11252016 sports by tribune242

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

‘Tum Tum’ and Spartans fall short in semi-finals By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

acked by a dominant frontline, the Baylor Bears spoiled the homecoming celebration for Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr and ended his team’s bid for a Battle 4 Atlantis title. Nairn followed up Wednesday’s career night with five points, six rebounds and three assists in the No.24 Spartans’ 73-58 loss to the No.20 Bears yesterday in the tournament semi-final at the Imperial Arena. They will advance to face the No.10 Louisville Cardinals in today’s championship matchup. Baylor’s frontcourt duo of 6’10 Johnathan Motley and 7’1” Jo Lual-Acuil Jr led the Bears to outscore the Spartans by 22 in the paint and produced a 36-29 rebounding advantage. Motley scored 20 of his game high 26 points in the first half and also added six rebounds and three assists. Lual-Acuil took his turn to dominate the second half and added 14 points and eight rebounds. Ishmail Wainwright nearly notched a triple double with seven points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Miles Bridges was the only Spartans player to reach double figures with 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Matt McQuaid added eight. The Bears moved to 5-0 with their second win over a ranked team this season while the Spartans fell to 3-3 for just the third time in the Tom Izzo era. The Spartans had eight different scorers in the first half and Nick Ward converted a threepoint play to give them their biggest lead of the game (26-16) with 7:58 left in the half. They eventually took a 33-30 lead at the break. Baylor took their first lead of the game almost automatically

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Baylor gets 73-58 win over Michigan State

LOURAWLS “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr and the No.24 Michigan State Spartans yesterday lost 73-58 to the No.20 Baylor Bears during the Battle 4 Atlantis NCAA college basketball tournament semi-finals in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. Photo: Shawn Hanna/The Tribune

NFL THURSDAY

Week 12, Pg 5

GOOMBAY SPLASH BOWL: SYDNEY CLARKE OUSTED By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE journey through the Goombay Splash Bowl came to an end in the girls’ quarterfinals for Sydney Clarke, but it continues in the final of the boys’ doubles for Jacobi Bain and his Canadian partner Ily Tiraspolsky today at the National Tennis Centre. Clarke, the 15-year-old 10th grader at CR Walker Secondary High, suffered a tough 6-4, 6-4 loss to top seed Laura Lissette Quezada Martinez of the Dominican Republic yesterday (Thanksgiving Day). She was the lone Bahamian left in the main draw of singles in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s weeklong junior tournament that featured some of the best players from around the world after both Iesha Shepherd and Sierra Donaldson were ousted in the second round on Wednesday. “The match was great. There were some disputes, but after all, it was a good match,” said Clarke about both players getting frustrated with each other on calling one or shots long or outside against each other. “I felt I played great. I felt I could do more, but today I just gave what I could.” It was a rematch between the two players since they first faced each other in the under-12 division and once again Martinez came out on top. “She’s a good player. She’s very aggressive, so she played better than me today,” Clarke said. “I felt I just needed to work on my net play and keeping the ball deep over the net. “When I had chances to win the points, I made some mistakes.” Martinez, with a ITF junior

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DeAndre ‘got in love with basketball’ and the rest is history By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net EVERYWHERE he goes, DeAndre Ayton can hardly believe how people stare and are in awe of his height. The top ranked high school player in the United States can’t help it, considering that it’s not everyday that Bahamians get to see a seven-footer walking around town. Last weekend, Ayton came home and put on a show as he led his Hillcrest Prep Bruins out of Phoenix, Arizona, with two impressive victories in the Sand Between Your Toes Showcase at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The 18-year-old 7-foot, 235-pound centre, who has already signed to play for the Arizona Wildcats at the collegiate level next year, left his mark on the Bahamian crowd by averaging 27.5 points with nine rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots.

Last summer, Ayton, height.” through the assistance of At the time, Ayton his former coach Kevin was attending Bahamas ‘KJ’ Johnson, made his Academy after he gradnational team debut as uated from Sadie Curtis he helped the Bahamas at Primary School. Howthe Caribbean Basketball ever, Ayton never got to Confederation’s Champicomplete high school in onship for Men to a secthe Bahamas as his parond place finish last year ents made a decision to in the British Virgin Issend him off to the UnitAYTON lands. ed States at the age of 13. One of the questions a lot of “He first went to Balboa School people were asking is just who is in San Diego where he was able DeAndre Ayton. His father Alvin to improve his skills under the Ayton put his son’s genesis into tutelage of Shawn Munnings,” perspective, noting that when he his father said. “Shawn Munnings was born, him nor his Jamaican- decided to leave the school, so me Bahamian wife, Andrea Ayton, and the wife decided to take him expected their son to grow as tall to Arizona where she had some as he has. family members and friends.” “He’s the first child in the marThere they enrolled him at Hillriage, grew up here just like any crest Prep Academy two years ago other Bahamian,” said the proud and Ayton was able to begin his father. “He got in love with bas- crest to become the top ranked ketball and we introduced him to high school player in the country. the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp Following in the footsteps of his where people started to notice his grandfather, who stood about 6-8,

