11102017%20sports

SPORTS SECTION E

NFL

Picks, Pages 2,3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Team Bahamas off to favourable start

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

eam Bahamas got out to a favourable start at the Compass North American IC 16 and Under Junior Challenge.

The mixed doubles team of Jacobi Bain and Sydney Clarke won the decisive match to take the win over Mexico (Red Team) at Club Raquetas Bosques, in Mexico City, Mexico.

Donte Armbrister began with a 6-1, 6-2 singles win, followed

by Bain with a 6-0, 6-2 win in his match.

The duo paired up to take their doubles match 6-1, 6-3. In the girls’ matches, Clarke lost her singles match 6-7, 5-7 and Elana Mackey also suffered a 1-6, 5-7. They would

go on to lose in doubles 2-6, 2-6 as Mexico evened the mark.

Bain and Clarke decided the tie with a 10-4 win over Mexico.

On day two, the Bahamas faced Mexico (White Team) and will face the USA in today’s match.

The winning team will advance to the Compass Worldwide Finals in Tokyo, Japan October 8-12, 2018 with winning teams from other continents.

In 2013, Armbrister, Bain, Clarke and Mackey teamed up at the “Inaugural ITF/GSDF 12U Team Championship” for the English-Speaking Caribbean in Jamaica.

IC of the Bahamas President Kit Spencer outlined the Bahamas’ recent involvement and success with the organisation in recent years.

“This year we held our fourth International Bahamas IC Doubles Week in January which The USA won closely with our Bahamas team in second place. Shortly after, we went to Florida for The Gene Scott Trophy between the USA and The Bahamas. This we managed to win and reverse the result of the IC Doubles Week event. Our domestic IC Winter Invitational league continues each year,” he said in a statement on the organisation’s website.

“We invite a team of the best juniors from our National Tennis Centre to participate which they look forward to. It gives them experience against older players and introduces them to the IC. This IC League is now themed “Hands across the net, friendship across the island”.

“This year they must have wanted to win as for several matches they included on their team a current senior Davis Cup player who trains there with some of the top juniors. Our members have been active in staging special coaching events for juniors which our vice president Neil Mactaggart has helped mastermind and oversee.”

The Bahamas’ junior programme has a recent history of impressive performances with IC Tennis. In 2015, the team of Iesha Shepherd, River Hart, O’Neal Mortimer and Jack Kelly finished second at the IC North American 16 & Under Junior Challenge held in Washington, DC. They defeated Mexico and Bermuda but eventually lost to the United States in the final.

Buddy Buckets season high 21

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THERE may be something to Dave Joerger’s “Buddy Off The Bench” plan. Hield scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 94-86 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

It was easily Hield’s best shooting performance of the season, 7-9 from the field, a perfect 4-4 from three-point range and 3-3 from the free throw line in a season-high 28 minutes.

The win brought an end to a seven-game losing

streak as they improved to 2-8 while the star-studded Thunder dropped to 4-6.

In the last three games since Joerger moved Hield to the bench, the secondyear guard is averaging 17 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 63 per cent from the field and 64 per cent from three.

Hield led the youth movement off the bench and also added seven rebounds and two steals.

The current rookie class contributed with De’Aaron Fox’s 10 points and eight assists while Justin Jackson scored 16.

“I’ve been trying to get a rhythm all season, thank

SEE PAGE 4

THUNDER guard Russell Westbrook, left, goes to the basket against Kings guard Buddy Hield on Tuesday night in Sacramento, California.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

JUNIOR TITLE MATCHUPS ALL SET IN BAISS SOFTBALL

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE championship matchups in the junior division are set and some familiar opponents will face off once again to decide Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary School Softball titles.

In the junior boys, the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine will face the NCA Crusaders and in junior girls the Big Red Machine will take on the Queen’s College Comets.

SAC’s junior boys advanced yesterday with a 12-2 win over the Comets in the second semi-final.

Tyler Munroe was dominant at the plate and pitched a complete game with four strikeouts. He also went 2-3 at the plate and scored four runs. Malik Foster was 1-1 with 2 RBI and two runs scored and Joshua Miller was 1-2 with two RBI. SAC took a 5-0 lead through two innings, highlighted by Munroe’s three RBI double. The Comets had two men on but a bunt hit into a double play ended the inning. The Comets scored their only runs of the game in the third inning, on a wild pitch, and one on a fielding error. Miller responded for the Big Red Machine with a twoRBI double to take an 8-2 lead and the Comets were unable to threaten in the later innings.

“Considering the work the guys put in this is a very good feeling,” SAC head coach Michael Adderley said. “Every year the guys work hard, we get a lot of new talent and we have to develop, sometimes it’s hard but this is what we fight for every year. It’s a long tradition to have all the teams in the championship and we don’t want to make this year any exception.”

SEE PAGE 4

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO RETURN TO FREEPORT

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE National High School

Page 5

Volleyball Championships is set to return to the nation’s second city, featuring over 200 studentathletes vying for titles in their respective divisions.

