Sports – Page 284 – North Platte Post Archive

2015 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Single-Session Tickets on Sale Thursday

Posted on February 17, 2015

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Beginning Thursday, Feb. 19, at 10 a.m. CT, both all-session and single-session tickets for the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament will be on sale to the general public. Tickets can be purchased through the Sears Centre Arena ticket offices at 1-888-SEARS-TIX (732-7784) or www.searscentre.com.

All individual session tickets are $15, while all-session tickets are available for $90. Other than the fan blocks for that university’s respective games, the women’s tournament will feature general admission seating, allowing fans to witness the action from the best available seats in Sears Centre Arena.

The Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held in the Chicagoland area from March 4-8 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The tournament week features all 14 Big Ten teams competing in 13 games over five days for the 2015 tournament crown and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The bracket for the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, along with information on tickets, travel, lodging, tournament history and more can be found at bigten.org.

Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament (All times are CT):

Session 1 (First Round; two games beginning at 5 p.m.) – Wednesday, March 4

Session 2 (Second Round; two games beginning at 11:30 a.m.) – Thursday, March 5

Session 3 (Second Round; two games beginning at 6 p.m.) – Thursday, March 5

Session 4 (Quarterfinals; two games beginning at 11:30 a.m.) – Friday, March 6

Session 5 (Quarterfinals; two games beginning at 6 p.m.) – Friday, March 6

Session 6 (Semifinals; two games beginning at 6 p.m.) – Saturday, March 7

Session 7 (Championship Game; beginning at 6 p.m.) – Sunday, March 8

Signup to Play American Legion Baseball is Next Month

Posted on February 17, 2015

The North Platte First Nationals American Legion baseball team will have signups next month.

Signups will be at The Sports Shoppe at 1320 South Cottonwood Street in North Platte. The signups will last two days, Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

American Legion baseball is open to players born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2002.

The First Nationals Seniors team finished with a record of 31-18 last year, while the Juniors finished with a 29-13 record and won the A-7 District championship.

McLeod, Duchene Strike Quickly as Avalanche beat Coyotes 5-2

Posted on February 16, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Cody McLeod and Matt Duchene scored 9 seconds apart, Jarome Iginla had two assists and the Colorado Avalanche beat the slumping Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Monday night.

Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie and Nick Holden also scored for the Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov faced only five shots through the first two periods before giving way to backup Reto Berra to start the third.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mark Arcobello scored for Arizona, which did not manage a shot on goal in the second period. Mike McKenna made 29 saves in his first start of the season.

The Coyotes have lost four in a row.

Jones’ Late Layup lets No. 19 Butler Escape Creighton 58-56

Posted on February 16, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Roosevelt Jones made the winning layup with 1.9 seconds to lift No. 19 Butler to a 58-56 win over Creighton and avoid getting upset by the Big East’s last-place team Monday night.

The Bulldogs (19-7, 9-4) wouldn’t have been in position for Jones’ game-winner if Alex Barlow hadn’t scrambled to rebound Kellen Dunham’s missed shot a few seconds earlier. Devin Brooks missed Creighton’s last-second 3-pointer.

Dunham scored 19 points, Jones added 18 and Kameron Woods 10 for the Bulldogs, who were playing without the injured Andrew Chrabascz.

Austin Chatman and Brooks had 17 points apiece to lead Creighton (12-15, 3-11).

Nardella Named USHL Defenseman of the Week

Posted on February 16, 2015

KEARNEY, Neb. – Tri-City Storm defenseman Bobby Nardella was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Week by the league office Monday after assisting on four goals in the Storm’s victories over Omaha and Sioux City over the weekend.

The Rosemont, Ill. native had three assists in the first period of Friday night’s 5-1 win against the Lancers, and added another helper on the first goal of the game during the second period on Saturday.

Three of the four assists came while Tri-City was on the man-advantage, where Nardella is a mainstay working with forward Chris Wilkie, the USHL’s leader in power play goals (13).

A Notre Dame commit, Nardella is 5th in defensive scoring among all USHL blueliners with six goals and 20 assists. He also leads all defenseman with 15 power play assists.

Now in his second USHL season, Nardella won a gold medal playing for Team USA in the World Junior A Challenge in Kindersley, Saskatchewan during December.

The honor is Nardella’s first of the season, joining defenseman Mattias Goransson and goaltender Alec Dillon as Storm players to receive league awards thus far during the 2014-15 season.

