12182017 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

NFL

Dolphins, Page 17

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2017

New slate of champions are crowned

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net A NEW slate of champions were crowned as the 32nd edition of the Father Marcian Peters Basketball Classic concluded last weekend.

More than 40 teams spread across six divisions registered for the tournament that concluded on Saturday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

Hosted by the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture, there was a new champion in every division as teams battled over the course of the week for tournament bragging rights. In the Primary

Girls’ division, the Temple Christian Suns continued to dominate the group with another tournament title when they defeated the Catholic School champions St Thomas Moore 17-15.

On the Primary Boys’ side, the Teleos Cherubims defeated the St Francis and Joseph Shockers 21-17.

The Jordan Prince William Falcons had the most lopsided win of any championship title game with a 28-6 win over Freedom Baptist.

Contrastingly, the Junior Boys’ division had the closest finish of any title game when the DW Davis Royals got a late field goal as time expired to defeat the Falcons 36-34.

In the Senior Girls’ division, the Falcons defeated the Queen’s College Comets 30-12.

In the Intermediate Boys’ division, Akephran International claimed their first tournament title when they defeated the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins, 30-24.

The Falcons claimed the Father Marcian Peters award for the top overall team in the tournament by virtue of scoring the most total points of any institution.

Three Falcons teams reached the championship title game in three divisions and won two.

Tournament director Scooter Reid said the goal

is for as many teams as possible to chase the trophy in honour of the tournament’s namesake.

“Together, the combination of the five Jordan Prince William teams scored a total of 432 points to top every other school.

You should be proud because this is your second year doing this in a row, so congratulations to you,” he said. “This is the award I want all of the schools to come after, the more teams you bring to the tournament, the better your opportunity to win this trophy and be recognised as one of the top schools.”

Reid told the Tribune in previous interviews that immediate goals would

include expanding the reach to have more girls’ teams.

“It is our intention next tournament to have more girls play. Even though the games in the divisions for girls are good, we need to have more girls in the tournament. This was originally a girls tournament, so to have a decline in numbers in those divisions is a little disappointing,” he said.

“So we would like to tell all the teams or as many as possible, if they want to play, they have to bring a girls’ team.”

The primary and junior boys had the highest concentration of teams with 11

SEE PAGE 16

Top seeds Cartwright, Newman in action today T

op seeds Kerrie Cartwright and Baker Newman will be in action in the first set of matches played today at the National Tennis Centre as the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Annual Giorgio Baldacci Open gets started.

Cartwright, one of 12 players entered in the ladies’ draw, will begin play 9am this morning on the Stadium court against Donesha Gibson, while Newman, one of 19 men, will play the opening match at the same time on court one against Perry Newton Jr. Cartwright, the only female player with a WTA ranking, is back in the tournament after missing the past two years.

She is being joined by Grand Bahamian collegian Simone Pratt, the No.2 seed, who is also making her return from a brief hiatus. Collegian Danielle Thompson is seeded at number three and local junior player Sydney Clarke will occupy the No.4 spot.

Missing will be collegian Iesha Shepherd.

The women will be playing for their spots on the Fed Cup team.

SEE PAGE 16

TOP seed Kerrie Cartwright, one of 12 players entered in the ladies’ draw of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Annual Giorgio Baldacci Open, is all set to begin play 9am this morning on the Stadium court.

ATHLETES ON FAST TRACK AT BAAA ODD DISTANCE MEET BEFORE taking a break for the Christmas holiday, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations got in its Odd Distance Track and Field Meet.

The meet, held Saturday in the original Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, is normally held at the beginning of the new year.

But with the IAAF World Championships, scheduled for March 2-4 in Birmingham, Great Britain and the Carifta Games returning to the Bahamas March 30 to April 2, the BAAA decided to get a jump start on its 2018 season.

Events on the track included odd events such as the 60, 80, 150, 300, 500, 600 and 1,000 metres, which are not normally held at track meets and on the field, competitors participated in a shorter run-up in the jumps and from standing positions in the throws.

There were some exciting match-ups in just about all age groups from the under-8 to the open divisions.

One of the highlights of the day came in the open men’s 300m where Janeko Cartwright, running unattached, posted a time of 33.70 seconds to pull off the win over Bahamas Speed Dynamics’ teammates Stephen Newbold (34.09) and Bradley Dormeus (34.36).

Another came in the women’s 150m where Jumpers Inc’s Tamara Myers ran 17.03 to hold Bahamss Speed Dynamics’ Valonee Robinson, who did 17.36 for second place. Denisha Cartwright of the Silver Lightning got third in 17.84.

Myers added another title in taking the triple jump with a leap of 12.63m.