the 5-7 father said they were surprised to see how fast DeAndre grew because one day “we were looking down at him and in a couple of days, we were all looking up at him as he continued to grow. “It was like he just grew overnight because the first year at Jeff Rodgers, nobody really noticed him. But by the third year, he grew and he was rubbing shoulders with the older guys, but they didn’t really know because they thought he was in set with them. “By then, he started to improve and he was getting more and more attention because of his height.” Once Ayton left town for the United States, his father said they only saw a lot of “upside” for him. “We had decided to stick with Balboa because Shawn Munnings had really showed a lot of interest in him,” the father said. “But once he left because of some personal problems, we knew we had to make a decision on where to send him and Hillcrest turned out to be

the best place.” Since Ayton made the move to Arizona and the spotlight continued to shine on him, his father said he and his wife have been travelling quite frequently to the United States. “When these guys in the United States found out about him, they were not interested in his talent. They just concentrated on his height,” his father said. “They wasn’t concerned about whether he could dribble the ball or shoot the ball. They were just interested in his height. “We had plenty schools that came to us from time to time asking us to move him to their school, but we decided to keep him at Balboa until Shawn Munnings left. The world saw him at Balboa. When he went there he was a nobody and they developed him, so we wanted him to stay there.” And with the next phase in his

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PAGE 2, Friday, November 25, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

Coaches weigh in on their Battle 4 Atlantis experience By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WITH another stacked field at this year’s Battle 4 Atlantis, coaches from the eight participating programmes weighed in on their time in the Bahamas and the benefits the tournament will have on their players moving forward. The three-day event heads into its marquee matchups this afternoon, in the tournament which featured three nationally ranked teams and a competitive field which has produced several thrilling finishes thus far. The No.10 Louisville Cardinals will face the No.20 Baylor Bears in the championship. It is the second appearance for Louisville who lost in the 2012 championship game to Duke. “We are excited to be here. We were here four years ago and lost a tough game. We have great memories of being here and we hope to put on a good show. For us, it is an opportunity to see what we are,” Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino said. “It has been very difficult to tell because this is a new team for us. For us it’s great for our fans. Competition is great here. You see

all different styles getting ready for your conference play in a matter of three days. In those three days you have to be careful because you don’t have time to change things. You have to be prepared and you hope you win but you don’t have time to prep.” The Bears, led by head coach Scott Drew, also touted the tournament’s pedigree. “It is one of the premier if not the best tournament in the country for college basketball. The teams that have been here and the success they have had in the Final Four and national championships. It is a great opportunity to improve your team,” he said. VCU head coach Will Wade is also making his second appearance at the tournament with the programme. “We were here about five years ago when I was an assistant. It is a great experience for our players. We are excited about the opportunity to be here. Everyone is obviously very, very good. I think there are about three, four top 25 teams in this field,” he said. “It’s a tough field anytime you come down here – it is one of the premier tournaments in college basketball. Anytime you come to one

of these you are going to have a phenomenal field.” One of the best storylines from the tournament is the homecoming of Bahamian native Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr, the starting point guard for the Michigan State Spartans. Izzo: “It is an incredible tournament and maybe the most paradise of spots I have ever been in my life. I think it is great for our players. It’s great for Tum coming back home – it is an exciting once in a lifetime opportunity for him. Thanks to everyone for their hospitality. The grounds are beautiful.” LSU head coach Johnny Jones said the tournament will set the tone for the team’s progression toward conference play. “This early part of the season will give a great feel and idea of

where your team is and should be a great experience for us. This is a great teaching experience tool for the kids in the early part of the season. Once you get in conference tournaments, you have back-to-back games, short scouts in terms of your preparation, and quick turnaround. When we get to that part of the season we can certainly look back at this point as a reference of what we have done in the past and how we performed, what worked for us and what didn’t.” Several coaches and players celebrated the off-the-field activity and hospitality. Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall said: “As a team we’re just glad to be here. I told my players to go have fun [at Atlantis]. Do the water slides. Anything in moderation. I hope they will enjoy themselves. The Old Dominion Monarchs players enjoyed the amenities around the Atlantis resort in their downtime. Jordan Baker and Denzell Taylor took their attempt at conquering the Leap Of Faith. “It was great getting encouraged by my teammates to do it, it was fun. To get into the beach wa-

ter up to my waist was something different. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel with my team – more like my family outside of my immediate family,” Baker said. “The water slide was very fun. It was steep at first – I didn’t know it was so steep. It was a great experience hanging out with the guys and enjoying the Bahamas. We also went to the beach and relaxed a little bit. It was a great time,” Taylor said. Monarchs head coach Jeffrey Jones said it was important for his team to balance off court fun and on-court progression. “They understand this is a business trip but there is nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun. I am glad they had the opportunity to get out and explore what Atlantis has to offer. From my perspective it is a great opportunity and we want to make the most of this opportunity regardless of who we are playing,” Jones said. “For a mid major this is about the only opportunity we get to play against a team like Louisville and teams like the others that is not on their home floor – to play an elite programme on a neutral court is not something that happens very often.”

