SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2025
Lady Rebels ready for March Madness
By BRENT STUBBS
It’s March Madness again and for the fourth consecutive year, Grand Bahamian Yolett McPhee-McCuin will be coaching her University of Mississippi Lady Rebels in the field of 64 collegiate women’s basketball teams in the United States of America.
Ole Miss, coming off a quarterfinal appearance in the Southeastern Conference Championships two weeks ago, has been selected as the number five in Region1 - Spokane. They will take on the No.12 Ball State on Friday in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s 2025 Women’s Basketball
Tournament at the Foster Pavillion in Waco, Texas.
At the SEC Championships, McPhee-McCuin said they played the cards they were dealt with, but it’s something that they lost 70-63 to the University of Texas on March 7 in Greenville, South Carolina.
“We lost to the number one team in the country at the time, so it still put us in a situation where we get the highest seed we’ve ever received for the NCAA Tournament,” said McPhee-McCuin, who is now in her seventh year as the Lady Rebels’ head coach.
“We played in the SEC, the number one conference in the country, but you can only have one champion and when you lose, you go home and we lost. That’s just how it is.”
But with that experience behind them, McPheeMcCuin said she has been preparing her Lady Rebels for their fourth-straight run at the prestigious NCAA Tournament, dubbed March Madness.
“They are definitely wellrested and have started to get into game form, meaning like we started to ramp up our workouts so we will be ready to go,” she pointed out.
“Now, you only have six games remaining so when you lose, you go home. We’re going to try not to lose because we’re not ready to go home just yet.”
Ole Miss, who finished their season with a 20-10 win-loss record, will face the MAC Conference champions Ball State, who were 26-7 during their season.
But McPhee-McCuin said her Lady Rebels are
not going to let that be a disturbance.
“Anyone who gets into this tournament is a contender,” she pointed out.
“So, we respect them for sure,” she pointed out.
“But we will come out at a high level to compete.
“I feel like if we play our game, we should come out with a victory for sure.”
And as usual, McPheeMCuin said that’s what is so unique about this time of the year.
“Anytime you’re one of the 64 teams to get invited, this is a special time. That’s what I like about March Madness,” she stated.
“You don’t know, anything could happen. So I’m excited about us lacing it
up and seeing how far we can go.”
Two years ago, McPheeMcCuin said nobody expected anything spectacular from Ole Miss, but they went on to reach the Sweet 16. This year, she said she’s hoping that they can do something even more historic.
“I love my team. I think they compete at a high level,” said McPheeMcCuin, of her leading cast that includes Madison Scott, Kennedy Todd-Williams and KK Deans.
“They are playing their best basketball now. They understand what’s at stake and so they want to play very well, so I’m looking forward to being right
there next to them every step of the way.”
Fellow Bahamian Rhema Collins - a 6-foot, 2-inch forward in her sophomore year - has been injured, but McPheeMcCuin said she’s back and ready to go for the Lady Rebels.
“Her injury really set her back, in my opinion,” McPhee-McCuin said.
“But she’s back healthy. That’s not holding her back. She just has a couple people ahead of her in playing standpoint. But she will be ready to go if her number is called.”
Like she got from their response in watching the
PAGE 15
COACH TRAVANO MCPHEE:
By TENAJH SWEETING
THE 2025 Noble Preparatory Academy (NPA)
Track & Field Classic was a success for the second consecutive year on Saturday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.
A number of athletes from the primary school to senior level put their skills on display at the one-day meet. Event organiser Geno Bullard classified the meet as an overwhelming success.
“We feel like the event was an overwhelming success. We had a complete mixture of junior athletes, primary athletes, senior athletes, high school athletes all attending different track clubs, high schools and primary schools.
“We had a very wellbalanced event. It was very exciting to see so many youths. For example, we had over 26 young students under-11 and under-10 that
were jumping in the long jump pit,” he said. Coach Bullard said it was also a privilege to honour The Bahamas’ first CARIFTA medallist Peter Pratt over the weekend.
“We had a good complement of all different age groups and levels at the meet and once again I feel like it was an overwhelming success. Another highlight of the event is we got to honour one of my personal mentors and friends of over 20 years, Peter Pratt, who is a living legend as far as athletics and his specialty the long jump,” he said.
Track Events Samara Cumberbatch, who competed unattached, ran away with the win in the under-17 girls’ 1500m event. She clocked 5:30.95 in the victory.
Gianne Nairn, of DTSP WolfPack, came second in 5:53.56 and Mattia Humes got third at 6:39.14. In the boys’ event, Qurai Frith was the lone
competitor. He ran a time of 5:03.29. Noble Prep’s John Kenel Veronat competed alone in the men’s 1500m open category. He posted a time of 5:40.46. In the 110m hurdles event, Aniyah Musgrove competed solo for Star Trackers in the under-17 girls’ category. She stopped the clock at 17.56 seconds. Simon Sands, who competed unattached, took the win in the boys’ event in 15.24 seconds.
