-0), who led 5-1 through one quarter and 11-5 at halftime. Carson Robins added four goals, while Ian Cann and Ryan Hynes each had two goals and an assist.

Zack Overend made eight saves in goal for High Point, which will visit No. 6 North Carolina on Friday.

HPU WOMEN'S LACROSSE FALLS TO DUKE

HIGH POINT – High Point University lost 14-6 against No. 14 Duke in nonconference women's lacrosse Friday at Vert Stadium.

Reese Dowgiallo scored three goals for the Panthers (0-1), who fell behind 4-0 through one quarter and 7-3 at halftime. Shannon Smith added two goals, while Bella Germani had one goal.

Ava Welsh made seven saves for High Point, which will host Campbell on Saturday at 1 p.m.

HPU'S WIXTED EARNS FIRST A10 LACROSSE AWARD

WASHINGTON, D.C. – High Point University's Justin Wixted is among this week's Atlantic 10 Conference men's lacrosse players of the week. He was selected the Offensive Player of the Week.

Wixted totaled a career-high nine points in Saturday's season-opener against VMI. He scored his third of his career hat trick and added a career-high six assists. His nine total points was two points shy of the single-game program record. He finished with a .750 shot percentage and caused a turnover.

This was Wixted's second career Offensive Player of the Week award.

PREP BASKETBALL

BISHOP McGUINNESS, CPLA

KERNERSVILLE – Bishop McGuinness topped College Prep & Leadership Academy 83-34 in Greater Triad 1A/2A Conference boys basketball Friday at Bishop.

Thomas Thompson had 27 points, seven rebounds and five steals to lead the Villains (13-5 overall, 5-2 conference), who led 44-20 at halftime. Bryce Chapman added 15 points, followed by Arop Chom with 12 points and Angelo Garrido with eight points.

In the girls game, Bishop won 65-20 to improve to 5-0 in the league. Cecilia Drabik scored 17 points to lead the Villains, who led 40-9 at halftime. Jenna Moore and Claire Sullivan each chipped in 10 points. Shannon Sullivan followed with six points.

WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN, GREENSBORO DAY

GREENSBORO – Wesleyan Christian topped Greensboro Day 61-56 in double overtime Saturday in PTAC girls basketball at Greensboro Day.

Sara Kate Carr had 18 points to lead the Trojans (14-10 overall, 6-1 conference), who outscored the Bengals 8-3 in the final frame. Adaobi Nowobu had 13 points, while Lexi Powell had 10 and Blythe Cunningham had nine.

In the boys game, Wesleyan fell 75-32 to move to 11-14 and 1-6.

HIGH POINT CHRISTIAN, CALVARY DAY

WINSTON-SALEM – High Point Christian lost 85-43 against Calvary Day in PTAC boys basketball Saturday at Calvary.

Sonne Williams scored 13 points to lead HPCA (8-13 overall, 2-6 overall), while Jysen Seymore had 12 points and Carter Anderson followed with nine points.

In the girls game, HPCA lost 59-40 to move to 4-7 and 0-6. Landyn Smith scored 13 points and six rebounds to lead the Cougars, while Lauren Robinson had 11 points and four blocks, and Blakely Bowman had nine points and eight rebounds.

SOUTHWEST GUILFORD, DUDLEY

GREENSBORO – Southwest Guilford defeated Dudley 82-72 in Metro 6A/7A Conference boys basketball Friday at Dudley.

Brayden Gatling scored 32 points to lead the Cowboys (15-3 overall, 6-2 conference), who pulled within 40-35 at halftime after being down 13 after one. Darrell Howze chipped in 23 points, while Wesley Oxce had nine points.

In the girls game, Southwest lost 47-41 to move to 13-5 and 4-4. T'Yauna Freeman had 14 points to lead the Cowgirls, while Star Hughes and Alyson Webb each scored eight points.

WESTCHESTER COUNTRY DAY, FORSYTH COUNTRY DAY

LEWISVILLE – Westchester Country Day lost 81-44 against Forsyth Country Day in PTAC boys basketball Friday at Forsyth.

The Wildcats dipped to 5-10 overall and 0-7 in the league.

RAGSDALE, PAGE

JAMESTOWN – Ragsdale fell 35-29 against Page in Metro 6A/7A Conference boys basketball Saturday at Ragsdale.

The Tigers, after also losing to Smith 83-52 on Friday, moved to 7-14 overall and 0-9 in the conference.

In the girls game, Ragsdale won 59-41 to improve to 13-6 and 6-3. Aaliya Boddie scored 21 points, followed by Marlei Williams with 15 points and Ja'mya Boddie with 13 points for the Tigers, who beat Smith 75-70 in overtime Friday.

SOUTHERN GUILFORD, NORTHEAST GUILFORD

McLEANSVILLE – Southern Guilford lost 77-60 against Northeast Guilford in TAAC 5A/6A boys basketball Saturday at Northeast.

Elijah Fapojuwo scored 19 points for the Storm (5-14 overall, 1-5 conference), who also lost 77-68 against Northern Guilford on Friday. RJ Scott added nine points.

In the girls game, Southern lost 28-26 to move to 3-15 and 0-6, also losing 66-7 on Friday.

The Bishop McGuinness varsity boys’ basketball team returned to the court on Friday night and claimed an 83-34 Senior Night victory over College Prep and Leadership Academy.

The Villains broke the game open with a big run in the second quarter and had a 44-20 lead at halftime.

Bishop McGuinness was led by senior Thomas Thompson, who finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Junior Bryce Chapman had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and senior Arop Chom contributed 12 points and five rebounds.

Friday was Senior Night for Thompson and Chom.

Villains’ Head Coach Josh Thompson said, “Arop Chom and Thomas Thompson have been a pleasure to coach over their four years at Bishop. They embody exactly what our program is all about, which is being a high school basketball player, person, and student. The work ethic, leadership, character and heart they have define what we want in a Bishop basketball player, and I am so proud of them both on and off the court.”

Bishop McGuinness will have four games this week to try to make up several weather postponements. The Villains were scheduled last night, Feb. 9, to play at home in a big Greater Piedmont 1-A/2-A (GP 1-A/2-A) conference game against South Stokes (16-2, 7-0 GP 1-A/2-A). South Stokes defeated the Villains 68-62 on Jan. 20 in a game that came down to the last 30 seconds. Bishop McGuinness (13-5, 5-2 GP 1-A/2-A) will host North Stokes on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

“Our team has been anticipating the next matchup with South Stokes. They played really well against us at their place and exposed some flaws in us, which is what happens when you play good teams. We’ve been hard at work in practice on those things and are eager to get them on our home floor to have the chance to see where we are now,” Thompson said on Saturday.

BMHS—19 25 14 25—83

CPLA —10 10 7 7—34

Bishop McGuinness—Thomas Thompson 27, Bryce Chapman 15, Arop Chom 12, Angelo Garrido 8, Charlie Wall 6, Stephen Hawley 5, Jones Chavis 5, Finn Kilgariff 3, Marlon Carson 2.

College Prep and Leadership—Ryan Byrd 18, Gvanni Byron 3, Nelson Parsons 3, Jayden Goodman 3, Kellen Robinson 3, Willie Baker 2, Darious Felix 2.

A much-expected move by a football powerhouse has arrived with North Dakota State's decision to step up to the college game's highest level, jumping from the FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference to the FBS Mountain West.

On Monday, North Dakota State announced the move on its website, settling a hot topic on social media over the weekend.

In a story published Sunday by the Fargo-Moorhead Forum, NDSU Athletic Director Matt Larsen told the newspaper that the school signed a contract last week with the Mountain West, a Football Bowl Subdivision league. The Missouri Valley is a Football Championship Subdivision conference, a notch below FBS.

Larsen told the newspaper on Sunday that NDSU signed an agreement that same day with the Mountain West. The school will pay the NCAA a $5 million transition fee for FBS membership, and $12.5 million to the Mountain West, the Forum reported, with private donors expected to cover those costs.

NDSU won 10 FCS titles between 2011 and 2024.

The Bison's jump follows their 8-0 record in MVFC play last season and a 12-1 overall record. NDSU's lone loss came in the FCS Playoffs to conference foe Illinois State. The Redbirds ended up advancing to the national championship game in Nashville where they fell in double overtime to Montana State of the Big Sky Conference.

MVFC commissioner Jeff Jackson lauded the departing Bison's performance as a Valley member.

"North Dakota State University has been a distinguished and esteemed member of the [MVFC] for the past 18 seasons, significantly contributing to the conference's unparalleled success. We extend our best wishes to the Bison in their future endeavors and know that the MVFC will continue to maintain its position as the preeminent FCS conference."

As far as the impact on next season's MVFC schedule, Mike Kern, the Valley's senior associate commissioner, confirmed to the Tribune-Star on Monday that the league schedule will be adjusted so all nine teams will play a complete round-robin schedule of eight games. Indiana State was set to play at NDSU on Nov. 7. With the schedule change, that means ISU will now play Northern Iowa. However, dates, times and locations for a new schedule are to be determined, Kern said.

The all-time MVFC series between ISU and NDSU ends with the Bison in control 12-1 with ISU's lone victory in the series coming back in 2012 in Fargo when the Sycamores slipped by NDSU 17-14 in the Fargodome. Last season's matchup saw the Sycamores lose 38-7 in Terre Haute after a tight battle early was interrupted by a thunderstorm delay, and the Sycamores' initial momentum faded.

On Monday, ISU declined comment beyond the Missouri Valley's statement.

A big fourth quarter helped a tall and talented High Point Andrews girls’ varsity basketball team claim a 46-34 win over Bishop McGuinness on Friday night.

The Lady Villains controlled the game early, but the Lady Red Raiders rallied in the third quarter and made a 14-2 run in the final minutes to claim the victory.

“Andrews is always good," Bishop McGuinness Head Coach Brian Robinson said. "They were a lot taller than we are, and their length bothered us a lot, especially in the second half. We had a lot of two-on-ones to get layups, but every time they had somebody 6 feet or taller blocking. At one point we were up 18-7 and I thought we might blow them out, but they got back into the game with the height and athleticism,” said

The Lady Red Raiders' Sam King poured in 23 points. Bishop’s Claire Sullivan finished with 14 points.

Friday was Senior Night for Lady Villains seniors Lillian Schultz, Jenna Moore, Laney Heafner, Claire Sullivan, Shanon Sullivan, LilyMac Litchfield and Morgan Aho.

“They have kept up our tradition of playing at a high level and just playing hard every game. They have done that consistently and have set the foundation for the next group coming up. We don't have the height and the athleticism we have had, but they do play hard and they have the opportunity to possibly play for another state championship,” Robinson said.

The Lady Villains (14-3) were scheduled to play host to South Stokes Monday night and will host North Stokes on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

BMHS —9 9 8 8—34

HPAHS—2 10 13 21—46

Bishop McGuinness—Claire Sullivan 14, Cecilia Drabik 7, Laney Heafner 6, Jenna Moore 3, Shannon Sullivan 2, Morgan Aho 2.

H.P. Andrews— King 23, Harris 8, Milligan 7, Wilkerson 5, Corbit 3.

After winning sectional titles Saturday, Northview and Parke Heritage won't have to travel far to compete in next Saturday's regional round of the Indiana high school girls basketball state tournament.

The Knights and Wolves will both play at the Terre Haute North Regional. The Knights will face Brebeuf in the Class 3A game at 7 p.m. Saturday. That contest follows the 4 p.m. Class 2A game between the Wolves and Monrovia.

This past Saturday, Northview avenged its only Western Indiana Conference loss, coming from behind in the second half for a 42-35 win over the host team and the championship of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.

Reagin White, who has played most of the season with a knee injury, led all scorers Saturday with 14 points while Kambry Shoults added 12. Carlee Schrader, after a 31-point game Friday, added nine points, Rekelle Terrell had four points and Tori DeHart three.

Edgewood's leaders for at least the last three seasons, Macey Crider and twins Alli and Madi Bland, combined for 29 points with Alli Bland scoring 11 and the other two nine each.

Northview now stands 19-6 going into next Saturday's 3A regional against Brebeuf (14-11). The Braves beat Danville 51-41 Saturday to win the Lebanon Sectional.

Edgewood finished 17-6.

In other girls high school basketball:

• Class 2A South Putnam Sectional — At Putnamville, defending champion Parke Heritage dominated the second half to beat North Putnam 46-34 in the championship game Saturday night.

The Wolves trailed 15-13 after a quarter, but had a 21-20 halftime lead and pulled away from there.

Lila Busenbark led Parke Heritage with 13 points while Kennedy Mitchell had 10, Addie Ramsay nine and Birkley Schelsky eight. Melanie Davies led all scorers with 16 points for the Cougars.

Parke Heritage takes a record of 18-7 into next Saturday's 2A regional against Monrovia (20-5), an 82-33 winner over University at the Park Tudor Sectional. The same two teams met in regional play last year.

North Putnam finished 16-8.

• Class 2A Eastern Greene Sectional — At Little Cincinnati, Linton gave North Knox all it wanted, a night after the Warriors had routed defending state champion South Knox, but the Miners eventually fell short 55-46.

Lexi Primus and Baylee McClure scored 19 points each for North Knox. Audrey Sullivan had 15 points and Jaycee Archer and Aaliyah Samm had 10 each for the Miners.

North Knox, 18-6, plays 20-4 Evansville Mater Dei — a 44-33 winner over North Posey — in next Saturday's regional game. Linton finished 14-8.

• Class A North Vermillion Sectional — At Cayuga, Fountain Central imposed its defensive will in Saturday night's championship game and defeated Faith Christian 34-11.

The 21-2 Mustangs face North Miami in a regional game next week. North Miami, 17-8, beat Southwood 50-27 for the championship of the Southern Wells Sectional.

All-sectional team members included Nora Thomann of North Vermillion on the first team and Corinne Loomis and Kenzie Nowicki of Riverton Parke and Cadence Dunham of North Vermillion on the second team.

