01262018 sport

SPORTS SECTION E

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2018

BUDDY ON RISING STARS ROSTER FOR 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR ROLLE

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net MIAMI, Florida — For the second consecutive year, Buddy Hield has an opportunity to represent his franchise and the Bahamas during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Hield was one of 20 players selected to the rosters of the 2018 Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars, to be hosted Friday, February 16 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The game will be broadcast live on TNT and ESPN Radio at 9pm.

Hield is averaging 12.5 points per game on 44 per cent shooting both from the field and three-point range along with 90 per cent from the free throw line. He was also selected to play in the 2017 contest, then as a rookie and a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.

“It’s just an honour and a blessing to be selected, especially to represent the World team.

BUDDY HIELD

“It just means a lot to be able to show where I came from and represent the Bahamas as well,” Hield said during yesterday’s shoot-around ahead of a matchup with the Miami Heat.

He scored 24 points, including four three-pointers, dished out one assist and grabbed five rebounds in 29 minutes on the hardwood.

“The plan is to just go out there and have fun, appreciate the accomplishment, try to win the game

and have fun at All-Star Weekend.”

Hield’s three-point percentage is tied for sixth best in the league among qualified players and he has been quite vocal about his desire to also participate in the JBL 3-Point Contest.

“You’ve got to go out there and show them why you should be in it, hopefully I can still do something to stand out. If it comes it comes, if not,

SEE PAGE 3

103RD OVERALL ON THE 1ST DAY

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH play suspended due to darkness, Bahamian Georgette Rolle sat tied with two others for 103rd place overall after day one of the 2018 Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Golf Club, Paradise Island.

Officials sounded the horn at just about 6pm signalling the end of competition with Rolle and her threesome getting ready to play the eighth of the nine holes. She was 8-over-par on the 73-hole course and will have to complete the remaining two holes today before she starts the second round.

Rolle and threesome, along with the group ahead of her, featuring Tiger Woods’ niece, Cheyenne Woods, and the last two groups on the other half of the field, were unable to complete the course. The 12 players will play from the point that they stopped at 7:15am before they begin the second round as originally scheduled.

As she walked off the course, Rolle admitted that it wasn’t the type of performance she anticipated, especially in the windy conditions that hampered most of the players during the

SEE PAGE 2

ON PAR: BROOKE Henderson in action during the $1.4 million Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Brooke Henderson grabs one-stroke lead in Classic BROOKE Henderson of Canada played impeccable golf amid unrelenting winds Thursday to shoot a bogey-free 5-under-par 68 and grab a one-stroke lead after the first round of the $1.4 million Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Coming off a two-win season in 2017, 20-year-old Henderson was one of just 17 players to better par

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on a challenging day at the Ocean Club Golf Course at the Atlantis resort when winds gusted to 35 miles per hour and blew steadily at 15-20 mph.

She led by a stroke over rookie Luna Sobron Galmes of Spain and veteran Sarah Jane Smith of Australia.

Sobron Galmes, 23, playing in her first event as an LPGA member after finishing fifth at the tour’s qualifying tournament in December, hit 11 of 14 fairways, 14 greens and had two sand saves to join Smith atop the leaderboard.

In her 13th year on the LPGA, Smith, 33, is seeking her first victory.

Though the high winds did not cause any delays, they slowed the pace of play considerably, especially on the greens, where balls wobbled constantly. The first round was suspended because of darkness at 5:59pm EST with 12 players on the course.

They will return at 7:10am to complete their round. The second round will begin on schedule, also at 7:10am.

Henderson finished well before the horn, and well ahead of most in the 108-player field, thanks to a solid all-around effort highlighted by good distance control leading to just 26 putts.

“It was crazy,” she said of the day. “Beginning of the week I thought it was going to be Friday through Sunday that [we’d get] crazy wind. I thought I was going to get a break today, and I thought I was going to be in the good wave in the afternoon today and in the morning tomorrow, but I guess it’s going to keep getting stronger every day, so just try and go out and do what I did today, but I think that will be tough to repeat.

“You know, Britt [caddie and sister Brittany] and I, we did a really good job of hitting balls pin‑high, and I don’t know how

we did it,” Henderson added. “It’s hard to judge wind sometimes, but I feel like we calculated everything really well.”

The same could be said for Sobron Galmes and Smith, who each have experience in windy weather in their respective home countries.

“In Majorca, in my town where I live, the wind is very hard, so it’s like this,” said Sobron Galmes, who has competed twice previously in the Women’s British Open.

“I feel very … the course really is good. You play well, everything goes well, so I don’t know, I am very confident.”

The last player believed to win in her first LPGA start was Beverly Hanson in the 1951 Eastern Open at Berkshire Country Club in Reading, Pa., when she rallied past Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

SEE PAGE 2

GIANTS STOP THE SHOCKERS 85-81 IN a battle of two of the top teams, the Commonwealth Bank Giants stayed unbeaten in the New Providence Basketball Association’s 2017/18 season by holding off a stubborn JD’s Seafood Shockers in a hard-fought 85-81 victory at the AF Adderley Gymnasium.

On Monday night, the two men’s division one teams played the feature game after they watched as the Breezes High Flyers flew past the Caro Contractors Resistance 88-72 in the division II opener.