The Ministries of Youth Sports and Culture, Education and Finance will be joined by corporate sponsor, the IL Cares Foundation, to host the national tournament November 16-18 in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Approximately 15 teams will be represented at the event including champions from the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association, Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association, Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Associations alongside family island schools from Abaco and Bimini.

“This will be the largest nationals we have ever had for

volleyball,” said Evon Wisdom of the Ministry of Education Sports Unit. “The student-athletes, the coaches, the parents the administrators from all of the islands are excited and we could not thank our stakeholders in the government of the Bahamas and the IL Cares Foundation for allowing the event to return on this scale this year.”

After a successful inaugural event in 2015, the 2016 edition was cancelled due to the effects of Hurricane Matthew. This year’s event will also be without the services of the BAISS champions as the league is in the midst of their softball championships.

“Because the BAISS is now playing softball, we have backed into their season and they cannot attend because it will be running into their softball championships.

There is no way they would be able to represented and we clearly understand the situation,” Wisdom said.

“In the past, we were able to overcome it because their season had ended but with the delays this year that was unavoidable. We are going to have to formulate and sit down as a national body to figure out how we can all play the same sports at the same time to avoid such issues in the future.”

Director of Sports, Tim Munnings, said the event will also add a much needed socioeconomic boost to Grand Bahama.

“We are so encouraged by this event. Grand Bahama has some challenging times but we continue to find ways for our kids to be motivated and involved because there are so many opportunities out there should they perform

well. What our young people need is exposure, the opportunity to be seen by other coaches and schools, so these events are very important for youth development,” he said.

“I would like to appeal to other corporate sponsors out there. We tend to lean on a few but there are so many businesses that can join the bandwagon of supporting our youth and youth development by lending support to see that we can have sports development in the country.”

IL Cares Foundation representative Kenny Mackey said the contribution to the event is in line with his organisation’s commitment to nation-building.

“The IL Cares Foundation will always partner with worthwhile

SEE PAGE 4

PAGE 2, Thursday, November 9, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Week 10: NAUGHTY’S NFL PICKS SEASON STANDINGS • Here’s how we look going into Week 10: POSITION

LAST WEEK

SEASON

1. Clint J

9-4

85-47

2. Naughty 9-4 83-49 2. Santxo Z

9-4

83-49

3. Leo B

8-5

82-50

4. AP 6-7 80-52 5. Stevie J

6-7

72-60

LIKE most loyal, die hard Cowboys fans, I’m holding an ‘Ezekiel Elliott Suspension Hearing ‘ Candlelight Vigil.

My rosary beeds are out, my book of novenas is close by. 2pm Thursday November 9th, 2017 can’t get here soon enough, so once and for all we can start the clousure on this long, painful ordeal.

The rights and wrongs surrounding this case, must wait for another day in this column. Oh, rest assured they will be, with no stone left unturned. As for now all eyes on “Zeke Gate.”

Considering the “short and sweet” technique has

been working consistently, I’ve got to continue to roll with it.

Here’s who I like this week: THURSDAY CARDINALS SUNDAY STEELERS, SAINTS, BEARS, JAGUARS, LIONS, TITANS, VIKINGS, JETS, RAMS, 49ers, COWBOYS, PATRIOTS MONDAY PANTHERS SANTXO Z’S PICKS SEAHAWKS, STEELERS, SAINTS, PACKERS, JAGUARS, LIONS, TITANS, VIKINGS,

JETS, RAMS, GIANTS, COWBOYS, PATRIOTS, PANTHERS CLINT J’s PICKS SEAHAWKS, SAINTS, STEELERS, TITANS, JAGS, REDSKINS, BEARS, LIONS, JETS, RAMS, COWBOYS, GIANTS, PATRIOTS, PANTHERS

AZ NO CHI DET PIT LAChargers NYJ TEN WASH LARams ATL SF DEN CAR

LEO B’s PICKS * SEAHAWKS, SAINTS BEARS, LIONS, TITANS STEELERS, JETS, REDSKINS, JAGS, RAMS, COWBOYS, 49ERS, PATRIOTS, PANTHERS* STEVIE J’s PICKS -

Packers’ struggles without Rodgers go beyond offence GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy still believes in backup quarterback Brett Hundley, but he wants to see everyone on his roster — including Hundley — elevate their games.

“We all need to do better,” McCarthy said Tuesday night, less than 24 hours after his team’s 30-17 loss to the Detroit Lions.

“We had an injury to Aaron Rodgers, and nobody has stepped up.”

Rodgers was knocked out October 15 with a broken right collarbone. He underwent surgery four days later and was placed on injured reserve, with the hope of the bone healing quickly enough for him to return this season.

Since the injury, the Packers’ offence hasn’t been the same with Hundley under centre, the defence hasn’t generated enough stops or turnovers, the special teams haven’t created a single momentum-shifting play and the Packers (4-4) have lost three games — to the Vikings, the New Orleans Saints and the Lions.

“No group has stepped up yet,” McCarthy said.

“We’ve had two games that have been very similar in nature — New Orleans and Detroit. ... We need to get more production out of this new path. And it hasn’t happened yet.”

