02022018 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Falcons, SAC in win column

SUPERBOWL

PICKS, Page 14

SAUNDERS NAMED TO ACC ALLACADEMIC TEAM

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

JORDAN Prince William Falcons and St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine each placed multiple teams in the BAISS Championship final and each had two teams win yesterday as the series tipped off in the four divisions. In Junior Girls’ play, the Big Red Machine scored a 33-21 win over the top seeded Falcons. The same two teams matched up in the Senior Girls division and the Falcons got the 42-24 win. In Junior Boys’ play, the Falcons scored the most lopsided win of the day with a 55-30 win over the Temple Christian Suns. The Senior Boys closed out the night with the Big Red Machine pulling off the upset with a 71-67 win over the Falcons.

Game two in each series continues 4pm today at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

HARRIS HITS 3 AT BUZZER, NUGGETS BEAT THUNDER 127-124

Page 13

DENVER (AP) — Gary Harris made the winning 3-pointer at the buzzer and finished with 25 points to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 127124 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.

Nikola Jokic added his third triple-double of the season with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists, including the inbounds pass to Harris with 1.4 seconds remaining.

Harris grabbed the ball and put it up for the win before running off

the court, his hand held high in celebration. Jamal Murray had 33 points to lead the Nuggets, who had lost their previous two games by a total of three points when they missed last-second shots.

Paul George had a season-high 43 points to lead the Thunder.

Westbrook had 21 assists, one shy of his career high, to go with 20 points and nine rebounds. Trailing by 15 at the half, the Thunder pulled within nine points at 76-67

on a jumper by George, but the Nuggets put together a 12-5 burst that included 3-pointers by Harris and Murray to go back in front by 15 points. They held a 104-89 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Thunder narrowed the deficit to six on a driving layup

by George with 4:40 remaining.

Moments later, Westbrook hit a 3-pointer to pull Oklahoma City within four at 118-114 with 1:44 remaining.

FOR the second consecutive year, Mavin Saunders was honoured for his excellence in the classroom by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Saunders was named to the ACC All-Academic Team following his final season with the programme.

The All-Academic requires at least a 3.00 grade-point average for the fall semester and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00.

The team is selected based on academic and athletic achievement.

Saunders earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology in December and was a two-time member of the Dean’s List at Florida State.

The Bimini native is set to join the Kansas Jayhawks programme this fall to complete his eligibility.

“Thank you Nole Nation for a great 3 1/2 years. To my former teammates I will miss you guys dearly and wish you all nothing but the best. With that being said I have decided to play my final season at Kanas University. I look forward to being a part of a great up and coming programme,” Saunders tweeted.

Saunders joins a Kansas Jayhawks programme that finished just 1-11 last season and 0-9 in the Big 12.

The Jayhawks will return two tight ends from last year’s roster, redshirt sophomore Jace Sternberger and sophomore John Kelly.

They will also return nine starters on offence, providing a much more experienced roster for the 2018 campaign.

Following a disappointing season for the entire Seminoles football programme, Saunders announced his intention to transfer in late November.

Saunders did not record a reception this year in his junior season and his Seminole stats for his career include 16 receptions for 234 yards.

The 6’6”, 258-pound tight end finished his sophomore season with 10 receptions for 182 yards - both career highs. As a redshirt freshman he totalled six receptions for 52 yards.

Saunders rose to prominence in the Tallahassee community for his work off the field. And he was one of 11 players named to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.

Saunders was nominated for the honour in July based on his contributions to the surrounding community in Tallahassee, Florida, as a volunteer mentor at Riley Elementary School.

He was also named to the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honour Roll for the 2016-17 season.

RUGBY ACTION THIS WEEKEND THE Bahamas Rugby Union will continue its regular season action this weekend at the Winton rugby pitch in Winton Meadows.

On Saturday, Baillou Old Boys will take on the Cracked Conchs at 3:30pm in a game that is a part of Baillou’s 50th annual season celebrations.

On Sunday, the Nassau Renegades will face the Charlotte Barbarians at noon. The game is being played early because the touring team are on a cruise ship.

PAGE 12, Friday, February 2, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, February 2, 2018, PAGE 13

Kudos to International Elite, Max D for helping our baseballers get to next level

IT’S one thing to talk about what you can do, but it’s another to actually go out there and do it.

Over the past decade, both Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright have talked about the day that they would be done with playing professional baseball and coming back home to give back to the sport that has helped them to achieve their ultimate goal in life - play professional baseball.

While Richardson was the only one to excel to the top of the sport, playing in the Major League, Cartwright was able to enjoy a long career in the minor league.

The two officially retired from playing last year and are now back home fulfilling the other aspect of their lives, giving back to the Bahamian community.