• Martinsville 41, Ramsey 36 — At Martinsville, Ill., Molly Kannmacher's 15 points led the Bluestreaks to a victory over the Rams on Friday night.

Charity Hammond added 10 points for Martinsville.

The Bluestreaks took a 17-11 record into Monday's nonconference game at Sandoval.

Boys basketball

• Teutopolis 78, Robinson 26 — At Teutopolis, the powerful Wooden Shoes ran roughshod over the Maroons on Saturday.

Cruz Dunlap had eight points and Jetson Hoalt seven for the 9-16 Maroons, who play Tuesday at Charleston.

Gavin Addis had 15 points and Joey Probst 12 for Teutopolis, 23-3.

The Maroons were coming off a 53-45 overtime victory over rival Paris on Friday night. Robinson trailed 11-8, 23-21 and 35-31 at the quarter breaks, before tying the score at 42-42 by the end of regulation play. The Maroons outscored the Tigers 11-3 in OT. Dunlap led Robinson with 16 points, and Marcus Hutchings topped Paris with 20.

• Marshall 55, Okaw Valley 48 — At Marshall, Ill., Payton McGuire scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, while teammate Garrett Pugh added 13 points and six rebounds for the Lions in a home victory Saturday.

After the teams tied 11-11 and 23-23 at the first two quarter breaks, Marshall got some daylight to lead 41-36 at the end of the third quarter. Then McGuire delivered 10 fourth-quarter points to help the Lions stay ahead.

Marshall (11-12) plays 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at La Salette (21-4). Okaw Valley (8-17) got a game-high 19 points from Braden Montgomery.

When UCF welcomed quarterback Alonza Barnett III into its 2026 transfer class, the Knights not only gained a starter capable of leading them to the College Football Playoff but also brought much-needed stability to a position that was in dire need of a shakeup.

It was pretty clear midway through last season that UCF (5-7) was in desperate need of an upgrade at quarterback if the Knights wanted to contend in the Big 12.

The departures of quarterbacks Tayven Jackson, Cam Fancher, Jacurri Brown and Davi Belfort left UCF with a clean slate heading into the upcoming season and opened the door for the Knights to begin the process of evaluating their next starting quarterback.

“A lot of the quarterback evaluation has been going on for a long time,” coach Scott Frost said recently.

Barnett had been on UCF’s radar for some time, as noted by Trent Mossbrucker, the program’s general manager of football player personnel.

“You start to identify and believe that people are going to go unto the portal for one reason or another,” Mossbrucker said. “They were having a great year at JMU. Then you start hearing coaching rumors, and if a coach leaves, you start identifying people on their roster. That’s how Alonza came up.”

After leading the Dukes to a victory in the Sun Belt Conference championship on Dec. 7, JMU coach Bob Chesney accepted the UCLA job, but he remained with the team for their first-round College Football Playoff game against Oregon.

“He [Barnett] becomes a guy that’s on your radar. Now you can go back and watch all the games that he played and feel very comfortable about that,” added Mossbrucker. “You have a big list, about 50 guys. Then you whittle that list down to the 12 guys who will be realistic once this thing really opens up.”

Eventually, the Knights circled in on the 22-year-old Barnett, who had led James Madison to an 11-1 regular season that was capped off with a 31-14 win over Troy in the SBC championship and a spot in the Playoff field.

The redshirt junior was named conference Offensive Player of the Year after combining for 3,395 total yards and 38 total touchdowns.

“What I love more than anything about Alonza is that he’s a winner, he’s a proven winner,” said Frost. “When you’re a really good team, you have exceptional leadership from that position. You have somebody who’s tough at that position, that other people want to get behind and play for and believe in.

“So, not even speaking about the talent that he brings, I’m really impressed with his demeanor and excited about the level of toughness and leadership that we should get from him.”

It was important, in the grand scheme of things, that UCF land a quarterback early when the 15-day transfer window opened on Jan. 2. That’s why the Knights wasted little time signing Barnett two days later on Jan. 4.

“There are a lot of skill players that when you talk to their agents about potentially coming to our school, one of the first questions is: who is the quarterback going to be?” Frost explained. “That made it a priority for us for more reasons than the obvious. It was certainly one of the first dominoes that needed to fall in order for us to fill out the team that we were able to bring in.”

Barnett’s signing was a huge piece of UCF’s offseason blueprint, but he wasn’t the only addition to help solidify the quarterback position. The Knights also signed transfers Keyone Jenkins and Kaleb Annett.

UCF athletics continues to show steady growth in Big 12

Jenkins, a 6-0 dual-threat quarterback from FIU, appeared in 33 games (20 starts) over three seasons with the Panthers. He amassed 6,713 passing yards with 42 touchdowns and 25 interceptions, while also rushing for 312 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Annett signed late in the process, after seeing limited action at Boise State.

Rounding out the room are Rocco Marriott and Dante Carr, a pair of true freshmen who signed as part of the Knights’ 2026 recruiting class.

While UCF enters this upcoming season with a clear-cut starting quarterback, unlike last season, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a competition for Barnett’s backup.

“I’m looking forward to getting him with the rest of the guys and just seeing how all of it comes together,” Frost said of Barnett. “We’re definitely approaching this year with what we have as our No. 1. The battle is really for two, three and beyond.”

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

Feb. 8—CORVALLIS, Ore. — Gonzaga players didn't spend much time listening to the discourse surrounding their team in the 48 hours that followed a seven-point upset loss at Portland.

The Zags stayed one additional night in Portland before busing to Corvallis on Friday to prepare for Saturday's road test against Oregon State.

According to Gonzaga players, there wasn't much dwelling on what happened over 40 minutes at the Chiles Center, unless it was used constructively as a teaching point to help with in-game corrections.

By early Saturday evening, it was evident GU had fully moved on from Wednesday's setback. The Zags built a four-point halftime lead against Oregon State and ran away with an 81-61 victory over the Beavers at Gill Coliseum.

"A lot of great constructive criticism, I think we responded well," senior forward Graham Ike said. "It's also been a lot of positive energy around despite the loss. We got back to who we are tonight. We wanted to make sure we understood and remembered who we are and how we got to this point. I think we did a great job of responding."

Outside of film sessions, practices and shootarounds, Gonzaga players used the extended road trip to bond away from the court.

"I feel like the most important thing to me was we bonded a lot, we had fun," senior wing Tyon Grant-Foster said. "I feel like that really gave us an edge."

On the court, Gonzaga's second-half defense and ball security made big differences against Oregon State. We touch on those things and Grant-Foster's impact off the bench in our day-after rewind.

Doubling down on defense

Gonzaga may not want to revisit the first three halves of defense it played in Oregon this week, but players and coaches were happy to discuss the final 20 minutes of their two-game road swing.

In the opening frame of Wednesday's loss at Portland, Gonzaga gave up 39 points on 51.6% shooting from the field.

Things didn't get any better in the second half, when the Pilots posted 48 more points shooting an astronomical clip of 69.6% from the field.

The Zags didn't immediately improve on that side of the floor against Oregon State and the Beavers hung tight in a four-point game thanks to 34 points and 54.5% shooting.

Oregon State made a variety of difficult shots, but Gonzaga didn't help matters by arriving a half-second late on closeouts and struggling to fight through screens that freed the Beavers for uncontested 3-pointers.

"We just talked about at halftime, getting back to guarding again," Few said. "Challenging them to have the best defensive effort for 20 minutes and to their credit, they did it. We really defended well, I think we held them to 33% shooting, all the while stayed pretty consistent on the glass."

The message from Few and the coaching staff sunk in at halftime. Gonzaga limited Oregon State to 33.3% from the field and just 27 points in the final 20 minutes, allowing the Zags to build a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish.

It marked the third time in WCC play Gonzaga held its opponent to fewer 2-pointers than 3-pointers and a lower 2-point percentage than 3-point percentage. The Beavers finished 9 of 25 (36%) on 2s compared to 10 of 18 (55%) on 3s. In wins over San Francisco and Washington State, the Zags limited the Dons to 8 of 27 (29%) on 2s and 14 of 28 (50%) on 3s before containing the Cougars to 8 of 24 (33%) on 2s and 13 of 28 (46%) on 3s.

"Just to be more connected, communicate more, be more aligned on both ends of the floor, especially on the defensive end," Ike said of the staff's message at halftime. "We understand we've got to hang our hard hats on defense. We've been saying that since the beginning of the season, so we just had to be more locked in on that end and we were."

New low is a positive for GU

Struggling to find a blue jersey on an inbound play in the first half, Braeden Smith forced a pass to Tyon Grant-Foster near the right sideline and watched the ball deflect off his teammate and trickle out of bounds.

With the victory in hand late in the second half, Ike threw an errant pass looking for Davis Fogle underneath the basket.

Those were the only two giveaways for Gonzaga, which tied the program record for fewest turnovers in a single game.

"Two turnovers in 40 minutes on the road," Few said. "We've never, ever done in all the years we've been doing this."

Few suspected that may have been the case and was informed Gonzaga's two turnovers did tie the previous record, which was set during a Jan. 24, 2019, game at Santa Clara.

"When did we have the other one? That's pretty amazing," Few said. "Wow, the '19 team did that? Yeah, that's crazy."

The Zags only turned the Beavers over nine times, but finished with a 13-2 advantage in points scored off turnovers.

Starting point guard Braeden Smith had six assists and Mario Saint-Supery added five more, but four other players had two assists apiece for the Zags, who had 20 as a team. Many of the passes found Ike, who matched his career high with 35 points and made 13 of 18 shots from the field.

"They did a nice job with the plan, but the other guys found (Ike)," Few said. "Graham had a nice calmness and pace about him, he wasn't settling. He's been making some of those middies. We executed, they were in and out of zone. Played man, played zone, switched halfway through the possession. I thought we kind of handled that very, very well."

Stepping in, rising up

Grant-Foster played out of position but never looked uncomfortable while totaling 15 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes for Gonzaga.

The transfer wing has typically played the "3" for Gonzaga, but a shorthanded frontcourt combined with Jalen Warley's foul trouble prompted Grant-Foster to slide in and play some rare minutes at the "4" on Saturday.

"Playing with (Ike), he gets a whole lot of attention," Grant-Foster said. "He allows me to get those easy dump downs. I apologize, I did miss one. That's just playing in the flow of the game. I haven't really played the '4' position in a while with this team and now I'm back here, getting comfortable playing in the dunk coverage and everything."

Grant-Foster had made just one 3-pointer in his last six games, but he knocked down Gonzaga's first on a look from the left corner 10 minutes into the first half. After making just 8 of his last 21 free throws, the Grand Canyon transfer made some headway at the foul line and found his rhythm going 4 for 4 against the Beavers.

The athletic wing has been responsible for many of Gonzaga's highlight reel-worthy plays this season and added another to the mix on Saturday.

Roughly five minutes into the second half, Smith was leading the Zags' fastbreak when he tossed an alley-oop lob to a streaking Grant-Foster. Moving at full speed, the senior wing slowed himself down to collect the ball with one hand, control it with the other and punch it into the basket.

"I knew I was going to catch it because I was angry, because I missed the one Mario threw to me," Grant-Foster said. "I actually slowed myself down, that's why I put two hands on it because if I would've kept one hand on it, I would've went out of bounds."

RIVER FALLS — UW-Eau Claire fell to UW-River Falls 5-3 in women’s hockey play on Saturday night at Hunt Arena.

The Blugolds held a 2-0 lead after the first period, but the Falcons responded with four goals in the second period to secure the victory.

UW-Eau Claire took an early lead against UW-River Falls in the first period with Madisyn Krumholz scoring at 16:04, assisted by Josie Grossman and Rachel Mirwald.

UWEC’s Ava Johansson extended the lead to 2-0 at 00:25, with assists from Kenzie Keller and Harper Poehling.

UW-Eau Claire extended its lead to 3-0 in the second period with a goal from Maddie Hulter at 12:49, assisted by Adrienne Hansen and Kylie Wiltse.

However, UW-River Falls responded with five straight goals to prevail.

Megan Goodreau netted the eventual game-winning goal on a power play to secure a 4-3 lead for UW-River Falls by the end of the second period.

UWEC’s Kambelle Freije finished with 40 saves in net, despite allowing five goals.

The Blugolds are 16-6-0 overall and 8-1-0 in conference play. UW-River Falls stands at 20-1-0, 8-1-0.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Blugolds suffer road loss

STEVENS POINT — UW-Eau Claire fell to UW-Stevens Point 69-55 in a WIAC matchup at Berg Gym on Saturday.

UWEC’s Delaney Nyenhuis led all players with 18 points while also pulling down eight rebounds.

Reanna Hutchinson contributed nine points and added three assists for the Blugolds.

UWEC fell to 12-9 overall and 2-8 in WIAC play.

Stout upsets No. 9 Whitewater

WHITEWATER — UW-Stout delivered a statement win on Saturday, defeating the ninth-ranked UW-Whitewater Warhawks 66-53 on the road.

The Blue Devils improved to 11-10 overall and 2-8 in WIAC play.

Freshman Addy Verhagen paced Stout with a game-high 18 points.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Blue Devils drop close one

MENOMONIE — UW-Stout went punch-for-punch with nationally respected Wisconsin-Whitewater before a last-second, off-balance three lifted the Warhawks to a 78–77 win Saturday afternoon at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Stout freshman Wesley Mboga, who played for Eau Claire Memorial, scored a career-high 19 points. He also had six rebounds.

Domanyck Schwarzenberger and AJ Uttech added 18 points apiece for the Blue Devils.

WRESTLING

Four Blugolds place in Parker Open

UW-Eau Claire wrestling team hosted the annual Don Parker open on Saturday. Four Blugolds placed in the top five of their respective brackets.

Calvin Singewald took fourth place in the 133 pound division. Ethan Struck placed fourth at 157. Jackson Peak earned a fourth-place finish at 197.