Tri-City is in second place in the Western Conference standings with 57 total points.

This weekend the Storm will take on the Lincoln Stars in a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday, before heading back to Sioux City for aSunday afternoon battle.

Friday’s game is in Lincoln at 7:05 p.m. before the teams take the rivalry to Kearney on Saturday, also at 7:05. Saturday is also Pack-It-In-Purple at the Viaero Event Center. Fans are encouraged to wear purple and will receive rally towels upon entry.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

NPCC Knights Travel to Laramie County

Posted on February 16, 2015

The North Platte Community College Knights take to the road on Wednesday, Feb. 18 to play the Laramie County Community College Golden Eagles at the LCCC Gymnasium in Cheyenne, Wyo. The matchup is an important game in the standings of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX South Sub-Region.

The Knights look to break their two game losing streak. The Knights, 20-6 overall and 10-3 in sub-region play are currently tied for first with Northeastern Junior College in the South Sub-Region. The Golden Eagles are 19-9 overall and 9-5 in the sub-region. They are currently third in the South Sub-Region. A win for the Knights would clinch at least a number two seed in the upcoming Region IX tournament.

The Knights are led in scoring by sophomore Cameron Williams. Williams is averaging 22.4 points per game. He is leading the Region IX –South in scoring and is 11^th in the nation. Williams scored his 1000^th career point in the loss to Eastern Wyoming and is currently 14^th on the Knights all-time scoring list.

Other Knights scoring in double figures are Marco Pascolo, 11.1 points per game and Shyquinn Dix, 10.4 points per game. Pascolo leads the Knights in rebounding with 7.9 rebounds per game.

The Golden Eagles are led in scoring by Darien Fernandez with 16.1 points per game. Fernandez is followed by Spencer Svejcar at 15.8 points per game. Two other Golden Eagles are averaging in double figures. They are Kamari Robinson, averaging 13.8 points per game and Alexis Dargenton, averaging 12.4 points per game. Dargenton also leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding with 7.6 rebounds per game.

Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. CST. The game will be live streamed through Laramie County Community College at www.njcaatv.com .

College Basketball AP Top 25 Rankings

Posted on February 16, 2015

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 15, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

	Record	Pts	Prv
1. Kentucky (65)	25-0	1,625	1
2. Virginia	23-1	1,524	2
3. Gonzaga	26-1	1,475	3
4. Duke	22-3	1,449	4
5. Wisconsin	23-2	1,387	5
6. Villanova	23-2	1,302	6
7. Arizona	22-3	1,213	7
8. Kansas	21-4	1,195	8
9. Utah	20-4	1,051	11
10. Notre Dame	22-4	1,038	10
11. N. Iowa	24-2	955	13
12. Louisville	20-5	882	9
13. Wichita St.	23-3	862	15
14. Iowa St.	18-6	761	14
15. North Carolina	18-7	658	12
16. Maryland	21-5	640	19
17. Oklahoma	17-8	554	17
18. Arkansas	20-5	476	24
19. Butler	18-7	456	18
20. Baylor	18-7	364	16
21. SMU	21-5	299	25
22. Oklahoma St.	17-8	240	21
23. West Virginia	19-6	154	21
24. Ohio St.	19-7	139	23
25. VCU	19-6	109	20

Others receiving votes: Texas 70, San Diego St. 64, Providence 44, Murray St. 38, Temple 28, Georgetown 23, Michigan St. 17, Dayton 10, Texas A&M 8, Valparaiso 8, Indiana 7.