The two were instrumental in the formation of the Maximum Development Sports Academy, along with Geron Sands and Greg Burrows Jr, all of whom came up through the ranks of Freedom Farm and went on to play at American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida.

Max D, as it was affectionately called, served as the basis for providing a number of Bahamian high school players to either continue their education in the United States or earn athletic scholarships. That also led to a number of scouts

from various professional baseball teams coming to the Bahamas to conduct clinics and eventually signing a number of players to professional contracts.

Just last year, Cartwright and Sands branched out on their own and formed the International Elite Sports Academy. Today, they are continuing to carry on the mandate they had with Max D in helping to provide the opportunities for more Bahamians to get into the pro ranks.

Last month, it was Keithron Moss who inked his name on a deal with the Texas Rangers and is now in the Dominican Republic in their offseason training camp.

On Wednesday, IESA helped to facilitate the signing of Courtney Smith to the Rangers as well. He too is expected to go to the Dominican Republic to get acclimatised to the pro ranks.

It’s not known why there was a split in Max D that led to the formation of the I Elite as neither parties want to fully disclose what took place behind the scenes.

But without going into any details, it’s good to see that the organisation under the direction of Cartwright and Sands is still making it possible for the Bahamian players to get to the next level.

At present, there are close to 20 players in the pipeline of Major League

COURTNEY SMITH (fourth from left) with fellow Minor Leaguers and International Elite executives. baseball and the way the scouts have been coming here, it seems as if there will be many more players to follow suit.

Cliff Terracuso, the Texas Rangers’ scout for the South area, including Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. best summed it up after he watched Smith sign his contract.

“They understand the game, they love the players here and they do a good job of guiding and training the players here, training them

what’s right and what’s wrong and how to train and how to become a professional baseball player,” he pointed out.

“So I have to give a lot of credit to Island Elite. Those guys are amazing. They do a great job for baseball here in the Bahamas.”

Kudos to both Max D and International Elite as well as Antoan Richardson, Albert Cartwright, Geron Sands and Greg Burrows Jr. They not only talked the talk, but they also walked

the talk. They should be commended for the role they played in the developments of so many young men’s lives through the sport of baseball.

Now if only we can get the new baseball stadium completed and senior baseball playing again, it will make a world of a difference in the further development of the game at both the national and international level.

Hopefully before all of these players are done playing, the Bahamas can also

get to field its own national team again to compete at the international level.

The home derby organised in January by Todd Isaacs Jr and Lucius Fox Jr was just a prime example of what could be accomplished as the public got to see just about all of the current pro players on stage at Montagu.

What a treat it would be to see all of them on the baseball diamond together.

Look out for it. It’s coming.

EUROPEAN SOCCER WEEKEND: WHAT TO WATCH IN THE MAIN LEAGUES WHAT to watch in the leading soccer leagues in Europe this weekend:

DETROIT Pistons forward Blake Griffin (23) is defended by Memphis Grizzlies guard Wayne Selden while going to the basket in the first half last night in Detroit.

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Griffin gets double-double as Pistons beat Grizzlies 104-102 DETROIT (AP) — Blake Griffin had 24 points and 10 rebounds in his debut for Detroit, and the Pistons edged the Memphis Grizzlies 104-102 last night.

Griffin was impressive throughout his first game for the Pistons since they traded for him earlier this week. His teammates looked uncertain at times, but Detroit was able to outlast a Memphis team that is without Tyreke Evans and Mike Conley.

Anthony Tolliver’s 3-pointer with under two minutes remaining gave Detroit a 101-100 lead, and the score stayed that way until the final seconds.

Marc Gasol attempted to drive on Griffin but missed his shot, and a wild scramble led to a jump ball between Tolliver and Dillon Brooks with 10.4 seconds left.

ROCKETS 102, SPURS 91 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — James Harden had 28 points and 11 assists, and the Rockets dominated the Spurs for the second time this season.

Clint Capela added 14 points and 13 rebounds in Houston’s third straight win.

The Rockets led by as many as 19 points in the first matchup between the Texas rivals since the Spurs’ 124-109 blowout loss on Dec. 15 in Houston.

Danny Green had 22 points to lead San Antonio in scoring for the first time this season. LaMarcus Aldridge was held to 16 points on 8-for-15 shooting.

The Spurs’ only lead came in the opening minutes. They trailed by double digits for much of the night.

TIMBERWOLVES 108, BUCKS 89 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Minnesota, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 11 rebounds for his NBA-best 46th double-double.

The Timberwolves were coming off consecutive losses at Atlanta and Toronto. They have lost six of their last seven road games and have returned home with back-to-back losses from their last three road trips.

Each time, Minnesota has responded at home with a victory, winning by an average of 14.25 points. The Timberwolves’ 21-6 home record represents the secondmost home wins in the NBA behind San Antonio’s 22.