Cole Matulenko placed fifth at 285.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Blugolds drop season opener

UW-Eau Claire fell to Calvin College 17-6 in non-conference action on Friday evening at The Sonnentag.

UWEC’s Addison Moudry scoring an early goal, assisted by Reegan Werner, to level the score. Ellie Fisher then gave the Blugolds the lead, assisted by Brianna Scanlon.

Victoria Shea followed with a goal before Grace Schmidt scored twice in the second quarter.

Ty Outlaw, who coached Bloomfield football to four state titles and seven state championship game appearances in 15 years, is leaving to coach at his alma mater, East Hartford High.

Bloomfield won Class S titles in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2023 and went to six straight state finals from 2018-2024. The Warhawks (7-4) lost to top-seeded Woodland in the Class S quarterfinals, 42-14, last fall.

Outlaw’s record was 137-39.

“I’m going home, going home where it all started,” Outlaw said Sunday. “That’s where I played, where I grew up. Over 15 years in Bloomfield, I think it’s time for a new challenge.

“People have been talking about me taking over that program (East Hartford). After they saw what I was doing in Bloomfield, they’re like, ‘Why you not home?’ I was getting that a lot for a while.”

Outlaw graduated from East Hartford in 1992. Last season, the Hornets went 2-8.

Bloomfield was Outlaw’s first head coaching job and he said he will miss it.

“Absolutely – I love Bloomfield,” he said. “Leaving was hard. We’ve been on a little run, doing pretty well. To leave and go to a team that is struggling is hard.”

Few men know the rarified air of such a mountaintop. For a football player who starts as an 8-year old, as Plainville’s Niko Koutouvides did, and grinds all the way to the Super Bowl, out with his teammates for the coin toss with over 90 million watching, yellow “Terrible Towels” flying everywhere among the 68,000 in Detroit’s Ford Field, it was the moment of a lifetime. And it was fleeting.

“My mindset was, ‘Finally, the game is here, let’s go play,'” said Koutouvides, the Seahawks’ special teams captain for Super Bowl XL. “You wish you could slow it down a little bit more, because I was talking a bunch of junk to my teammates, that I was going to win the coin toss. I wanted to make sure we won it, which we did.

“So everything was going as planned.”

Twice Koutoutvides, a linebacker who played at Plainville High and Purdue, experienced the two-week lead up to the Super Bowl, the endless interviews, the circus that is Media Day, the chaos on the field and, finally, the game. By coincidence, he played for the franchises that are meeting Sunday in Super Bowl LX, with Seattle in the loss to the Steelers in XL, and then with the Patriots, losing to the Giants in XLVI. The current Seahawks are the “more complete team,” he said, but notes the Pats have thrived as underdogs.

“I’m taking the diplomatic stance,” he said. “I’ll be happy whichever team wins.”

Koutouvides, now 44, will watch this one at home in Fairfield with his three sons, all of whom play football, and be able to share just what the players are feeling, experiencing.

For few men, too, know the sting of defeat in sports’ biggest spectacle.

“When you’re there, it seems like the game is so far away, and when the game eventually comes, it goes by so fast, it’s like, ‘What the hell just happened?'” Koutouvides said. “The game’s already over, and unfortunately I was on the wrong side of it — twice — which will haunt me and be with me until the day I die.”

Make no mistake, that wasn’t just a manner of speaking. Koutouvides transitioned to life after football, found success in real estate development throughout Connecticut, but the pain of losing the Super Bowl twinges and acts up like an old joint injury.

“The players that are there today, it’s an experience, they’re going to take it all in,” he said. “But at the end of the day you’re there to complete the mission, from the first day of training camp, to be world champions, and if you come up short you’re going to second guess or think about all the things that may have caused your team to lose that game.

“All I did from when I was 8 years old to when I was 32 years old, 24 straight years of my life, was play the game of football. And the whole goal was to be a world champion. It’s like someone trying to try to climb a mountain and the first couple of times you got there, something happened, a storm, you twisted an ankle or what-not, and you never get to  that summit. If you’re a competitive athlete, it will haunt you forever. It will for me.”

Dom Amore: Patriots entrust QB Drake Maye with this CT native, and results speak for themselves

Koutouvides, 6 feet 2 and 238 pounds, was drafted in the fourth round by the Seahawks in 2004 and played for coach Mike Holmgren, getting in on 62 tackles as a rookie. He became a top special teams tackler, and had two against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, 2006, in which a series of controversial calls by the officials played a part in the Steelers’ 21-10 victory. “There were a number of unfortunate circumstances that occurred during that game that really changed the outcome,” he said.

He later played for Denver and Tampa Bay, and joined the Patriots in 2011, winning the first 10 games in which he participated, including a start against the Colts. Bill Belichick, as is his wont with linebackers, found ways to utilize Koutouvides’ skills.

“He liked lunch-pail guys,” Koutouvides said. “Grab your lunch pail, grab your hardhat and com e to work. That’s what he liked, selfless guys, who would give whatever they need to in order to make the team successful. He had a way of finding talent, hard-nosed, smart football players and he brought the best out of them. Bill is extremely selfless, a team oriented guy, and he’s a genius when it came to game-planning and situational football.”

In his second chance, Koutouvides and the Patriots came up short, 21-17, against Eli Manning and the Giants at Indianapolis. “We made a couple of unfortunate errors in that game that just made the difference,” Koutouvides said. “And the Giants made those plays that needed to get made.”

A year later, Koutouvides’ career ended, and he and his brother, Aristides, started Skala Partners, a real estate investment, development and management company, building multifamily housing, including buildings in West Hartford and Fairfield. They’ve just completed a 204-unit apartment building in Farmington, next to Batterson Park.

“Life after football has been extremely fortunate for me, thank goodness, because that transition is very challenging for all athletes,” Niko said. “And I have zero complaints … other than, ‘I wish I won a Super Bowl.'”

.More for your Sunday Read:

Sunday short takes

*SCSU’s Jeff Stoutland, who became one of the NFL’s most respected offensive line coaches, announced his week he was leaving his position with the Eagles after 13 seasons. “When I arrived here in 2013, I did not know what I was signing up for,” Stoutland posted on his X account. “I quickly learned what this city demands. But more importantly, what it gives back. The past 13 years have been the great privilege of my coaching career. I didn’t just work here, I became one of you.” Reports suggest the Eagles wanted to change his role (ridiculous, or course), so he wanted to take a step back from coaching. He may stay in Philly in different capacity.

*The Sacred Heart women’s flag football club has been invited to play in the JetsECAC, which is backed by the Jets with a $1 million grant from the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation. The SHU team formed in the fall of 2025, and has 30 players, and the school asked to join the league, which got the Jets’ backing in December. The Jets’ investment is expected to make the ECAC, now at 16 teams, with Sacred Heart the only Connecticut entry, the largest conference for women’s flag football in the nation. Regular-season games will be played February through April, with a championship game at MetLife Stadium in May.

*Jordan Skolnick, a soccer standout at E.O. Smith High in Storrs, was named permanent AD at Delaware. Skolnick, 41, who has had a long career as an athletic administrator, played a key role in Delaware’s move to FBS football.

*Will 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet, who joins the Huskies of Honor on Feb. 14, be the first to be able to reach his plaque from the floor and unveil it himself?

*Mike Joy, 76, a Conard-West Hartford and UHart grad, will call his 47th Daytona 500 race this week for various networks, this will be his 23rd for Fox. Joy, who began his career as a public address announcer at Riverside, Stafford and Thompson in the early 1970s.

Dom Amore: CCSU, true to itself, opts out of NCAA revenue sharing. Most other CT schools are in

*LIU-Brooklyn, the only school in the NEC that opted into revenue sharing, has an 8-1 record in NEC play, three games in the loss column ahead of the schools that opted out, including CCSU and New Haven.

*Olympic snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick has roots in Bristol, where her father, Dan Schaffrick, was born and raised and graduated from Bristol Central before moving to Colorado. Her grandfather opened Lewis Street Auto Body, which is still in the family.

*UConn’s win over Tennessee last Sunday drew better than 1.2 million viewers, the most-watched women’s basketball game of the college season, fifth most-watched ever on Fox, according to the network.

*East Hartford’s Patrick Agyemang, who hopes to be on the U.S. roster for the World Cup, is prospering across the pond in the English Football League. He has nine goals and three assists in 23 starts for Derby County, including three in the last four games in January.

*Matthew Wood, a first-round NHL draft pick after his freshman season at UConn, has reached the NHL with the Nashville Predators, who drafted him 14th overall in 2023. Wood has nine goals, eight assists in 45 games.

*Jim Calhoun and I will be signing copies of our book, “More Than A Game,” at the Barnes & Noble store, 555 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan on March 11, the first day of the Big East Tournament, from noon to 2 p.m. Go to www.bn.com events page for more information.

*Since the breakup of the original Big East in 2013, the UConn women’s basketball team has won five national championships, missed the Final Four only once – and lost a grand total of three conference games in 13 seasons (all three with injury-plagued lineups). This is to illustrate that the lack of a challenge from their conference may make for some boring stretches in January and February, and it won’t help, but has not, and will not hold the Huskies back from winning in the NCAA Tournament if they are good enough. These are separate matters, and Geno Auriemma’s nonconference schedules take care of the metrics business.

Last word

*And now, the prediction you’ve been waiting for: Seahawks 27, Patriots 23.

Photos from the Chicago Bulls’ 136-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 7, 2026, at the United Center.

Feb. 7—HANOVER TWP. — Down by a point with just four seconds left, a fifth straight trip to the WVC Tournament looked to be in jeopardy for Holy Redeemer.

Quron Drayton must have missed the memo.

Drayton drove to the rim and got a tough layup to fall as time expired to lift the Royals to a 37-36 win over Hanover Area on Saturday afternoon.

"I feel great, it was a tight game, a fun game all the way through," Drayton said. "That's what we play for and practice for, I'm just glad we got to come home with this win."

Angel Tejeda hit a tough floater in the lane to put Hanover Area in front 36-35 with less than a minute to go, then a Hawkeyes stop put Dawin Downey at the line for two free throws with six seconds left.

Downey missed them both, and a rebound for the Royals allowed head coach Paul Guido to call a timeout and set up the game's final play.

"We've run that play a few times in practice, they executed it really well on the fly," Guido said. "Throw the ball to the big guy, get it back to the inbounder ... four seconds, you have about four dribbles."

Drayton served as the inbounder, got the ball right back from Kaden Sepkoski and went streaking to the hoop.

He encountered some traffic at the basket, but got a layup off that rolled up and over the front of the rim for the game-winner.

"I got the ball back, I saw my opening and I took it," Drayton said.

Drayton finished with six points, third-most for the Royals on a day where points were at a premium.

Charlie Schaffer led Redeemer with nine points, including a go-ahead layup with less than a minute left that was followed by the Tejeda floater for Hanover Area. Logan Shrader added seven points off the bench.

The win locked Redeemer into the final conference tournament spot as the Division 2 runner-up, breaking a tie with Hanover Area on the regular season's final day.

The Royals took an early lead and held onto it for most of the way, but Hanover Area was never more than a few buckets away.

In the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes got back in front on a three-pointer from Dawin Downey, his third of the night.

The two teams traded leads from there, Cody Quaglia making a layup through contact to put Redeemer back in front before Tejeda took the lead right back.

Hanover Area's two freshmen, Downey and Tejeda, carried the load for the Hawkeyes down the stretch. The duo combined for all 10 of Hanover Area's fourth-quarter points.

Jayden Coleman had a game-high 14 points to lead Hanover Area but was held scoreless in the final eight minutes.

Holy Redeemer will head to Thursday's WVC semifinal round, where the Royals will take on Division 1 champion Dallas at Wilkes-Barre Area High School.

It's a rematch of last year's WVC Tournament title game, won by Dallas.

Hanover Area will look ahead to the start of the District 2 Class 4A playoffs on Feb. 17.

Holy Redeemer 37, Hanover Area 36

HOLY REDEEMER (37) — Cody Quaglia 1 0-0 2, Quron Drayton 3 0-2 6, Kyaire McLean 1 0-0 2, Kaden Sepkoski 2 0-0 4, Charlie Schaffer 4 1-1 9, Logan Shrader 2 2-3 7, Josh Grochowski 1 0-0 2, Jack Wasiakowski 1 0-0 2, Max Mohutsky 0 2-2 2, Matthew Stilp 0 0-0 0, Lucas Shrader 0 1-2 1. Totals 15 6-11 37.

HANOVER AREA (36) — Jayden Coleman 5 4-5 14, Dawin Downey 3 0-2 9, Noah Sabecky 1 0-0 3, Ben Kolbicka 1 0-0 2, Angel Tejeda 4 0-0 8, Josh Rivera 0 0-0 0, Jamal Singh 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 4-7 36.

Holy Redeemer'8'12'7'10 — 37

Hanover Area'7'7'12'10 — 36

Three-point goals — HR 1 (Lo. Shrader), HAN 4 (Downey 3, Sabecky).

Saturday’s series finale at Bowling Green started off well for the 15th-ranked St. Thomas men’s hockey team, but it fizzled fast.

Alex Gaffney scored his 17th goal of the season to put the visitors on the board just 56 seconds after puck drop, but that turned out to be the only offense of the night as the Tommies fell 3-1 to the Falcons in Ohio.

After the hosts were penalized for a crosscheck just 12 seconds into the contest, Gaffney sent a laser past Bowling Green goaltender Jacob Steinman to swiftly put St. Thomas on top. Unfortunately for the Tommies, Steinman wasn’t beaten again. He made 31 saves as the Falcons knotted the game at 1-all by the end of the first.

The hosts added two more goals in the second period past St. Thomas netminder Aaron Trotter — who made 20 saves — to skate away with the series split.