• Here’s a summary of the two games: Giants 85, Shockers 81 Playing 36 minutes and 31 seconds, Michael Bain Jr went on an offensive tear as he led three Commonwealth Bank players in double figures in the win. Connecting on 12-for17 shots from the field and 5-for-9 from the free throw line, Bain finished with a game high 29 points, six rebounds, six steals and four assists to go along with a block shot.

D’Shon Taylor had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Jeffrey Henfield came off the bench and added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tehran Cox had eight points and five rebounds.

For the Caro Contractors, who only lost their second game of the season, William Rigby scored 25 points, shooting 8-for-16 from the field, 3-for-6 from the three-point line and

SEE PAGE 4

PAGE 2, Friday, January 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Tiger brings back big crowds, big cheers with a 72

By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tiger Woods has been away from the PGA Tour too long to know for certain when a shot is as good as it looks.

This was a 6-iron on the par-3 16th hole on the South Course at Torrey Pines, from 188 yards to a slightly elevated green with a pin tucked behind a deep bunker. The sun was setting behind the Pacific late Thursday afternoon, and the glare made it tough to follow the flight of the ball.

“We can’t see anything land from back there, so we’re just listening for some noise,” Woods said. “And people started cheering.”

The ball rolled to the hole and broke a few inches in front of the cup for a tap-in birdie .

Woods brought big crowds back to golf in his latest return to the PGA Tour, and he even produced a few big roars.

There just weren’t enough cheers for his liking.

Playing for the first time since recovering from a fourth back surgery that cost him another year on the PGA Tour, Woods was mostly steady, sometimes spectacular and ended his day with an even-par 72 that left him seven shots behind Tony Finau.

“It was fun to compete again,” Woods said. “It was fun to be out there.”

The next trick is to stay at Torrey Pines beyond Friday. With virtually no wind making this a day for

TIGER Woods watches his tee shot on the second hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines Golf Course during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament yesterday in San Diego.

(AP Photos/Gregory Bull) reasonable scoring, Woods was tied for 84th and will start the second round on the North Course just outside the cut line.

Finau birdied his opening two holes on the North and finished with a 35-foot birdie putt for a 65.

Woods had a few big moments that looked familiar to fans who stood as many as four-deep around the greens.

His three birdie putts were from a combined 30

inches. The longest of his birdie putt was from just inside 2 feet on No. 10 that got him back to even par for the round. He was one rotation away from making a long eagle putt on the par-5 sixth.

He was never under par the entire round, and his near ace on the 16th brought him back to even par.

But he needed those three birdies to offset his mistakes, and the sobering

part of his return is that Woods didn’t make a putt longer than 4 feet. That was on the second hole, when his approach from the bunker landed 6 feet behind the hole and went over the back into light rough.

He also gave away a shot on the par-5 13th, when he laid up from the rough and hit a wedge that drifted right and went into the bunker.

He blasted that out to 3 feet, which was the hard

TIGER Woods hits out of a bunker on the ninth hole. part. And then he missed the short par putt .

Woods made his other two bogeys from greenside bunkers, both times missing 12-foot putts.

He played the par 5s in even par, and didn’t give himself any other birdie chances inside 15 feet.

“It’s hard to make a lot of birdies when you’re not giving yourself any looks, and I didn’t do that today,” Woods said. “Tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll drive a little better, get my irons obviously a lot closer and we get the better of the two greens tomorrow. So we’ll see what happens.”

But there was no mistaking his presence.

Fans lined both sides of the opening fairway in anticipation of seeing Woods, who was playing the PGA Tour for only the second time since August 2015. That was right before he had a second and third surgery on his back, which kept him away for some 15 months. He returned at Torrey Pines last year and opened with a 76 on his way to missing the cut. A week later, he withdrew after a 77 in Dubai with back spasms and was gone again.

Regardless of the score, Woods looked as though he’s back for the long haul.

The fusion surgery eliminated the pain. And while he wasn’t sharp, Woods hit the ball plenty far and saw at least a little bit of golf that made him such a dominant figure.

The South Course, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open that Woods won, typically is

far stronger than the North at Torrey Pines. That’s no longer the case with the North getting a makeover two years ago, with bent greens that are firm this week and narrower fairways.

The average score on the South was 71.62, compared with 71.31 on the North.

Forty-one of the 73 players who broke par were on the South.

Finau birdied his opening two holes to set the tone for his round, and he wound up with nine birdies, the last one from 35 feet to take the lead.

“It played a lot tougher than it did in the past,” Finau said. “I think it’s just a credit to my start.

From there I was just able to let the golf course come to me. The par 5s are very reachable for me hitting some irons in there. Again, I think it was just my start.

I got off to a good start and was able to ride that momentum all the way through the round.”

He had a one-shot lead over Ryan Palmer and Ted Potter Jr., who each had a 66 on the South.

Defending champion Jon Rahm, who can reach No. 1 in the world by winning, opened with a 68 on the South. He hit into the water with his second shot on the par-5 18th, but he saved par with a 15-foot putt.

“Just unfortunate it happened, but I made a good putt, had a couple really good putts down the stretch and had a good finish,” Rahm said. “Good momentum going to tomorrow.”