Although McCarthy insisted after Monday night’s loss that Hundley was not to blame, the thirdyear quarterback has not played well. Against the Lions, his numbers — 26 of 38 for 245 yards with no interceptions for a passer rating of 86.0 — looked better because of a late touchdown drive after the Lions had the game in hand.

An offence that was one of the league’s best on third-down conversions and red-zone production with Rodgers at the helm has managed just 44 points in the past three games.

Before Rodgers’ injury, the Packers were averaging 27.4 points per game.

Hundley acknowledged after the game that the improvement he showed against the Lions was insufficient. “Everybody wants to

score five touchdowns and have a perfect quarterback rating and win,” Hundley said. “This game was a step in the right direction. I think I did some good things.

Obviously, it wasn’t enough.

But the first start (against the Saints) for sure wasn’t.”

Green Bay’s defence hasn’t put together a strong performance since a 35-14 victory over the Chicago Bears on September 28. The teams meet again Sunday in Chicago, and the Packers enter that game ranked 22nd in scoring defence, 25th in yards allowed per game, 20th in pass defence and 23rd in run defence.

Only one NFL team has fewer sacks than the Packers’ 13 through eight games, and defensive leaders Mike Daniels, Nick Perry, Clay Matthews and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix haven’t been the difference-makers they need to be. “We’ve got to do a better job of applying the plan, make sure that we’re executing it,” McCarthy said. “We’ve got to play to who we are.

We’re halfway through the season. So we’re not going

to change our pass-rush techniques and so forth. If anything, less volume, more creativity.”

GREEN Bay Packers’ Brett Hundley walks off the field during the second half of Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions.

The Lions won 30-17.

(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

BULAGA OUT McCarthy announced Tuesday night that the knee injury suffered by veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga is season-ending — the third time in the past six years he’s had a season-ending injury. Bulaga hurt his ankle in August and missed the first two weeks of the regular season. He re-injured the ankle in Week 3 and missed more time, and he also suffered a concussion at Minnesota on October 15.

“It’s very unfortunate,” McCarthy said. “He’s had a stretch of bad luck this year. ... I feel bad for him. I thought he had clearly come off his best season last year.

Tough news.”

McCarthy also said veteran safety Morgan Burnett, who returned Monday night after a two-game absence because of a hamstring injury, will not play against the Bears because of the groin injury he sustained against the Lions.

DECEMBER 22, 2017 | 12:30 P.M. ET - THOMAS A. ROBINSON NATIONAL STADIUM

< CONFERENCE STANDINGS > (as of November 6, 2017)

EAST DIVISION * Florida Atlantic * FIU * Marshall WKU Middle Tennessee Charlotte Old Dominion

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! AT THE THOMAS A. ROBINSON NATIONAL STADIUM BOX OFFICE OR ONLINE AT NSA-BAHAMAS.COM

For more info, contact the Stadium Box Office at 325-0376

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE: CONFERENCE USA

Saturday, Nov. 11 * Middle Tennessee at Charlotte (ESPN3) * Florida Atlantic at LA Tech (STAD) * Southern Miss at Rice (STAD FB) * UTEP at North Texas (ESPN3) * WKU at Marshall (beIN) * Old Dominion at FIU (CUSA TV) * UAB at UTSA (CUSA TV)

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE Thursday, Nov. 9 * Ball State at Northern Illinois (CBSSN) Tuesday, Nov. 14 * Ohio at Akron (ESPN2/U) * Central Michigan at Kent State (ESPN2/U) Wednesday, Nov. 15 * Toledo at Bowling Green * Eastern Michigan at Ohio * Western Michigan at Northern Illinois * - conference games

C-USA 5-0 4-1 3-2 3-2 2-3 1-4 1-4

EAST DIVISION Overall 6-3 6-2 6-3 5-4 4-5 1-8 3-6

C-USA 5-1 4-2 3-2 2-3 2-3 1-4 0-5

MAC 4-1 4-1 2-3 2-3 1-4 1-4

Overall 7-2 5-4 3-6 2-7 3-6 2-7

WEST DIVISION

WEST DIVISION * North Texas * UAB Southern Miss UTSA Louisiana Tech Rice UTEP * - bowl eligible

* Ohio Akron Miami Bowling Green Buffalo Kent State

Overall 6-3 6-3 5-4 5-3 4-5 1-8 0-9

* Toledo * Northern Illinois Western Michigan Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Ball State * - bowl eligible

MAC 5-0 4-1 3-2 3-2 1-4 0-5

Overall 8-1 6-3 5-4 5-4 3-6 2-7

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: BEN ROETHLISBERGER (MIAMI) Ben Roethlisberger, the 2003 MAC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2001 MAC Freshman of the Year, played his college career at Miami from 2001-03.

Roethlisberger threw for 10,829 yards and 84 touchdowns in only three seasons from 2001-03. His junior campaign was one for the ages, throwing for 4,486 yards and 37 touchdowns, leading Miami to 12 consecutive victories, including a MAC Championship and GMAC Bowl victory. Roethlisberger was a third-team Associated Press All-American in 2003 and Freshman All-American in 2001, He was a three-time All-MAC selection, earning first-team honors in 2003 and second-team recognition twice. He still ranks first in Miami history in completion percentage and touchdowns, and is second in pass attempts, completions, yards and total offense (11,075). Roethlisberger gave up his final season of eligibility to enter the 2004 NFL Draft. He was the 11th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the highest draft pick in Miami history.