Red-Line Athletics’ Kevan Saunders was the only competitor in the under-20 boys’ 110m hurdles event. He crossed the finish line in 15.89 seconds. Roadrunners’ Akaree
Roberts ran 58.23 seconds for first place in the women’s 400m dash open.
Malynte Clarke, who competed unattached, trailed for second in 59.54 seconds and third place went to Marquell Newbold in 59.82 seconds. Swift Athletics’ Thanson Orvil cruised to a time of 48.99 seconds in the men’s 400m open event.
Alexidieu Sufoir, representing SPIA Track Club, came second overall in 49.49 seconds and third went to Devilus Culmer at 51 seconds.
Roadrunners nabbed the victory once again, this time in the under-17 girls’
THE Bahamas Aquatics Federation (BAF) selected a 36-member contingent to represent the nation at the 2025 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in Trinidad & Tobago April 19-23. Team Bahamas is on the quest for their seventh consecutive aquatics title at the junior regional meet and, according to head coach Travano McPhee, the swimmers are up to the challenge.
“It feels very exciting. We are up to the challenge. Obviously, we know there is a target on our backs being the defending champions but we are up to the challenge. It is now time to get started as we just picked the team yesterday [Sunday] and will have our first team practice this weekend on Saturday morning and it should be exciting.
“We are gonna have a chance to do some teambuilding experiences, get our relays together and just build some team camaraderie,” he said.
The Bahamas once again had a dominant showing at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships last year at home.
The host team ran away with their sixth straight aquatics championship with a team score of 1,096.50 points.
The Cayman Islands finished in the second position at 660 points and Trinidad & Tobago nabbed the third spot with 639 points. Additionally, Team Bahamas accumulated a total of 101 medals which included
CRAIG FLOWERS:
‘WE
THINK THAT THE PROPERTY IS BEGINNING TO SERVE ITS PURPOSE’
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Bahamas Golf
“When we have twothree and this year it was over 400 kids from a variety of schools participating, it makes us feel very good,” Flowers said.
Flowers said it’s expected that the players from Lyford Cay and Windsor Academy School will be
Federation president Craig Flowers said he’s always enthused when they can open up the Driving Range at the Baillou Hills Sports Complex to accommodate the young golf players in the country. Flowers, who established the nine-hole facility to provide an alternative for Bahamians to participate in, said their management team was pleased to see the growth of the National High School Golf Championships last week.
TRACK NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH all of the schools having completed their track and field championships, the focus of attention will now switch to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s National High School Track and Field Championships. Under the theme: “Breaking Limits,
Achieving Greatness,” the three-day event is all set to be held from Thursday to Saturday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium with athletes with special disabilities competing in their own categories along with the various age group competition. The Ministry of Sports in conjunction with the
SEE PAGE 15
FAST TRACK: Dario Butterfield in action during the Noble Preparatory Academy (NPA) Track and Field Classic on Saturday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.
COACH Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her Ole Miss Lady Rebels basketball team celebrate together.
VJ, Page 15 By TENAJH SWEETING
‘Coach Yo’ and Lady Rebels ready for March Madness
FROM PAGE 16
SEC Tournament, McPheeMcCuin encouraged the Bahamian people to tune into the March Madness.
“Tune in if you can and support us. We would appreciate it,” she summed up.
“We appreciate your support all year, so don’t stop now. This is the most fun time of the year right here.”
SPORTS CALENDAR
FROM PAGE 16
Ministry of Education and the Bahamas Assocation of Athletic Associations will be staging the event, which is expected to attract competitors from throughout the archipelago.
While the competition is slated to get underway at 9am on Thursday, the official opening ceremonies is set for 6pm. Competition will resume at 9am on Friday and wrap up on Saturday, starting at the same time.
Admission is $65 for a three-day VIP pass, while a single VIP pass will be $25. General admission will be $5, the finish line access will be $12 and the home stretch access is $10 per day. SuperClubs Breezes is the official sponsor.
FAST TRACK
ATHLETICS CLUB
SPRING FLING
INVITATIONAL
THE Fast Track Athletics Club is scheduled to hold its 4th annual Spring Fling at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex May 16-17. The event is open to competitors from throughout The Bahamas. The action is slated to begin at 5pm on Friday, May 16 and at 10am on Saturday, May 16. It promises to provide fast competition, perfect prep for championship season and an unmatched island atmosphere in Grand Bahama.
The entry fee is $5 for children and $10 for adults. For more information on the meet, persons can email fasttrackmanagement00@ gmail.com TRACK BAAC
ELECTIONS
THE Bahamas Athletic Association of Coaches is scheduled to hold their annual general meeting and election of officers on Saturday in the Situation Room at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, starting at 8am.
The following have been nominated for the various positions: President - Daron Lightbourne and Bernard Newbold.
1st Vice PresidentEdnal Rolle.
2nd Vice PresidentJason Larrimore, Kyle Higgs and Myriam Stapleton. Treasurer - Mikhilo Strachan.
Assistant secretarySharon Murray-Francis. Board membersAndrew Tynes and Dionne Britton.