Jada Knowles was a double winner in the girls’ 16-17 division. She took the 150m in 16.68 over her Star Trackers’ teammate Anthaya Charlton (17.20) and Lakelle Kinteh of Sun Blazers (17.56).

Knowles also won the 300m in 39.22 with Sun Blazers’ Gabrielle Gibson second (40.13) and Marissa

SEE PAGE 16

Newly formed Makos win ‘Cudas swim meet over weekend

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE 2017 Barracuda & Family Guardian Insurance Company’s

Page 18

swim meet saw a new champion crowned over the weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning national swim complex.

The two-day meet, normally dominated by the Barracudas, saw the newly formed Mako Aquatics Club emerge the victor, Mako Aquatic, coached by former Barracuda coach Travano McPhee, accumulated a total of 488.50 points, leaving the Barracudas, now coached by Canadian Jeff Slater, in second with 332.

Three other teams participated with the Alpha Aquatics coming in third with 148, the Freeport Aquatic Club fourth with 132 and the Dolphin Swim Club bringing up the rear with 130.

Slater, who took over the club on September 4, said it was a good transition from coaching at the university level in Canada to

such a vibrant programme in the Bahamas where the weather, the people and camaraderie in the sport is exactly what he needed.

“The club has made my wife and myself feel so welcomed and they are eager to work on the things that we have been trying to teach them,” he said. “I think we are on the right track. I think the results from this weekend and the first weekend we competed was very well.”

As for the meet, Slater said it went very well and they didn’t have any delays, so it was good to pull the first one off under his leadership.

“We’re a really young team, just trying to build things up, but I think some of those young swimmers put on a good performance,” he said. “Next year is a busy schedule, but we have a

little Christmas training camp to keep them active over the holiday before we start racing in early January and prepared for the Carifta Games in Kingston, Jamaica in April. That will be the focus for this team in trying to get as many qualifiers.”

There were at least 50 swimmers, some of them who had multiple feats in surpassing the qualifying standards. In some events, there were more than two competitors that produced the times. One of those events was the boys’ 11-12 50metre freestyle where the standard was 29.12 seconds. Mako’s Ishan Roy led the way in winning in 28.05. Grand Bahamian Nigel Forbes followed in 28.06; Mako’s Erald Thompson III in 28.39; Alpha’s Eelbert Cooper in 28.94 and Mako’s Jarad Fountain in 29.03.

Two of those competitors came back in the 100m free with Thompson III winning in 1:00.17 with Roy second in 1:02.19 and they were joined by Mako’s Jarad Reckley in 1:04.05 as they went under the Carifta qualifying time of 1:04.45.

And in the boys’ 13-14 50m butterfly, the qualifying standard was 28.56 and Mako’s teammates Davante Carey (26.29) and Ian Pinder (26.38) got a 1-2 punch as they followed by FAC’s Lamar Taylor in 26.81 for third as they all surpassed the standard.

Nigel Forbes had one of the best individual performances as he won the 200 free in 2:11.20, followed by Thompson III in 2:13.41 to surpass the qualifying standard of 2:22.80.

SEE PAGE 16

PAGE 16, Monday, December 18, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Top seeds Cartwright, Newman in action today ATHLETES On the men’s side, Baker and Spencer Newman will be back as the top two seeds respectively.

Veteran Marvin Rolle will play out of the No.3 spot, Kevin Major Jr is No.4 and Philip Major Jr rounds out the top five.

At the end of the tournament, the BLTA will select the players who will be eligible to represent the country on the Davis Cup team.

The BLTA has divided the players into four pools for the women and five for the men. They are seeded based on their ATP/WTA, NCAA and national rankings respectively in singles.

The remaining players were drawn randomly to complete the pools. Each player will play each other in the round robin during the course of the week. The first two

finishers in each men and women pools will go into a knockout main draw with the eventual losing semi-finalist playing for third and place.

Second round losers in the main draw will then play for fifth through eighth places. The players have been matched up in the following pools: Men’s Division Pool A - Baker Newman, joshua Turnquest and Perry Newton Jr. Pool B - Spencer Neeman, Michael Cooper. Shannon Francis and Archie Burrows.

Pool C - Marvin Rolle. Justin Lunn, Calvin Moodie and Michael Butler.

Pool D - Kevin Major Jr, William Fountain, O’Neal Mortimer and Robert Smith.

Pool E - Philip Major Jr, Jody Turnquest, Donte Armbrister and Nathan Thompson.

Ladies’ division Pool A - Kerrie Cartwright, Gabriela Donaldson and Donesha Gibson.

Pool B - Simone Prtt, Elana Mackey and Larikah Russell.