It was just the second loss in 11 games since the calendar flipped to 2026 for the Tommies (18-9-3 overall, 15-5-2 CCHA) and the first non-shootout win for Bowling Green (15-7-6, 12-5-3).

The loss slashed the St. Thomas’ lead atop the CCHA standings was slashed to just two points over Michigan Tech (20-10-2, 15-5-2), who wrapped up a weekend sweep of the CCHA’s third-position team, Augustana (18-9-3, 12-7-3) with a 4-3 victory on Saturday.

Augustana is next up on the Tommies’ schedule, with the Vikings coming to St. Paul for a two-game series that begins at 7:07 p.m. Friday at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. The series will be broadcast on CCHA TV.

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I love the Super Bowl.

I absolutely love it.

I love everything about it: The overdone commercials. The over-the-top halftime shows. The overhyped game.

I love the Super Bowl not in spite of its excess, but because of it.

Because for one strange, glorious, guacamole-soaked, chicken wing–stained, beer-drenched Sunday evening every year, America still agrees to sit down together and watch the same thing at the same time. In an age of niche streaming, algorithmic rabbit holes and personalized everything, the Super Bowl remains our last national gathering place; a protected cultural habitat that 130 million Americans willingly enter, even if they don’t know a nickel defense from a nickel beer.

In today’s polarized, politicized country, that matters.

A lot.

After all, we are no longer a country that watches anything together, not even the dying CBS Evening News. With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel: “Where have you gone, Walter Cronkite? A nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you — woo, woo, woo.”

Instead, we scroll alone. We binge watch alone. We argue in parallel realities, each of us convinced we’re seeing the “true” version of America while the other side is being fed corrupted, propaganda-driven lies. But on Super Bowl Sunday, the feeds pause, the ideological divide takes a timeout and for a few hours, the algorithm loses.

That is almost unheard of these days The Super Bowl doesn’t just remain as the most-watched television event in America; it’s routinely the most-watched television broadcast in the world, year after year, in any language, on any platform.

That alone makes it remarkable. But what makes it meaningful is why we watch.Yes, we watch for the game. We watch for the commercials. We watch for the halftime show. We watch for the gambling and prop bets. We watch for the national anthem (And, yes, I stand for the anthem — even if I’m in someone else’s living room balancing a plate of nachos and bean dip. … And, no, I won’t be watching the “alternative” halftime show — a divisive, destined-to-fail attempt headlined by throwback rocker/rapper Kid Rock.)

But, mainly, we watch because everybody else is watching, and we want to belong to something bigger than ourselves. Families and party hosts plan menus days in advance. Employers brace for the Monday-after MIAs. America consumes roughly 12.5 million pizzas and nearly 140 million pounds of avocados — most of them pulverized into guacamole — as if it’s our civic duty.

As for the game itself, most of us will pick a team even if we don’t really care who wins. This year’s game game gives us some juicy storylines, starting with the ghost of Super Bowl XLIX hovering over this matchup. It’s no secret that Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception 15 years ago still haunts Seattle like the price of an Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccino at the original Starbucks.

Then there’s Sam Darnold, who was once declared a draft bust and was football Twitter’s favorite punchline, but now has been resurrected in Seattle, throwing for over 4,000 yards and leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Let’s be honest: America loves second chances almost as much as we love free refills.

On the other sideline, the New England Patriots are somehow back here again, trying to rekindle a dynasty that once felt immortal under Tom Brady. Only now it’s Drake Maye, the sophomore sensation who dragged New England from 4-13 to 14-3 during an MVP-worthy season.

Meanwhile, New England coach Mike Vrabel stands on the brink of history, with a chance to become the first person to win a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach for the same franchise. Even all of us people who hated the evil empire of Brady-Bill Belichick can’t help but secretly respect this version of the Patriots.

And what’s really cool is that it’s not just us traditional football fans who will be engrossed in the Super Bowl. Believe it or not, 83% of Gen Z adults say they are interested in this year’s game — a remarkable percentage for the most fragmented, always-online generation of all. It’s one of the rare moments when their digital loneliness will subside because they aren’t binge-watching something after everyone else; they’re actually watching something WITH everyone else. Their group chats will light up with every Bad Bunny halftime song and their memes will instantly react to the latest “Jesus Gets Us” commercial.

Several years ago, the great sports writer Norman Chad wrote in TV Guide: “History of America, Part I (1776-1966): Declaration of Independence, Constitutional Convention, Louisiana Purchase, Civil War, Reconstruction, World War I, Great Depression, New Deal, World War II, TV, Cold War, civil-rights movement, Vietnam. History of America, Part II (1967-present): the Super Bowl era. The Super Bowl has become Main Street’s Mardi Gras.”

He’s right. It’s loud. It’s excessive. It’s ridiculous. It’s commercialized.

It’s America.

Sadly, on Monday, our social media feeds will re-fragment and our algorithms will once again feed us our partisan political propaganda. We’ll retreat back into our separate corners and alternate realities.

And that’s why I love the Super Bowl.

Not because it solves our society’s problems, but because it reminds us that, every once in a while, we can all remember what it feels like to come together as a country.

With the trade deadline behind them, the Nets introduced Ochai Agbaji and Josh Minott on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center and beat the Washington Wizards 127-113, improving to 14-37 while snapping a three-game skid. The turnover that made their arrivals possible was still fresh.

Cam Thomas, Haywood Highsmith and Tyrese Martin were waived to open the door. Hunter Tyson, briefly part of the picture after a deal with the Denver Nuggets, was gone soon after he arrived. Before tipoff, Agbaji and Minott met the media, offering an early glimpse of two wings Brooklyn believes align with where it wants to go.

“We know they’re very good players, that’s why they’re here,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “They’re good people and good players, so they fit what we’re trying to build. For me, it’s about getting to know them and giving them the opportunity without putting limitations on who I think they are. Show me what you can bring to the group, and if you can be part of this group, you can be a future Net.”

Opportunity is one thing. Identity is another. Both newcomers arrived with a clear sense of what they believe travels from team to team, and for Agbaji, it starts on the defensive end. The 25-year-old appeared in 42 games for the Toronto Raptors this season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds. After shooting 39.9% from 3-point range last year, he entered the afternoon at 18.5% this season on 65 attempts.

Fernández believes Agbaji can return to being the outside threat he once was.

“The conversations have been good, brief,” Agbaji said. “There’s been a lot going on, but [Jordi] told me he wants me here, that he sees a lot more in me and what I can bring to this team. For me it’s about getting back to myself and who I know I can be. That’s super important in this league and it’s what I work for and what I’m trying to show again.”

And there’s at least one built-in comfort for Agbaji. He’s reunited with Jalen Wilson, a former college teammate from Kansas’ national championship run, and said being back in a locker room with him makes Brooklyn “feel even more like home.”

“We played three years together and went through ups and downs, and we ended my career there winning a national championship, which was great,” Agbaji said. “I actually knew him before he came to Kansas. I hosted him on his recruiting visit. I’ve known him a long time and seen him grow. Ending up teammates with him again is great.

Minott’s journey was different, but the foundation sounds familiar. Originally drafted in 2022, he comes over from the Boston Celtics after appearing in 33 games and averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. The opportunities he carved out there, he said, were rooted in “hunger” and “desperation,” traits he believes translate no matter the jersey.

The 23-year-old said the defensive identity in Brooklyn already mirrors what he values, with an emphasis on pressure and disruption. He added that his shooting has progressed to the point where he trusts it as a real strength and believes in taking the right, open looks when they’re there. What he sees in the Nets is a young group wired to play that way. And the reset, in his mind, doesn’t change his personal standard.

“For me it’s about staying true to the values I’ve learned over my three and a half years in the league, especially the work ethic,” Minott said. “I’ve been around some winning organizations. Understanding what we did right and what it takes to make those playoff pushes, it’s about bringing that over.”

Defense is the entry point for Agbaji and Minott. It’s what stands out on both résumés and what Brooklyn keeps insisting it wants to be about. For Fernández, that shows up immediately in how you defend at the point of attack.

“Ball pressure is our first staple,” Fernández said. “Every time you can apply ball pressure, full court or half court, you can create turnovers and deflections and make the other team uncomfortable and late in the clock. We believe those guys can do that and I’m excited to watch them play.”

Agbaji and Minott, still learning the system, didn’t play against the Wizards, but the Nets didn’t need much depth in a matchup between two teams expected to slide down the stretch in pursuit of draft position. Brooklyn entered the afternoon with a clean injury report, but Washington had just eight available players and a lengthy list of absences that included Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Cam Whitmore and Tre Johnson.

The Nets’ 46 points in the first quarter were their most in any period this season and their highest-scoring quarter since 2003. Brooklyn’s 80 points in the first half were also a season high and their most in a half since 2022, and they led by as many as 34. While the Wizards won the second half 66-47 and trimmed the deficit to 12 with 2:10 left, Brooklyn had done enough early to hold on for the win.

Michael Porter Jr. led seven Brooklyn players in double figures with 23 points, while Will Riley fueled Washington’s comeback attempt with 27.

The Nets return to action Monday when they host the Chicago Bulls.

Feb. 7—BYRON — Like virtually all of these Byron gymnasts, Olivia O'Brien has an unquenchable thirst for being in the gym, working on her routines.

It's put the young Bears in an envious spot, as odds-on favorites to reach the state meet for the third straight year and with a chance of finishing even higher than the sixth place they managed last year and with even loftier dreams for the following three years.

Byron gymnastics, under longtime coach Charro Coleman, is ascending. For that, Coleman points directly to the work ethic with this bunch.

O'Brien, one of three prized freshmen on the team along with Norah Brown and Sydney Portner, is a perfect example of wanting to get the most out of herself.

"We have just 2 1/2 hour practices, so when I am there I always want to get the most out of them," O'Brien said. "Where I used to train, we had 5-hour practices."

To say "just" 2 1/2 hour practices makes some heads turn. Really, Coleman says those practices are closer to 2 hours as he is trying to preserve his athletes as best he can with all the wear and tear that comes in a gymnastics season.

But that is five days per week. And often on Saturday's he opens their training facility for any of his athletes who want to come in and tidy up their skills and routines under his watch. Pretty much the entire team shows up for those opportunities.

That all-for-one attitude is why this might be shaping up as Byron's best gymnastics team ever. Their team scores suggest that's the case. Byron recently set a program record, accumulating a 142.05 team score in a team dual with Kasson-Mantorville/Triton/Stewartville (129.62 points).

"Not every event went perfectly that day, but the girls just kept grinding and before you knew it, it ended up being our best meet ever," Coleman said. "The girls were excited about it. Going into the floor routine, I told them that we had an opportunity here. I think that made them a little bit nervous."

Those three aforementioned freshmen are joined in Byron's starting five lineup by sophomore Lily Moon and seventh-grader Lauren Pirkl.

It has largely fallen on Moon, a team captain, to keep this team a team and to level emotions when they rise.

A sophomore who comes across more like a senior with her maturity, Moon appreciates her guiding role.

"I just try to keep the team together, to make sure we are all being supportive of each other and being there for each other," Moon said. "When it's a young team like we have, I'd say that makes it a little bit harder to direct. Older kids know how to deal with their emotions better. Our freshmen can let their emotions get the best of them at times. But the people on this team still make it really fun. Some of my best friends are in gymnastics and I met them through the sport."

It is gymnasts like O'Brien who have the Byron faithful dreaming of big things, now and even more in the future. Coleman admits a state championship in the next three years isn't out of the question.

"That would be amazing," he offers with a grin.

Everything seems in place for O'Brien — her athleticism (she is also a standout sprinter and pole vaulter on the Byron track and field team), her work ethic, her drive and her passion for the sport.

This season, she has already tied the school record in the all-around with a 36.625. In Byron's record-setting team score of 142.05 on Jan. 22, the freshman won three events — the vault (9.425), the uneven parallel bars (8.95) and all-around (35.225). Brown captured the balance beam (9.35) and Portner the floor exercise (9.575) as the Bears swept their way to the win.

It's O'Brien's desire to work that Coleman says most sets her apart.

"She puts in the time," Coleman said. "When she has a gymnastics assignment to work on, it doesn't matter what else is going on, she is at the gym and focused on doing the best she can and adding things to her routine. She is focused and driven and is a very talented athlete. Plus, in a sport that is grueling and hard on the body (O'Brien admits her back hurts almost all the time, something that is typical for gymnasts), she has a personality that draws people. She's fun to be around and has a personality that tries to stay on the positive side of things all the time."

In other words, she is one of the easy ones for captain Moon to work with and keep in line.

O'Brien had looked forward to joining the Byron high school team ever since she was a little girl, hearing what a fun and productive ship that Coleman ran.

She hasn't been disappointed.

"I always knew I wanted to join the high school team," O'Brien said. "It's just really fun to come to practice and see each other every day. I always look forward to practice. And Charro is a great coach. He never stops believing in us and he always gives us all the opportunities that we need, like coming in on the weekends to help us practice. And he's never negative and he's always like got a smile on his face."

These days, the entire Byron gymnastics program is smiling. A golden era is upon them.

WASHINGTON — The juxtaposition could not be any clearer the next two games for the Miami Heat.

On one hand, you have Erik Spoelstra and his now-perennial play-in team living in the moment, even if the moment has the Heat at 27-26 and coming off a disastrous Friday night loss to the Boston Celtics at the start of this two-game trip, when even a 22-point lead was not good enough.

On the other hand, you have a pair of upcoming opponents who have left little doubt about their need to lose as a means of creating hope.

Sunday afternoon at Capital One Arena, it will be against the Washington Wizards and their annual race to the bottom, with the Wizards having sat out Trae Young since since his Jan. 9 trade arrival from the Atlanta Hawks, and now with word that prime trade-deadline acquisition Anthony Davis will not suit up for them this season.

Then Monday night at Kaseya Center, the opponent will be the Utah Jazz, a team that even while making the forward-thinking acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline is well aware it only keeps its June lottery pick by closing with one of the league’s eight worst records.