Khris Middleton scored 21 points for Milwaukee, which had won four in a row.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 17 points and 15 rebounds.

WIZARDS 122, RAPTORS 119 WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half, leading Washington to the victory.

The Wizards had eight players score in double figures in their third straight win without All-Star John Wall, who had surgery on his left knee on Wednesday. Otto Porter Jr. had 16 points and 11 rebounds in his first double-double since early December, and Markieff Morris scored 15 points — including five straight in a stretch that gave Washington the lead for good.

ENGLAND Tottenham’s hopes of Champions League qualification could rest on its dismal record against top-six rivals being halted. In away games at least.

A victory over Manchester United on Wednesday showed Tottenham is more than capable of beating leading sides at home, as did the dismantling of Liverpool in October.

But Tottenham travels to Liverpool on Sunday with 11 losses in 18 away games against top-six sides under Mauricio Pochettino and only one victory — against Manchester City. Fifth-place Tottenham is two points behind Chelsea and Liverpool.

The title is a procession, with City making the short trip to Burnley on Saturday after extending its lead to 15 points over Man United. Jose Mourinho’s side on Saturday hosts Huddersfield, which won the reverse fixture in October. Sixth-place Arsenal hosts Everton on Saturday while Chelsea completes the 26th round of games at Watford on Monday.

SPAIN Barcelona, on Sunday, faces the only team that has succeeded against Lionel Messi and company in recent months.

Crosstown rival Espanyol ended Barcelona’s 29-game unbeaten streak in a Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg two weeks ago, although Barcelona avoided elimination by winning the return match 2-0 at Camp Nou. Barcelona has an 11-point lead over Atletico Madrid, which hosts third-place Valencia on Sunday with the teams separated by six points.

Fourth-place Real Madrid, 19 points off the lead with a game in hand, will try to move closer to the front-runners when it meets struggling Levante on Saturday.

— By Tales Azzoni in Madrid GERMANY Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Stoeger makes a quick return to Cologne on Friday after leaving the club in December.

Stoeger, remembered fondly at Cologne for earning promotion and overseeing steady progress until this season’s winless start, is hoping to end Dortmund’s threegame run without a victory.

Last-place Cologne is fighting for Bundesliga survival but has gone four games unbeaten, including three wins.

“The euphoria that’s developing here is positive. The lads will keep throwing themselves in there. Nobody here has given up,” said Cologne general manager Armin Veh. Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez also faces a quick reunion at Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Tayfun Korkut makes his debut as Stuttgart coach, hoping to revitalise the side

LIVERPOOL’s Emre Can celebrates scoring his side’s first goal of the game against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday.

(Martin Rickett/PA via AP) after six defeats in seven league games.

Bayern Munich, which has a 16-point lead at the top, visits Mainz on Saturday, when Borussia Moenchengladbach hosts Leipzig in a duel for European places. Relegationthreatened Hamburger SV faces Hannover on Sunday.

— By Ciaran Fahey in Berlin ITALY Inter Milan will chase a first win in two months at home to struggling Crotone on Saturday.

Inter made it seven league matches without a victory last weekend when it drew at 18th-place Spal. The form slump has seen the club slide down the table to fourth, 13 points behind leader Napoli, which visits last-place Benevento on Sunday.

Juventus, a point behind Napoli, hosts Sassuolo earlier in the day. Third-place Lazio is 11 points off the pace and needs a win at home to Genoa on Monday to keep its slender hopes alive.

—By Daniella Matar in Milan FRANCE Mathieu Debuchy is trying another spell in France and Saint-Etienne is hoping the right back can help its porous defence.

The 32-year-old Debuchy left Arsenal on transfer deadline day after making only 30 appearances for the London club since 2014. Debuchy previously played 242 matches in the French top-flight and won the title with Lille in 2011.

Saint-Etienne, the most decorated French club with 10 league titles, has conceded 38 goals in 23 games this season.

The club is two points above the relegation zone ahead of a trip to promoted Amiens on Saturday.

Paris Saint-Germain travels to Lille on Saturday looking to maintain its 11-point lead over Lyon and Marseille at the top.

Seven-time champion Lyon faces a tricky game at defending champion Monaco on Sunday while Marseille hosts Metz on Friday.

—By Samuel Petrequin in Paris

PAGE 14, Friday, February 2, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Underdog Eagles seek to pull off historic comeback story BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — America loves comeback stories, the last-to-first variety that features new stars, big plays and a monumental triumph at the end.

That would be the tale of the Philadelphia Eagles if they win Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The oddsmakers don’t see it happening and have installed the New England Patriots — yes, them again — as 4½-point favourites.