Brooke Henderson grabs onestroke lead in Classic FROM PAGE 1 Scoring conditions were vastly different from a year ago when eventual winner Brittany Lincicome opened with a 64 in light breezes and 70 players broke par.

“I like playing in the struggle,” Smith, from Queensland, said, “and I do enjoy playing difficult shots and stuff like that, so it’s probably better for me if people don’t like it.”

Two strokes behind Henderson with 70 was a group of six players that included Shanshan Feng, the No. 1 player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, and Maria Torres of Puerto Rico, making her professional debut.

Lexi Thompson, Race to the CME Globe champion and runnerup last year, battled to a 1-under 72. Lincicome birdied her final hole to post 74.

“I hit some very solid golf shots,” said Thompson, who won the Vare Trophy in 2017 for lowest stroke average on tour. “You have to trust your lines out here because sometimes you have to aim or you will have trouble ending up in the fairway. I felt very comfortable in the course, and I putted really well, and it’s hard when the wind is blowing and you’re looking over your putt and the ball is trying to move, but, yeah, it was tough.”

The sixth annual Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic is the opening event on the LPGA schedule for the fourth time. Offering a purse of $1.4 million, the tournament features a field of 108 players from 24 countries that includes 15 major champions and 12 winners from the 2017. Live second-round coverage on Golf Channel begins at 11:30am. Third-round coverage Saturday is 3:30 to 5:30pm and Sunday’s live final-round coverage will air 3-5pm.

Admission is free for all spectators. Doors open at 7am EST. For more information, contact the Tournament Office at 1 242 676 - 2325 or the Media Center at 242.698.6005 or visit www.puresilkbahamasclassic.com

CHEYENNE WOODS (left), niece of Tiger Woods, and Bahamian pro golfer Georgette Rolle in action.

Photos: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

GEORGETTE ROLLE 103RD OVERALL ON DAY 1 FROM PAGE 1 latter part of the day. “Today was not my best day,” said Rolle, who is carrying the Bahamian flag in the sixth-year-old tournament for the fifth time. “I didn’t play as well as I expected. I will take some time tonight (last night) and in the morning (this morning) to assess what went wrong and try to make the necessary corrections.”

Rolle, 32, said she missed a lot of putts, which put her in a difficult position on the leaderboard.

But she figures that she will be able to adjust and turn things around.

Unfortunately, she

expects that the weather will get even worse, which means that she will definitely have to take her game to another level.

“I will spend some time going over what I did wrong today and hopefully get it together,” Rolle said.

The other two players playing in her threesome, PK Kongkraphan from Khonkaen, Thailand, was tied with 31 other players at 2-over-par for 46th place, while Katelyn Dambaugh from Charleston, South Carolina was tied with eight others for 5-overpar for 85th place. Woods, by the way, was tied with nine others at 75 with four-over-par.

Brooke Henderson, who was in the threesome just two spots ahead of Rolle, finished the course just in time to top the leaderboard with a 5-under-par 68. Defending champion Brittany Lincicome is tied with 19 other players at one-over-par 74 for 26th spot.

Although there was very little support from the Bahamian public to watch Rolle and the other top ranked players in the world perform, about 20 students from Noble Preparatory Academy were in attendance.

Andrew Smith, one of the coaches who assist Geno Nairn, said they wanted to give their

students a wider range of diversification in sports, considering that they are known for their basketball prowess.

“This is just a small step for us to bring an awareness of the sport to our school,” he said.

“We’ve very passionate about it.

That’s why we brought our students out to watch.”

Of course, Smith pointed out that they are cheering for Rolle because “she has to bring it home for us. I have a lot of faith in Georgette.”

But he added that they are also interested in watching Woods perform because of her affiliation with Tiger Woods.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 26, 2018, PAGE 3

Star Trackers’ Jaide and Anthaya standout as CARIFTA qualifiers THE 2018 Flow CARIFTA Games is fast approaching and the focus right now is on getting athletes to attain the qualifying standards, although it doesn’t automatically name them to the team that will represent the Bahamas at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium over the Easter holiday weekend.

So far, there are just about a dozen athletes who have surpassed the qualifying standards, which the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations uses as their measuring stick in selecting its team once the athletes would have competed in the final trials.

The good thing for the Bahamas is that the North American and Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) decided to amend the age groups to revert to the under-17 and under-20 divisions from the under-18 and under-20 contested since 2013. What this means is that there are more younger athletes, starting at 13, who are eligible to compete.

The BAAA has benefited from the move as at least two athletes, who would have qualified last year, but could not compete because of the age limitation, have already qualified.

Versatile Jaide Knowles and Anthaya Charlton, both members of the Star Trackers Track Club, have surpassed the qualifying standards for the under-17 girls 100 metres at a meet they attended in Kingston, Jamaica, over the weekend.

Here at home, another young athlete, Shaunece Miller - the younger sister of Olympic champion Shaunae Miller - also qualified along with five other athletes at the Roadrunners Track and Field Meet at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

There are at least two more major meets, including Club Monica this

VERSATILE Jaide Knowles (left) and Anthaya Charlton, both members of the Star Trackers Track Club, surpassed the qualifying standards for the under-17 girls’ 100 metres at a meet in Kingston, Jamaica. last weekend. weekend and the Star Trackers over the weekend of February 3, coupled with both the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) from February 14-17 and Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) from February 28 to March 1 before the final trials are held from March 16-17.