Baylor gets 73-58 win over Michigan State FROM PAGE 1 once play resumed for the second half. An Al Freeman three, followed by a Motley dunk gave them a 3533 advantage and sparked a 12-2 run. They eventually outscored the Spartans 55-30 over the final 27 minutes. The Spartans, who shot 48 per cent in the first half, shot just 38 per cent in the second, includ-

ing 1-10 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Baylor shot 55 per cent from the field and 50 per cent from beyond the arch. The Spartans have played a brutal schedule to open the season including matchups against No.8 Arizona in Hawaii at the Armed Forces Classic and No.1 Kentucky in New York at the Champions Classic. Following the Battle 4 Atlantis, they face No.6 ranked Duke on Tuesday. “I’m not making an excuse but

I did a terrible job of scheduling and I think it caught up with us a little bit. We just need more time to prepare than we’ve had and this turnaround was almost insane and we just don’t have a team where we can change enough things to accommodate that. “I just think we looked awfully tired and I can accept that. That’s my fault not theirs. You can’t prepare in an hour or two. I don’t have a veteran team and this was the most brutal turnaround I’ve

ever had in my coaching career. That part bothers me for these guys because I don’t’ think I was fair to them.” The Spartans have played the season thus far without key big men Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter who have been sidelined with knee injuries. Nairn said despite the loss it was still a positive experience to be able to play at home again. “It’s been tough on us but we can’t make excuses for it. It’s the

schedule we have and we just have to do a better job with it. Some of our bigs got hurt so we went down in a size a bit but we will just deal with what we have and be better,” he said. “I came here to win a tournament championship and it hurts not to be able to play in that but it’s always fun to play back home.” The Spartans will face Wichita State (5-1) at 1pm today in the third place game, to be broadcast live on ESPN2.

PHOTOS: Shawn Hanna YASEMIN ADA BORU

IESHA SHEPHERD

SYDNEY CLARKE

LAURA QUEZADA MARTINEZ

GOOMBAY SPLASH BOWL: SYDNEY, IESHA AND SIERRA ELIMINATED FROM PAGE 1 ranking of 496, got a break to go up 3-1 in the first set and watched as Clarke came back to take advantage of her opponent’s difficulties with her serve to break for a 3-2 deficit. Instead of keeping the pressure on, Clarke was broken again and even though Martinez still struggled at the service line, she held to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Clarke, ranked at 1,457, would then hold serve and break to cut the deficit to 5-4, but was broken again by Martinez as she secured the first set. In the second set, Clarke got the early break to take a 2-1 lead.

But Martinez bounced right back for the break for the 2-2 tie. After they both held serve at 3-3, Clarke broke to go up 3-2 as Martinez argued a call Clarke had called out. In response, 16-year-old Martinez broke to even the score at 4-4 on a call that Clarke had objected to. But that gave Martinez the momentum as she went on to hold serve and then break Clarke to pull off the win. “It was pretty good,” said Martinez about her victory. “We played a long time ago and she has really improved. I’m impressed. She played very well. I played my best and she was right there.” Martinez, who at one point had asked the referee to quiet a

small cheering section for Clarke, pumped her fist after she made a spectacular play to counteract the dispute. “Sometimes they got to me, but I had to let it go and continue playing,” Martinez said. Martinez is now into today’s semi-final and she said her aim to “win and take the title home.” She will take on Boru at 9am for the rights to play the winner of the other half of the draw between Evelyne Christelle Atticia Tiron from Romania and No.2 Lillian Gabrielsen from Norway. Also today, Bain and Tiraspolsky will attempt to win the boys’ doubles title. The duo advanced to the final yesterday with a 6-4,

6-2 win over Canadian Aaron Diemer and Brazilian Matheus Ferreira Lette 6-4, 6-2. On Wednesday, Donaldson lost to Luisa Meyer Auf Der Heide from Germany 6-1, 6-0, while Shepherd went down to No.4 seed Yasemin Ada Boru from Turkey 6-4, 6-2. “It’s good to be back home. I came here to try and adjust to the hard court and do my thing,” Shepherd said. “I played good in my first round, but then in the second round, I just didn’t play to my ability.” With this being her last year as a junior, Shepherd said she will be heading to Florida next week for a college showcase to see if she

can get one of the offers she has already received. “I would like to go to one of the schools in Florida because of the weather conditions,” she said. “I would prefer the University of Miami or Florida State because they have a high level of tennis and they are athletically suited to my major in accounting.” Although she lost, Shepherd said she still has to hold her head high and give God thanks because this is another learning experience for her as she prepares to go on the pro circuit next year as well. “It comes and it goes, so you have to take your wins with your losses,” she said.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, November 25, 2016, PAGE 3