Pool C - Danielle Thompson, Afrika Smith and Sydni Kerr.

Pool D - Sydney Clarke, Sierra Donaldson and Perjae Major.

Today: 9 am - Kerrie Cartwright vs Donesha Gibson; Baker Newman vs Perry Newton Jr; Kevin Major Jr vs Robert Smith; Marvin Rolle vs Michael Butler; Philip Major Jr vs Nathan Thompson; William Fountain vs Oneal Mortimer; Justin Lunn vs Calum Moodie

and Jody Turnquest vs Donte Armbrister.

10am - Shannon Francis vs Michael Cooper; Afrika Smith vs Sydni Kerr; Simone Pratt vs Larikah Russell; Sydney Clarke vs Perjae Major.

2pm - Gabriela Donaldson vs Donesha Gibson; Danielle Thompson vs Sydni Kerr; Sierra Donaldson vs Perjae Major and Joshua Turnquest vs Perry Newton Jr. 4pm - Simone Pratt vs Elana Mackey; Spencer Newman vs Shannon Francis; Kevin Major Jr vs Oneal Mortimer; Marvin Rolle vs Calum Moodie; Philip Major Jr vs Donte Armbrister; Jody Turnquest vs Nathan Thompson;l Justin Lunn vs Michael Butler; Michael Cooper vs Archie Burrows and William Fountain vs Robert Smith.

NFL CAPSULES JAGUARS 45, TEXANS 7 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are returning to the playoffs for the first time in a decade thanks to a 45-7 drubbing of rival Houston on Sunday.

Once the NFL’s poster child for futility and a punchline for potential relocation, the Jaguars (10-4) are now one of the league’s top turnaround stories.

Blake Bortles threw three touchdowns passes, including two to a reserve receiver who slept in his car earlier this season. The Jaguars won for the seventh time in eight games to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2007.

PATRIOTS 27, STEELERS 24 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tom Brady fed Rob Gronkowski repeatedly to set up Dion Lewis’ go-ahead 8-yard touchdown with 56 seconds remaining and Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted in the end zone with 5 seconds left.

The Patriots (11-3) gained the inside track for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs by ending Pittsburgh’s eight-game winning streak. Brady threw for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Gronkowski, fresh off a one-game suspension, finished with nine receptions for 168 yards, including four on the winning drive.

RAMS 42, SEAHAWKS 7 SEATTLE (AP) — Todd Gurley rushed for 152 yards and scored four total touchdowns in just 2½ quarters, and the Rams moved to the cusp of their first division title since 2003.

The matchup to determine first place in the NFC West was completely one-sided. Los Angeles (10-4) was dominant, embarrassing Seattle into the worst loss during Pete Carroll’s eight seasons in charge.

Taking advantage of field position, the Rams scored on six of seven first-half drives, including a 21-point blitz in the second quarter capped by a 57-yard TD run by Gurley on third-and-20 with less than a minute remaining in the first half to take a 34-0 lead at the break.

49ERS 25, TITANS 23 SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo led one final scoring drive in the closing seconds to cap a fantastic first home start and Robbie Gould kicked a winning 45-yard field goal as time expired.

Garoppolo threw for a careerhigh 381 yards and a touchdown to give the 49ers (4-10) a three-game winning streak in a lost season.

And Tom Brady’s former backup showed he could do it at home as well as on the road — and against a playoff contender, no less — outdueling Marcus Mariota down the

JAGUARS defensive lineman Calais Campbell celebrates after defeating the Texans yesterday.

(AP Photo/Phelan M Ebenhack) stretch as the teams traded field goals.

VIKINGS 34, BENGALS 7 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eric Kendricks had an interception return for a touchdown, Case Keenum passed for 236 yards and two scores, and the Vikings clinched the NFC North over the depleted and disinterested Bengals.

Running backs Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon combined for 37 touches and 242 yards from scrimmage for the Vikings (11-3), who were given quite the reprieve on the schedule a week after their eight-game winning streak ended at Carolina in the last of three consecutive road trips. They were never challenged the Bengals (5-9), missing more than half of the starting defense to injuries, and met with a morning report

by ESPN that head coach Marvin Lewis will not return next season .

EAGLES 34, GIANTS 29 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Nick Foles threw four touchdown passes in his first start replacing the injured Carson Wentz, and the Eagles secured a first-round playoff bye.

Foles hit 24 of 38 passes for 237 yards and no interceptions. The NFC East champion Eagles (12-2) made a late stand on first-andgoal in the final minute in edging the Giants (2-12) for the second

time this season, spoiling a threetouchdown, season-high 434-yard passing game by Eli Manning.