That’s roughly seven weeks before the team is selected so hopefully, over the remaining meets, the performances will be improved and more athletes will attain the standards.

Before we know it, the CARIFTA Games will be here over the Easter holiday weekend, March 30-April 2.

The BAAA has opened its ticket offices and according to the Local Organising Committee, they want to encourage the Bahamian public to come out and get their tickets and not

wait until the last minute as they could lose out in securing their best seats in the stadium as many of the anticipated 26 visiting countries are making their purchases.

It would be disheartening to the colours of the other countries in the stands and as the host, the Bahamas is not fully represented.

The LOC also introduced Iggy, the CARIFTA mascot, during a special assembly on Wednesday at Yellow Elder Primary School. Over the next few weeks, they intend to take the iguana to more of the schools in their promotions to draw up the support. Hopefully, the students will be receptive, but their ticket sales could be contingent on their parents making the purchases.

It’s a pity that the games will take place during the break from school. Otherwise, the LOC could have offered a package deal

where the schools got tickets and for every one they sell, they get a percentage that could go towards their athletic programme. Maybe, it could still be done so they can try to attract as much of the students to attend as possible. Not only do we need the stadium full, but we need the athletes to perform up to standard with their peers. So there’s still a lot more work to be done in the lead up to the games.

Support for Rolle I know by the time you read this, she probably would have completed her second round in the 2018 Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Golf Club on Paradise Island.

But as the only player exempted to represent the Bahamas in the fourday tournament, I would have expected to see more Bahamians on the sidelines cheering her on. This is her

fifth time in the history of the six-year tournament that Rolle has secured the exemption card to represent the country.

With the tournament in her backyard, it would have been more encouraging for her to have seen more Bahamians rooting for her.

Yes, the $1.4 million tournament brings a high level of competition as the majority of the top players in the world are competing to advance to the final two days of competition. It would have been good for Rolle to have had a little more support trying to help her finally get over the hump.

Today is critical for her.

But whether she advances or not, we have to tip our hats because it’s not easy for a player, who has so many other commitments, including serving as secretary general of the Bahamas Golf Federation, as well as

an assistant pro at Baha Mar and instructing the future generation of golfers in her Fourteen Clubs Academy, who play golf year round.

Maybe the time should come where Rolle and maybe even Racquel Riley are given the kind of financial support that they need to go out on the tour and play in a few tournaments, even if they are just in the United States, to be able to hone their skills before the tournament comes back to our shores next year.

Again, this is another opportunity where the enormous Bahamian talent is on display, but yet there is not enough being done financially to get the maximum out of our players.

I’m sure that Rolle could have done better if she had a little more support on the sidelines and in getting to compete with her peers elsewhere in other major tournaments.

WESTBROOK HAS SEASON-BEST 46 TO LEAD THUNDER PAST WIZARDS

By The Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 46 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Washington Wizards 121112 last night for their sixth straight victory.

Westbrook made 19 of 29 field goals in one of his most efficient shooting performances of the season. Paul George scored 18 points and Steven Adams added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which has won 20 of 28 after an 8-12 start. The Thunder shot 52 percent from the field.

Bradley Beal scored 41 points and Markieff Morris added 20 for the Wizards, who committed 23 turnovers.

WARRIORS 126, TIMBERWOLVES 113 OAKLAND, Calif.

(AP) — Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 assists and

10 rebounds, and Golden State made a season-high 21 3-pointers in a victory over Minnesota.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each added 25 points for the Warriors, who matched their previous season high of 18 3-pointers by the end of the third quarter.

They made 57 percent from behind the arc in the game, with Thompson hitting seven, Durant adding six and Curry connecting on five.

Durant hit two 3s and Curry added a third in a 67-second span late in the third quarter, during which the Warriors (39-10) went 8 of 11 on 3-pointers, leading Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau to throw up his arms in frustration.

Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Jamal Crawford added 21 points and Jeff Teague had 17 points and seven assists for Minnesota, which played its

OKLAHOMA City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) gestures to the crowd following a dunk against the Washington Wizards during the fourth quarter last night.

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) fourth straight game without Jimmy Butler, who has a sore right knee.

KINGS 89, HEAT 88 MIAMI (AP) — De’Aaron Fox’s rebound dunk with 3 seconds left capped a huge comeback by Sacramento, which rallied from a 12-point, fourthquarter deficit to beat Miami.

The Kings outscored the Heat 17-4 in the final 5:46, winning at Miami for the first time since 2001.

Buddy Hield scored 24 points for Sacramento, which got 14 from Fox, 11 from Bogdan Bogdanovic and 10 from Zach Randolph.

Goran Dragic scored 23 points for Miami, and he was the only Heat starter to finish in double figures.

Wayne Ellington had 20 and Justise Winslow added 11 for the Heat.

NUGGETS 130, KNICKS 118 DENVER (AP) — Gary Harris scored 23 points, Trey Lyles had 21 and Denver beat New York.

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic added 18 points apiece for the Nuggets, who defeated the Knicks

for the 10th time in a row in Denver. New York hasn’t won in the Mile High City since 2006.