DeAndre Ayton, ‘Tum Tum’ puts on a show for the fans at home IT IS not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish. • The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in local sports, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures. THE WEEK THAT WAS We’re smack into the Thanksgiving season and although we don’t go all out and celebrate like our neighbours to the north – United States of America – do, we still should be grateful to God for giving us so much to be thankful for. First of all, we’re thankful for the tremendous athletes that we have been blessed with in this little country called the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the fact that we have the forum right here at home to display their talent on the international stage. We’ve seen DeAndre Ayton, the top ranked high school player in the USA, come home to lead his Hillcrest Academy Bruins to a pair of victories in the Sand Between Your Toes Showcase at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. For those who didn’t get a chance to watch any of the games, you missed a treat – all packaged in a 7-feet, 235-pound frame. In the pair of games, Ayton averaged 27.5 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 block shots. “It felt great being back. As soon as I walked in the gym all eyes were on me. I felt back home,” Ayton said. “I just really wanted to put on a show the minute I stepped on the floor.” All eyes were on Ayton

Sherman Ferguson, regarded as one of the most feared batters in the country, emerged as the most valuable player. He hit the cover off the ball with three home runs, including a pair of grand slam home runs. Congrats to the team. and he certainly didn’t disappoint any fans. Ayton, 18, has already signed to play for Arizona next year and based on his performance, he’s projected to go all the way, following in the footsteps of Chavanno ‘Buddy’ Hield, who is now playing with the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association. While he was holding court at the gymnasium, his name was called at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island where he was recognised as the Junior Male Athlete of the Year at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s 2016 National Sports Awards banquet. Hield, by the way, was named the overall senior Male Athlete of the Year for the exceptional conclusion of his four-year sting with the Oklahoma Sooners before he was drafted as the No.6 pick in the NBA draft by the Pelicans. Only time will tell who will follow in Hield’s footsteps. Right now, Lourawls ‘Tum Tum’ Nairn could be next on the list. He will complete his tenure with the Michigan State Spartans next year. But like Ayton, he also got a chance to come home and put on a show for the Bahamian public in the Battle 4 Atlantis. “I just want to help this team the best way I can,

AYTON, FROM PAGE 1 life fast approaching, the elder Ayton said they allowed the younger Ayton to make a decision on exactly where he wanted to play college ball. “He always wanted to play for a good college, so we wanted him to decide on what he wanted to do,” the father said. “Everybody at the school was telling him what to do and it was difficult for him, so we decided to let him have the biggest decision on what he wanted to do. “He met with the coaches when he visited all of the schools, so he had a chance to decide on where he wanted to go. He said he liked Kansas City, but he decided on Arizona because he said it felt like he was at home. He liked the underdog and so it was easy for him to decide. It was all him.” Now that he’s given him the rein to make his ulti-

ALVIN AYTON, the father of DeAndre Ayton. mate decision, the elder Ayton said he’s looking forward to seeing how well his son can adjust to the next level. “There’s still so much work for him to do,” he said. “He’s ranked number one going into college, but as long as he can stay healthy and do what he has to do, he can make it. He still has a long road to go.”

SPORTS NOTES BASKETBALL NPBA ACTION THE Shockers won the lone game played in the New Providence Basketball Association at the AF Adderley Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Shockers knocked off the Island Game Pros 86-68 in the men’s division one feature contest. In the division II opener, the Triple K Stampers won by default over Athletico. Shockers 86, Pros 68: Shakwon Lewis came off the bench and ignited the spark with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds to lead the Shockers. Salathiel Dean had 16 points and 10 rebounds; William Rigby had 13 points and seven rebounds; Kamal Murphy had 11 points and six rebounds and Crosley Wilmore added 10 points. For Island Game, Derrick Ferguson had 19 points; Duran Burrows had 10 points and 19 rebounds; Colton Albury had 10 points and 12 rebounds; Mitch Bain had 10 points and six rebounds and Chico Francis added eight points with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Friday 7pm - Rhythm Rebels vs PJ Stingers 8:30pm - Mr Ship It Freight Regulators vs Commonwealth Bank Giants FINANCIAL BOWLING LEAGUE THE top scorer in Financial Bowling League competition last night at Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace was Kevin B Williams of the Strike Force who