Losing by winning.

As an NBA way of life.

And then there are the Heat, who also possess their own draft pick this June, with no strings attached, positioned to gain a lottery seed either through losing now or being eliminated in the play-in round.

Their approach? Full steam ahead, even while having won consecutive games only once since Jan. 1.

So in Friday night’s loss in Boston, when a case could have been made for youth in the wake of inaction at Thursday’s trade deadline . . . no minutes for rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, a mere 9:32 for 2024 first-round pick Kel’el Ware and 6:22 for 22-year-old Nikola Jovic.

To Spoelstra the approach remains that youth will be served when deserved, and even then not at the cost of one more victory, even amid the seemingly inescapable reality of a fourth consecutive trip to the play-in round.

“We’re not going to prioritize something over winning,” Spoelstra said ahead of Friday night’s loss, a game when 30-year-old Simone Fontecchio played 19:28, despite closing 0 for 5 from the field, with just two points, a game when Andrew Wiggins, who turns 31 in two weeks, played 38:22, albeit with 26 points. “Winning is going to be the bottom line. Take it or leave it, like it or not. That’s what the Miami Heat is about. We’re competing to win.”

To their credit, such an approach did have the Heat positioned for the victory had point guard Davion Mitchell made an open 3-point attempt from the left corner with 2.7 seconds to play in what instead was a 98-96 loss that had both teams scoreless in the final 1:31.

To Spoelstra, the gifting of minutes to youth would send the wrong message. In support of his approach, Jovic managed to finish a Heat-worst 14 in his Friday night minutes, with the Heat also outscored in Ware’s limited time.

“You have to earn your minutes,” Spoelstra said of his rotation approach. “We’re not gifting minutes to anyone. We have more young players playing in the rotation than we’ve had in a long time, and that’s this balance that I’m embracing.”

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All, Spoelstra said, also with an eye for the future, but not with an eye on the race for the bottom being favored at the moment by the Wizards and Jazz.

“Develop these players, infuse them with confidence, but also hold them accountable to our standard,” Spoelstra continued of what he considers a workable approach. “The standard is not going to change, and we feel that players improve the quickest when there’s an accountability to winning, when they’re not just empty minutes that are being gifted to someone.”

And when the youth produces in such moments, Spoelstra said it is all the more gratifying.

“It’s art, not necessarily science,” he said of the approach. “But our young guys are getting a lot better. And they’re playing and contributing. And it’s exciting.

“We want our fan base excited about this young group. And we want our team excited about the youthful exuberance that they’re bringing our locker room. And there’s a big upside.”

Feb. 6—JAMESTOWN — Bismarck Legacy was up 10 points on the Blue Jay girls basketball team in the second half.

The Sabers couldn't hold onto the lead.

"We put up a strong team win, showing resilience and composure after falling behind .... in the second half," said JHS head coach Andy Skunberg.

The Blue Jays not only came back but ended up defeating Legacy 61-54 Friday night. Final stats were not available when The Jamestown Sun went to press.

Jamestown is now 6-6 in the West Region standings. The next game for the Jays is scheduled for Feb. 10 against Minot. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jerry Meyer Arena.

"Facing a well-coached Legacy squad that played with relentless effort, we responded with grit on both ends of the floor," Skunberg said. "The performance was one as coaches we are really proud of, while also serving as a reminder that continued improvement is needed in all areas as the team prepares for a challenging week ahead."

It’s often said FHSAA district championships don’t mean as much as they used to. That’s because all the best teams advance to regional play whether they win or lose in district tournaments.

But try telling the Lake Howell boys basketball team that beating third-ranked Daytona Beach Mainland in Friday night’s Class 6A District 4 tournament final wasn’t something very special. The Silver Hawks (22-5), ranked sixth in 6A, erased an early Mainland (22-3) lead and scored a 73-61 victory at Oviedo High School to claim their program’s first district title in 18 years.

The impressive win sparked a  joyous celebration for players and fans on the court at Oviedo High School. Every Lake Howell player touched the championship trophy before it was handed to eighth-year head coach Mike Sutton, who squeezed the plaque like it was an Olympic gold medal.

“These kids deserve this,” Sutton said. “Our school deserves this. We built this program back up brick by brick and it feels fantastic.”

The SilverHawks last previous district title came in 2008, a year after their 2006-07 state championship season.

Isaac Buckley, a 6-7, 208-pound senior, muscled his way to 18 points to lead Lake Howell. He made a 3-point shot to spark the 9-0 run that gave Lake Howell a second quarter lead it never relinquished. Stellar sophomore Johnas Maurice added 14 points, as did junior Sam Atari and 6-9 senior Ethan Diaz.

“It feels so good to come together as a team and give our coach a district title,” Buckley said.

Finally! Lake Howell wins the big one

Lake Howell topped tourney host Oviedo 59-48 in a Wednesday semifinal that drew a standing-room-only crowd.

The SilverHawks, who also claimed the Seminole Athletic Conference title with a perfect record against county teams, will have home-court advantage for their region quarterfinal.

The four district champions in each region advance to round of 32 games set for Saturday, Feb. 14. Four at-large teams will be added to each regional bracket — selected via the FHSAA’s power rankings, which will be updated after district finals concoude. The boys and girls pairings are scheduled to be announced Monday by the FHSAA on its YouTube channel, starting at 2 p.m.

By Buddy Collings

CHECK HIGH SCHOOL SCORES POSTS FOR SATURDAY DISTRICT FINAL MATCHUPS

OCP takes title

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Orlando Christian Prep won a district title for the ninth time in 10 seasons on Friday and savored the victory for a different reason.

One year and two days after losing to Central Florida Christian Academy in the 2025 Class 1A District 7 title game, the Warriors (19-6) got revenge, winning 60-49 at CFCA.

Senior point guard Josh Theus scored 22 points and added 4 assists for the Warriors, who overcame a slow start. Mason Pandov, another senior guard, added 11 points, including the clinching free throws at the end to put the game out of reach for the Eagles (19-7).

“It always feels great to win the district title because that guarantees you a spot in the state tournament, so you always feel great for that,” said OCP head coach Treig Burke.

OCP trailed 18-13 after the first quarter but outscored the Eagles 16-5 in the second  and led the rest of the way.

Junior guard Trevor Miller scored 16 points to lead CFCA, which edged OCP 44-41 in their regular season meeting.

The Eagles came in ranked No. 3 in 3A, one spot ahead of OCP, and will join the Warriors in the eight-team Region 2 tournament.

Last season, CFCA beat OCP in the district final and won again in an instant repeat region quarterfinal.

OCP routed ninth-ranked Legacy Charter 70-34 in a Thursday semifinal.

By Chris Martucci

Montverde beats Boyle

Montverde Academy (15-5) pulled scored 26 second-chance points and beat national No. 1 Spire Academy of Ohio in a Nike EYBL Circuit game played in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Friday night.

Spire (19-2) hired legendary coach Kevin Boyle away from Montverde last year.

It was a big win for new Montverde coach Steve Turner, who  replaced Boyle after compiling a 497-176 record at Gonzaga College High School of Washington, D.C.

St. Cloud lost boys basketball players, but keeps winning | Varsity Weekly

Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.

Feb. 6—VERMILLION, S.D. — Travis Johansen's tenure as the University of South Dakota's head football coach will come to an end after just one season at the helm.

The rising defensive mind is set to depart Vermillion to become the defensive coordinator at Rutgers University, sources told On3Sports on Friday.

With the departure of Johansen, USD Athletic Director Jon Schemmel announced Matt Vitzthum has been named the 32nd head coach of Coyote football. Vitzthum completed his second season on staff in 2025, serving as the Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Johansen's move marks a significant step up the college football ladder, transitioning from the FCS level to the Power Four ranks in the Big Ten. It also caps a remarkable stretch at South Dakota that saw Johansen rise from respected assistant to head coach and now to one of the premier coordinator roles in the country.

Named the 31st head coach in program history on Jan. 16, 2025, Johansen took over for Bob Nielson, who stepped down after nine seasons leading the Coyotes. Johansen was no stranger to the program, having spent the previous six seasons on the USD staff as defensive coordinator from 2019-24. He also held the title of associate head coach from 2022-24, a role that positioned him as the natural fit when the head coaching vacancy opened.

In his lone season at the helm, Johansen delivered immediate results. He guided South Dakota to a 10-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, good for sole possession of second place in one of the nation's toughest FCS leagues. The Coyotes reached the FCS playoffs for a third consecutive season and advanced to the quarterfinals for the third-straight year, continuing the program's run as an FCS national contender.

Johansen's reputation, however, has long been built on defense. Since taking over the Coyote defensive unit in 2019, he elevated USD to new heights on that side of the ball. Under his direction, South Dakota produced a pair of MVFC defensive players of the year in Brock Mogensen (2023) and Mi'Quise Grace (2024), both of whom were also Buck Buchanan Award finalists.

Johansen coached seven All-Americans and seven first-team All-MVFC performers during his time in Vermillion. Most recently, sophomore cornerback Mikey Munn earned second-team All-America honors from FCS Football Central in his first season as a full-time starter.

Across his coaching career, Johansen has helped develop 16 defensive players who went on to be drafted, receive NFL camp invitations, or sign as undrafted free agents, further underscoring his track record of player development.

Before arriving at South Dakota, Johansen spent six seasons as the defensive coordinator at Grand View University at the NAIA level. There, he helped the Vikings compile a dominant 61-11 record, capture five Heart of America Athletic Conference championships, make six NAIA playoff appearances, and win the 2013 NAIA national title following a perfect 14-0 campaign.

He was a Heart of America assistant coach of the year finalist in each of his final two seasons and a national coordinator of the year finalist in 2015. Grand View consistently fielded one of the NAIA's top defenses, producing seven defensive All-Americans during his tenure.

Johansen's coaching journey began at his alma mater, Concordia University, St. Paul, where he worked with the secondary before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2011. Now, after a brief but impactful stint as a head coach, Johansen heads to Rutgers for his next chapter of his coaching career back on the defensive side of the ball.

Feb. 6—MITCHELL — Colton Smith's high school basketball career has been defined by evolution and dependability.

From the moment he stepped foot on the varsity court for the Mitchell High School boys basketball team, Smith has constantly been adapting and growing his game to fit what the Kernels needed. All the while, the star senior has maintained a high level of consistency, no matter his role at the time.

Putting those components together has yielded a steady stream of production, one that has Smith sailing up the MHS all-time leaderboards as his prep career winds down.

In the Kernels' season-opener at Watertown, Smith eclipsed the 1,000-point threshold for his career. Now, Smith is on the brink of yet another milestone achievement.

Smith enters a weekend road trip double feature at Sturgis on Friday and Spearfish on Saturday with 1,188 points and counting. That puts him just five points away from moving into third place on MHS boys basketball's all-time scoring charts.

"It's pretty surreal," Smith said. "When you're talking about those guys on the leaderboards, those are all Kernel legends. It's cool to know that, however many years down the road, my name will be talked about being up there in the top 10 or top five."

Already this season, Smith has climbed past Beau Brown, Markus Talley, Bart Friedrick and Scott Morgan. He's now poised to pass Tyson Theeler (1,192 points), which would put Smith behind only Mike Miller (1,743) and Caden Hinker (1,646) on the all-time list.

Though the Kernel record books aren't quite complete when it comes to other statistics, Smith is clearly making his mark there, as well. He currently has 685 rebounds and 209 assists for his career, chasing Miller (826 rebounds) and Hinker (297 assists) atop those charts, too.

So far this season, Smith is averaging a double-double with 16.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

"He just has this unwillingness to lose," said MHS head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt of what sets Smith apart from many of his peers and fuels his ability to impact games in a variety of ways. "He has such a competitive mindset, and that's kind of what you want in all your guys. He'll do anything to win."

Setting the career rebounding record was a goal Smith established for himself prior to his high school days. Though catching Miller's mark is unlikely (even if MHS makes the state tournament, Smith would have to average nearly 13 rebounds per game to get there), going up and cleaning the glass remains Smith's favorite part of the game.

"It's fading away from high school basketball," Smith said of the art of rebounding. "No one wants to get in there and be mean because it takes a lot of work to go grab a rebound."

He also enjoys the saying, "second shot always goes in." It's not hard to understand why, as so many of Smith's rebounds have come on the offensive end, resulting in a considerable chunk of his points on putbacks or second-chance opportunities. He refers to such baskets as "garbage points," but they all count the same on the scoreboard.

"He's maybe the best rebounder I've ever seen," Kreutzfeldt said of Smith's abilities. "He just does a lot of things that are natural to him that are unnatural to 98% of kids who play high school basketball."

As an eighth grader in 2021-22, Smith notably earned a place on the MHS varsity roster, but he played sparingly, leaving his first extended action for the following year as a freshman.

Smith wasted zero time in showing what he was capable of while on the floor.

Tipping off the season in a rivalry tilt at the Huron Arena, Smith came off the bench to lead all players with 20 points along with five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

"They had no idea who I was or who I was going to be," Smith said, laughing while reflecting on the performance this week.

More than three years later, Kreutzfeldt's comments on Smith's breakout performance still ring true, too.

"That's a talented kid who works his butt off and can do a lot of things," the coach said of Smith immediately following that December 2022 contest. "... I didn't expect that, but we'll certainly take it and continue to build off of it."

"He was the same guy he is right now, dominating the glass, scoring inside," Kreutzfeldt added while looking back this week. "He was a varsity player the second he stepped on the floor."

A state champion in 2023-24 and twice a Class AA all-state performer, Smith's place in MHS boys basketball history was largely secure before his senior season even tipped off.

During Smith's four seasons as a prominent member of the Kernels' rotation, his role has never looked the same year-to-year. From his start as a bright-eyed freshman keen on providing an infusion of energy off the bench, he's morphed into the program's undisputed emotional and physical leader. In between, he took turns as the emerging star as a sophomore and adopted a more vocal leadership style as a junior, among other responsibilities.