Seven Nuggets scored in double figures.

Kristaps Porzingis, returning to action after missing Tuesday’s loss at Golden State with a sore knee, and Michael Beasley each scored 21 points for the Knicks. Enes Kanter had 20 and Trey Burke 18.

BUDDY HIELD ON RISING STARS ROSTER FOR THE 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR FROM PAGE 1 there will be more years for that,” he said.

For the fourth consecutive year, the league’s annual showcase of premier young talent during All-Star Weekend will feature 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the US against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world.

The 24th Rising Stars is the first with Mtn Dew Kickstart as title partner, with the brand expanding

the event into a yearlong platform showcasing up-and-coming NBA players.

The World team includes five rookies and five second year players. The 10 players hail from nine different countries.

Joining Hield on the World Team will be his Sacramento Kings’ teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia), All-Star starter Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Dario Saric (Croatia) and Ben Simmons (Australia) of the Philadelphia 76ers, Jamal Murray (Canada) of the Denver Nuggets, Dillon

Brooks (Canada) of the Memphis Grizzlies, Lauri Markannen (Finland) of the Chicago Bulls, Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania) of the Indiana Pacers and Frank Ntilikina (France) of the New York Knicks.

The US Team features seven rookies and three second year players.

Headlining the team will be reigning Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Malcolm Brogdon of the Miluwakee Bucks. The remainder of the team includes Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram

of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Dennis Smith Jr of the Dallas Mavericks and Kris Dunn of the Chicago Bulls.

NBA opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories.

This marked the fourth consecutive season that opening-night rosters included at least 100

international players and that all 30 teams had at least one international player.

The NBA’s assistant coaches chose the rosters for the Mtn Dew Rising Stars, with each of the league’s 30 teams submitting one ballot per coaching staff.

Coaches selected four guards, four frontcourt players and two players at either position group for each team.

They also picked a minimum of three first-year players and three second-year players for each team.

PAGE 4, Friday, January 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

NEW PROVIDENCE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION HIGHLIGHTS

ON THE REPLAY: The Rockets earned a 7462 victory over the Caro Contractors Pirates in the men’s division one feature contest as the New Providence Basketball Association continued its regular season action at the AF Adderley Gymnasium on Monday night. Eugene Bain led four players in double figures with 17 points in 27 minutes and 24 seconds as the Rockets knocked off Caro Contractors as he shot 6-for-16 from the field and 5-for-11 from the free throw line. Bain also had nine rebounds. Barry Carter helped out with 12 points and 11 rebounds, Cordero Pinder came off the bench and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds and Dominique Beadle had 10 points and five rebounds.

Photos by Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Giants stop Shockers 85-81 FROM PAGE 1 6-for-9 from the charity stripe in 34:04 minutes as he also pulled down 14 rebounds and had seven steals. Shakwon Lewis came off the bench with 11 points and give assists. Domonique Dean had nine points and five rebounds, Jamaris King also came off the bench with eight points and four rebounds, Henderson Curry had nine points and Lamont Armaly chipped in with seven points and six assists also off the bench.

Commonwealth Bank trailed 20-18 at the end of

the first quarter, but had a 39-35 margin into the half.

They led 62-58 after three periods and outscored JD’s Seafood 23-21 in the fourth to preserve the win.

High Flyers 88, Resistance 72 Jeremy Neely, in 30:11 minutes, scored 21 points on 8-for-16 from the field, 3-for-7 from the three-point line and 2-for-4 from the foul line, in leading Breezes to victory. He also had six assists, two steals and two rebounds.

Dale Davis added 17 points and 13 rebounds,

Devontee Gibson came off the bench with 16 points and five rebounds and Brandon Stubbs had nine points and three rebounds and three assists, while both Enrico Bethel (seven rebounds) and Antoine Levarity added eight points.

In a losing effort for Caro Contractors, Quemah Gibson had a game high 25 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Matthew Davis had 12 points and Kamal Murphy 11.

The High Flyers led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter, 41-40 at the half and 63-58 after three quarters

as they held on for the win.

The NPBA will continue its action this weekend, but they will be playing at the Kendal Issacs Gymnasium because of the University of the Bahamas Mingoes’ home games.

Tonight 7pm - Rockets vs Triple K Stampers 8:30pm - PJ Stingers vs UB Mingoes Saturday 7pm - Mingoes vs Vitamalt Chargers 8:30pm - Rhythm Rebels vs Rockets

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 26, 2018, PAGE 5

Aussie Open: 1st major, top ranking at stake in Halep-Wozniacki final

By JOHN PYE Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — For the second time in the tournament, Simona Halep faced match points and knew one mistake would mean an exit from the Australian Open and the likely loss of her No. 1 ranking.

For the second time in just over a week, she attacked rather than take the safe approach. The 26-year-old Romanian saved two match points and needed four of her own against 2016 champion Angelique Kerber before winning 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 in the semifinals.

Halep will face No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki in the final on Saturday, with one of them guaranteed to win a first Grand Slam title.

The winner will also be No. 1 when the next rankings are released. Wozniacki, who beat Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-6 (2) in 1½ hours in the first semifinal, hasn’t held the top ranking in six years.

For Halep, playing in her first Grand Slam as the top seeded player, it’s a first major final beyond the clay courts of Roland Garros.