He guided the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles (Super Bowls XL and XLIII), and he became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl during the 2005 season. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Roethlisberger was selected as the 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the AP. Roethlisberger has thrown for over 48,000 yards and 310 touchdowns in his NFL career. A 14-time AFC Offensive Player of the Week, he was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2015.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 9, 2017, PAGE 3

Seahawks v Cardinals once looked like premier matchup

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer WHEN the schedule came out, folks in Seattle and Phoenix pointed to the Seahawks-Cardinals game tonight as a pivotal one in the NFC West.

Forget that: Arizona, plagued by injuries and mediocre play, has been a huge disappointment.

Indeed, the Seahawks haven’t exactly been world beaters, either, bothered by untimely penalties and a sporadic attack.

This is an opportunity for Seattle to keep close to the division-leading Rams, who sort of have a bye as they face the powerless Texans.

Are the Seahawks up to it?

Star linebacker Bobby Wagner has no doubts, and even finds a benefit to playing the Cardinals on a short week.

“Yeah, because you don’t have to relearn a new offence, like you have seen this team a handful of times,” Wagner said.

“We got a lot of film on them, so that’s what helps us. They know us, we know them, and it’s just who can remember what they did the fastest.”

The Arizona roster Wagner and cohorts will face in truth isn’t all that recognisable with Carson Palmer and David Johnson sidelined.

But newcomer Adrian Peterson has had two big games running the ball and will get all of Seattle’s attention.

“I think this is a style of offence where he is excelling really well in because he is a very patient runner, and this is a patient kind of run game,” Wagner said.

“It is just crunching and just waiting for someone to pop out of their gap. He does a good job of finding it, but I feel like we have been very disciplined when we played him, and we understand the problems that he kind of presents when we play him. If we stay gap sound, we should be fine.”

Seattle (No. 10 in AP Pro32) is a six-point choice at No. 23 Arizona.

SEAHAWKS, 19-12 KNOCKOUT LEAGUE TIP OK, we get a mulligan.

Due to deadlines, the surefire pick of Houston last week was made the day before Deshaun Watson went down. Does anyone this side of Chuck Pagano think we would have picked the Colts? Hoping that Matthew Stafford does not have the same issue this week, we’ll go with DETROIT. No. 24 Houston (plus 10) at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams

Without Watson, Texans have no offense. And no chance.

BEST BET: RAMS, 27-10 No. 8 Dallas (plus 3) at No. 16 Atlanta Two teams headed in opposite directions. Go with the team pointing upward.

UPSET SPECIAL: Cowboys, 30-20 No. 20 New York Jets (minus 2 1-2) at No. 29 Tampa Bay Actually toyed with this as Best Bet. JETS, 26-17 No. 6 New Orleans (minus 3) at No. 13 Buffalo Actually toyed with this as Upset Special.

BILLS, 24-23 No. 2 Pittsburgh (minus 7 1-2) at No. 28 Indianapolis Did not toy with this for Upset Special. But did for Best Bet. STEELERS, 38-13 No. 3 New England (minus 6) at No. 25 Denver Patriots often struggle in Mile High City. Not this time.

PATRIOTS, 27-16 No. 5 Minnesota (minus 1) at No. 14 Washington Redskins looked so good in Seattle, but also are so banged-up.

VIKINGS, 20-17

GAMETIME: Arizona Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson (23) runs against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. With quarterback Carson Palmer out with a broken arm, Arizona is leaning on Peterson even more. The Cardinals face the Seahawks tonight, who are favoured to win again.

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

No. 18 Green Bay (plus 5) at No. 26 Chicago Cheeseheads are putting their faith in Wisconsin Badgers now.

BEARS, 13-9 No. 22 Miami (plus 8) at No. 9 Carolina, Monday night Another prime-timer for Dolphins, who haven’t really earned it.

PANTHERS, 20-14 No. 21 Los Angeles Chargers (plus 4 1-2) at No. 11 Jacksonville We could see Chargers sneaking away with this one.

JAGUARS, 21-20 No. 27 Cincinnati (plus 5 1-2) at No. 12 Tennessee If Titans expect to win AFC South, they can’t stumble in this kind of matchup.

TITANS, 23-16 No. 21 Cleveland (plus 10) at No. 15 Detroit First win for Browns? Not happening.

LIONS, 27-12 No. 30 New York Giants (minus 1) at No. 31 San Francisco First win for Niners?

Maybe. Or maybe not.

GIANTS, 17-13

NFL HALFWAY: RAMS, BILLS, JAGS SUCCEEDING WITH NEW COACHES

By ARNIE STAPLETON Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Of the half dozen first-year NFL head coaches, Vance Joseph inherited what was widely considered the best situation: a team just one year removed from a Super Bowl parade with a championshipcalibre defence and a renovated offence.