Before joining Ole Miss, McPhee-McCuin spent the previous five seasons transforming Jacksonville into a perennial power in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
During her tenure as head coach, McPhee-McCuin led the Dolphins to a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play) and postseason appearances in each of her last three seasons. McPheeMcCuin took over a programme at Jacksonville that had only won 20 or more games in a season twice in its entire history and proceeded to march the Dolphins to three-straight 20-win campaigns in her final three years. In 2015-16, McPhee-McCuin and the Dolphins made history, capturing the programme’s first ASUN Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth with an upset in the conference
THIS NCAA TOURNAMENT
championship game over twotime defending champion Florida Gulf Coast.
The victory snapped FGCU’s seven-year, 71-game home streak against ASUN opponents and boosted Jacksonville to a 22-11 record.
McPhee-McCuin, the first Bahamian woman to sign a Division I letter of intent to play basketball when she attended the University of Rhodes Island, is a former women’s national team player and now the current head coach. She also served as the first female assistant on the men’s national basketball team. She followed in the footsteps of her legendary father Gladstone “Moon” McPhee, a former coach at her alma mater at Catholic High and a long-time head coach of the men’s national basketball team.
COULD HAVE SOMETHING THE LAST TWO HAVE LACKED: A PROBABLE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK
By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer
THE top two players selected in last year’s NBA draft and four of the top five picks in 2023 had never played in an NCAA Tournament before beginning their pro careers.
That trend figures to end this year with Duke forward Cooper Flagg. Flagg sprained his ankle in Duke’s opening game at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and didn’t play the rest of the week. Duke has indicated Flagg will be available for March Madness.
As the No. 1 seed in the East Region, Duke (31-3) plays its first tournament game Friday.
If Flagg is healthy enough to play, basketball fans will be able to watch the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft at this year’s NCAA Tournament. That’s something they weren’t able to experience the last couple of years.
The first two picks in last year’s draft were Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, international prospects who didn’t play college basketball. The only college player taken among the first five selections in the 2023 draft headed by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was Alabama’s Brandon Miller, who went second overall to the Charlotte Hornets.
The last No. 1 pick with NCAA Tournament experience was Paolo Banchero, who led Duke to the 2022 Final Four before the Orlando Magic selected him first overall.
Flagg already was considered the likely No. 1 pick even before the 6-foot-9 swingman backed up the acclaim accompanying his arrival on campus by emerging as a national player of the year frontrunner his freshman season. Flagg is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks.
While Flagg is one of the headline attractions in this year’s NCAA Tournament, two other likely top-five picks won’t be participating in March Madness despite playing college basketball this season. Rutgers went just 15-17 this season despite having
Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, who could end up being the next two picks in the draft behind Flagg.
Even so, this year’s tournament field features plenty of NBA prospects beyond Flagg:
VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor
Opening game: Friday vs. Mississippi State at Raleigh, North Carolina.
Notes: A guard from Baylor (19-12) has been selected in the first round of three of the first four drafts, with Davion Mitchell going ninth in 2021, Keyonte George 16th in 2023 and Ja’Kobe Walter 19th last year. Edgecombe figures to continue that trend. The 6-5 guard from the Bahamas was named the Big 12 freshman of the year by the league’s coaches. He averages 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois
Opening game: Friday vs. Texas or Xavier at Milwaukee. This 6-6 freshman from Lithuania scored at least 20 points in six straight games earlier this season, a stretch that included matchups with NCAA Tournament teams Arkansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Missouri.
Jakucionis’ scoring has leveled off a bit since then, but he still has been a stat stuffer with 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for Illinois (21-12).
Tre Johnson, G, Texas Opening game: Wednesday vs. Xavier at Dayton, Ohio.
Notes: Johnson earned first-team Associated Press all-Southeastern Conference honours and was named the conference’s newcomer of the year this season. He has NBA size at 6-6 and clearly has scoring ability.
He has averaged 19.8 points for Texas (19-15) as a freshman while playing in the nation’s toughest conference. He has shot 39.2% from 3-point range while making 2.7 3-pointers per game. He had a 39-point performance in an overtime loss at Arkansas and scored 32 in a victory over Kentucky.
Liam McNeeley, F, UConn Opening game: Friday vs. Oklahoma at Raleigh, North Carolina.
Notes: The AP Big East newcomer of the year had 18 points and 11 rebounds against St. John’s and 38 points and 10 rebounds at Creighton in back-to-back games last month.
The 6-7 forward is averaging 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his freshman season with UConn (23-10). McNeeley will enter the NCAA Tournament looking to end a bit of a slump, as he has shot 15 of 52 overall and 4 of 19 from 3-point range over his last four games.
Derik Queen, C, Maryland Opening game: Friday vs. Grand Canyon in Seattle.
Notes: The 6-10 freshman is a traditional post player who doesn’t have a 3-point shot at this point – he’s just 2 of 24 from beyond the arc this season – but he’s done great work around the basket.
Queen is averaging 16.3 points and 9 rebounds for Maryland (25-8). He enters the NCAA Tournament with eight double-doubles in his last 10 games. He’s coming off a 31-point performance in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Michigan.
Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State Opening game: Friday vs. Bryant at Cleveland. Notes: Richardson is the son of Jason Richardson, who was part of Michigan State’s 1999-2000 national championship team and played 13 seasons in the NBA.
The 6-3 freshman has made an impression by shooting 51.2% overall and 41.2% from 3-point range. He’s only started 11 of 32 games for Michigan State (27-6) while averaging 12 points, but he’s come on strong lately. Richardson is averaging 19.5 points over his last four games.
COACH Yolett McPhee-McCuin celebrating with her Ole Miss Lady Rebels in the SEC Tournament.
FRESHMAN guard VJ Edgecombe in action. (AP)
Noble Prep Track & Field Classic was ‘an overwhelming success’
FROM PAGE 16
400m event. Samantha Saunders won the race in 1:02.37. Unique Athletics’ Ramonica Miller ended the race in 1:04.17. Third place went to Alexis Dorgerville in 1:07.10.
Aiden Musgrove, of Bahamas Speed Dynamics, was first in the under-17 boys’ event with a time of 52.39 seconds.
Swift Athletics’ Carlos Brown Jr had a strong performance in the men’s open 100m event. He clocked a swift time of 10.26 seconds for first place. He was a few steps ahead of Bahamas Speed Dynamics’ Adam Musgrove who placed second in 10.36 seconds.
Kendrick Thompson, of BM Management, fell to the third at 10.76 seconds.
Brown was also successful in the men’s 200m open finals. He bested competitors with a time of 20.77 seconds. Musgrove finished second again with a time of 20.96 seconds.
Samalie Farrington, of Swift Athletics, settled for third in 21.34 seconds.
Shevano Nixon, of RedLine Athletics, came up big in the under-17 boys’ 200m finals. He outran competitors with a time of 22.84 seconds.
Nixon also placed second in the under-17 boys’ 100m finals with a time of 11.30 seconds.
Field Events
Johanthan Smith, representing the 3PA Stallions, secured the win in the under-15 boys’ shot put event with a throw of 11.87m.
Placing second was Noble Prep’s Regan Smith at 9.86m. Third place went to X-Treme Athletics’ Shiloh Augustin at 9.58m.
X-Treme Athletics swept the top three in the under15 girls’ shot put event.
Nevaeh Moxey was first overall with her toss of 8.42m. Chasy Nelson got the second podium spot at 6.50m and Richea Butler rounded out the top three at 5.21m. Kenneth Wilson, who competed unattached, won
CRAIG FLOWERS: ‘WE THINK THAT THE PROPERTY IS BEGINNING TO SERVE ITS PURPOSE’
FROM PAGE 16
able to perform at a high level, but he said over the past two years, they have been a vast improvement from the public schools.
“That’s because this facility here now and they do have somewhere to practice and improve their game,” Flowers said. “So, we think that the property is beginning to serve its purpose.
“And so, we would like to complete the property with the entire area being irrigated and the entire area being manicured with the proper clubhouse and the proper facility where there are locker rooms for the kids where we have showers and afterschool programmes in the academy for the kids.” At the property, Flowers said the plans is to create a clubhouse that will allow the junior players to occupy the ground
floor, while the adults will be stationed in the upper level. “That’s our goal. We would love to get started
on the clubhouse this summer,” Craig said.
“We hope that we can have that in place by the time we host the next National High School Tournament next year.”
On a personal note, Flowers said he would like to establish a facility on the property that will become the home of the BGF.
“It’s important that we build something here that we can show the legacy of persons who came before us and whose shoulders this property stand on today,” Flowers said.
“We’re talking about persons like Fred Higgs, who would be considered the father of golf in the country and persons like (Prince) Zorro Stubbs, (Harcourt) Coins Pointer, Jim Duncombe, Roy Bowe, Calvin Cooper, Ambrose Gouthro and (Donald) Nine Rolle so that we can have something here to provide a tribute to them.”
When Neville Wisdom served as the Minister of Youth, Sports and
Culture, Flowers said they got the ball rolling on creating the Driving Range.
But he said when the government changed, the late Charles Maynard replaced him as the new minister, and he gave Flowers the mandate to process with the creation of a nine-hole facility.
“The initial concept was with Neville Wisdom, but for the nine holes, it was Charles Maynard,” Flowers said.
“Charles died during his administration and when the government changed, Danny Johnson came in as the new minister.
“He came in and endorsed both the driving range and the nine holes. So, we are grateful to all of these ministers who played a role in us getting this property up and running and to where it is today.”
When it’s completed, Flowers said the BGF will have a gem in the region for both the junior and senior players to enjoy at the Driving Range.
the under-15 boys long jump after leaping to 4.82m.
X- Treme Athletics’ Kayson Smith fell to second at 4.62m. Zane Deveaux, representing Fast Forward, had to settle for third at 4.50m.
In the girls’ division, Chyanne Hepburn leapt to 4.68m to get the victory for Road Runners.
Te’Rae McKenzie, competing for Sts. Francis, locked up the second spot with a jump of 4.58m.
Richea Butler, representing X-Treme Athletics, was third overall at 3.25m.