She lost French Open finals to Jelena Ostapenko last year — having led by a set and a break — and to Maria Sharapova in 2014.

For Wozniacki, it’s her first Grand Slam final outside of America. The two-time U.S. Open runner-up also had to save match points to reach her first Australian Open final.

She rallied from 5-1 down in the third set of her second-round win and said she’s been “playing with the house money” ever since. Previous Australian Open winners have saved match points en route to the final, but no woman has done it in two matches.

ROMANIA’s Simona Halep celebrates after defeating Germany’s Angelique Kerber yesterday in their semi-final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia.

(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Halep is hoping to change that, saying that saving triple match point in her third-round win against Lauren Davis that finished 15-13 in the third set had set her up mentally for the pressure of the semifinals.

“Definitely was very tough. I’m shaking now, I’m really emotional because I could win this match,” Halep said immediately after beating Kerber in another marathon. “I’m glad I could resist. Not easy in the tournament to have these matches, but I have just to enjoy.”

Marin Cilic is also enjoying his run, following up his quarterfinal upset against top-ranked Rafael Nadal with a 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over No. 49 Kyle Edmund. After reaching

the Australian final in his 10th attempt, the 2014 U.S. Open champion will face the winner of Friday’s semifinal match between defending champion Roger Federer and Hyeon Chung.

Halep twisted her left ankle in the first round, and said she’d made the decision then to risk it all at Melbourne Park and take a rest later.

“This match I had two match balls and I lost them so I said that if she came back, I can do it. I had just confidence in myself,” she said.

Halep has a new resolve after back-to-back firstround exits previously at Melbourne Park. She won a lot of the long, intense rallies against Kerber and hit 50 winners, which

surprised even her. She raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set, and led 3-1 in the second, but didn’t wilt as Kerber came back.

“I try to be very calm, but today I was like a roller coaster, up and down,” she said. “But I didn’t give up, not even a ball. I’m really proud of myself, actually.”

It wasn’t too different for Kerber, who was the only Grand Slam champion still in the women’s draw after she beat Sharapova in the third round.

“I had the two match points, but even I did two chances, she played good, so I couldn’t do anything,” Kerber said. “It was just a battle at the end. It’s just one or two points which decides the match. I gave everything.”

Wozniacki appeared to be coasting, getting breaks in the middle of each set of her semifinal match, but got tight when she was serving for the match at 5-4. From 30-15, she double-faulted twice and Mertens passed her with a forehand winner to level the set at 5-5.

The 37th-ranked Mertens, who reached the semifinals in her Australian Open debut, had two set points before Wozniacki held a service game lasting 8½ minutes to force a tiebreaker.

“I got really tight,” Wozniacki said. “Once she had set points. I thought, ‘OK, now you just have to go for it ... she’s nervous now, too.’

“I managed to just gather myself, and thankfully closed it out in the end.”

Wozniacki squandered a match point in an Australian Open semi-final match against Li Na seven years ago, but held her composure this time around and converted her first match point in the tiebreaker. It was that semifinal loss to Li that has haunted her most among her near-misses.

“That’s one of the ones that hurt extra because it was going into the finals of a Grand Slam,” she said.

“I felt like I was playing better on the day.

“I felt like it was my time to get there.

“That’s why it hurt extra that I lost that day, especially with being one point away.”

Halep said she’s had the top ranking before, so winning a major has become more important.

“It’s also my dream, to win a Grand Slam title,” Halep said. “But, you know, it’s always tough when you are close. I had this opportunity two times.

The last one was very close.”

Love back at power forward as chaotic Cavs tweak lineup

By TOM WITHERS Associated Press INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Kevin Love’s latest move hasn’t made any of the Cavaliers screaming mad.

There’s a positive change.

Targeted by some teammates during a heated meeting this week, Love is returning to power forward after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue tweaked his lineup in hopes of reviving a team that has dropped 10 of 13 games.

Lue had been resisting changes, but following Thursday’s practice he announced he’s dropping forward Jae Crowder to the second team, returning center Tristan Thompson to the starting lineup and switching Love, who was named an All-Star reserve, back to a position where he is much more comfortable.

LeBron James and his teammates have been consumed in recent days by chaos, highlighted by a pre-practice meeting Monday when players aired grievances. A few targeted their frustration at Love, who went home sick from Saturday’s lopsided loss to Oklahoma City and missed Sunday’s practice.

Lue said he considered other changes, but decided the Crowder-Thompson-Love maneuver is it for the moment. “It’s not a good time right now,” Lue said.

“Just see how this works first and go from there.”

Cleveland’s season is crumbling with every loss, and Lue had little choice but to do something to slow the decay. He had several other options, like benching either point guard Isaiah Thomas or struggling shooter J.R. Smith, but Lue felt the move with Crowder made most sense. Lue said Crowder,

CLEVELAND Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) reacts after he was called for a personal foul against San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) during the first half Tuesday night in San Antonio.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay) who started 43 of Cleveland’s 46 games, accepted the demotion without pushback.

“Jae has been playing good the last few games and it has nothing to do with Jae,” Lue said.

