Sports – Page 268 – North Platte Post Archive

NPCC Knights Softball to Host Colby

Posted on March 6, 2015

The North Platte Community College Knights softball team will be at home for the first time this season when they play the Colby Community College Lady Trojans in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 8 at the Dowhower Softball Complex.

The Knights are 1 – 9 on the season. Offensively they are led by Shannon Lieber, who is batting 0.345 in 29 at bats. Lieber has had five doubles and one home run for a slugging percentage of 0.621. She has also batted in six runs. The Knights have hit six home runs on the season: two by Sara Villalobos; two by Brittney Odum and one each by Lieber and Sara Runia. Villalobos and Odum lead the team in runs batted in with eight.

Lieber also is the leader on the Knights pitching staff. She has a record of 0 – 4 with a 4.26 earned run average. She has 12 strikeouts and has only walked four batters.

The Lady Trojans are 7 – 4 on the season. They have defeated the Knights in the first two games of the season 6 – 4 and 3 – 0. They are led at the plate by Shelbi Day with a 0.452 batting average with a double and two triples. The Lady Trojans have had three home runs this season. One each by Tanner Harvey, Sarah Churchwell and Tahnee Saxton.

Mara Nash and Abby Martin have anchored the Lady Trojan pitching staff. Nash has a 2 – 2 record with a 2.41 earned run average with 31 strikeouts. Martin is 3 – 1 with a 5.73 earned run average and 11 strikeouts.

Game times are at noon and 2:00 pm CDT. They may be viewed at www.coachesaid.com.

Avalanche’s MacKinnon Out 6-to-8 Weeks with Broken Foot

Posted on March 6, 2015

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche will be without Nathan MacKinnon for at least six weeks after the speedy forward broke his foot, the team announced Friday.

The talented teenager could possibly return to the ice this season if the Avs make the playoffs. Colorado is currently outside of the Western Conference postseason picture.

No further details were provided by the team.

MacKinnon has 14 goals and 24 assists in his sophomore season. He had 63 points a year ago when he was the rookie of the year.

It’s been a tumultuous past few days for the 19-year-old MacKinnon. He broke his nose against Minnesota last Saturday, forcing him to wear a longer shield in a win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He scored a goal with his skate in that contest.

Royals’ Collins has Ligament Damage; Infante to get MRI Exam

Posted on March 6, 2015

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Royals reliever Tim Collins will seek a second opinion after an MRI exam revealed ligament damage in his left elbow, while second baseman Omar Infante was headed for his own MRI because of continued soreness in his right elbow.

Collins, who left his spring training debut Wednesday, will be evaluated again in about two weeks. The Royals will decide then whether he needs Tommy John surgery.

Collins was competing to be the situational left-hander in the Kansas City bullpen.

Infante has been dealing with elbow soreness since last season. He was expected to start the Royals’ game against Cleveland on Friday at designated hitter, but will instead have tests to try to determine the nature and severity of his injury.

Ex-Coach Accused of Striking Son, Girl, Won’t be Prosecuted

Posted on March 6, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former Omaha high school football coach won’t be prosecuted on allegations that he struck his son and a girl last fall.

Former Creighton Prep coach Chris Nizzi’s case was dismissed Thursday. City prosecutor David Smalheiser says Nizzi accepted responsibility for his actions and participated in a comprehensive diversion program.

The 17-year-old girl told police that she and Nizzi’s 16-year-old son were parked near the Nizzi home about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 15 when Nizzi arrived home and soon confronted her about hanging out with his son. She told officers that Nizzi used a fist to strike her face. The boy told officers that his father backhanded him.

Nizzi resigned soon after the incident and has since found work at Boys Town.

Force Edge Storm, 4-3

Posted on March 5, 2015

FARGO, N.D. – The Fargo Force (20-21-6) got a third period goal from forward Zach Yon and defeated the Tri-City Storm (29-13-6) by a final score of 4-3 at Scheels Arena on Thursday night.

Storm goals were scored by Garrett Gamez, Vince Pedrie and Chris Wilkie in the loss, while forward Mason Appleton had two assists.

Force forward Denis Smirnov came out of the gate quickly for Fargo and scored on each of his first two shifts, giving the Force a 2-0 lead just 2:37into the game.

After the two quick goals, Storm head coach Jim Hulton elected to pull starting netminder Jared Rutledge from the game in favor of Alec Dillon.

Dillon remained in the net for the remainder of the contest, making 15 saves.

Tri-City got on the board and cut Fargo’s deficit on a power play goal by Gamez at 8:01 of the opening period.

With Appleton coming out of the penalty box after serving time for a hooking penalty, Nick Master completed a pass with the Michigan State commit to start a rush into Fargo’s zone. Appleton then centered the puck to Gamez, who was alone in front of the Force’s net. The Chino Hills, Calif. native made a move to his backhand and scored his 13th goal of the season to make it 2-1.