RK Athletics’ Kyla Carter was one of two competitors in the under-17 girls’ javelin throw event. She tossed the spear to 24.72m in her victory.
Noble Prep’s Tatiana Adderley stopped at 16.94m for the second spot.
It was all Noble Prep in the under-17 girls’ long jump event. Rihanna Kellman claimed gold with her jump of 4.74m. Her
a jump of 3.99m. The remaining meet results can be found at www.tekresults.net
34 gold, 39 silver and 28 bronze medals.
Coach McPhee expressed that he is expecting the swimmers to deliver top notch performances in the breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke events as they usually do.
“The Bahamas always does well in the breaststroke events so we look to hold those down as normal. We look to find some points again in our butterfly and backstroke events as we are very strong in them. This year we hope to find a little more points in our distance events but definitely in the breaststroke The Bahamas has always been strong so we look forward to racking up a lot of points in those events,” he said.
The Bahamian swim team includes Sienna Campbell, Skarlette Donaldson, Isabella Munroe, Taylen Nicolls, Semaiah Rolle, Isabella
Cuccurullo, Alissa Ferguson, Saleste Gibson, Siann Isaacs, DNDN McKenzie, Violet Saralegui, Kimaya Saunders, Skyler Smith, Tia-Isabella Adderley, Lelah Lewis, Mia Patton, Elle Theberge, Zoe Williamson, Elyse Wood, Kai Bastian, Logan Comarcho, Da’Kari Cooper, Nitayo Knowles, Dexter Russell, Christon Joseph, Alexander Murray, Trace Russell, David Singh, Kaylan Williams, Isaac Wright, Tristen Hepburn, William Farrington, Ellie Gibson, Ayrton Moncur, Donald Saunders and Caden Wells. The open water swim team includes Gillian Albury, Samirah Donaldson, Madison Fox, Madison Gilbert, Alanna Murray, Erin Pritchard, Lauchlan Menzies, Trace Russell, Kaylan Williams, Kevin Johnson Jr, Malcolm Menzies and Myles Saunders. The Bahamas has emerged as the top team at the CARIFTA Aquatics
Championships for eight of the last nine meets dating all the way back to 2014. Coach McPhee was pleased to be able to successfully coach the team to their last two titles.
“We have some of the best coaches along with myself in The Bahamas. We have a great coaching staff with some who were with us last year and some new coaches this year so we look forward to it. I am blessed to be a part of this and I am enjoying the journey but these swimmers deserve all the credit they are the ones who make it happen. The coaches, the parents and the federation are just assisting them in making sure that everything is around them and in place for them to be successful,” he said.
The Bahamas’ CARIFTA Aquatics team will conduct their first practice session this Saturday at Betty Kelly-Kenning Aquatics Centre.
schoolmate Eden Johnson dropped to second posting
Next up on the local track and field scene is the National High School Championship March 20-22 at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.
ON THE TRACK: The 2025 Noble Preparatory Academy (NPA) Track and Field Classic was a success on Saturday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.
COACH GENO BULLARD, left, said it was a privilege to honour The Bahamas’ first CARIFTA medallist Peter Pratt, right, over the weekend.
Thunder and Cavaliers
lead the conferences by big margins. They’re playing for something more
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
THE East is a runaway. The West is a bigger runaway. And the NBA hasn’t seen anything quite like this in nearly 40 years.
While all the attention is on your NCAA brackets this week (by the way, here are some tips for the men’s and women’s tournaments), it’s safe to go ahead and pencil in Cleveland as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and Oklahoma City as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. It’s not mathematically certain yet, but let’s face it, neither of those teams are going to get caught.
It’s not outside the realm of realistic possibility that both the Cavaliers and the Thunder win their conference by at least 10 games. There have been plenty of instances of that happening in one conference over the years, but it hasn’t happened in both conferences in the same season since Boston won the East by 10 games and the Los Angeles Lakers won the West by 11 games in 1985-86.
Entering Monday, Cleveland led the East by 7 1/2 games. Oklahoma City led the West by 13 games
— with 14 games left to play, so do the math. The West is over. The East is just about over.
“It’s the chemistry of the team,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “We’ve really formed a nice chemistry on the court. Great blend. Guys are playing to their strengths.”
The Thunder have earned the respect of the league — and, evidently, Las Vegas. BetMGM Sportsbook lists Oklahoma City as a big favourite to win the West and has the Thunder as the
favourite to win the NBA title. The West is loaded, and OKC has a shot of being the first team to win that conference’s regular season title by 15 or more games since Golden State in 1975-76. The Thunder are outscoring teams by 12.4 points per game. That’s on pace to be the best margin in NBA history. And that’s significant.
This seems like the right time to point out that the next five teams on the league’s all-time pointdifferential-per-game list
— the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (who outscored teams by 12.3 points per game), the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (12.3), the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (12.2), the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (11.6) and last season’s Boston Celtics (11.3) all won that season’s NBA championship. “They are who they are,” Milwaukee guard Damian Lillard said. “They defend, they move the ball, they’ve got a deep team, they do a lot of good things on both sides of the ball.”