wherever coach needs me to be, whatever he needs me to do that’s what I’ll do,” Nairn said of his homecoming. “If I have to score, rebound, pass, play defence, whatever it is I’m just happy I can contribute and help my team win.” Unfortunately, Nairn’s appearance here wasn’t as successful as Ayton as they split their first two games, winning their opener 7362 over the St John’s Red Storm before losing to the Baylor Bears 73-58 in their second encounter. Since we don’t have any Black Friday shopping to do here, there’s still an opportunity left today at 1pm to go over to Paradise Island to watch Nairn and the Spartans play for third place. If that’s not enough to be thankful for, we can be proud of the future of tennis in the country. At the National Tennis Centre, we had some of our bright young stars face off against some touring junior players at the Goombay Splash Tennis Tournament. While none were successful in getting to the final, two players who performed exceptionally well in their matches were Sydney Clarke and Jacobi Bain. Iesha Shepherd, in her final year as a junior at the age of 17 and fresh off her appearance in a number of tournaments overseas, led the way by advancing to the That road, according to the senior Ayton, would be to go to the NBA. “DeAndre is a blessed child. He’s still trying to figure out everything,” his father said. “Whenever he steps out there on the court, he is like a man. But he’s still a child still trying to find his way, still trying to find a way to talk to girls. He’s still trying to figure out everything. “When he’s not on the court, he’s like a baby. But when you see him go on the court, he’s like a man. He’s a normal child. He’s been in the spotlight for so long that he just wants to be normal. He doesn’t like the spotlight. He wished he can just sit down and don’t have people coming to him and asking him how tall is he?” But the child, who grew up in Nassau Village with a makeshift basketball rim in the front of his yard, is still trying to adjust to his stardom and he’s coping quite well right now.

crushed the pins for a gigantic 270 high game and a huge 671 high three game set. The runner-up was Alfred Burrows of the BTC Night Hawks with a 591 second high set. Stan Coleby of Forsythe Communications toppled the pins for the second high game of 216. The MVP for the ladies was Joy Lockhart of the BTC Night Hawks with a 192 second high game and a respectable 525 high three game set. Patrina Cartwright of the Rubis Oil Stars had a 513 second high set. Xynea Johnson of Deloitte & Touche struck for the high game of 197. Team scores for the evening were as follows: Forsthye Communications 3, Moonlight Strikers 0; Strike Force 2, Rubis Oil Stars 1; Deloitte & Touche 2, Best Deal Kirki Bar 1 and Leno Corporate Services 2, BTC Night Hawks 1. RUGBY: BUCK JOHNSON TOURNEY THE Bahamas Rugby Union is scheduled to hold its 5th annual Buck Johnson Thanksgiving 10s at the Winton rugby pitch 2pm Saturday. Captains are urged to register their teams at 1pm. SAILING BEST-OF-THE-BEST FLOAT THE sailing community will congregate at the Golden Gates Outreach Ministries 10am Saturday to begin a float parade through the streets of New Providence. The float parade is designed to showcase the boats that will compete in the Best of the Best Sailing Extravaganza in Montagu Bay next week.

DEANDRE AYTON, the top ranked high school basketball player in the United States. second round. But she admitted that she didn’t play as well as she is capable of doing and got eliminated earlier than she anticipated. Clarke, a 15-year-old 10th grader at the CR Walker Secondary High, went further than all of the players as her run to the final was cut short in a hard fought quarter-final match against the top seed Laura Lissette Quezada Martinez. It wasn’t a good Thanksgiving Day for Clarke as she also got eliminated in doubles with partner Zulay Castaneda from Panama. Clarke has nothing to hold her head down for. She performed exceptionally well this week.

Now it’s all up to 15-yearold Bain to keep the Bahamas flag flying in the tournament that wraps up on Saturday. Bain, back home from his tour around the world, took his opponent to the limit in his first round match before he gracefully bowed out. But he’s teamed up with Canadian Ilya Tiraspolsky and they’re making their presence felt in doubles. In all thanks, we can give thanks because for the second consecutive year the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association have returned home as champions of the WBSC Co-Ed Slow Pitch Cup Tournament.

THE WEEK AHEAD On Saturday, local sailors will get to show off their boats to the public in a float parade that will start at Golden Gates Outreach Ministries at 10am as they prepare for the much anticipated Best of the Best Sailing Extravaganza in Montagu Bay next week. The event will mark the first time that the local sloop sailing boats will get to mix and mingle with the visiting Olympic-style boats that will compete in the final of the Star Sailors League. From Tuesday, November 28 to Sunday, December 4, 50 of the world’s top sailors, representing 17 different countries, will battle it out over five days of racing including a thrilling last day knock-out format. The winner will take away the lionshare of the $200,000 prize pot. On Sunday, December 4, all the focus will be on the Best of the Best Regatta. Competition will be held in the Class A, B and C categories. A team of elite sailors from the SSL Finals will join in the action, giving the local sailors the chance to win a regatta for bragging rights. It’s going to be another jammed pack week as the Thanksgiving season comes to a close and we begin preparation for the festive yuletide season. In all things, let’s give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving.