Foles hit Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton and Nelson Agholor on scoring passes ranging from 3 to 13 yards in filling in for Wentz, who tore an ACL last week and was lost for the season after a brilliant year.

SAINTS 31, JETS 19 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mark Ingram ran for two touchdowns and gained 151 yards from scrimmage, including a late 50-yard TD run, and the Saints overcame three turnovers.

Michael Thomas became the second NFL player with at least 90 receptions in his first two seasons. He caught nine passes for 93 yards, including a pivotal fourthquarter touchdown on a short slant for New Orleans (10-4), which retained its tenuous hold on first place in the NFC South heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

RAVENS 27, BROWNS 10 CLEVELAND (AP) — Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass, ran for a score and beat Cleveland again as the Ravens stayed on track for the AFC playoffs.

With victories at home over Indianapolis and Cincinnati in its last two games, the Ravens will return to the postseason after a two-year absence.

The Browns are two losses from becoming the NFL’s second 0-16 team.

REDSKINS 20, CARDINALS 15 LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Anthony Lanier sacked Blaine Gabbert and forced a fumble that Preston Smith recovered and the Redskins held on to beat the Cardinals in a comedy of errors for each team.

Smith also intercepted Gabbert and Lanier batted down three passes and had two sacks as they gave the Redskins (6-8) a glimpse of their potential as significant pieces of the defense for years to come.

PANTHERS 31, PACKERS 24 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cam Newton threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, and the Panthers spoiled Aaron Rodgers’ return from a broken collarbone.

Damiere Byrd had two touchdown catches, and Christian McCaffrey had 136 yards from scrimmage, including a 7-yard touchdown reception as the Panthers (10-4) won their fourth straight home game.

Greg Olsen had his most productive game since returning from a broken foot, catching nine passes for 116 yards and a TD. The Panthers kept pace with the first-place New Orleans Saints in the NFC South of the National Football League.

Newly formed Makos win ‘Cudas swim meet FROM PAGE 15 Forbes also clocked 5:24.69 in winning the 400 IM to dip under the standard of 5:56.54, the 100 butterfly in 1:07.09 over Reckley, who did 1:09.07 to surpass the standard of 1:12.40 and his time of 1:14.90 in the 100 breaststroke over Thompson III (1:15.10), who also surpassed the standard of 1:12.94.

On the girls’ side, there were some qualifiers including Mako’s Anya MacPhail, who produced three standards. Her first came in the 200 free in 2:17.36 to surpass the mark of 2:20.61 and the 400 free in 4:50.51 to surpass the mark of 4:56.22. She also clocked 3:03.24 to trail Barracuda’s winner

Katherine Slatter, the winner in 3:01.47 as they both surpassed the standard of 3:07.78.

Among the other qualifiers were Mako’s Keianna Moss in the 50 backstroke in 34.90 with the qualifying mark at 35.35; Dolphin’s Simone Bellot (32.40) and Grand Bahama’s Katelyn Gabiel (32.95) in the 50 back, surpassing the standard of 34.10 and Alpha’s Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson (29.04) and Dolphin’s Delaney Mizell (29.73) in surprising the 50 free standard of 30.58.

One of Barracuda’s long-time members, Tanajh Gaitor, who has been competing in the club since he was 10 years old, said the performances were super. “They were pretty okay. I liked what I did, but

I know I still have a few things to work on for next year,” said Gaitor, a 17-year-old 12th grader at Queen’s College.

“The competition was pretty stiff, more than we expected. But I think it’s good because it was able to push us, especially with the Carifta Games coming up next year.”

Gaitor has never represented the Bahamas at Carifta, but he’s hoping that this will be his first opportunity. He got second in the men’s 15-17 200 free in 2:10.37 to trail GBT’s Darren Ling (2:04.87) and in the same position in the 100 butterfly where Laing did 1:01.76 for another victory and Gaitor was second in 1:04.48.

Gaitor was also third in the 100 backstroke in 1:11.71 with

Kristofer Smith winning in 1:05.25 and Gibson was seventh in the 100 free (1:00.06) with Laing winning in 56.46. The meet also attracted some swimmers who were home from college, including Farion Cooper, the winner of the men 18 and over 50 butterfly in 28.85. “It’s great to be back, nice and warm,” a 20-year-old Bison junior at Howard University in Washington, DC. “The competition was really good. I was glad to see the younger competitors doing so well. There were some real fast races here.”

Cooper, now in his junior year, joined sophomore Andreas Weech as they helped Howard University to win their mid-season championship, an improvement from eighth place last year.

ON FAST TRACK

FROM PAGE 15 White of Club Monica (40.45) in third place.