It’s interesting that Cleveland — still with the NBA’s best record at 56-11, a team that has outscored opponents by “only” 11 points per game (which would be eighth-best in league history) and a team that has separate winning streaks of 12, 15 and 16 games this season — doesn’t have that same respect from the oddsmakers.
The Cavs not only aren’t favoured to win the NBA title — they’re not even favoured to win the East.
According to BetMGM, they’re the second choice in the East behind Boston.
They’re not exactly bothered by that; they think they know who they are, and that it’ll be enough.
Besides, they know they’ll be judged by the playoffs.
“We haven’t done nothing yet,” Cleveland guard Darius Garland said.
“Regular season means something to us, but winning that ring, that’s what really matters to us.”
By the way, big conference-standings margins typically mean that rings could be on the way.
Only one team since 1986-87 won its conference
by 10 or more games and didn’t go on to capture the NBA championship; that would be Detroit in 200506, which won the East by 12 games and watched Miami celebrate the title that season.
Boston won the East by 14 games last season on the way to the NBA title. Golden State won the West by 11 games in 2014-15 and won the title. Miami won by 12 games in 2012-13 and won the title. The Lakers won the West by 11 games in 2008-09 and won the title. Chicago won the East by 12 games in 1995-96 and 10 games in 1991-92 — and won the title in both of those seasons. The Lakers won the West by 10 games in 1986-87 and won the title.
The Thunder are going to look to join that club. The Cavaliers have a shot of getting there as well. Neither team is playing for a No. 1 seed or for a wide-margin win in the conference race. They’re playing for something bigger.
“We’re not letting go of the rope,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, said, “mentally or physically.”
Knicks storm back to beat Miami
NEW YORK (AP) —
Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Josh Hart tied a franchise record with his eighth triple-double this season and the New York Knicks beat Miami 116-95 on Monday night, sending the Heat to their first eightgame losing streak of coach Erik Spoelstra’s career.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points for the Knicks, who fell behind 12-0, then completely turned around the game after Towns scored 15 straight in the second quarter. New York won the season series 3-0 for its first sweep of Miami since 1992-93.
New York led by six midway though the third quarter when the game was delayed for the court to be cleaned up after a fan vomited. The Knicks outscored the Heat 24-6 after the delay to lead 88-64 heading into the fourth.
ROCKETS 144,
76ERS 137
HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. had 30 points apiece and Houston rallied for an overtime victory over Philadelphia, extending their season-best winning streak to seven games.
The Rockets trailed by as many as 25 points and never led in regulation before their late rally. Houston was up by six points after opening overtime with a 9-3 run. Quentin Grimes made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 140-137 with less than 2½ minutes left in OT. But Alperen Sengun made two free throws with just over a minute left before Aaron Holiday added two more with 12.1 seconds remaining, making it 144-137 and securing the win. The Rockets trailed by eight with less than a minute to go in the fourth before using a 10-2 run to tie it at 131, forcing overtime.
PACERS 132, TIMBERWOLVES 130
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)
— Obi Toppin’s fourth 3-pointer of overtime came with 3.5 seconds left to lift short-handed Indiana over Minnesota, ending the Timberwolves’ eight-game winning streak.
Toppin had a seasonhigh 34 points on 7-for-10
NEW York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) is surrounded by
and guard Tyler Herro (14), during the first half on Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York.
shooting from deep to help the Pacers win without their top six scorers down the stretch. Four starters were out. Andrew Nembhard was ejected in the third quarter, and Bennedict Mathurin fouled out in the fourth.
Anthony Edwards scored 29 of his 38 points after halftime for the Timberwolves, who led by five with a minute left in overtime until Thomas Bryant hit a 3. Edwards missed from deep, Toppin hit his clutch shot and Julius Randle’s fadeaway fell short at the buzzer.
PISTONS 127, PELICANS 81
NEW ORLEANS (AP)
— Cade Cunningham had 24 points and eight assists, and Detroit routed New Orleans.
Simone Fontecchio scored 23 points for Detroit, which had dropped four of six.
Zion Williamson had 30 points for New Orleans, and Yves Missi finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Williamson also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots. The Pelicans lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Cunningham scored 17 points to help Detroit to a 63-32 halftime lead. Fontecchio had 18 points in the second half.
BULLS 111, JAZZ 97
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)
— Coby White scored 26 points and Chicago beat Utah, sending the Jazz to their 10th straight loss.
White, who shot 9 of 19 from the field and 2 for 10 from long distance, was helped by 6-for-7 shooting from the line. Tre Jones added 18 points, 12 assists and three steals as the Bulls won for the fifth time in six games. Kevin Huerter and Matas Buzelis each scored 17. Dalen Terry chipped in with 11 points as six Bulls scored in double figures. Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen each scored 16 points for Utah, which last won on Feb. 28, in a 117-116 victory over Minnesota. Jordan Clarkson added 14 points and Brice Sensabaugh 13.
NUGGETS 114, WARRIORS 105
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)
— Aaron Gordon scored a season-best 38 points,
Russell Westbrook hit a crucial late 3-pointer and delivered a triple-double, and undermanned Denver missing their two main stars beat Golden State.
