Sports Shorts
NCAA BASKETBALL
Stanford takes aim at playing even better
HOOP HONOR . . . Menlo School grad Blake Schultz finished his illustrious basketball career at Williams College (Williamstown, MA) being named D3hoops.com All-American first team earlier this week. The senior co-captain scored 615 points this season in helping the Ephs (30-2) reach the NCAA Division III championship game, where they lost to Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 78-73. Schultz was 19 points shy of matching the school single-season scoring record. He graduates as the fourth leading scorer at Williams with 1,528 points, and the eighth-leading rebounder at 545. Schultz, previously honored as the NESCAC and ECAC-North New England Player of the Year, First Team All-NESCAC and First Team All- ECAC, earns his second All-America honor. He was recently named an NABC First Team honoree. He is a finalist for the NABC Player of the Year. Schultz would have led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 52 percent had he qualified. Williams led the nation as a team with 46.1 percent. Schultz was 77-of-148 from long range, three made 3s from qualifying.
Friday College baseball: USC at Stanford, 5:30 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Saturday College baseball: USC at Stanford, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM) Women’s basketball: Stanford vs. Georgia, 6:04 p.m.; ESPN2; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Sunday College baseball: USC at Stanford, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Monday Women’s basketball: NCAA Elite Eight, 6:30 p.m.; ESPN2; KZSU (90.1 FM)
SPORTS ONLINE For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com
A
s well as the Stanford women’s basketball team played through the first two round of the NCAA tournament last weekend, coach Tara VanDerveer feels there is still more to come when the venue switches to the ARCO Arena in Sacramento Saturday night for the Regional championships. The secondranked and topseeded Cardinal (33-1) meets No. 5 seed Georgia (25-8) at 6:04 p.m. in the regional semifinal. No. 3 Xavier (29-3) and No. 7 Gonzaga (29-4) meet in the other semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Saturday’s winners meet Monday night at 6:30 p.m. with a berth in the Final Four at stake. “I think we can improve and come out in Sacramento and play even better,” VanDerveer said. “In the NCAA tournament, obviously, you have to think one game at a time. You hope people are healthy, but your focus is one game, our team, what happens, happens.” The Cardinal reached the Sweet 16 by defeating UC Riverside, 79-47, in the first round, and Iowa, 96-63, in the second round — both games were held at Maples Pavilion, where Stanford owns a 46-game winning streak heading into next year. Stanford and No. 23 Georgia have played in the NCAA tournament before, with the Cardinal winning three of the previous five postseason meetings. The teams are similar in that they both have veteran coaches, have both reached the championship game in their histories, and have each appeared in 24 (or more) NCAA tournaments. “It’s a terrific matchup,” VanDerveer said. “Theyíre
NCAA SWEET 16 Saturday at Sacramento Stanford (33-1) vs. Georgia (25-8) 6:04 pm ESPN2
Stanford senior Jayne Appel (2), who scored 16 points in a 96-67 second-round win over Iowa on Monday, will be counted upon again when the Cardinal takes on Georgia in the Sweet 16.
(continued on page 37)
GIRLS’ PREP BASKETBALL
Pinewood girls have a lot to play for Saturday in CIF Division V state championship game by Keith Peters edemption is a powerful tool. It can motivate at the start, build momentum and reward at the finish. That probably sounds good to Pinewood girls’ basketball coach Doc Scheppler. The Panthers have an opportunity redemption on Saturday when they take on St. Anthony (Long Beach) in the CIF Division V state championship game at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. Tip off is 9:30 a.m. Pinewood brings a 26-6 record after winning the NorCal title last weekend, 53-47, while St. Anthony comes in 26-9 after taking the SoCal crown, 48-41. Both teams are the No. 1 seeds from their respective brackets, and will be facing each other for the second time this season. It was just a little more than three months ago that the same teams met on the final day of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz. Pinewood let a 29-10 lead in the second quarter get away and still couldn’t hold on with a three-point lead with just 35 seconds to play.
R
The Panthers wound up losing, 43-42, when St. Anthony scored with three seconds to play. “They just killed us on the boards,” said Scheppler, whose team was outrebounded 5015 in that game on December 22. “We shot 7-of-35 from three-point range. It was a tough game for us.” Scheppler figures his team missed 15-20 three-point attempts in a row before Casey Cairo made one for a 42-41 lead. His team also was shorthanded following a series of ACL tears to three players — one of whom (senior Rachel Marty) was lost for the season. Much has changed since then, however. The Pinewood team that St. Anthony saw then is not same Pinewood team the Saints will see in Bakersfield. “We’re confident we come into this game a different team that we were back then,” Scheppler said. “It’s going to be an interesting game Saturday morning.” The biggest change for Pinewood is having (continued on page 38)
Keith Peters
ON THE AIR
by Rick Eymer
Keith Peters
SWIM DELAY . . . The NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diviving Championships, hosted by Ohio State, was postponed 24 hours after members of at least three teams, including Stanford, came down sick prior to Thursday’s scheduled start of the national championships. The meet now will begin Friday and run through Sunday. The NCAA made the decision after calling a coaches meeting on Wednesday night. Ohio State issued a statement on Wednesday: “Eighteen studentathletes and one coach have been treated at the Ohio State University Medical Center and the Ohio State Sports Medicine Center for a possible gastrointestinal illness. The NCAA, the OSU Medical Center, Ohio State University officials and the local Ohio health department are working on the issue. “One of the priorities is to ensure all teams and competitors are kept informed of developments and preventive measures.”
VanDerveer sees room for improvement against Georgia in the Sweet Sixteen
Pinewood junior Jenna McLoughlin will play a key role in Saturday’s Division V state finals. *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÀV ÊÓÈ]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 35