Charlton, however, picked up a pair of victories on the field. She won the long jump with a leap of 5.40m over Kinteh (4.93) and the high jump with 1.42m over Leap of Faith’s Amina Forbes on more knockdowns at the same height.

Club Monica’s Denvaughn Whymns seemed to be right on form, soaring 6.24m for his victory in the boys’ under-17 long jump and he went on the track and sped to a triumph in the 60m hurdles in 7.50. However, he had to settle for second (15.28) in the 150m behind Moores Island’s Ure Mills, the winner in 15.24.

Otto Laing, representing Club Monica, came out with a double win in the boys’ under-14 division. He won the 150m in 16.81 over Star Teacker’s Terrance Deveaux (17.34) and the 300m in 39.19 with Roadrunners’ Daniel Ermilus taking second in 40.11.

Club Monica’s Rayomnd Oriakhi came through with his pair of victories in the boys under-16 150m in 15.75 with High Performances’ Lendre Lightbourne second in 16.05 and Elkan Johnson of Dtsp Wolfpack third in 16.08.

Oriakhi also won the 300m in 35.69 with Fast Forward teammates Kunal Bain (36.20) and Kendrick Major (36.61) second and third respectively.

And Beyonce Scott of the University of the Bahamas cleared 1.52m for her win in the open women’s high jump. She also won the 60m hurdles in 8.81 over Petra McDonald of Power Athletics (9.07) and Denisha Cartwright of Silver Lightning (9.33).

Megan Moss of Club Monica had one of the more impressive performances, easily winning the girls 15-and-under 300m in 39.84 with her nearest rival, Angel Pratt of Fast Forward, second in 42.08.

Lavardo Smith, a physical fitness instructor, returned to action for Power Athletics, clocking 15.33 for his victory in the open men’s 150m. Duane Murray was second in 15.56 and Cyrique Saunders was third in 15.78.

Also on the field, Bradley Cooper Jr of the University of the Bahamas doubled in the open men’s shot put with a heave of 12.13m and the discus with 39.05m over his teammate Gabriel Williams, who had a toss of 32.86m.

And Taraji Hudson of Throwers Inc pulled off two victories in the boys’ under-16 shot put with 13.33m and the discus with 37.06m.

CHAMPIONS FROM PAGE 15

entrants in each division.

Eight teams were entered in the intermediate boys, five teams in the primary girls, four in the junior girls and another three in the intermediate girls’ division.

Following a hiatus for the 2015 edition, the tournament had a successful return last year in 2016.

The Woodcock Hurricanes (primary girls), Kingsway Academy Saints (primary boys), SC McPherson Sharks (junior girls), Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins (junior boys), Harbour Island Cougars (senior girls) and CC Sweeting Cobras (intermediate boys) emerged as champions in their respective divisions.

The tournament traditionally features scores of teams from the primary girls and boys, junior girls and boys, intermediate boys and senior girls. Father Marcian Peters, who passed away in 1981, was known as a national sporting icon for his contributions to basketball and softball as tools of social development. Today the tournament stands as the largest and most popular inter-school basketball event.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, December 18, 2017, PAGE 17

Lashann and Longhorns rebound from their first loss of the season

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

MATCHED up against their second nationally ranked team within a week, Lashann Higgs and the Texas Longhorns successfully rebounded from their first loss of the season.

Higgs scored 15 points and dished a team high six assists in the No.8 Longhorns’ 87-72 win over the No.12 Florida State Seminoles.

Texas improved to 9-1 while previously unbeaten FSU suffered their first loss of the season at 10-1.

The Longhorns now lead the all-time series with the Seminoles 3-0.

Texas overcame an 11-point deficit in the game – its largest deficit of the season as Florida State led 21-10 at the 5:18 mark of the first quarter.

Higgs got out to a quick start personally and set the stage in the first half.

I would say it was more about making the extra effort, paying more attention to details and being in the right position. I was guarding the shooter, Imani Wright, so there were very (few) mistakes that I could make, so I just tried to be as disciplined as possible and just be in the right position and let it come to me.”

The Seminoles’ run began with a 10-2 lead to open the game, and forced an early Texas timeout before two minutes of play elapsed. The Longhorns responded with a run of their own and eventually tied the game at 23-23 with 1:50 left on a Higgs layup.

The longorns led 41-40 at the break.

FSU tied the score after five minutes of play at 54-54, but a Higgs layup put Texas back on top, 56-54, and Texas closed out the third with a 7-2 run for a 63-56 lead heading into the final period.

“I thought that this game was a typical matchup between two competitive teams just in a sense that there were a lot of swings and momentum.