This Week in Nebraska Athletics

Posted on February 16, 2015

Monday, Feb. 16 Men’s Golf vs. Wisconsin (Big Ten Match Play) Palm Coast, Fla. 7:50 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 16 Men’s Golf vs. Indiana (Big Ten Match Play) Palm Coast, Fla. 11:40 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18 Swimming & Diving at Big Ten Championships Columbus, Ohio 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 18 Women’s Basketball at Northwestern (BTN Plus) Evanston, Ill. 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19 Swimming & Diving at Big Ten Championships Columbus, Ohio 10 a.m./5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19 Baseball vs. Brigham Young Peoria, Ariz. 2:05 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19 Men’s Gymnastics at Winter Cup Las Vegas, Nev. 3/8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 19 Men’s Basketball at Maryland (BTN) College Park, Md. 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Bowling at Hawk Flight Invite Egg Harbor Township, N.J. 9 a.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Swimming & Diving at Big Ten Championships Columbus, Ohio 10 a.m./5:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Track & Field Nebraska Tune-Up Devaney Indoor Track 12:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Baseball vs. Brigham Young Peoria, Ariz. 1:05 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Women’s Tennis Wyoming Lincoln Racquet Club 4 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Baseball vs. Brigham Young Peoria, Ariz. 4:35 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Men’s Tennis at Oregon Eugene, Ore. 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 20 Softball vs. San Diego St. (Mary Nutter Classic) Cathedral City, Calif. 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Bowling at Hawk Flight Invite Egg Harbor Township, N.J. 9 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Swimming & Diving at Big Ten Championships Columbus, Ohio 10 a.m./5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Wrestling at Drexel Philadelphia, Pa. 10 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Women’s Basketball at Indiana (BTN) Bloomington, Ind. 11 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Women’s Tennis Wyoming vs. Illinois State Lincoln Racquet Club 11 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Softball vs. LSU (Mary Nutter Classic) Cathedral City, Calif. Noon

Saturday, Feb. 21 Baseball vs. Brigham Young Peoria, Ariz. 1:05 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Softball vs. Tennessee (Mary Nutter Classic) Cathedral City, Calif. 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Women’s Gymnastics at UCLA, w/Arizona, Sacramento State Los Angeles, Calif. 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Wrestling at Princeton Princeton, N.J. 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Men’s Gymnastics at Winter Cup Las Vegas, Nev. 9:15 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Men’s Tennis vs. Santa Clara Eugene, Ore. TBA

Sunday, Feb. 22 Men’s Golf at Puerto Rico Classic Rio Grande, P.R. 7 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Bowling at Hawk Flight Invite Egg Harbor Township, N.J. 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Women’s Golf at Westbrook Spring Invitational Peoria, Ariz. 9:30 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Softball vs. Oregon State (Mary Nutter Classic) Cathedral City, Calif. 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Women’s Tennis Illinois State Nebraska Tennis Center 11 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Rifle at NCAA Qualifiers Murray, Ky. 1 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Softball vs. UCLA (Mary Nutter Classic) Cathedral City, Calif. 1 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 22 Men’s Basketball Iowa (BTN) Pinnacle Bank Arena 2 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 23 Men’s Golf at Puerto Rico Classic Rio Grande, P.R. 7 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 23 Women’s Golf at Westbrook Spring Invitational Peoria, Ariz. 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 24 Men’s Golf at Puerto Rico Classic Rio Grande, P.R. 7 a.m.

Study: Coaching Education Can Cut Risk of Football Injuries

Posted on February 16, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A study released Monday concludes that youth football coaches who are educated in the sport make the game safer for players.

The Indianapolis-based Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention collected data from 2,108 football players ages 5 to 15 last fall. It found that players who competed for coaches who been trained in USA Football’s “Heads-Up Football” program were 34 percent less likely to get a concussion in practice and 29 percent less likely to get a concussion in a game.

The study was commissioned by USA Football, the sport’s national governing body.

Researchers also monitored blows to the head of 72 players ages 9 to 15. The organization monitored injuries of 100 teams in 10 youth leagues and four states.

Westbrook has 41, West Edges East in NBA All-Star Game

Posted on February 15, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 41 points, one shy of the NBA All-Star Game record, and the Western Conference beat the East 163-158 on Sunday night.

The Oklahoma City speedster had a record 27 points by halftime and closed out the scoring with two free throws, falling one point shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s 42 points in the 1962 game.

James Harden added 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the West, which built a 20-point lead in the first half and then pulled away after it was tied at 148 with a little more than 4 minutes remaining.

LeBron James finished with 30 points but couldn’t lead the East to the victory in his favorite NBA arena.

Westbrook was selected MVP of the All-Star Game after leading the West.

Oklahoma City’s flashy guard set a record with 27 first-half points. And beyond his array of high-flying dunks, drives and 3-pointers, Westbrook celebrated almost every one of his buckets with some kind of celebration, strutting back down the floor, raising his arms or pointing to the crowd.

He’s a showman and Westbrook delivered a Broadway-worthy performance. He just missed matching the scoring mark set by Chamberlain in 1962.

Westbrook’s biggest basket came with 2:22 left when he drained a 3-pointer to give the West a 158-149 lead. He made the most of his 25 minutes on the floor, attempting 28 shots.