Unlike the other five teams that averaged 4.4 wins last season, Denver was coming off a 9-7 season and the job only came open because of Gary Kubiak’s health concerns.

Yet, it’s the Broncos (3-5) who are spiraling with five losses in their past six games while Sean McVay’s Rams (6-2), Doug Marrone’s Jaguars (5-3) and Sean

McDermott’s Bills (5-3) are primed for playoff pushes.

Even Anthony Lynn’s Chargers (3-5) are on the rise after a winless first month that included three losses by a field goal or less.

While the 49ers are an NFLworst 0-9, Kyle Shanahan could end up being the biggest winner of them all with his team jockeying for the top pick in next year’s draft. “Of course it wears on you,” Shanahan said of all the losing. “If you sit there and you think about those words and the record too much and, yeah, it will affect you big time.

“But sitting and dwelling on that and worrying about your ego and things like that, it’s not going to make you play better.”

The dive has started to fray nerves in Denver, where calls

for offensive coordinator Mike McCoy’s job fill the airwaves.

Suddenly, all that winning ugly over the past couple of years, highlighted by Denver’s defence carrying a diminished Peyton Manning to victory in his Super Bowl 50 farewell, looks pretty good in retrospect.

When Kubiak quit, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips joined McVay in L.A. and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison joined McDermott in Buffalo.

Phillips is having his customary first-year effect with the Rams, who sport the largest point differential in the NFL, and Dennison is directing an offensive turnaround with the Bills, who could end the league’s longest playoff drought — they haven’t qualified since 1999. The Rams have missed

out every year since 2004 and the Jaguars every season since 2007.

If they continue their resurgence, the Chargers might get in for the first time since 2009.

Even the Broncos haven’t lost hope because they’re only 2 1/2 games behind the Chiefs, losers of three of four (but with a favourable schedule the rest of the way).

“We have time,” Joseph said, “but time’s running out. So, we’ve got to fix it right now.”

The problems in Denver are mostly on offence, where Joseph spent his first eight months on the job pondering whether Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch would be his quarterback only to see Brock Osweiler emerge as his best bet.

Joseph has seen his team average an NFL-worst 14 points since

Week 3, suffer its first shutout in a quarter century and get blown out at home coming off a bye week by the battered Giants.

After a 51-23 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday that shattered the defence’s not-my-fault aura, defensive end Derek Wolfe said the “Broncos are beating the Broncos” with too many mistakes, turnovers, drops and flags before the snap and after the whistle.

Joseph acknowledged the coaching staff has to clean up its act, too. Joe Woods’ defence is having too many breakdowns in coverage, Brock Olivo’s special teams are too sloppy and McCoy stubbornly sticks to a steady diet of three-receiver sets even though his quarterbacks have 18 sacks and 10 turnovers out of that formation over the past six games.

PAGE 4, Thursday, November 9, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Buddy Hield scores season high 21 in 94-86 win over Thunder FROM PAGE 1 God I finally got a few to fall down. I’m trusting what I do, trusting what got me here and it was good to see the ball go down. We got a great team win and it was a great effort,” Hield said. “Defensively we really locked in. Everybody made shots. It’s not easy but once you make shots you can work your way back into the game. I think the guys did a great job of feeding off each other’s energy. The results haven’t been showing in games but we have had some great practices and we just have to keep trusting what coach wants us to do. We are trying to be a gritty team that sneaks out some wins and has a shot within the last three minutes.”

The Kings got off to another one of those slow starts which have plagued them for much of the season. They opened the game with a nearly sixminute scoreless drought and trailed 14-5 when Hield checked into the game with 3:337 left to play in the first quarter.

After Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook made four from the free throw line, Hield made the Kings’ third field goal of the quarter with his first three.

He added another jumper and along with Jackson were the only Kings to score in the quarter.

Hield sparked a run in the second that would eventually see the Kings outscore the Thunder 32-16 to erase the deficit headed into the half.

He made back-to-back threes on the opening possessions of the quarter and another pair of jumpers on a 21-5 run that saw the

KINGS’ BUDDY HIELD, left, and Garrett Temple shake hands in the closing minutes of the Kings’ 94-86 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Kings take the lead for the first time. Hield’s four-point stretch in the fourth with a free throw and threepointer on consecutive possessions gave the Kings a two-possession lead that they would maintain down the stretch for the win.

“It was a good game and a good win for us, I’m excited for our guys.

They’ve been practicing well and we haven’t been able to get rewarded with a win. We’re looking for small victories and this was a big victory,” Joerger said.

“A different group came in, we went to them pretty quick and they were ready to go. Buddy gave everyone confidence by his shots falling. What I really liked about Buddy in the first half is, I think he was 6-7, but he got six or seven wide open looks for his teammates by penetrating and finding the open guy and making the right play.”

The Kings host Philadelphia tonight.

The two teams split two games last season, each winning at home.

KINGS’ BUDDY HIELD, left, and De”Aaron Fox in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards in Sacramento, California. The Wizards won 110-83.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Junior title matchups all set in BAISS softball FROM PAGE 1 They advance to face the Crusaders in the final. Led by talented ace Norman Basden, they scored a 9-6 win over the CW Saunders Cougars in the other semi-final.