PAGE 4, Friday, November 25, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

FAB-ULOUS

VOLLEYBALL enthusiasts take part in The Filipino Association of the Bahamasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sports Festival Season 13 at the CI Gibson Gymnasium on Sunday, November 20. Photos: Derek Smith

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, November 25, 2016, PAGE 5

Cowboys win 10 straight

AN OFFICIAL signals touchdown as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) runs the ball into the end zone during the second half of last night’s game against the Redskins in Arlington, Texas. (AP)

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott accounted for two touchdowns, fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott ran for a pair of scores and the Dallas Cowboys extended their franchise regularseason record with a 10th straight victory, beating the Washington Redskins 31-26 yesterday. The rookie quarterback tied Don Meredith’s club record from 50 years ago with his fifth rushing TD and the NFL-leading Cowboys (10-1) won despite 449 yards passing and three touchdowns from Kirk Cousins, the first Redskins quarterback with two 400yard games in a season. The Redskins (6-4-1) got swept by their NFC East rival, and the defending division champions fell

3 1/2 games behind Dallas with five games left after their seventh Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys in eight tries. Elliott, the NFL rushing leader, had the fourth score on five straight second-half touchdown drives between the two teams with a 1-yard run for a 31-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The 21-year-old had 97 yards to give him 1,199 for the season. The Cowboys had an eightgame streak with at least 400 yards snapped, finishing with 353. But Dallas answered with touchdowns each time the Redskins got within a score on Cousins’ passes of 5 yards to Jordan Reed and 67 yards to DeSean Jackson, who had 118 yards receiving. After Cousins’ second scoring toss to Reed, an 8-yarder with 1:53 remaining, Dustin Hopkins’

onside kick went out of bounds. The Cowboys ran out the clock. Reed had 10 catches for 95 yards after missing most of the first half when he injured his left shoulder leaping for a pass over his head in the end zone. Cousins, who was 41 of 53 and finished 8 yards shy of his career high, took the Washington career lead with his third 400-yard game. Prescott was 17 of 24 for 195 yards and one touchdown, a toetapper to Terrance Williams. He had eight carries for 39 yards, including a career-long 18-yarder. Dez Bryant led Dallas with 72 yards on five catches. SUN FIELD The late-afternoon sun shining through the glass doors on the west side of the stadium was an

issue in the opener when Dallas tight end Jason Witten admitted that the glare contributed to a pass he dropped in the New York Giants’ 20-19 win. Cousins had to battle it during a second-quarter drive that ended in the second of Dustin Hopkins’ two missed field goals: a 55-yarder. Prescott threw away from the sun to Williams for the touchdown on the subsequent possession, and the glare wasn’t a factor after that. CHRIS PAUL AND FRIENDS Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul is a longtime Cowboys fans and brought the whole team to the game a night after a win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Center DeAndre Jordan, a Houston native, is a Dallas fan also. Paul has visited the Cowboys at training camp in the LA area. The Clippers resume a sixgame trip today in Detroit. UP NEXT Redskins: Washington gets the 10-day break before the second of three straight road games in Arizona on December 4. The trip ends with another crucial NFC East game at Philadelphia on December 11. Cowboys: It’ll be a “regular” seven-day week with a visit to Minnesota next Thursday. Then Dallas gets the longer break before a December 11 visit to the New York Giants that is likely to be a battle of the top two teams in the division.

Lions beat Vikings 16-13, have sole possession of 1st place By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — Darius Slay dropped into coverage as if he was going to cover a deep route and pounced on an opportunity to help the Lions come back to win another game. Slay intercepted Sam Bradford’s pass from the left hash across the field to help send the Lions into sole possession of first place in the NFC North. Slay returned the interception 13 yards with 30 seconds left to set up Matt Prater’s 40-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Lions to a 16-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings yesterday. Minnesota could have stuck with the conservative approach it took on offence for much of the game and played for overtime on its last drive, but coach Mike Zimmer allowed Bradford to pass and Slay made him regret it. “I knew they were going to throw,” Slay said. “They didn’t want overtime. They know what happened last time.” Earlier this month, Prater made a game-tying 58-yard field goal at the end of regulation at Minnesota and the Lions won in overtime. Slay, a standout cornerback, who calls himself “Big Play Slay,” fooled Bradford by coming up and stepping in front of Adam Thielen to pick off the pass. “I wish I could have seen him fall off the outside route and come back in,” Bradford said.

THREE-AND-OUT Minnesota didn’t convert a third down until Bradford connected with Patterson late in the third quarter and finished 2 of 10 on third down. “We weren’t good enough on third downs offensively,” Zimmer said. “We can’t continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with some of those penalties and negative plays.”