Obviously the first was a swing for them to start the game. Once our team settled in they understood that this was a game that was going to take a 40-minute effort from them and I really thought that we had that. I’m most proud of our rebounding and of our competitive spirit today. Obviously there were a lot of people that made a lot plays but if I could put it in a nutshell, I thought that we were really competitive and that was something that we were looking for out of our team,” Longhorns head coach Karen Aston said.

“As we go into conference play, we know that every game is competitive and if we can make sure that we’ve got that covered, we can then start working on other things.

We need to make sure that we remind ourselves what good preparation looks like and what bad preparation looks like and I think that’s what these next two weeks really boils down to.”

Next, Texas opens Big 12 Conference play at Oklahoma on Thursday, December 28 in Norman, Oklahoma.

TEXAS guard Lashann Higgs, right, shoots against Florida State forward Shakayla Thomas, left, during the first half of yesterday’s NCAA college basketball game in Austin, Texas.

(AP Photo/Michael Thomas)

MCCOY BREAKS 10,000, LEADS THE BILLS TO 24-16 WIN OVER DOLPHINS

By JOHN WAWROW Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — With his personal chase for 10,000 career yards rushing out of the way, LeSean McCoy can turn his focus on reaching an even better destination: the playoffs.

McCoy scored twice and became the 30th player to hit 10,000, while keeping the Buffalo Bills firmly in the AFC playoff picture following a 24-16 win over the Miami Dolphins yesterday.

“I’m happy it’s done,” McCoy said of his personal accomplishment.

“Now I look forward to trying to get in these playoffs.

We took care of business today.”

Tyrod Taylor showed no signs of a bruised left knee that sidelined him for one game.

The quarterback went 17 of 29 for 224 yards passing and a touchdown. He added 42 yards rushing and scored on a 9-yard scamper in a game Buffalo never trailed.

On defene, Buffalo intercepted Jay Cutler to end Miami’s first two possessions of the second half.

Then, rookie Tre’Davious White sealed the win with an interception with 28 seconds remaining — and a play after Miami punter Matt Haack recovered an onside kick at Miami’s 37.

The loss all but mathematically eliminated the Dolphins (6-8) from playoff contention; they ended a seven-year drought last season.

Buffalo improved to 8-6 to match the team’s best record through 14 games during the team’s 17-year playoff drought — the longest active streak in North America’s four major professional sports.

The Bills were 8-6 in both 2004 and 2014 but missed the playoffs with 9-7 finishes.

Buffalo 6-2 home record was its best finish at Orchard Park since 1999.

The Bills now hit the road to continue their playoff pursuit in closing the season at New England next week and then at Miami on December 31.

Frustration began to settle in for the Dolphins. They were undone by familiar inconsistencies at quarterback and on defence, while looking nothing like the team that stunned New England 27-20 on Monday night.

“We just made too many mistakes,” Ndamukong Suh said of a defence that allowed the Bills to convert 7 of 15 third-down opportunities after limiting its past two opponents to convert 1 of 24.

“A loss is a loss no matter when it is,” receiver Jarvis Landry added of an offence that needed five snaps from inside the Bills 5 to finally score its first touchdown on Kenyan Drake’s 1-yard run with 7:03 remaining. “Obviously, we knew everything that was at stake and we didn’t make it happen.”

McCoy opened the scoring with a 4-yard run to cap Buffalo’s opening drive.

Then, he put Buffalo up 14-6 with a 16-yard catch with 6:05 left in the second quarter on a drive during which McCoy became the 30th player to break the 10,000-yard rushing milestone.

The ninth-year player reached the plateau with a 14-yard burst off right guard. McCoy said he got the wind knocked out of him while being tackled by Kiko Alonso.

After missing just one snap, McCoy returned and scored two plays later.

McCoy finished with 50 yards rushing, upping his career total to 10,011, and had four catches for 46 yards.

Richie Incognito not only enjoyed a front-row seat in watching McCoy

burst past him on his way to his 10,000th yard, the veteran right guard was impressed by the resolve the Bills have shown in exceeding low preseason expectations.

“If I would’ve told you guys we’re going to be 6-2 at home back in August, I think you guys would have laughed at us,” he said.

“No one’s laughing now,” Incognito added. “We’re cruising, man. All eyes on the prize.”

THURMAN ON SHADY Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas had no difficulty putting McCoy’s value to Buffalo into perspective.

“We’re not talking about being in the playoff race right now and we’re not leading the league the past years,” Thomas said.

“We’re not doing that if we don’t have him with the Buffalo Bills.”

LAST HURRAH? Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams wasn’t prepared to say if he might have played his final game at New Era Field. The 12-year veteran contemplated retiring after last season and is in the final year of his contract.