What has remained consistent throughout is his presence on the court and the production that has followed, along with a large collection of victories. Over the past three-plus seasons, Mitchell is 67-17, a win percentage just shy of 80%.

More so than any of his numerous individual accolades, Smith is proudest of contributing to that winning culture.

"My whole career, I've wanted to be known as someone that just goes out there and plays his hardest," Smith said, echoing Kreutzfeldt's sentiment that Smith is the type who hates to lose even more than he loves to win.

"The biggest thing I keep kind of coming back to is he's just not afraid of anything. He'll do whatever it takes, and he's going to give you all he's got, all the time," Kreutzfeldt said. "And when he's giving all he's got, he's pretty dang good."

Feb. 6—MITCHELL — There's two phases to Rocky Clark's pre-match routine, at least in terms of music.

When Clark has some rap playing in his oversized headphones, he's focusing on getting loose and clearing his mind. And when he flips his playlist over to laidback music, that means he's ready to get on the mat.

"I like to calm the nerves before going out into a big crowd and wrestling and performing my best," Clark said.

Regardless of the genre, his successes have been sweet music for the Mitchell Kernel wrestling program this season, as Clark has a record of 31-3 and ranked No. 4 in the most recent Dakota Grappler rankings for Class A 285-pound wrestlers.

As of Feb. 6, Clark was the Kernel leader in wins (31), team points (184) and pins (20) on the season.

"He's on a mission this year to be at the top of that podium and he's doing everything he can to get there," Mitchell coach Baker Haar said. "He's made huge improvements in technique from last year, and you can tell he's stronger than last year. He's just been doing a great job in so many ways, in working in the room, leading the team, being a good teammate and just putting together a really good season."

A Kernel junior, Clark said he had a hard summer of lifting, getting his deadlift to 530 pounds, his bench press max to 315 pounds and his squat max to 455 pounds.

"I just worked really hard, lifted a lot and shed off a couple of pounds," Clark said. "The losses fueled me after last season and it really took a toll on me."

Clark had a strong January, with tournament titles at the Kernels' Jerry Opbroek Invitational and the River City Rumble in Chamberlain in back-to-back weeks. Clark also said he's gotten more serious about watching film of past matches and potential opponents as well.

"I know all of these are small steps to the state tournament," he said. "That's what we're building toward. I know a lot of these guys I'm facing during the season, I'll face them again either at regions or at state."

Clark, who has been wrestling in varsity matches since he was in seventh grade, has qualified for the last two Class A state tournaments and medaled in both of them. He was a fourth-place finisher at the state meet in 2025 at 285 pounds, finishing with a 32-10 record. He took fourth in 2024, as well, finishing 36-14 as a freshman. Clark was an all-Eastern South Dakota Conference team pick in 2025.

That past experience will only be beneficial going forward, Haar said.

"He knows how to gameplan and he's doing a really good job of putting together the pieces of a match now, instead of just going out and wrestling," Haar said. "And that comes with maturity and experience."

Clark, who stands at 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, is also a potential college football recruit, playing tackle on both sides of the line of scrimmage. He has gained interest from FCS schools North Dakota State and South Dakota, plus Division II and NAIA schools in the area.

"The hard work is paying off, so I'm just staying with it and I've made a lot of progress with the mental side of wrestling," Clark said. "I'm going to keep trying to put the two together and try to keep building."

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Thursday night marked the end of the beginning for the Pitt-Johnstown women’s wrestling program.

The Mountain Cats beat Penn State Altoona 22-10 at the Sports Center in a dual meet that featured just two contested matches.

PHOTO GALLERY | Pitt-Johnstown women wrestlers best Penn State Altoona

“I told them beforehand that it won’t be like this ever again,” said coach Shane Valko, whose team went 2-2 in the program’s inaugural season. “We already have 10 girls coming in for next year and 10 more on the way that are ready to commit. I’m going to have a full team next year, and we’re going to compete with anybody. So, don’t worry about this. Crowds will be better next year, and we’re going to have a really good team next year, so it’s going to be exciting.”

The Mountain Cats already have some strong individuals who are seeking postseason runs. Tamara Humphries, who received a forfeit against Penn State Altoona, is 17-4 this season and ranked 19th nationally. Emma Hoppe, who bumped up a weight and scored a 10-0 technical fall over Aliana Romero, is 22-4 and ranked 20th at 145 pounds. Makayla Paclib, who missed Thursday’s dual, is 18-3. Rome Alvarez is 18-11 after her victory on Thursday.

“We’re ready for the postseason,” Valko said. “We have four girls that are going to be top five in the region."

Penn State Altoona beat Pitt-Johnstown 20-19 in Altoona Jan. 7, in part because Richele Reyes beat Rome Alvarez 11-0. The two wrestled again at the Pennsylvania Collegiate Championships, and Alvarez won 12-6.

They met again Thursday night, with Alvarez winning 12-5. Alvarez scored a takedown and a turn, but Reyes countered with a four-point takedown and a step-out point for a 5-4 lead.

That didn’t faze Alvarez.

“I never really look at the points in my matches,” she said. “I’m just always looking to score. Whether I get scored on by four points, two, or even five, I’m always looking for ways out.”

Alvarez scored a takedown to seize the lead late in the first period, then scored off two leg attacks and a go-behind in the third period to close out the victory.

Penn State Altoona sent wrestlers at 131 and 138 pounds, but neither competed. Greater Johnstown graduate Isabella Taranto won by injury default in one second over Gianna Slusser – although Slusser pinned her in an exhibition match at the end of the night – and Janayah Nobles – a second-semester transfer student from Wilkes University – beat Emma Spannick by injury default in one second.

Hoppe closed out the dual meet with three takedowns – including one that went feet-to-back for four points – and a leg lace in the technical fall over Romero.

The dual was a late addition to the schedule, as Pitt-Johnstown’s final home date was supposed to be Nov. 12. Instead, the Mountain Cats got one more opportunity at the Sports Center.

“Having the chance to wrestle here, our first year, to wrestle at home, is a great feeling,” Hoppe said.

Hoppe and Alvarez each came to Johnstown from Melbourne, Florida, where their coach was Penn Cambria graduate Jason Custer.

“Just getting to wrestle for this program is a great feeling,” Hoppe said.

“My coach told me that I should come here.

“He knew Coach Shane, and he knew it would be a good team for me to go to.”

Basketball

High School Girls

Windber 49, Conemaugh Township 38: In Davidsville, Kaylie Gaye led all scorers with 15 points, and her teammates Rylee Baer and Autumn Walz each netted a dozen to propel the Ramblers past the Indians Thursday.

Windber outscored Conemaugh Township 14-6 in the second quarter.

Conemaugh Township’s Mayce Kordell totaled 11 points, and Kat McCann added 10.

Greater Johnstown 58, Richland 35: NaLoani Tisinger supplied a game-high 28 points, and Zayona Thomas buried four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points in the host Trojans’ triumph over the Rams.

Greater Johnstown outscored Richland 36-17 in the second half.

Richland’s Rebecca Fetchko amassed 12 points.

Bishop McCort Catholic 52, Somerset 30: Zoey Ferguson collected a game-high 17 points as the host Crimson Crushers cruised past the Golden Eagles.

Bishop McCort led 23-6 after the first quarter.

Somerset’s Eve Housley totaled 14 points.

Southern Garrett 52, Berlin Brothersvalley 47: In Berlin, the Rams’ Emilee Parks posted 18 points, while teammates Jayden Weaver and Kelsey Ward netted 13 and 10, respectively, in an interstate victory over the Mountaineers.

Berlin Brothersvalley got a game-high 23 points from Coral Prosser with 14 more coming from Bryn Prosser.

Blacklick Valley 52, Shade-Shanksville 24: In Cairnbrook, Josie Nedrich (14 points), Mackenzie Kinder (12), Sarah Mourey (10) and Madison Vasilko (10) each scored in double figures to lift the Vikings past the Panthers.

Shade-Shanksville’s Payton Maddy netted six points.

Bishop Walsh 59, Johnstown Christian 35: In Cumberland, Maryland, Aerianna Jackson supplied a game-high 22 points, and teammates Lanie Odom and Cayenne Ostrander added 13 apiece as the Spartans topped the Blue Jays.

Johnstown Christian received nine points each from Danielle Coleman and ShaLynn Favor.

South Allegheny 47, Ligonier Valley 36: In McKeesport, Jazz Farnan and Maura Tabanli each netted 12 points as the Gladiators topped the Rams.

Ligonier Valley’s Adleigh Myers totaled 12 points. Ruby Smith added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Bella Dolton came up with four steals.

High School Boys

Johnstown Christian 32, Bishop Walsh 30: In Cumberland, Maryland, a 10-4 advantage in the fourth quarter helped the Blue Jays conquer the Spartans.

Johnstown Christian received seven points each from Matthew Blough, Dijon Coleman and Keyahno Richardson-Toney.

Jackson Miller paced Bishop Walsh with nine points.

Turkeyfoot Valley 46, Brownsville 36: In Brownsville, the Rams’ Lance Jones led all scorers with 23 points, while Daniel Younkin yanked down his 500th varsity rebound in a win over the Falcons.

Younkin had nine boards for Turkeyfoot Valley, which trailed by a point after the first but overcame it in the second and steadily built its winning margin.

Jalen Blair netted nine to pace Brownsville.

Hockey

PIHL

Greater Latrobe 4, Bishop McCort Catholic 1: In Greensburg, Preston Miller buried two goals to propel the Wildcats over the Crimson Crushers.

Colton Goodlin and Cam Mikulsky each scored for Greater Latrobe, which tallied two markers in the second period. Reese Myers made 27 saves.

Bishop McCort’s Zakhar Bryndin scored in the third.

Chartiers Valley 13, Westmont Hilltop 1: In Pittsburgh, Dylan Shamonsky totaled three goals and two assists as the Colts clobbered the Hilltoppers.

Jake Shedlock added two goals, and Ryan Viola supplied one marker and three helpers. Stefano Cedro, Jackson Chorey (two assists), Zack Efthimiades, Calum Staab, Darien Strosnider, Gavin Waldron and Bryce Wichterman each added one goal apiece. Vinnie Vennero tallied three assists, and Joey Deangelis and Tyler Held each added two.

Chartiers Valley outshot Westmont Hilltop 67-7.

Westmont Hilltop’s Alex Nilson scored.

No. 4-seed McAuley held an 11-9 lead late in the first quarter Wednesday night as it looked to take down the top-seeded Blue Jays of Greenwood Laboratory School in the semifinals of the Mercy/Warrior Classic at McAuley Catholic High School.

The Jays evened the score at 11 and then had the ball back with less than three seconds on the clock. They were passing in the ball from the left sideline a little behind the 3-point arc.

Sophomore Alyssa Newman caught the ball and immediately squared up and fired an uncontested 3-pointer from about 24 feet away, and it was nothing but net. The buzzer sounded and Greenwood led 14-11.

“She’s a difference-maker for us. She deserves it. She works really hard. It’s one of those Jackie Stiles-type things, where she shoots 300-500 shots a day and is unhappy when she has to leave the gym,” Greenwood head coach Mike Percival said. “She can be a real rhythm shooter. That shot at the buzzer kind of got the momentum going.”

That shot sparked Newman and the Jays as she made a total of six triples in the game and finished with 29 points, leading the team to a 51-32 victory.

“That girl (Newman) was unconscious. ... We had to try and switch to a triangle and two,” McAuley head coach Mike Howard said of trying to focus more on Newman and another guard for Greenwood when his team was on defense. “I thought Isabella (Gilligan) did a tremendous job there in the third quarter — the second half, really — of containing (Newman) more.”

Newman knocked down three 3-pointers in the second quarter before the Warriors had switched defenses and lifted her team to a 31-18 lead at the half. Percival noted that his team struggled with some defensive assignments early in the game and everything started to change after a few shots fell in the second quarter.

McAuley came out of the locker room and scored 5 points in a row to cut the deficit back to single digits. It was practically back-and-forth the rest of the way as the teams traded baskets.

Samantha Conrad used an interior basket to cut the lead back to 8 after Greenwood had made it 33-23, to bring it to 33-25. Newman responded with a basket and then Conrad was at the free-throw line and made 1 of 2 to get the Warriors within 9 at 35-26. The period ended on a fast break layup by Gia Lutomske after McAuley’s Gilligan missed two freebies, putting Greenwood up 40-28 entering the final quarter of action.

“I thought we played one of our better games we’ve played all year against a competition like that, a team like Greenwood that is really good,” Howard said. “I thought our girls were poised, handled the pressure well and played good defensively. I thought we matched their energy level in the first quarter and that hasn’t happened a lot this year.”

“They gave probably the most amount of energy I’ve seen this entire year. I think we definitely grew today,” Howard added.

That was evident in the hustle and effort that the Warriors put on display in the fourth quarter trying to get stops and steals and sprinting from spot to spot on defense to try to make a play. The Blue Jays controlled the ball well down the stretch, not turning it over and getting layups when the opportunities presented themselves.

McAuley was within 11 after Vanessa Diaz started the frame with a free throw but never got any closer.

Elif Benzer joined Newman in double-digit scoring with 11 points. The Warriors were led by Conrad with 14 points.

Greenwood (15-4) meets New Heights Christian Academy (12-8) for the championship at 3 p.m. Saturday.

“I feel if we come out with that same type of energy and we play as hard as we played tonight, I think that we can compete with anybody left on our schedule, I really do,” Howard said. “I think we can use tonight as a catapult moving forward into the second half of our conference schedule and into districts.”

McAuley (8-13) will play at noon Saturday for third place against Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School (7-12). The two teams will also meet again for their conference matchup on Thursday, Feb. 19.