LIONS kicker Matt Prater (5) is congratulated after making a 40-yard winning field goal during the second half of last night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Lions (7-4) have won six of seven, including two against Minnesota this month and four of the wins have come on Prater’s field goals, despite trailing in the fourth quarter of every game this season. Slay sealed the first victory during the successful stretch with an interception late in the game on October 9 against Philadelphia. “He’s as good as they come in those situations,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell

said. “He’s kind of got a knack for it. He’s a bit of a riverboat gambler.” Detroit extended its NFL record of having its first 11 games decided by seven or fewer points. “They come from behind every week, so when we took the lead in the fourth quarter, we knew the game wasn’t over,” Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “We had to keep playing, but we didn’t make enough plays.”

The Vikings (6-5) have lost five of six, plummeting out of first place after surging to the top of the division by winning their first five games. LOSING THE LEAD(S) Forbath put the Vikings ahead for the first time, giving them a 13-10 lead early in the fourth on a 28-yard field goal after Cordarrelle Patterson gained 22 yards on a reverse .

The Lions moved a step closer toward winning a division title for the first time since 1993 by breaking a tie atop the NFC North with Minnesota. If both teams finish the regular season tied atop the division, Detroit would win the tiebreaker. “If they were handing out trophies the day after this win, I’d feel a little bit different,” Caldwell said. “It means nothing right now, right? We haven’t done anything.”

INJURY REPORT Vikings: A banged-up offensive line took a hit in the first half when center Joe Berger was evaluated for a concussion, and wasn’t cleared to return. The line had yet another setback midway through the fourth when tackle Jeremiah Sirles had to be helped off the field. “Every time we get some chemistry going on the line, we lose someone else,” Rudolph said. Minnesota started the game without receiver Stefon Diggs (knee), cornerback Terence Newman (neck) and punt returner Marcus Sherels (rib, ankle). Lions: Linebacker DeAndre Levy was inactive, but appears to be closer to coming back from a knee injury that has kept him out since Week 1. UP NEXT Vikings: In a week, Minnesota will host the NFCleading Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Lions: Detroit gets an extended break before playing December 4 at New Orleans.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, November 25, 2016, PAGE 7

Tottenham returns to scene of title collapse after setback BALE TO By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Back at the scene of last season’s Premier League title collapse, Tottenham will be picking up the pieces from a fresh disintegration. After spending five years trying to muscle its way back into the Champions League, Tottenham is timidly exiting from the group stage, stalling the progress of an ambitious manager and his relatively young squad. And for the first time since taking charge of Tottenham in 2014, Mauricio Pochettino’s decisionmaking is coming under scrutiny ahead of Saturday’s trip across London to Chelsea. Playing in the European Cup for only the third time in its history was the consolation for Tottenham after missing out on a first English title since 1961. Pochettino’s side had been pushing Leicester in the title race until a bad-tempered meltdown at Chelsea in May. A two-goal lead was surrendered and a 2-2 draw handed Leicester the trophy. Tottenham never recovered, losing its last two games to tumble to third behind Arsenal. As damaging as the loss was,

Tottenham failed to from five Champions League games, including use the experience to two losses at its tempostrengthen its team sigrary European home at nificantly in the transfer Wembley Stadium. window. Leaving defenders Jan Misfiring striker VinVertonghen and Kyle cent Janssen, signed in Walker, and midfielder July from Dutch club AZ Christian Eriksen on the Alkmaar, has not been an bench at Monaco showed adequate backup to Harry that Pochettino was alKane. ready looking ahead to Moussa Sissoko, a 30 million pound (then ROONEY (AP) the Chelsea game with his rotation. about $40 million) signChelsea is helped by ing, has not looked to be much of an improvement on Nac- having a season out of Europe at er Chadli, who was sold to West the start of Antonio Conte’s reign. Bromwich Albion. Rooney leads Man United While Tottenham is the only to 4-0 win with recordunbeaten team in England’s four breaking goal professional leagues, the team is fifth in the Premier League while Wayne Rooney surpassed Ruud van Nistelrooy as Manchester Chelsea leads the way. Tottenham’s failure to kill off United’s all-time top scorer in games has been damaging, draw- European competitions yesterday, ing half of the 12 league matches leading the English club to a 4-0 so far. But there was a spirited win over Feyenoord and keeping comeback against West Ham. it alive in the Europa League. A 3-2 victory, secured through Inter out of Europa League Kane’s two late goals, masked the after losing to Hapoel 3-2 deficiencies earlier in the derby as Tottenham counts the cost of MADRID (AP) — Inter Miinjuries to defender Toby Alder- lan couldn’t hold on to a two-goal weireld and winger Erik Lamela. lead against Israeli club Hapoel Losing at Monaco on Tuesday Beer-Sheva yesterday, losing 3-2 left Tottenham with only one win and being eliminated from the

Europa League with one round still to be played. Inter conceded three goals in the second half, including one in the third and final minute of stoppage time, as it lost for the fourth time in five games in Group K. • Here are some things to know about this weekend’s Premier League matches: WINLESS IN 5 A run of five straight losses has sent Crystal Palace sliding to a point above the relegation zone. Saturday’s opposition is faring little better. Bob Bradley is winless in five games since taking charge of Swansea, which has fallen to last place while collecting two points. SEASON OF CONTRASTS Leicester is flying high in the Champions League as the only English team at the top of its group. Back in the domestic league, it’s a different picture. The defending champions are two points above the relegation zone after losing their last two games, only a place and a point above next opponent Middlesbrough.