“We have to be tough because their pitcher has been shown to be one of the better pitchers in the league, in fact may be the best pitcher in the league,” Adderley said. “But one of the things I know is that good hitting always beats good pitching. As long as we continue to field and hit like we have been hitting all year we will be fine.”

The Comets fared better in the junior girls’ matchup and withstood a late rally from the Cougars to take a 23-16 win in extra innings.

Faced with a deficit that reached as much as 10 runs in the second inning, the Cougars clawed their way back into the game to tie the game at 16 at the end of the fifth inning.

The Comets’ offence came alive in the sixth inning and put the game away with their highestscoring inning of the game.

“I just told the girls to believe in themselves, play hard, give it their all and just synergise on the field.

“We know we have a good team, the girls just need to believe in themselves, give it their best try and they did and I’m so proud of them,” Comets head coach Sandra Hobbs said. “Our pitching was a bit off and we gave up quite a few runs so we will work on that for the championship series.”

QC took a 6-0 lead over the Cougars through two innings and the lead ballooned to 10-0 before CW Saunders scored their first run of the game. They tacked on two additional runs and trailed 10-4 heading into the third. QC regained the 10 run advantage (14-4) but the Cougars continued to cut into the deficit in the bottom half of the inning. CWS entered the fourth trailing 14-8 but still trailed by three runs headed into the fifth after both teams traded runs.

The Comets will face the Big Red Machine who advanced on Monday with a 20-5 win over the Kingsway Academy Saints.

Championship series in all four divisions begin Monday, November 13 at the Freedom Farm Complex in Yamacraw.

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO RETURN TO FREEPORT FROM PAGE 1 ventures, so of course when it came to high school sports it was important for us to not only recognise the dedication, the drive and most importantly the

discipline that studentathletes have to participate in a national programme, it was a no-brainer for us.

So when the opportunity presented itself, our CEO and of course our CFO Mr Simmons jumped at the opportunity to assist,”

he said. “Not only are we assisting financially but we are also facilitating the production and airing of the championship. Our goal as always is to partner with any initiative that brings empowerment, education, and development.”

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 9, 2017, PAGE 5

TOBIAS HARRIS SCORES 23, PISTONS BEAT PACERS 114-97

By The Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 23 points and the first-place Detroit Pistons won for the sixth time in seven games, beating the Indiana Pacers 114-97 last night.

Andre Drummond added 14 points and 21 rebounds for the Pistons. They lead Cleveland by three games in the Central Division.

Indiana lost its fourth straight.

Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 21 points, but Indiana has allowed at least 100 points in 10 of 12 games this season. The Pacers were without injured big man Domantas Sabonis (bruised right calf).

MAGIC 112, KNICKS 99 ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and Evan Fournier added 23 to help Orlando beat New York.

Jonathon Simmons scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half. He had 11 straight points early in the fourth quarter to push the Magic’s lead back to double figures.

The Magic, benefiting from the return of starting point guard Elfrid Payton, snapped a two-game losing streak. New York, playing without scoring Kristaps Porzingis (ankle and elbow injuries), had its three-game winning streak come to an end. Tim Hardaway Jr led New York with 26 points.

PACERS centre Myles Turner knocks the ball away from Detroit Pistons forward Eric Moreland (24) in the first half last night.

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Evans, Conley help Grizzlies hold off Trail Blazers 98-97

By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Mike Conley was as relieved as the rest of the Memphis Grizzlies when CJ McCollum missed a pull-up jumper with 3.7 seconds left.

“He had a great look,” Conley said. “So we’re thankful to get away with a win.”

Tyreke Evans scored 21 points off the bench, Conley had 20 — all in the second half — and Memphis held off the Portland Trail Blazers 98-97 on Tuesday night.

Marc Gasol added 16 points as the Grizzlies improved to 2-1 on their five-game road trip.

Memphis wrestled with the Blazers for the lead in the final quarter after neither team was able to put together a doubledigit advantage through the first three.

Dillon Brooks stripped Portland’s Ed Davis and got a layup with a free throw that gave the Grizzlies a 96-91 lead with 39 seconds left. But the Blazers weren’t out of it. McCollum hit a 3-pointer with 13.4 seconds remaining to pull Portland within one.

After a video review, officials reversed an out-of-bounds call with 12.1 seconds left, giving the ball to the Blazers. McCollum missed a jumper from about 17 feet out and got his own rebound but couldn’t get another shot off in time. He finished with a season-high 36 points.

“I got a good look on a shot I make very often. I’ve got to finish it, but I didn’t,” McCollum said.

Damian Lillard, who had 12 points for Portland, said it shouldn’t have come down to that shot.

“He got a good look, it didn’t fall. It’s a lot of things that impact the outcome of a game,” Lillard said. “The last play is always what people talk about, but it’s a lot that puts you in that position.”

Brooks, starting for the Grizzlies as a rookie, went to college at Oregon and was treated to hearty applause during pregame introductions. Ducks coach Dana Altman had courtside seats for the game.