“He’s been great. He’s all about the right things. He’s all about the team. You hate to make these changes. Not saying it’s permanent, but he’s about the team. Went and talked to him this morning and he said, ‘Whatever is best for the team.

I’m all in.’ It was a great talk with him.”

Lue believes Thompson’s defensive ability will help when opponents run pick-and-rolls on the undersized Thomas, who is still finding his rhythm after missing seven months with a hip injury.

On the offensive end, Thompson’s screens might free up Thomas as well. When Lue informed Love of the switch,

the five-time All-Star said, “good.”

It’s the best thing that’s happened in days for Love, who has spent much of his four seasons in Cleveland under attack.

While he struggles on the defensive end against bigger players, Love is a matchup nightmare for defenses because of his ability to play with his back to the basket and outside range. He willingly moved to center this season for Lue, who appears to be done with his “small-ball” lineup.

“He felt good about it and I think offensively for him now he can post more 4s,” Lue said.

“Get back to posting him more.

I think it’s a good adjustment for us. Just have to see how it looks going forward.”

While they’ve made an onfloor adjustment to improve, the Cavs have unresolved issues away from the court. Thompson said the team’s fractured

relationships may not heal.

“That’s part of life,” he said.

“But at the end of the day when we’re between these lines, we got to play for one another and that’s all that matters. I don’t care if X don’t like X off the court. ... As long as you’re on the court playing hard and playing for each other, that’s all that matters to me. We don’t got to talk to each other off the court. As long as we talk on the court, on the defensive end, that’s all that matters to me.”

The Cavs have been at each other’s throats before. “We’ll be fine,” James said. “We’ve got to work our habits though. It’s not going to be as easy as we’d all like it to be. But at the end of the day, nothing has ever come easy to me, so I actually like what we are. I don’t like losing, I don’t like the way we’ve been losing. But I think it’s going to help us out in the long run.”

WILLIAMS (AP)

SERENA TO RETURN AT INDIAN WELLS IN MARCH INDIAN WELLS, Calif.

(AP) — Serena Williams is returning to tournament play for the first time since giving birth in September.

Williams was among the entries released Wednesday for the BNP Paribas Open, which runs March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

It will be the two-time champion’s first tournament in 14 months, since winning the 2017 Australian Open. She lost an exhibition to Jelena Ostapenko in United Arab Emirates on December 30.

Williams reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2015 and the finals in 2016 after returning to the California event she had boycotted for years because of racial comments from the stands.

Top-ranked Simona Halep, defending champion Elena Vesnina, and former winners Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki are set to play.

Also entered is Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens, Karolina Pliskova, and Americans Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe.

On the men’s side, defending champion Roger Federer will go for his sixth tournament title. Novak Djokovic also has won five times and is entered along with Rafael Nadal, Grigor Dimitrov, Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 26, 2018, PAGE 7

EUROPEAN SOCCER WEEKEND: WHAT TO WATCH IN THE MAIN LEAGUES

By The Associated Press WHAT to watch in the leading soccer leagues in Europe this weekend: SPAIN After embarrassing elimination by Leganes in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid returns to the league to face a side it has struggled against in recent years.

Madrid hasn’t won at Valencia since 2013, losing twice in that period. The European champions were held to a 2-2 home draw by Valencia this season.

Fourth in the standings, Madrid trails Valencia by five points with a game in hand. Barcelona, which hosts relegation-threatened Alaves on Sunday, is 19 points ahead of Madrid and 11 in front of second-place Atletico Madrid.

Atletico, winless in three games and coming off elimination to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, hosts next-to-last Las Palmas on Sunday.

— By Tales Azzoni in Madrid

ENGLAND Chelsea is looking to avoid a second cup loss in four days.

After being knocked out of the League Cup by Arsenal in Wednesday’s semi-finals, Chelsea hosts Newcastle in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday with manager Antonio Conte again complaining about the lack of depth in his squad.

Liverpool is also in an all-Premier League match, against West Bromwich Albion, while Watford visits Southampton.

Manchester United is set to give Alexis Sanchez his debut today against fourth-tier club Yeovil — the lowest-ranked team in the competition. Tottenham travels to Newport, which is also in the fourth tier, on Saturday.

Manchester City visits second-tier club Cardiff on Sunday as the Premier League leaders continue their bid for an unlikely quadruple.

City has reached the League Cup final and is also

danger of relegation after six games without a win.

Bayern, which leads by 16 points, welcomes a Hoffenheim side on Saturday that has never won in Munich.

— By Ciaran Fahey in Garmisch-Partenkirchen FRANCE With Paris Saint-Germain eight points clear, the fight for second place is turning into a three-way contest between Lyon, Marseille and Monaco.

Lyon is second, one point ahead of Marseille and two in front of Monaco, but there could be a shake-up this weekend.

In Sunday’s big game, Marseille’s well-organised defence will be put to the test by visiting Monaco.

Marseille has kept a clean sheet in five straight games and in 10 of the past 13.

Although Monaco is leaking goals, it is at least potent in attack, scoring 20 in the past eight matches.

Lyon travels to Bordeaux on Sunday with confidence high following Sunday’s home win against PSG and

CHELSEA head coach Antonio Conte stands at the end of the English League Cup semi-final second leg soccer match against Arsenal at the Emirates stadium in London Wednesday. Arsenal won 2-1 and will play the final of the tournament.