New Heights 63, TJ 31

NHCA got off to an electric start Wednesday evening scoring 24 points in the first frame behind the strength of four 3-pointers. It led 30-13 at halftime.

Thomas Jefferson had its best output in a single quarter when it tallied 10 in the third, but the Cougars exploded for 20 and took a 50-23 lead into the final frame as they went on to claim the 32-point win.

Anna Hiebert led the Cavaliers with 18 points while CAE Wood added 10.

New Heights got 17 from Allie Stout behind five 3-pointers. Ella Nelson registered a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Stout also collected seven caroms. Jesalin Bever added 13 points and led the team with five steals and four assists. Karly Dorris also dished out four assists and added 12 points.

Feb. 6—MOSCOW — Idaho women's basketball coach Arthur Moreira entered the postgame news conference soaked in water and with his glasses clouded with water droplets after a big celebration in the locker room.

The Vandals had just stolen the No. 1 spot in the Big Sky Conference from the Montana State Bobcats with a thrilling overtime win, 73-70, on Thursday in the ICCU Arena in Moscow.

"The girls gave our staff a little bit of a water shower, (with) the water bottles," Moreira said. "We knew it was a big game. I said it before, it's a big game, big games come with pressure, but this is the type of game that we all want to play and we all want to coach in. ... This team is special; we win together, we lose together. We're all happy for each other. And it was a great game."

How it happened

Idaho (18-5, 9-1 Big Sky) led for 35 minutes, 14 seconds in the contest. But the biggest scoring deficit to Montana State (16-6, 9-2) happened in overtime.

Montana State led by five points at 66-61 with 2:16 left to go in the extra period.

A huge run by the Vandals started with a hard-fought layup in the paint by Debora dos Santos while being fouled. She made the following free throw as the Vandals inched closer at 66-64.

The Idaho defense stuffed Montana State, and Hope Hassmann drove down the court on a fast break and was fouled. She sank the following two free throws to tie the game at 66-66.

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The play of the game came next.

Idaho yet again did not allow a score and then drove down the court. The ball was passed to Ana Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva in the corner.

She drove into the paint, sank a hook shot off the glass and drew a foul. She nailed the ensuing free throw and put the Vandals up three points at 69-66.

Montana State called a timeout, and then during the next few possessions, the Vandals put the game out of reach as Hassmann nailed two more free throws with nine seconds left and Ella Uriarte made two more with three seconds left to ice the game at 73-67.

Moreira said that his team just refuses to die and pointed to Northern Arizona, coached by Loree Payne, as an example of a team that will never give up, no matter the score. He said they rebounded hard, ran hard and played fast, and that this Vandals team is starting to play like that.

"We're just a team that is not going to stay down," Moreira said. "But the most impressive thing is how confident they are. I feel like when we went down, I think we went down six in overtime, like they never doubted it. I look at their face, I look at their eyes, they're locked in. They knew we were going to come back.

"I think it's hard to get a team to that point. And if you want to win a championship, you need to have a group like that."

Standout players

Dos Santos had a big game off the bench — which seems to be a pattern for her. The senior forward had a 17-rebound, 14-point double-double. She grabbed six offensive rebounds and often put them up for layups.

Dos Santos said she doesn't have a specific plan for rebounding, but rather she goes off of what feels natural. She said that she had to focus on securing the ball because Bobcat players often tried to rip the ball away.

"I really go with the instinct, I don't even think about it, not gonna lie," dos Santos said. "But I mean, I guess I just go with it. I feel like what I was focusing the most (on) today was not really getting the rebound, but as soon as I get the rebound, either trying to find my teammate or being strong with the ball."

Kyra Gardner totaled 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal for the Vandals.

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The senior guard shot 5-of-12 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Gardner gave credit to the rest of her teammates for the kind of night she had and said that because players like dos Santos and Lorena Barbosa are in the paint creating so much space, she can take easier shots.

Gardner was a difference maker on defense as well, often forcing a turnover or guarding well.

Passos Alves da Silva added 14 points for Idaho.

Moreira said that since the Vandals last lost to Montana State in Bozeman, 99-66, the team has been totally different on defense.

"They beat us in every single aspect — coaching, rebounding, offense, defense — in Bozeman, and then we marked this game on the calendar because we didn't want to get embarrassed like that again," Moreira said. "And I feel like ever since we've been really good defensively, our effort is there."

What this means for the Vandals

The Vandals now take a half-game lead in the Big Sky Conference.

Moreira said the hardest part of this season will be trying to maintain the No. 1 spot in the Big Sky. He said they can't surprise anyone anymore and have a target on their backs.

"I told them in the locker room after the game, it's easier to get to the top than it is to stay there," Moreira said. "And not that it's easy to get there. It's not, obviously it's not. But now we have a target on our back — our real work starts now. We get to control our own destiny, which is great, it's the spot you wanted to be at this point in the season. As long as you take care of business, we have a chance of winning the regular season. But it's going to get harder and harder."

He said the goal is to make the NCAA Tournament, but there is a lot of season and postseason remaining until the Vandals can reach their goal.

Idaho will next take on Montana at 2 p.m. Saturday at the ICCU Arena. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.

MONTANA STATE (16-6, 9-2)

Chirrick 3-14 7-10 15, Harris 6-11 2-2 15, Johnson 3-6 3-4 9, Philip 3-13 2-2 9, Bunyan 3-11 0-0 8, Erickson 3-5 2-2 9, Couture 1-4 0-0 3, Bailey 1-6 0-2 2, Smith 0-5 0-0 0, Hintz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-76 16-22 70.

IDAHO (18-5, 9-1)

Gardner 5-12 4-5 18, Uriarte 2-6 3-4 9, Pinheiro 2-8 3-4 7, Hassmann 1-7 4-4 6, Barbosa 2-7 1-2 5, dos Santos 6-11 2-3 17, Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva 4-9 4-7 14, Kangur 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-62 21-29 73.

Montana State 11 17 19 14 9—70

Idaho 16 16 17 12 12—73

3-point goals — Montana State 8-35 (Bunyan 2-7, Chirrick 2-5, Philip 1-7, Harris 1-3, Couture 1-2, Erickson 1-1, Smith 0-4, Bailey 0-3, Johnson 0-2, Hintz 0-1), Idaho 8-20 (Gardner 4-7, Uriarte 2-4, Beatriz Passos Alves da Silva 2-4, Hassmann 0-3, Pinheiro 0-1, Kangur 0-1). Rebounds — Montana State 43 (Erickson 8), Idaho 57 (dos Santos 17). Assists — Montana State 13 (Chirrick 7), Idaho 18 (Hassmann 6). A —1,773.

Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, tjunt@lmtribune.com or on X @TrevorJunt.

As they prepare to defend their BCIAA title, the Wilson Bulldogs went on the road to play against one of District 3’s perennial top teams.

The Bulldogs will head into the conference tournament with a head of steam after beating Harrisburg 70-67 on Thursday night.

Peter Kelfalla scored 18 points and Correll Akings 17 to lead Wilson (15-7).

Harrisburg falls to 11-9, but should make the District 3 Class 6A tournament. It is ranked 13th in the district power rankings with the top 16 teams making the field. Wilson is ranked sixth. Those were their rankings before Thursday night’s game.

Wilson starts defense of its BCIAA title with a home game on Monday against Exeter in the quarterfinals.

Harrisburg led 13-11 after the first quarter as Reece Brown scored 7 of his game-high 26 points.

The Cougars led at halftime 31-29 as Brown had 7 more points.

Wilson grabbed the lead after three quarters, 52-50, as Jayden Lockhart scored 8 points and Kelfalla had 7.

In the fourth quarter, Akings had 8 points, making a 3-pointer and hitting 5 of 6 free throws, and Kelfalla had 7 points, making all three of his free throw attempts and hitting two 2-point baskets.

The Schuylkill League boys basketball playoffs are set to tip off Saturday at Pottsville’s Martz Hall.

Nativity BVM (11-11; 8-7) stunned Lourdes on Tuesday to secure the third and final spot in the Division II standings, and will match up with Pottsville (16-6; 12-2) in the quarterfinal opener at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s something that we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” Nativity coach Brady Burke said after securing the playoff berth. “Anytime you get the chance to go to the league playoffs, it’s a big deal. The kids really wanted it and it showed tonight.”

READ ABOUT THE GIRLS’ MATCHUPS: Schuylkill League playoffs

Blue Mountain (15-7; 10-4) and Schuylkill Haven (15-6; 9-5) are meeting for the second quarterfinal game at 6:30 p.m.

Minersville (20-1; 13-1) won the Division I regular season crown and Tri-Valley (19-1; 13-0) won Division II. Both received first round byes in the league playoffs.

Tri-Valley will match up with either Pottsville or Nativity in the semifinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Minersville will face Schuylkill Haven or Blue Mountain in the second semifinal matchup, immediately following the first game.

“Minersville’s had good teams, and last year they shared the title with Mahanoy Area, so this year our goal was to win the division. We came out and did it so goal number one is accomplished,” Minersville coach Chris George said. “We have four new starters and a brand new coaching staff. Coach (Dave) Mullaney set the principles here, and it was a challenge, but guys bought in and I’m really happy for them.”

The Schuylkill League Championship is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 at Martz Hall.

Pottsville vs. Nativity BVM

Pottsville defeated Minersville in last year’s Schuylkill League title game before going on to win the District 11 Class 5A Championship.

This time around, the Crimson Tide are led by first-year head coach Tyler Heffner and seven seniors — Brody Herndon, Juleon Bainbridge, Grady Leskin, Christian Alvarez, Ryder Bowers and Brandon Viars.

Nativity just squeaked into the league tournament with a 71-68 overtime win at Lourdes on Tuesday. Trey Keating scored 34 points and hit seven 3-pointers, three of them in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“We didn’t make it easy. We had motivation going into today, and it was a rocky start, and we knew making the league playoffs would mean so much to us,” Keating said Tuesday. “We were able to battle back and take it to overtime to get the job done.”

The Hilltoppers have won six of their last nine matchups — the most recent league wins coming against Lourdes, Tamaqua and Shenandoah Valley — and qualified for the league tournament despite being outscored 61-60 by opponents this season.

“We just had to get in,” Burke said. “We feel like we can go toe to toe with anyone in the league. As long as we play our game and keep it close you saw tonight what can happen.”

Keating is Nativity’s leader offensively. He enters postseason play with 2,240 career points and is averaging 23.8 points per game. Keating has scored 640 points this season and is averaging 29.1 points per game. He’s number four in the state and number one in the District 11 and Schuylkill County rankings.

The Crimson Tide have won eight of their last 11 games and ended the regular season with league wins against Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and Panther Valley.

Christian Alvarez leads Pottsville with 17.5 points per game and Ryder Bowers has averaged 11 points per game. Davey Kunstek has posted 9.8 rebounds per game.

“Just having my teammates and coaches trust is important,” Alvarez said. “They look at me to get to the bucket and make plays, and that’s what I do. Just being smart with the ball and waiting to get our shots is important.”

The last time Pottsville and Nativity met was a 61-55 home win for the Crimson Tide on Feb. 10, 2024. Pottsville won the District 11 5A Championship last year with a 33-30 win over Bangor. The last time the Crimson Tide won a District 11 Championship was in 2021-22 and then during the 2018-19 season prior to that.

Schuylkill Haven vs. Blue Mountain

Schuylkill Haven finished in second place in the Division II standings and Blue Mountain placed third in Division I.

Blue Mountain entered the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, with recent league wins against Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and North Schuylkill.

Tyeirre Meade led the way with 25 points in the 76-35 win over the Golden Bears on Feb. 3. Cohen Werner added 18 points in that game, while Cohen Kirby scored 12 and Beck Henninger added 11 points.

“We’re bonding and building as a team,” Blue Mountain’s Cohen Kirby said after clinching a playoff spot. “We need that going into leagues, and we can’t play selfish. When we play as a team we play better.”

The Eagles have found a strategy that works for them, and will look to continue using it in the postseason.

“Just setting our own pace and making the other team uncomfortable is what’s worked best for us this season,” Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said. “As long as we can dictate the pace of the game we’re alright.”

The Hurricanes have won four of their last six games, with recent league wins over Lourdes, Williams Valley, Marian Catholic and Weatherly.

Alan Evans has been the Hurricanes go-to scoring target this season, and is joined by a supporting cast of Justin Watcher, Brady Kelly and Brayden Diehl.

Schuylkill Haven has outscored its opponents by an average of 63-54, while Blue Mountain has outscored the competition by an average of 60-44.

Schuylkill Haven clinched a spot in the league playoffs after beginning the season on a six-game winning streak and winning 11 of their first 12 games.

“Our guys have really worked hard, they’re unselfish and all five guys have really good hands and catch a bad pass,” Schuylkill Haven coach Fran Murphy said. “That’s been the key is finishing around the basket when we get a pass.”

Nate Boudreau dove all over the Derryfield School court for loose balls and relentlessly went for steals, finishing with four in the Cougars’ 52-46 NHIAA Division III loss to Hopkinton on Tuesday.

Boudreau, a Salem resident, fellow senior co-captain Sammy Fazelat, of Bedford, and first-year coach Mitchell Roy have turned Derryfield into a unified — and competitive — team following a 2-16 campaign last year.

Derryfield will take a 9-6 record into its home bout with St. Thomas Aquinas (11-2) on Friday night (6).

“We’re just putting 100% effort in no matter what — diving on loose balls, ripping the ball — whatever we need,” Boudreau said after the loss. “We’re fighting and dying to win and that’s much different this year.”

Before he received a long email from Roy during the offseason, Boudreau was going to quit the team and focus on baseball.

Over Derryfield’s difficult 2024-25 season, Boudreau lost his love for basketball, he said. But Roy’s email convinced him to stay and, after Derryfield’s first few summer league games, Boudreau said he and Roy had the best bond that he’s ever had with a coach.