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOday

OrlandO

High: 81° F/27° C low: 59° F/15° C

Tampa

TOnIGHT

saTurday

sunday

mOnday

Tuesday

Sunny to partly cloudy

Mainly clear

Partly sunny

Partly sunny with a shower in spots

Mostly sunny with a stray shower

Pleasant with clouds and sun

High: 81°

Low: 69°

High: 81° Low: 68°

High: 78° Low: 68°

High: 81° Low: 68°

High: 82° Low: 69°

AccuWeather RealFeel

84° F

72° F

90°-68° F

84°-67° F

84°-65° F

85°-69° F

High: 81° F/27° C low: 63° F/17° C

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

almanac

aBaCO

High: 77° F/25° C low: 70° F/21° C

7-14 knots

WesT palm BeaCH High: 81° F/27° C low: 66° F/19° C

7-14 knots

FT. lauderdale E

FreepOrT

High: 81° F/27° C low: 69° F/21° C

High: 81° F/27° C low: 65° F/18° C

mIamI

High: 81° F/27° C low: 68° F/20° C

6-12 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 81° F/27° C Low .................................................... 73° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 69° F/21° C Last year’s high ................................. 80° F/26° C Last year’s low ................................... 69° F/20° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 48.81” Normal year to date ................................... 38.05”

eleuTHera

nassau

High: 81° F/27° C low: 69° F/21° C

High: 79° F/26° C low: 74° F/23° C

Key WesT

High: 80° F/27° C low: 71° F/22° C

High: 80° F/27° C low: 74° F/23° C

6-12 knots

5-10 knots

andrOs

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

uV inDex toDay

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

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

4:50 a.m. 5:01 p.m.

2.7 2.4

11:08 a.m. 0.5 11:14 p.m. 0.2

Saturday

5:32 a.m. 5:44 p.m.

2.8 2.4

11:53 a.m. 0.4 11:53 p.m. 0.1

Sunday

6:12 a.m. 6:24 p.m.

2.9 2.4

12:35 p.m. 0.3 ---------

Monday

6:49 a.m. 7:03 p.m.

3.0 2.4

12:30 a.m. 0.0 1:14 p.m. 0.2

Tuesday

7:26 a.m. 7:41 p.m.

3.0 2.4

1:07 a.m. 1:52 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Wednesday 8:03 a.m. 8:19 p.m.

3.0 2.4

1:43 a.m. 2:30 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Thursday

3.0 2.3

2:20 a.m. 3:09 p.m.

0.0 0.1

8:40 a.m. 8:57 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:34 a.m. 5:20 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

3:11 a.m. 3:12 p.m.

new

First

Full

last

nov. 29

dec. 7

dec. 13

dec. 20

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 80° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

High: 80° F/27° C low: 71° F/22° C

W S

lOnG Island

insurance management tracking map

High: 81° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

10-18 knots

mayaGuana High: 82° F/28° C low: 76° F/24° C

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

CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns raGGed Island

High: 80° F/27° C low: 75° F/24° C

High: 84° F/29° C low: 77° F/25° C

N E

High: 81° F/27° C low: 76° F/24° C

GreaT InaGua

6-12 knots

7-14 knots

marine Forecast aBaCO andrOs CaT Island CrOOKed Island eleuTHera FreepOrT GreaT eXuma GreaT InaGua

MADRID (AP) — Gareth Bale will need surgery on his right ankle and is expected to be sidelined for at least two months. Real Madrid says Bale will undergo the procedure on Tuesday in London. Bale limped off the field after getting hurt in the second half of Madrid’s 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday. Madrid did not give a timetable for Bale’s recovery, but players who undergo similar procedures are usually out between two and three months. Bale is certain to miss the match against Barcelona on December 3 at the Camp Nou, as well as FIFA’s Club World Cup later in the month.

CaT Island

HAVE ANKLE SURGERY, LIKELY OUT FOR AT LEAST 2 MONTHS

lOnG Island mayaGuana nassau raGGed Island san salVadOr

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

WINDS NE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots E at 5-10 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 6-12 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 5-10 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots E at 6-12 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 5-10 Knots NE at 5-10 Knots E at 4-8 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots E at 6-12 Knots ENE at 5-10 Knots ESE at 5-10 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots ENE at 5-10 Knots ENE at 4-8 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots E at 6-12 Knots NE at 10-18 Knots ESE at 8-16 Knots

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

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 79° F 77° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 79° F 79° F 81° F 79° F 81° F 81° F 82° F 80° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 80° F 78° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 80° F