Westbrook contributed 12 points, a season-high 16 assists and 11 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Warriors had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Golden State dropped to 14-3 since Butler made his debut February 8 and 14-2 in games he played.
Stephen Curry had 20 points and seven assists and Draymond Green became the sixth player in Warriors franchise history to reach 6,000 career rebounds.
SUNS 129, RAPTORS 89 PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 27 points and led a secondquarter surge as Phoenix routed Toronto.
Playing without injured guard Bradley Beal again, the Suns saw seven players score in double figures. Thirteen players scored for Phoenix and the final margin of 40 was the biggest lead of the night.
The Suns trailed 29-24 at the end of the first quarter but outscored Toronto 39-11 to take a 23-point halftime lead. Most of it came with reserves Royce O’Neale, Tyus Jones, Cody Martin and Oso Ighodaro joining Booker on the court. Ryan Dunn scored 17 points, Jones had 15 points including four 3-pointers, Kevin Durant had 14, Monte Morris 12 and Nick Richards 10. O’Neale had 11 points and 10 rebounds. KINGS 132, GRIZZLIES 122 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Malik Monk had 28 points and seven assists, and the Kings beat Memphis to end a four-game losing streak despite losing centre Domantas Sabonis to a pair of injuries Monday night. Sabonis suffered a cut over his left eye and blood trickled down his face after the Kings’ big man was hit in the face by the back of Luke Kennard’s head. Sabonis returned but left for good in the third quarter after rolling his right ankle. DeMar DeRozan had 22 points, six rebounds
and nine assists. Keegan Murray added 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings are 21-15 since interim coach Doug Christie replaced Mike Brown in December.
TRAIL BLAZERS 112,
WIZARDS 97
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 30 points and Portland beat Washington for their second consecutive victory following a five-game slide.
Shaedon Sharpe added 16 points, and rookie centre Donovan Clingan had 11 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes. Deni Avdija and Duop Reath both scored 15.
Simons shot 10 for 17, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range, and made all five of his free throws.
Alex Sarr led the Wizards with 20 points. Tristan Vukcevic had 17 points and eight rebounds.
LAKERS 125, SPURS 109
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Austin Reaves scored 30 points and Luka Doncic had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in Los Angeles’ victory over San Antonio.
Dorian Finney-Smith added 15 points while hitting four 3-pointers for the Lakers, who extended their home winning streak to eight games with back-toback victories over Phoenix and San Antonio following four consecutive losses on the road.
Stephon Castle had 23 points and Devin Vassell scored 15 of his 17 in the first half for the Spurs, who have lost five of seven.
While Doncic struggled through a 5-for-20 shooting performance, Reaves hit five 3-pointers and added seven rebounds and six assists to dominate a game rescheduled from Jan. 11 after wildfires devastated parts of Southern California.
Miami Heat defenders, including centre Bam Adebayo (13)
(AP Photo/ Heather Khalifa)
CLEVELAND Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) passes against Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) in the first half on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
OKLAHOMA City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault calls to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Caicedo stars as Real Madrid beats Arsenal 2-0 in the women’s Champions League
By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer
LINDA Caicedo shined on a rainy evening in the Spanish capital as Real Madrid beat Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg of the women’s Champions League quarterfinals yesterday.
The 20-year-old Colombia star opened the scoring and proved a constant source of torment for the Arsenal defenders. Substitute Athenea grabbed the second goal late to put the Spanish side in a promising position to reach the semifinals.
The second leg of their quarterfinal will be played in London next Wednesday.
Caicedo capitalised on Arsenal defender Leah Williamson’s botched effort to cut out Signe Bruun’s pass when she took a couple of strides forward to hold off Arsenal’s Emily Fox and fired the ball inside the left post in the 22nd minute. Beth Mead went closest for Arsenal before the break. Madrid suffered a blow in the 63rd when Melanie Leupolz went off with an apparent right knee injury after kicking the ball. The
16-year-old Irune Dorado went on in the German midfielder’s place. Arsenal responded with a period of sustained pressure, albeit without reward, and Athenea scored on a counterattack in the 82nd. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger got her hand to the ball but couldn’t keep Athenea’s powerful shot out.
Madrid, a powerhouse in men’s soccer with a record 15 European titles, is bidding to reach the semifinals for the first time. The Spanish club was late to women’s soccer in
comparison to rivals, only forming its women’s team after completing a merger and acquisition of another women’s soccer club in 2020.
The big clubs’ belated investments in women’s soccer have had an adverse effect on clubs like Sweden’s Umeå IK and Germany’s Turbine Potsdam.
Later Tuesday, Bayern Munich was hosting Lyon. In the other quarterfinals today, Wolfsburg faces defending champion Barcelona at home, before Manchester City hosts English rival Chelsea.
NEWCASTLE players celebrate after winning the EFL Cup final soccer match between Liverpool and Newcastle at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday, March 16, 2025.