With the goal, Gamez extended his point-scoring streak to eight games.

Later in the first, Fargo went back up by two on a goal by Brody Stevens at 13:04.

But Pedrie scored his 11th of the season and second with the Storm to cut the lead back to 3-2 before the end of the first period. Assists on the goal were credited to Kevin Kerr and Conner Valesano.

In the middle frame, Tri-City found the equalizer on Wilkie’s 14th power play goal of the season. Also the forward’s league leading 28th goal, Wilkie was set up by Appleton while coming into the offensive zone on a power play rush. The Omaha native ripped a wrist shot glove side that got over the Fargo goaltender Mathias Israelsson.

With the game tied in the third period, Yon’s winning goal was all Fargo needed to secure the win.

Tri-City had chances to tie the game late, and Hulton pulled Dillon in favor of an extra attacker, but it wasn’t enough.

Israelsson earned the win, making 26 saves for the Force.

Tri-City is still in second place in the USHL’s Western Conference with 64 points, three back of Sioux City for the top spot in the west.

The two teams will finish their weekend series on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel and Joel Herbert, along with defenseman Jason Krych…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
Fargo – Denis Smirnov (TJ Roo, Alec Marsh) 0:30
Fargo – Denis Smirnov (Alec Marsh) 2:37
Tri-City – Garrett Gamez (power play) (Mason Appleton, Nick Master)
Fargo – Brody Stevens (Jack Jenkins) 13:04
Tri-City – Vince Pedrie (Conner Valesano, Kevin Kerr) 14:17

2nd Period

Tri-City – Chris Wilkie (power play) (Mason Appleton, Bobby Nardella) 8:14

3rd Period
Fargo – Zach Yon (Jack Jenkins) 7:49

PENALTIES

1st Period
Tri-City – Mason Appleton – (Hooking), 2 min, 5:53
Fargo – Shane McMahan – (Tripping), 2 min, 7:27
Tri-City – Chris Wilkie – (Interference), 2 min, 14:43

2nd Period
Fargo – Justin Baudry – (Interference), 2 min, 7:49
Fargo – Justin Baudry – (Fighting), 5 min, 10:51
Fargo – Justin Baudry – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 10:51
Tri-City – Cody Milan – (Fighting), 5 min, 10:51
Tri-City – Cody Milan – (Fighting) (Misconduct), 10 min, 10:51
Fargo – Brody Stevens – (Interference), 2 min, 12:36
Fargo – Sean Mostrom – (Roughing), 2 min, 18:27

3rd Period
(no penalties)

Power Play

Tri-City – 2/4

Fargo – 0/2

Shots

Tri-City: 5, 12, 12 = Total: 29
Fargo: 9, 3, 8 = Total: 20

Saves
Tri-City – Jared Rutledge – 1/3, Alec Dillon – 15/17
Fargo – Mathias Israelsson – 26/29

NPCC Knights in Region IX Semifinals

Posted on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015

NPCC Freshman Matt Thomas goes up for a layup against Central Wyoming in the Region IX quarterfinals. / Photo Courtesy of NWC Sports Information.

The North Platte Community College Knights advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX semifinals with a win over the Central Wyoming College Rustlers Thursday night 74 – 66.

The Knights started out slow out of the gate allowing the Rustlers to jump out to a 19 – 7 lead. Once the Knights got going they never looked back. The Knights went on a 23 – 10 run to lead at halftime 30 -29. They never trailed in the second half and led by as much as 12 points with just over a minute to play 74 – 62.

The game featured the No. 2 and No. 3 three-point shooting percentage teams in the region. The Rustlers, who rely on the three-point shot, shooting an average of 25.5 three pointers per game and making an average of 9.9 three-pointers made for 38.6 percent, shot 7 – 28 from behind the arc for 25 percent. The Knights are shooting 7.1 for 18.6 from behind the arc for 38.3 percent for the year, shot for the game 10 – 20 for 50 percent. They made six for eight in the second half.

The Knights improve to 24 – 8 on the season. They were led in scoring by Cameron Williams, who scored 22 points to lead all scorers. Williams also added seven rebounds and two assists. Matt Williams added 19 points going five for nine from behind the arc. Shyquinn Dix was the third Knight in double figures with 10 points. Tyree Peter grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Knights.

The Rustlers who finish their season at 19 – 10 were led by Eimer Lopez and Xavier Webb who scored 16 points each.

The Knights will face the host Northwest College Trappers in the semifinals, who defeated Western Nebraska 101 – 77. The other semifinal will feature Northeastern Junior College and Gillette College.

The Knights game will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1410 or www.northplattepost.com on the World Wide Web. The game will also be live streamed on www.nwc.edu/regionix.