Brooks was a second-round pick by Houston and was sent to Memphis in a draft-night trade. He was last season’s Pac-12 player of the year and helped take the Ducks to the team’s first Final Four appearance since 1939. He averaged 16.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during his final season.

With Ben McLemore (foot) and Wayne Seldon (quadriceps) out injured, Brooks made his third start of the season and

GRIZZLIES forward Jarell Martin, right, shoots over Portland Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh, left, during the first half last night.

(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) finished with seven points and eight rebounds.

“He looks like he’s been playing in the league for a while,” Conley said. “Each game he gets more respect.”

Brooks, who guarded McCollum for much of the night, was also relieved after that final shot.

“He likes going left and he got me on a little push off,” Brooks said. “I contested it

pretty good I was just hoping that he missed.”

The Grizzlies jumped out to a 21-14 lead, but Portland closed the gap early in the second quarter and Evan Turner’s pull-up jumper tied it at 29. Lillard missed his first seven shots from the field, finally ending the drought on a layup with 3:12 left in the first half.

McCollum nearly lost the ball on a drive to the basket but regained control to make a falling-down jumper at the buzzer and give the Blazers a 50-47 lead at halftime.

McCollum led all scorers with 15 points at the break, then opened the second half with a 3. But the Grizzlies went on a 10-0 run to take a 61-57 lead. Portland tied it 71-all at the end of the third quarter, but Conley hit a 3 for Memphis as time ran out in the period.

NO CHANGE AT TOP OF CFP RANKINGS, MIAMI POISED TO MAKE MOVE

By RALPH D. RUSSO Associated Press WITH three games matching teams in the selection committee’s top 10, the College Football Playoff race could become a lot clearer on Saturday.

Or more muddled.

Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame and Clemson held their spots in the top four of the selection committee rankings Tuesday night, and unbeaten Miami moved up three spots to No. 7 before its showdown with the Fighting Irish.

Oklahoma remained fifth and TCU moved up to sixth. The Sooners and Horned Frogs play a key Big 12 game on Saturday, with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the conference. Notre Dame visits the Hurricanes on Saturday night, and Georgia is at Auburn,

which came in 10th. After Miami in the rankings, unbeaten Wisconsin was No. 8, the highest-ranked Big Ten team. The Hurricanes jumped over Wisconsin after beating Virginia Tech handily last Saturday. The Badgers pulled away late in a rout of Indiana.

Selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech’s athletic director, said the committee was impressed by the Hurricanes’ most convincing win of the season against a “solid” Virginia Tech team.

“That strengthened their resume more than, I would say, Wisconsin strengthened their resume with a win over a threewin Indiana team,” Hocutt said.

Washington, the highestranked Pac-12 team, is ninth and Auburn is 10th. No. 14 Penn State and No. 15 Ohio State fell out of the top 10 after losses last

week. UCF was 18th, the highestranked team from outside the Power Five conferences. The highest-ranked conference champion from the Group of Five leagues is guaranteed a spot in one of the New Year’s Six Bowls, and the American Athletic Conference is in prime position to grab that bid, likely to the Peach or Fiesta bowl.

UCF is unbeaten and leading the American’s East Division, and Memphis, ranked 22nd, is in the first in the AAC West. No other Group of Five conferences are represented in the selection committee’s rankings this week.

PATHS TO THE PLAYOFF How each of the top teams get into the semifinals: Georgia (9-0) and Alabama (9-0) — Win the Southeastern Conference. Both the Bulldogs and Tide can likely afford a loss

before getting to Atlanta on Dec. 2 as long they win that day. If both are 12-0 going into the title game, the loser looks like a good bet to get in, too, depending on how that game goes. But it’s no guarantee. Notre Dame (8-1) — The Fighting Irish should roll in with no issues if they win out and are probably out if they lose for a second time. Simple.

Clemson (8-1) — The Tigers have to like their chances if they win out, though they could use some help from their fellow Atlantic Coast Conference teams. Strong finishes by North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Boston College, as well as by their nonconference foes Auburn and South Carolina, would ensure a deep resume.

That could also include beating an 11-0 or 10-1 Miami in the ACC title game. The one loss to

Syracuse came with an injured QB. And being the defending national champ probably doesn’t hurt either.

Oklahoma (8-1) — As of right now, it looks like simply winning out won’t be good enough for the Sooners to be a lock. Hocutt noted they have probably the two best road victories of the season, at Ohio State and Oklahoma State. He also tried to downplay how much the committee would hold a defense ranked 88th in the country against the Sooners. The best-case scenario for OU would be beating TCU on Saturday and again in the Big 12 title game.

TCU (8-1) — Like the Sooners, the Horned Frogs don’t have a clear path. Two wins against Oklahoma, both away from home, would be nice. The Frogs do play defense, so they wouldn’t have that imbalance issue dogging them like OU does.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 9, 2017, PAGE 7

India beats New Zealand in T20 shootout, wins series 2-1 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (AP) — India beat New Zealand by six runs in a thrilling finish to win the third Twenty20 on Tuesday.

Chasing 68 in a series decider reduced by rain to eight overs per side, the Black Caps were restricted to 61-6.