Williams did take issue with teammate Adolphus Washington drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for attempting to punch the ball out of Drake’s hands while the running back was on the sideline after being stopped at the 1. “That’s dumb football no matter what happened or what that penalty was,” Williams said. “I don’t care if they talk ugly about your mother. Handle it after the game.”

DOLPHINS IN DECEMBER Miami dropped to 4-9 in games played at Orchard Park, New York, in December or later.

PAGE 18, Monday, December 18, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

Ayton, Coleby take spotlight on basketball court

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DEANDRE AYTON

A HEALTHY version of Deandre Ayton’s Arizona Wildcats crept back into the top 25 while Dwight Coleby and his Western Kentucky Hilltoppers put an end to a two-game losing streak this weekend.

Ayton finished with 14 points and a game high 13 rebounds in the Wildcats’ 89-72 win over the New Mexico Lobos at the Dreamstyle Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Wildcats improved to 8-3 with their fifth

consecutive win and Ayton notched his ninth double double of the season. He shot an efficient 7-9 from the field with two blocked shots.

Early in the second half, the Wildcats built their lead to 52-33 before New Mexico, pulling within 76-69 with 5 minutes left, but that was as close as the Lobos could get.

The Wildcats hit a season-best 9 of 13 3-point attempts and it was a welcome sign for head coach Sean Miller to see the team perform well on the road after several upsets early in the season at the Battle 4 Atlantis. “The one

thing that’s different maybe about college basketball than a lot of other sports is how different it is home versus away,” Miller said.

“Until you go through a couple of these experiences, you’re not comfortable.

“Hopefully our guys are more comfortable now than they were before tonight’s game.”

Coleby and the Hilltoppers shook off two straight losses Saturday and got back on the winning track with an 81-65 victory over Indiana State at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers (7-4) shot 56.6 per cent from the field, grabbed

11 steals and outscored Indiana State 42-24 in the paint. He finished with 11 points , eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 30 minutes of play.

WKU scored the first seven points of the game and ultimately opened with a 19-5 run, including 14 points in the paint.

The Hilltoppers shot 58.6 per cent from the field in the first half, building a 43-28 advantage by the break.

Coleby rebounded from a tough four-point, four-rebound performance when the Hilltoppers lost 81-80 to Wisconsin on a controversial last second foul.

DEROZAN SCORES 21 POINTS AS RAPTORS BEAT KINGS 108-93

By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — After a high-scoring first half, the Sacramento Kings suddenly found themselves struggling to put points on the board against the Toronto Raptors.

DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and a season-high 16 rebounds and Toronto held Sacramento to 30 second-half points Sunday, beating the Kings 108-93.

Kyle Lowry added 16 points and Norman Powell had 14 for the Raptors, who won their ninth straight home game. Toronto is an NBA-best 11-1 at home.

DeRozan gave the Raptors a 61-60 lead with a pull-up jump shot with less than two seconds remaining in the second quarter, but George Hill banked in a 46-foot 3-pointer from midcourt at the buzzer, giving Sacramento a 63-61 edge at the intermission. The Kings shot 61.9 percent in the first half, making 26 of 42 field goal attempts.

Sacramento scored 14 points in the third quarter, making five of 18 shots, then followed up with 16 points in the fourth.

“I thought we played a little bit slower in the second half,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said.

“I think both teams were in there saying ‘Man, we can’t give up 60 points by halftime.’ Maybe we got a little slow. I credit their defense.”

Toronto won for the ninth time in its past 10 and improved to 11-4 against Western Conference opponents. “Any team

in this league, you let them shoot 61 percent, it’s way too high,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “We held them to 31 percent in the second half, which is admirable, but we can’t play with fire.”

Lowry said the Raptors “tightened the screws a little bit” on defense in the third and fourth quarters.

Sacramento trailed 96-88 after a jump shot by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 2:28 remaining, but a step-back 3-pointer by Fred VanVleet with the shot clock expiring gave Toronto a 99-88 edge with 1:38 left.

“It was big,” DeRozan said of VanVleet’s shot.

“We needed a bucket at that time. It shifted the momentum to kind of seal it for us and run away with it after that.”

After a Kings timeout, and a missed 3-pointer

by Hill, Lowry made it a 14-point lead with his fourth 3-pointer.

Bogdanovic and Garrett Temple each scored 18 points and Hill had 16 for the Kings, who are 4-13 away from home, tied with Atlanta for the most road losses in the league.

The Raptors, who snapped an eight-game losing streak in Sacramento with a 102-87 road win last Sunday, swept the Kings for the first time since 2014-15.

Sacramento, which lost for the fifth time in seven games, was without leading scorer and rebounder Zach Randolph (rest) and guard De’Aaron Fox, who sat for the first time this season because of a bruised right thigh sustained in Thursday’s loss at Minnesota.