Give Philly its due, however: The Eagles have a strong chance of winning their first NFL crown since 1960 and their first Lombardi Trophy.

Will they? Read on.

Doug Pederson’s bunch has shown the resilience of a champion, losing such key players as quarterback Carson Wentz, a strong MVP contender, left tackle Jason Peters, linebacker Jordan Hicks and running back Darren Sproles to injuries. “It’s the nextman-up mentality,” Pederson says.

“It also means that you have some veteran players that keep things together, and good coaching staffs.

I think it’s a tribute to the players and everyone involved that they can keep things going even through that adversity.”

Philadelphia has not yielded a point in the second half of either playoff game. It put 31 on the stingiest scoring defence in the league, and threw in a defensive TD in routing Minnesota for the NFC championship. Its backup quarterback, Nick Foles, has been everything from solid to spectacular in his career playoff games.

The Eagles can disrupt Tom Brady with a fierce pass rush up front, led by Fletcher Cox, who has been the best defensive player in the entire postseason. They have threats on offence in the passing game and at running back.

And they are facing a New England squad that has not been as powerful as some of the teams

Brady has led in seven previous Super Bowls, going 5-2.

Yet, don’t be misled. These are still the Patriots, probably the most resourceful group of athletes on the planet. They make big plays, not only thanks to Brady’s

arm but on a defense that only recently began getting the praise it warrants.

Plus, they have all that experience in the big game, bringing 31 players back from last year’s championship roster.

“We know what to expect, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to perform,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy said.

“So there’s really no upper hand.

You’ve got to just play the game and get ready for it and play at a high level.”

New England doesn’t always do that in the Super Bowl. Recall last February’s first 40 minutes or so, when it was down 28-3 to Atlanta before the Falcons stopped charging and Brady led an historic rally.

The one consistency about the Patriots is that they play close Super Bowls. The total difference in scoring in those seven games is 12 points: Patriots 169, opponents 157.

So do they pull out another close one, or does Philly complete its uplifting saga?

It all comes down to one thing: which team has Brady.

PATRIOTS 24, EAGLES 23

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, February 2, 2018, PAGE 15

28 Russians have Olympic doping bans lifted

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Twentyeight Russian athletes had their Olympic doping bans overturned yesterday, throwing the International Olympic Committee’s policy on the country into turmoil.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling was set to reinstate seven Russian medals from the 2014 Sochi Olympics, including gold in men’s skeleton and men’s 50-kilometre cross-country skiing.

“This does not mean that these 28 athletes are declared innocent, but in their case, due to insufficient evidence, the appeals are upheld, the sanctions annulled and their individual results achieved in Sochi are reinstated,” CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb said in Pyeongchang.

The IOC said it had taken note of the CAS decision “with satisfaction on the one hand and disappointment on the other,” adding the decision “may have a serious impact on the future fight against doping.”

The 28 who had their bans lifted could now seek late entry into the Pyeongchang Olympics.

But the IOC said “not being sanctioned does not automatically confer the privilege of an invitation.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the ruling “can’t fail to please us, and it confirms our position that the overwhelming majority of our athletes are clean athletes.”

However, Putin also called for respect for the IOC, saying in comments reported by state news agency RIA Novosti that “there

should not be any euphoria from our side and we need to be calm about this.”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said at a televised cabinet meeting that the government would back further legal action to allow the athletes to compete in Pyeongchang “if the IOC does not accept them.”

Eleven more Russians were ruled to have been guilty of doping but had lifetime bans imposed by an IOC disciplinary panel two months ago cut to a ban only from the Pyeongchang Games, which open next week.

In the urgent verdicts, the two CAS judging panels who heard 39 appeal cases last week in Geneva — and took testimony from Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov — did not give detailed reasons.

“In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned,” the sports court said in a statement.

CAS said it “unanimously found that the evidence put forward by the IOC in relation to this matter did not have the same weight in each individual case.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency, whose investigator Richard McLaren verified Rodchenkov’s claims, said late Thursday it “notes with serious concern” the CAS decision and did not rule out an appeal.

“WADA understands that this decision will cause dismay and frustration among athletes. The agency supports the IOC’s intention to analyse these decisions

very carefully and consider all options, including an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.”

The 11 whose appeals were rejected came from men’s bobsled, women’s cross-country skiing and women’s hockey. They included two-time bobsled gold medallist Alexander Zubkov.

His re-tested samples had abnormal levels of salt, suggesting his tainted urine was swapped in the Sochi testing laboratory with previously stored clean urine, as Rodchenkov said.

Still, the CAS rulings will be seen as a victory for Russia, which has long denied it ran a statebacked doping programme.

“It’s a big victory for them and I’m relieved that justice has finally been done,” Philippe Baertsch, a lawyer for the athletes, told The Associated Press.

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