India finished at 67-5 and won the three-match series 2-1, its first victory in a bilateral engagement in this format over New Zealand.

India also won the competitive one-day international series 2-1.

The persistent rain and a wet outfield delayed the start for almost three hours, but the sell-out crowd was given a treat at Greenfield International Stadium, which became the 50th venue in India to host international cricket.

Put into bat, India lost openers Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Rohit Sharma (8) cheaply off fast bowler Tim Southee (2-13).

Captain Virat Kohli (13) gave momentum to the innings but was caught in

INDIA’s wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, left, breaks the stumps to dismiss New Zealand’s Tom Bruce. the deep off spinner Ish Sodhi (2-23). Sodhi also accounted for Shreyas Iyer (6) in similar fashion. There were no big partnerships.

Manish Pandey (17) and Hardik Pandya (14 not out) helped to push India to what still seemed a subpar score. “We were really happy to get a game,” Kohli said. “Ever since the ODIs started, New Zealand have given us a good fight. So we were nervous to bat first here on a damp pitch. But it was a challenging score and we thought it was not going to be easy with a high asking rate.”

So it proved. New Zealand, too, lost openers Martin Guptill (1) and Colin Munro (7) cheaply, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-18) and caught in the deep off Jasprit Bumrah (2-9) respectively.

“Slower deliveries were gripping as we saw in the first innings,” Bumrah, the top-ranked T20 bowler, said. “So that was the basic plan. We mixed them well with yorkers.” Pandya ran out Kane Williamson (8) with a direct hit, and Glen Phillips (11) holed out off Kuldeep Yadav (1-10) on the very next ball as the

INDIA’s captain Virat Kohli, left, prepares to catch the ball after a shot played by New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson, centre.

(AP Photos/Aijaz Rahi) Black Caps were reduced to 28-4. The wickets of Henry Nicholls (2) and Tom Bruce (4) put the Black Caps in bad shape at 49-6.

Nineteen runs were needed off the last over with Colin de Grandhomme (17 not out) and Mitchell Santner (3 not out) at the

crease. But Pandya (0-11) bowled a tight line.

“It’s quite hard to know a good first innings score in this situation,” Williamson said. “Runs on board on a tricky surface came in handy for India. We showed good fight throughout this tour. It is a tough place to

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 66° F/19° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Clouds and sun, a shower; breezy

Partly cloudy, a shower; breezy

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

Some sun with a shower; breezy

Periods of sun, a shower; breezy

Some sun with a shower; breezy

High: 87°

Low: 73°

High: 87° Low: 74°

High: 86° Low: 73°

High: 86° Low: 75°

High: 86° Low: 74°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

91° F

71° F

93°-73° F

91°-75° F

92°-75° F

91°-74° F

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: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

6-12 knots

S

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 71° F/22° C

6-12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 74° F/23° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 66° F/19° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 75° F/24° C

6-12 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 88° F/31° C Low .................................................... 74° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 82° F/28° C Normal low ........................................ 71° F/21° C Last year’s high ................................. 83° F/28° C Last year’s low ................................... 70° F/21° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday .................................. trace Year to date ............................................... 34.71” Normal year to date ................................... 36.46”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 73° F/23° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

S

E

W

7-14 knots

S

8-16 knots

ANDROS

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

tiDes For nassau Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

11:45 a.m.

-----

High

Ht.(ft.)

3.4 -----

5:22 a.m.

6:19 p.m.

0.1 0.1

Friday

12:19 a.m.

12:48 p.m.

2.7 3.2

6:27 a.m.

7:22 p.m.

0.3 0.2

Saturday

1:27 a.m.

1:53 p.m.

2.7 3.0

7:36 a.m.

8:25 p.m.

0.5 0.3

Sunday

2:34 a.m.

2:57 p.m.

2.7 2.9

8:46 a.m.

9:24 p.m.

0.5 0.2

Monday

3:37 a.m.

3:56 p.m.

2.8 2.9

9:51 a.m. 0.5 10:18 p.m. 0.2

Tuesday

4:33 a.m.

4:49 p.m.

2.9 2.8

10:50 a.m. 0.4 11:06 p.m. 0.1

Wednesday 5:22 a.m.

5:37 p.m.

3.0 2.8

11:41 a.m. 0.3 11:50 p.m. 0.0

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:22 a.m.

5:25 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

11:04 p.m.

11:46 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

Nov. 10

Nov. 18

Nov. 26

Dec. 3

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 78° F/26° C

N

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map L

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

CAT ISLAND

E

W

play and there have been a number of strides forward for us.”

India next has a three-test series against Sri Lanka, beginning in Kolkata on November 16. New Zealand hosts West Indies in a two-test series, starting in Wellington on December 1.

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

8-16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

H L

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

7-14 knots

8-16 knots

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

Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS E at 6-12 Knots NNE at 8-16 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 4-8 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 4 Miles 4 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 4 Miles 4 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 4 Miles 4 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 7 Miles 7 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 81° F 84° F 84° F 80° F 80° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 85° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 83° F 81° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F

PAGE 8, Thursday, November 9, 2017

THE TRIBUNE