Raptors forward Serge Ibaka was not available

RAPTORS guard DeMar DeRozan (10) drives to the net as Kings guard Garrett Temple (17) defends in the first half yesterday.

(Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) (left knee), but C.J. Miles returned after missing Friday’s game because of a sore left shoulder. Miles started for the first time this season.

Sacramento made seven turnovers in the third, two of them during a 10-2 Toronto run late in the quarter that gave the Raptors an 83-77 lead heading to the fourth.

TIP-INS Kings: Shot a season-low eight free throws, compared to 28 for Toronto.

Sacramento’s six made free throws were also a seasonlow. ... Vince Carter led the Kings with three blocks.

Raptors: All five starters scored in double figures. ...

Six of Toronto’s first field goal attempts were 3-pointers. They made four.

CHEERS FOR CARTER A five-time All-Star in his seven seasons with the Raptors, Carter was cheered during pregame introductions and every time he checked in at what could be his final game in Toronto. Fans stood and cheered when Carter was replaced late in the fourth, and he acknowledged the

crowd with a wave. Toronto has embraced Carter in recent years after treating him with disdain for more than a decade following his departure from Toronto.

Carter, who finished with four points, said the change in reception hasn’t changed the way he feels about his first NBA home.

“I still love being here,” he said.

SHARP-SHOOTING PISTONS HOLD ON FOR 114-110 WIN OVER MAGIC

By NOAH TRISTER Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons tied a franchise record for 3-pointers — and they needed almost all of them to avoid a bad home loss.

Reggie Bullock scored a career-high 20 points, and the Pistons made 17 shots from beyond the arc in a 114-110 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

Detroit nearly gave away a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter, and coach Stan Van Gundy wasn’t happy at all with his team’s effort.

“We played a very good first half, Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver played very well, and we didn’t try at all in the second half,” Van Gundy said. “We didn’t bring anything to the second half.”

The Pistons have won three in a row after starting December with a sevengame losing streak.

Nikola Vucevic had 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Magic.

They have dropped five straight and 16 of 19.

Detroit started fast, making six of its first seven shots to take a 15-5 lead. At the end of the first quarter, Ish Smith made a shot, and then Langston Galloway added a steal and a floater when the Magic botched the inbound play. It was 36-23 after one.

The Pistons led 60-43 at halftime after going 10 of 18 from beyond the arc in the first half. Then Detroit added six more 3-pointers and 36 points in the third quarter.

Tolliver’s 3-pointer tied the franchise record and gave the Pistons a 105-81 lead with 7:00 remaining.

Then Orlando scored the game’s next 19 points.

“I don’t really feel like our defensive intensity was very good the whole game,” Tolliver said. “Even though we were shooting really well, I think we definitely relaxed way too much.”

Orlando trailed 105-100 after its huge fourth-quarter run, but Mario Hezonja, who would finish with eight 3-pointers, missed one for the Magic. Tobias Harris scored on a driving shot at the other end with 1:21 to play.

The Pistons finished 17 of 34 from beyond the arc, and the Magic were even better at 17 of 33.

“It was great that we didn’t give in when we were down 20. We finally did the things we hadn’t been doing all night,” Vucevic said.

“We hit shots, but I think it all started with us finally getting stops.”

Harris, Tolliver and Reggie Jackson scored 17 points each for the Pistons.

Hezonja had 28 points for Orlando, and Jonathon Simmons added 23.

OPPORTUNITY Bullock has played increased minutes lately with Stanley Johnson shooting poorly. His big game was especially welcome Sunday, when guard Avery Bradley was out with a right groin problem.

Bullock finished 8 of 10 from the field and eclipsed his previous career high of 17 points.

“This is probably one of my most true opportunities probably, since I’ve been in the league,” Bullock said.

“Just knowing I’m going to be in the rotation.”

RESERVES The Magic got good scoring from the trio of Hezonja, Vucevic and Simmons, but Orlando’s bench was outscored 45-18. Injuries have sapped some of the team’s depth.

“We extended the starters’ minutes, but we still need to have a bench,” coach Frank Vogel said.

“We’ve got backups starting, so they are already extended just from that.”

TIP-INS Magic: G Arron Afflalo (back), F Aaron Gordon (right calf), G-F Evan Fournier (right ankle) and G-F Terrance Ross (knee) were out. ... Elfrid Payton had 15 points and seven assists.

Pistons: F Jon Leuer (left ankle) missed the game.

DETROIT Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) shoots over Orlando Magic guard Mario Hezonja (8) in the first half last night in Detroit.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)