“Before you can connect with them as basketball players, you’ve got to try to connect with them as people,” said Roy, who coached Division I Alvirne last year and Division IV Profile for four years before that. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care,’ so I wanted them to know I really care about them and I want to build something special here.”

Derryfield last made the playoffs during the 2023-24 season while in Division IV.

In recent years, there was tension among players, Fazelat said. Cliques developed.

That changed. Through practices, summer and fall league competition and overnight trips for weekend offseason tournaments, the Cougars came together.

“In previous seasons, when Nate and I were underclassmen, the offense kind of revolved around one guy,” Fazelat said, “and then last year we were playing a lot of pickup (style) because we never played together before. ...This year, we’re much more in sync with each other. We know what we’re doing and we play more effectively that way because we’re not just trying to find the quickest way to the hoop.”

Boudreau and Fazelat played big roles in the players taking to Roy’s approach.

Fazelat is a lead-by-example kind of captain while Boudreau is a vocal leader. They went to almost every one of the team’s offseason activities, Roy said.

Roy assigned the team’s freshmen, Mitch Labbe and Juelrick Phanor, to Boudreau and senior Liam Cesar, respectively.

“Basically, everything I do, coach makes him (Labbe) mirror me,” Boudreau said. “We have such a great relationship. I bring him to practice every now and then and I try to get him in the gym. ... Anything he asks me, I’m always willing to answer no matter what.”

Fazelat said the team’s young players have been surprisingly adept.

He and Boudreau’s usual advice to them is to get out of their heads. “It’s not lack of skill we need to coach them up on,” Fazelat said. “It’s mostly just mental performance.”

The captains said Derryfield has yet to reach its full potential. They’re excited to see where the program can go both this season and beyond.

It wouldn’t be the first time Roy turned a team around.

Profile improved over each of Roy’s four years leading the program, capped by a 27-0 record and Division IV title in 2024.

Players like sophomore Jake Larson, who scored a team-high 17 points against Hopkinton, junior Keith Townsend and Labbe show great promise, Boudreau said.

“It’s going to be great for years to come,” Boudreau said. “I can’t wait to come back next year and watch some games.”

Central/West girls on a roll

The senior-heavy Manchester Central/West girls have rebounded nicely from their 1-4 start to the season. The co-op team has won seven straight games since then.

Central/West coach Mike Wenners said he has a good group of girls this year, led by seniors Tianna Mann, Marley Oates, Leyla Mohamed and Nancy Sipora.

Mann, Oates and Mohamed are four-year players in the program and were freshmen when the team went 0-18 during the 2022-23 season.

Sipora did not play for the team last year.

“Good thing about the four of them is they’re good examples for the younger kids as far as how you want to practice, how you want to play, that type of stuff,” Wenners said.

While the team will make mistakes and has areas where it can improve, it has a roster filled with athletes, Wenners said.

“They’re multi-sport kids and whenever you have athletes, you know you’ll be able to play some defense,” he said. “We have to work on finishing, shooting — — all the basketball skills. But the effort and the ‘want to’ is there. And when you have that, good things will happen.”

Gaudette out at Memorial

Lauren Gaudette is no longer the Manchester Memorial girls coach. Gaudette took over the Division I program last year, after former coach Greg Cotreau left to become the head girls coach at Souhegan.

Gaudette said in an email that she had no comment on her departure.

Memorial athletic director Jordan D’Onofrio did not respond to an email requesting a statement on the situation.

The Crusaders, now coached by Miguel Frett, are 1-10 entering their home game against Dover on Friday night (6:30).

Unwelcome guest in the stands

The Manchester Memorial at Manchester Central boys rivalry game last Friday night was briefly put on pause due to a disturbance in the bleachers.

The culprit? A rodent.

Fans bolted the bleachers for the floor, but returned to their seats after being told they could either do that or “we’re all going home.”

It’s a good thing they did. In the most tightly contested game I’ve seen this season, Memorial beat Central 70-68 in an overtime thriller. The game featured 20 lead changes and 14 ties.

1,000 and counting

Alvirne senior Garrett Hall, St. Thomas Aquinas senior Emma Toriello and Epping senior Blake Snyder each scored their 1,000th career points recently.

Hall reached the milestone as part of his game-high 21-point outing in the Broncos’ 60-55 win over Nashua North. Toriello did so in the Saints’ 48-35 Division III victory over Berlin, posting a game-high 19 points. Snyder poured in 43 points, including the 1,000th of his career, in the Blue Devils’ 72-20 Division IV win over Sunapee.

With the 2025-26 Schuylkill League girls basketball regular season officially in the rearview mirror, six teams will look to claim Schuylkill League crowns beginning this Saturday in the Schuylkill League playoffs.

In Division I, the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes claimed the top spot after an 18-4 regular season, including 13-1 in league play. The Hurricanes will look to claim their second straight league title after defeating North Schuylkill 38-31 in last year’s league championship game.

READ ABOUT THE BOYS’ MATCHUPS: Schuylkill League playoffs

The No. 2 seed in Division I is the North Schuylkill Spartans with a 15-6 regular season, including 11-3 in the Schuylkill League. The Spartans have one regular-season game remaining before Saturday’s quarterfinal matchups. The No. 3 seed in the division belongs to the Tamaqua Blue Raiders, who finished the regular season with a 16-6 record overall and 10-4 in the Schuylkill League.

In Division II, the Lourdes Red Raiders enter the playoffs as the favorite to win the league thanks to a 20-1 overall record, including a perfect 14-0 in Schuylkill League action.

Behind Lourdes is the Mahanoy Area Golden Bears at 17-5 overall and 12-2 in the league, while the third seed belongs to the Marian Catholic Fillies, who went 12-9 overall and 9-5 in league play, besting Williams Valley for the final spot.

The quarterfinals will get underway at Martz Hall on Saturday at 2 p.m. as North Schuylkill takes on Marian Catholic. The winner will face top-seeded Lourdes on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Martz Hall. Then, at 3:30 p.m., Mahanoy Area will face off against Tamaqua in the second quarterfinal matchup, with the winner taking on Schuylkill Haven on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The league championship game is currently slated for Friday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at Martz Hall.

North Schuylkill vs. Marian Catholic

North Schuylkill enters the Schuylkill League playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the bracket, winning eight of its last 10 games, not including Thursday night affair against Loyalsock Township, taking place after deadline.

The Spartans fell to both Blue Mountain and Schuylkill Haven last week in a pair of league matchups, but bounced back with a 60-45 win over Williamsport, a 51-28 win over Tamaqua, and a 67-31 win over Lehigh Valley Academy.

The Spartans will be led by the defending Schuylkill League Player of the Year, Mya Conti, who is coming off a 30-point effort in the Spartans’ win over LVA.Marian, who finished second in the District 11 Class 2A girls power rankings this regular season behind Williams Valley, had more of an up-and-down season than North Schuylkill but won each of its last three league games to clinch a spot in the Schuylkill League playoffs.

That included defeating Williams Valley 39-31 in Tower City as well as beating Shenandoah Valley 48-31, derailing what was a Blue Devils team playing great basketball over the last several weeks, making a push of their own.

Schuylkill League player of the year candidate Addy Marek leads the Fillies this season, averaging 16.5 points per game, while DeAnna Pugh has averaged 11.1 points per game.

Mahanoy Area vs. Tamaqua

Very quietly, Mahanoy Area was one of the most consistent teams in the Schuylkill League this season with a 17-5 overall record and dominated league play to the tune of 12-2.

The Golden Bears won five of their last six regular-season games, a 55-38 loss to Lourdes being their only blemish. Their only other Schuylkill League loss this season was to Schuylkill Haven, 44-42.

The Bears have three legitimate scorers any given night in Felicia Bro and Ella Connolly, as well as Naomi Kowalick making them one of the deeper teams in the playoffs in terms of scorers. Don’t be surprised if Mahanoy Area makes a run to the championship game this postseason.

Standing in the Golden Bears’ way is the Tamaqua Blue Raiders.

Tamaqua, for the third straight year, was one of the Schuylkill League’s top teams, this time etching their third straight season of 16 or more wins.

The Blue Raiders have won six of their last eight games with losses to Lehighton (51-40) and North Schuylkill (51-28). They did, however, pick up strong wins in that time over Blue Mountain and Pine Grove while also beating North Schuylkill earlier this season 46-43. They also notably narrowly fell to Schuylkill Haven in mid-January, 39- 35.

Lauren Ligenza has been a double-double machine at times this season for the Blue Raiders, with nine, while averaging 13.4 points per game. The Blue Raiders also receive consistent scoring from Millie Black, who is averaging 13.7 points per game this season.

Although the Magic only made one move ahead of the NBA trade deadline — Orlando sent veteran guard Tyus Jones and two second-round picks to Charlotte in exchange for cash considerations — team president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman revealed Thursday the franchise considered making other deals in hopes of improving its roster.

Ultimately, however, the Magic didn’t roll the dice on any other trades beyond moving Jones late Wednesday night.

Weltman doesn’t believe that’s a sign of complacency or due to a lack of aggression by the organization that entered Thursday’s game against Brooklyn 2-8 in its last 10 games and 8th in the East during a season that came with high expectations.

“We’re aggressive 365 days a year,” he said at the AdventHealth Training Center. “And I think we’re not afraid to make bolds as I think last summer showed. The answer to frustration isn’t just to make a move just for the sake of making a move. One thing to understand is the way that our team is set up right now with contracts and timing, for us to make a significant move means that we have to break into the core.

“That core has been excellent when it’s been on the floor together,” he added. “… So, for us to break up that core, it’s going to have to be a significant move. I will tell you, we had some substantiative talks that I thought could have gone somewhere. Obviously they did not, they didn’t materialize but it wasn’t for a lack of pushing, for a lack of urgency. Our mission is to improve this team. We’re never taking a day off from that. It’s just that we’re not going to do something just for the sake of doing it.”

To Weltman’s point, Orlando’s opening night lineup of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. ranked sixth league-wide in net rating (plus-18) among all five-man lineups in the league who had played at least 115 minutes together entering Thursday’s slate of games, according to NBA.com.

But for the second season in a row, the Magic have been plagued by injuries to key players.

Suggs has missed 20 games due to injury, including seven (Dec. 18-29) because of a left hip contusion and eight (Jan. 4-22) with a grade 1 right knee MCL bruise. Banchero has missed 10 games (Nov. 14-Dec. 3) due to a left groin strain. Wagner missed his eighth straight Thursday due to left high ankle sprain injury management after he already sat out 16 (Dec. 9-Jan. 11) due because of the original injury.

Even Carter missed two games due to injury: one (Nov. 23) due to a left ankle sprain and another (Jan. 11) due to a right hip strain.

Among Orlando’s opening night lineup, only Bane had been available for each of the first 49 games of the season.

“It’s concerning,” Weltman said when the Sentinel asked him how concerning it is to him that the team’s core hasn’t been able to remain healthy this season and last. “Every team has injuries, but it’s having these prolonged injuries. All I can say is, these are soft tissue injuries. What can you say? It’s the NBA and this is what happens sometimes.

“I do feel like we’re a little bit ‘Groundhog Day,’ with this season,” Weltman added. “The only thing is, I also think we’re better this year because we added Desmond Bane. So, I hate to keep saying it, but when this team has been healthy, it’s been really good.”

Still, Orlando at times this season has fallen away from its defensive identity, which in turn has stumped its offensive output.

Entering Thursday, the Magic were 16th in defensive rating (114.6) and 20th in offensive rating (113.5), which resulted in a net rating (minus-1.1) that sat 19th, according to NBA.com.

Last year, the team ended the regular season second in defensive rating league-wide (109.1) and 27th in offensive rating (108.9), which left them with a net rating (minus-0.2) that ended 17th in the NBA.

After opening this season 13-8, the Magic have gone 12-16 since Dec. 3.

“I don’t like the state of the team right now,” Weltman said. “We’re not playing well and I think it’s been a little while that we haven’t been playing well. I would imagine our fans our frustrated by the way we’re playing and I’m frustrated with them.

“I remain optimistic about the rest of the season and it’s on us to turn this thing around,” he added. “There’s still over a third of the season left and we’re right in the thick of the race. We’ve got to get it done.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

UConn star forward and captain Alex Karaban was one of 10 players named to the midseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which is presented annually to the best power forward in college basketball as part of the Naismith Starting Five.

The most accomplished active player in college basketball, the Huskies’ senior is averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season with 21 steals and 21 blocks. He has shot 46.8% from the field and a career-best 40.8% from 3-point range as he’s led UConn to a 22-1 record on the year.

The 6-foot-8, Southborough, Mass. native has scored in double-figures 16 times this year and recorded a team-high four 20-point games, including a 21-point effort on 8-for-11 shooting against BYU and a season-high 23 points in the overtime thriller at Providence.

UConn is 114-23 (.832) in Karaban’s career. The two-time national champion is one win shy of tying the program’s wins record, which was set by Samson Johnson last season. Karaban has started in 133 games over four years, two shy of the program record, and his 134 overall appearances are nine shy from the most in school history.

UConn Notes: Hurley flabbergasted his point guard was snubbed on this award watch list

He moved into 14th on UConn’s all-time scoring list with 1,660 career points, just four behind Cliff Robinson. He is fourth on the all-time 3-pointers list with 257 made, three shy of Shabazz Napier and 19 away from Rashad Anderson’s record 276. And his current 83.6% career mark from the free throw line is eighth all-time.

“You talk about somebody with a different level of maturity, a different level of championship confidence,” coach Dan Hurley said in January, calling Karaban “the most decorated player in the history of UConn basketball.”

Karaban is joined on the Naismith Starting Five watch lists by Solo Ball, who was named one of the top 10 candidates for the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award on Tuesday. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award watch list will be released on Friday.

Karl Malone Award midseason watch list

Koa Peat, Arizona
Cameron Boozer, Duke
Graham Ike, Gonzaga
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Malik Reneau, Miami
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Alex Karaban, UConn