(AP Photo/Matt Dunham) through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

— By Steve Douglas in Manchester

rising to second. Even a draw would be enough for ‘Gladbach to overtake Leverkusen.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could return for Borussia Dortmund at home against Freiburg on Saturday. The troubled forward was left out of the squad for the last two games amid reports of a move to Arsenal.

Bernd Hollerbach will make his debut as Hamburger SV coach at Leipzig on Saturday. Hamburg is in

GERMANY The competition is fierce behind first-place Bayern Munich with four points separating second-place Bayer Leverkusen and Hannover in 10th.

The 20th round of games starts with Eintracht Frankfurt hosting Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday, with the winner

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 70° F/21° C Low: 58° F/14° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Partly sunny and windy

Partly cloudy, a shower; windy

Clouds and sun with a shower; windy

Clouds and sun, a shower; breezy

Breezy with rain and a thunderstorm

Breezy with partial sunshine

High: 79°

Low: 67°

High: 80° Low: 70°

High: 82° Low: 70°

High: 81° Low: 65°

High: 76° Low: 64°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

76° F

60° F

76°-65° F

82°-67° F

84°-62° F

76°-60° F

High: 74° F/23° C Low: 60° F/16° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 70° F/21° C Low: 67° F/19° C

15-25 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 71° F/22° C Low: 66° F/19° C

15-25 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 71° F/22° C Low: 68° F/20° C

N

S

E

W

High: 73° F/23° C Low: 64° F/18° C

MIAMI

High: 74° F/23° C Low: 69° F/21° C

10-20 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 79° F/26° C Low .................................................... 74° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 77° F/25° C Normal low ........................................ 65° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 80° F/27° C Last year’s low ................................... 58° F/15° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday .................................. trace Year to date ................................................. 5.58” Normal year to date ..................................... 1.05”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 67° F/19° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018

High: 74° F/23° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 73° F/23° C Low: 65° F/18° C

E

W

15-25 knots

S

20-30 knots

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

2:28 a.m.

2:42 p.m.

2.7 2.2

8:52 a.m. 0.2 9:00 p.m. -0.4

Saturday

3:31 a.m.

3:47 p.m.

2.8 2.3

9:59 a.m. 0.0 10:01 p.m. -0.5

Sunday

4:32 a.m.

4:51 p.m.

3.0 2.4

11:02 a.m. -0.2 11:02 p.m. -0.7

Monday

5:31 a.m.

5:51 p.m.

3.2 2.5

12:00 p.m. -0.5 ---------

Tuesday

6:27 a.m.

6:48 p.m.

3.4 2.7

12:01 a.m. -0.9 12:55 p.m. -0.7

Wednesday 7:20 a.m.

7:42 p.m.

3.5 2.8

12:57 a.m. -1.0 1:47 p.m. -0.8

Thursday

3.4 2.8

1:52 a.m. -1.1 2:37 p.m. -0.9

8:11 a.m.

8:35 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:55 a.m.

5:50 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

1:15 p.m.

1:43 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Jan. 31

Feb. 7

Feb. 15

Feb. 23

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 72° F/22° C

N

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map H

uV inDex toDay

High: 75° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N

S

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

ITALY It looks like being a fight between Juventus and Napoli for the title.

Napoli, holding a onepoint lead, hosts Bologna on Sunday while Juventus travels to Chievo Verona on Saturday.

Third-place Lazio is eight points off the lead ahead of its match at AC Milan, held three days before the teams meet in the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals.

Inter Milan heads to relegation-threatened Spal seeking a first win in the league since beating Chievo 5-0 on December 3. Inter has slipped to fourth, 11 points behind Napoli.

— By Daniella Matar in Milan

CAT ISLAND

E

W

victory at Monaco in the French Cup on Wednesday.

PSG hosts Montpellier on Saturday. While Montpellier has the best defence in the league with 15 goals conceded in 22 games, PSG has scored a division-high 68.

— By Jerome Pugmire in Paris

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 74° F/23° C

20-30 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 79° F/26° C Low: 75° F/24° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 78° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 80° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

12-25 knots

12-25 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS NE at 15-25 Knots E at 20-30 Knots NE at 15-25 Knots E at 25-35 Knots NE at 20-30 Knots E at 25-35 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 20-30 Knots NE at 20-30 Knots E at 25-35 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots E at 15-25 Knots NE at 20-30 Knots E at 25-35 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 20-30 Knots NE at 15-25 Knots ENE at 25-35 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 20-30 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots E at 10-20 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots E at 25-35 Knots NE at 20-30 Knots E at 25-35 Knots

WAVES 8-12 Feet 10-14 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 8-12 Feet 8-12 Feet 5-9 Feet 10-14 Feet 10-14 Feet 10-14 Feet 5-9 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 5-9 Feet 12-16 Feet 4-7 Feet 6-10 Feet 6-10 Feet 12-16 Feet 5-9 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-8 Feet 8-12 Feet 6-10 Feet 6-10 Feet

VISIBILITY 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 74° F 74° F 76° F 76° F 77° F 77° F 79° F 79° F 77° F 77° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 80° F 80° F 79° F 79° F 73° F 73° F 75° F 75° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F