(AP Photo/ Scott Heppell)
NEWCASTLE WINS ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP TO SECURE ITS FIRST MAJOR DOMESTIC TROPHY IN 70 YEARS
By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer
LONDON (AP) — After 70 long years the wait is over for Newcastle.
The Saudi-backed club beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday to win the English League Cup and end an agonising trophy drought.
Dan Burn and Alexander Isak scored either side of halftime to seal victory at Wembley. And even though Liverpool substitute Federico Chiesa set up a tense finish to the final with a goal in added time, nothing was going to stand in Newcastle’s way.
“After 70 years we can now say we are the champions again,” a tearful Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes said. “It’s one of the best days of my life.”
Newcastle’s last major domestic trophy was the FA Cup in 1955. It won the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.
This was its first piece of silverware since being bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2021 - a deal that was expected to transform the fortunes of one of English soccer’s most iconic clubs. Burn’s powerful header
opened the scoring just before halftime and Isak doubled the lead in the 52nd minute with a sweeping shot from close range. Chiesa raced through to pull a goal back in the fourth minute of added time, but Newcastle held on to spark raucous celebrations from its long-suffering fans.
While Liverpool is 12 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and looks on course to win a record-equalling 20th English title this season, coach Arne Slot was forced to wait for his first trophy since succeeding Jurgen Klopp last year. The defeat ended a painful week for the Merseyside club, which was also knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday after losing to Paris SaintGermain in a penalty shootout.
‘Even Liverpool can lose’
“It took us 7, 8, 9 months to lose twice in a row,” Slot said. “You know that if you go far in tournaments that the opposition you face gets stronger and stronger. And even Liverpool can lose football games.”
There have been near misses and painful lows
during Newcastle’s trophy wait, including back-toback FA Cup final losses in 1998 and ‘99 and defeat to Manchester United in the League Cup final two years ago. On this occasion Eddie Howe’s team was a worthy winner against a Liverpool team that has been too good for its top flight rivals this season - losing just once in the league.
“You don’t get many shots at a cup final. Today we had to try to take our opportunity and that’s where the players delivered under pressure so well and so impressively,” Howe said. “It also proves proves we can mix our game against the very, very best.”
More trophies ahead?
Newcastle fans, whose joyous singing dominated Wembley, will hope this is the start of things to come under its new owners.
Despite being backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund which counts its assets at around $925 billion, soccer’s financial fair play restrictions have limited Newcastle’s spending, meaning it has not been able to make the type of lavish signings seen by Abu Dhabi-backed
Manchester City and Qatari-backed PSG. Last summer it only spent around $36 million and recouped around $100 million in sales.
Burn and Isak were two of the big signings under the Saudi era and they delivered at Wembley.
“Hopefully with one (it) can become more,” Howe said about winning more trophies in the future. “There’s no guarantee, I just think it proves we can do it.”
Arsenal closes gap Mikel Merino led Arsenal to a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the Premier League to close the gap on Liverpool to 12 points.
Arsenal’s title hopes have faded in recent weeks, but Merino’s first-half header settled the London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
“The only thing we can do is try to win our matches. If we do, we are in a better position,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Merino rose in the 20th minute to flick Martin Odegaard’s near post corner beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. It was enough to secure a first league win for Arsenal since February 15.
Defeat for fourth-placed
Chelsea means it missed the chance to extend its onepoint lead over Manchester City in fifth and boost its chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Arsenal, on 58 points, is 10 clear of four-time defending champion City.
Man United wins
Three days after beating Real Sociedad 4-1 in the last 16 of the Europa League, Manchester United enjoyed a 3-0 win at struggling Leicester in the Premier League.
Rasmus Hojlund ended his goal drought to open the scoring for United at the King Power Stadium and, after having a goal disallowed, Alejandro Garnacho doubled the advantage.
Bruno Fernandes wrapped up three points with a late goal as the visitors climbed to 13th and inflicted a sixth successive loss on the relegation-threatened Foxes. United’s win was marred by a serious-looking injury to teenager Ayden Heaven.
The 18-year-old arrived from Arsenal last month and gave an impressive first-half display on Sunday. But Heaven’s full Premier
League debut came to an agonising end shortly after halftime, with the United centre back taken off on a stretcher after lengthy treatment, having been hurt stopping Patson Daka reaching a cross. Spurs blow Another setback for Tottenham is likely to increase the pressure on coach Ange Postecoglou heading into the international break after a 2-0 loss at Fulham. Spurs, in 14th, have only won one of their last five in all competitions and this was a 15th league defeat of the season. “It’s been a difficult campaign for sure. But I feel we’ve lost too many games that we should have got stuff out of, and this was one of those games,” Postecoglou said. “It’s another international break we go into off a loss and you feel that. We just need to make sure we’re ready for when we come back.” Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham the lead in the 78th at Craven Cottage and Ryan Sessegnon doubled the home team’s lead 10 minutes later.
Fulham is eighth and four points behind Chelsea in the race for a Champions League place.
REAL Madrid’s Linda Caicedo runs with the ball yesterday in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match against Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo/Fran Berg)
BAHAMAS Scholastic Athletic Association students compete in the 2025 Track and Field Classic.