Romeo leads Nebraska Women past Illinois 86-71 in Big Ten

Posted on March 5, 2015

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — Natalie Romeo hit seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points, both career highs, to lead seventh-seeded Nebraska to an 86-71 win over Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday.

Nebraska (21-9) will play 14th-ranked Iowa, seeded second, in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Hailie Sample and Tear’a Laudermiller had 14 points apiece for the Cornhuskers while Allie Havers added 13 and Emily Cady had 11. Brandi Jeffery had nine rebounds and eight assists to go with her six points.

Ivory Crawford had 19 points and Amarah Coleman 18 for the Illini (15-16), who shot just 34.6 percent.

Romeo, a freshman who has started nine straight games since All-American Rachel Theriot was lost for the season with an ankle injury, was 5 of 7 behind the arc in the first half when the Cornhuskers (21-9) opened a 49-29 lead. She broke her career marks early in the second half with a layup, which she turned into a three-point play. Nebraska shot 61.7 percent and led by 28 with 8:21 to play.

Chiefs Release LB Joe Mays to Create Salary Cap Space

Posted on March 5, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs released veteran linebacker Joe Mays on Thursday as they attempt to free up much-needed salary cap space before the start of free agency next week.

The Chiefs saved about $3 million by parting with Mays, who started last season on injured reserve and wound up making just 16 tackles in eight games. Mays was expected to start alongside Derrick Johnson, but never seemed to solidify his role.

The Chiefs have made modest savings by releasing Mays along with wide receivers Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins and tight end Anthony Fasano. Now, the big question is whether they will carve out more significant salary cap space by trading, releasing or restructuring the massive contracts of wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and linebacker Tamba Hali in the coming days.

5 Players Finalists for Players’ Union Award

Posted on March 5, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — Previous Walter Payton Award winner Charles Tillman and four others are finalists for the Byron “Whizzer” White Award given annually by the NFL Players Association for community service in players’ cities and hometowns.

Bears cornerback Tillman, the 2013 Payton recipient as the league’s Man of the Year for his charitable work, is joined by Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt, Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, and Giants linebacker Jameel McClain.

The winner, who will receive $100,000 for his foundation or a charity of his choice, will be announced March 18 at the NFLPA’s annual meetings in Hawaii.

The award is named for Supreme Court Justice Byron Raymond “Whizzer” White, a scholar, athlete, humanitarian and public servant. Each team nominated players.

Last year’s winner was 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin.

2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships Preview

Posted on March 5, 2015

The 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are set for this Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, at St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. The event gets underway at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, with the preliminary, quarterfinal, semifinal and wresleback matches taking place in Session I and II. Consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches get underway at 1 p.m. on Sunday, while first-, third- and fifth-place matches begin at 3 p.m. BTN will provide live streaming coverage of Sessions I, II and III, while the championship rounds will be carried live on the network.

Penn State enters the championships looking for its fifth-straight Big Ten title, after earning crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Last season, Penn State earned 140.5 team points, followed by Iowa and Minnesota with 135 and 118.5 points, respectively. Iowa leads all Big Ten schools with 34 team titles and 195 individual crowns.

Five wrestlers that took home Big Ten titles last season return to this year’s championships, with Illinois’ Jesse Delgado (125), Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (141), Northwestern’s Jason Tsirtsis (149) and Nebraska’s James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each earning crowns at last year’s event.

Six schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Iowa and Ohio State leading the way with three each. For Iowa, 125-pounder Thomas Gilman, 149-pounder Brandon Sorensen and 184-pounder Sam Brooks earned top billing in their weight classes, while Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (141), Bo Jordan (165) and Kyle Snyder (197) enter the championships as the top seed. The Illini’s Isaiah Martinez (157), Gophers’ Chris Dardanes (133), Huskers’ Robert Kokesh (174) and Badgers’ Connor Medbery (285) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers.

Ten Big Ten teams enter the championships ranked in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll, with conference squads claiming three of the top five spots. Iowa leads the way at No. 2, followed by No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Michigan, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 21 Rutgers and No. 23 Purdue.

CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION

Date: March 7-8, 2015

Site: Ohio State University

St. John Arena

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (ET)

Saturday, March 7

9 a.m. – Doors open to the public

10 a.m. – Session I begins (first round, quarterfinals)

Fans clear arena at conclusion of Session I

5 p.m. – Doors open to the public

6 p.m. – Session II begins (semifinals, wrestlebacks)

Sunday, March 8

Noon – Doors open to the public

1 p.m. – Session III begins (consolation semifinals, seventh-place matches)

3 p.m. – Session IV begins (first-, third-, fifth-place matches)

TELEVISION COVERAGE

All four sessions will be broadcast live on BTN or streamed online. Sessions I, II and III wil be streamed on BTN Plus, while the championship, third-, and fifth-place matches will air live on BTN at 3 p.m. on Sunday.