Sports – Page 303 – North Platte Post Archive

No. 20 Iowa Women Rally, beat No. 15 Nebraska 78-72 in OT

Posted on January 26, 2015

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Ally Disterhoft scored all 20 of her points in the second half and overtime to lead No. 20 Iowa to its first victory against No. 15 Nebraska in nine tries as a Big Ten opponent, 78-72 on Monday.

Bethany Doolittle had six of her 12 points during the extra period while Iowa outscored Nebraska 17-11. Samantha Logic finished with 22 points and eight assists and Disterhoft had 13 rebounds.

Iowa (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) rallied with a 17-6 run to lead 60-57 on Disterhoft’s layup with 2:33 left in regulation.

Rachel Theriot’s jumper gave the Cornhuskers (15-4, 5-3) a 61-60 lead with 4.5 seconds. Iowa inbounded long and handed off to Whitney Jennings who drew a foul with 1.3 seconds left. She made one free throw to force overtime.

Tear’a Laudermill and Emily Cady led Nebraska with 19 points each. Cady grabbed 18 boards and Theriot added 15 points.

NPCC Lady Knight Volleyball Signs Maxwell’s Blake

Posted on January 26, 2015

Maxwell Wildcat Tracy Blake is the latest to sign with the North Platte Community College Lady Knight Volleyball team.

Blake, who is 5’6,” played four seasons with the Wildcats in both volleyball and basketball.

Blake will play defensive specialist (DS) in college, according to Lady Knights Volleyball coach Alexa Hopping.

“I’m very excited about Tracy’s court sense and ability to score points,” Hopping said. “She will be a DS which is a position that court sense will benefit her. She is a good kid that I think has the ability to be a versatile player.”

MaxPreps, a national recruiting service, shows that Blake had 635 kills and 1179 digs throughout her high school career at Maxwell. Blake also had 23 total blocks, 208 service aces, and a 90 percent serving percentage.

In basketball, Blake in her senior year is currently averaging 9.6 points per game and 6.0 rebounds for the Lady Wildcats as a shooting guard.

Tracy is the daughter of Brenda Blake Tobey and Dean Pittman, both of North Platte.

Maniohuta Archers to Host 4th Annual Youth Tournament

Posted on January 26, 2015

North Platte’s Maniohuta Archery Club is hosting its 4th annual Youth 300 Tournament on Saturday, February 7.

The cost is $10 per archer with showing times at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. Kids ages 8-11 will shoot 10 yards and kids ages 12-16 will shoot 20 yards.

There will be Bowhunter Class, which is compound and sights, or Barebow Class, which is longbow, recurve, or genesis bow with no sights. The classes will be split up between boys and girls.

Space is limited so register soon by calling Jodi at 308-539-0836 to reserve your spot.

Defenseman Erik Johnson Out 3-to-8 Weeks with Knee Injury

Posted on January 26, 2015

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche will be without top defenseman Erik Johnson for three to eight weeks due to a knee injury.

Coach Patrick Roy says the team received the update on Johnson after he had a scope Monday. Roy said Johnson was “disappointed by the situation.” Roy also said he has a “lot of confidence in our group” and that it will mean “different responsibilities for some of our defensemen.”

Johnson made the All-Star team, but didn’t play in the game over the weekend. The 26-year-old has a career-high 12 goals this season.

Colorado has some work to do to climb back into playoff contention, beginning Tuesday night in Nashville. The team is currently 10th in the Western Conference and three points out of the last playoff spot.

Adam Ottavino, Rockies Agree on $1.3M, 1-Year Contract

Posted on January 26, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Reliever Adam Ottavino and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a $1.3 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration.

The 6-foot-5, hard-throwing righty was 1-4 with a 3.60 ERA in a career-high 75 appearances with the Rockies last season, when he made $502,000.

Colorado claimed Ottavino off waivers from St. Louis in 2012. He was a first-round pick by St. Louis in the 2006 amateur draft and has a 7-10 career record with a 4.05 ERA in 184 games.

Ottavino had asked $1,475,000 in arbitration and had been offered $1 million.

Colorado announced the deal Monday. Catcher Wiln Rosario is the Rockies’ last player in arbitration.

Manfred Faces Long List of Issues as New Baseball Commish

Posted on January 26, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Rob Manfred’s desk on the 31st floor of baseball’s Park Avenue offices was tidy on Monday, the first business day after he succeeded Bud Selig and started a five-year term as commissioner.

Having worked for MLB since 1998 as an executive vice president and then as chief operating officer, he didn’t have to move into a new office.

The issues are piled up: Oakland and Tampa Bay want new ballparks; negotiations are ongoing with players over pace of play and domestic violence; Baltimore and Washington are fighting in court over broadcast revenue; there is widespread agreement initiatives must be undertaken to develop young fans and players.

A pitch clock must be considered and decreased offense scrutinized along with increased offensive shifts.

Tighter balls? Shorter fences? A lower mound? Banning defensive shifts?

Perhaps they can be talked about in the future.

Arkansas AD Re-Elected as Playoff Selection Committee Chair

Posted on January 26, 2015

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long will serve another season as the chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, announced Long has been re-elected by his fellow committee members to lead the 13-person panel.

Long was responsible for leading the committee’s weekly meetings and being the public face and voice of the committee. He appeared on ESPN to explain the committee’s weekly rankings starting in late October, and held a teleconference with reporters to take questions about the group’s choices.

Hancock said Long conducted the meetings “skillfully.”

Hancock says Long also gave fans insight about committee decisions by answering questions.

Long says he appreciates the committee’s confidence.

Playoff Not Interested in Moving Semis off New Year’s Eve

Posted on January 26, 2015

The College Football Playoff says there is no interest in ESPN’s suggestion to move next season’s semifinals from New Year’s Eve to Saturday, Jan. 2.

The Sports Business Journal first reported high-ranking ESPN executives had talked to College Football Playoff officials about switching the dates for the 2016 semifinals.

College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock and ESPN acknowledged having discussions about a one-time schedule shift in separate statements to The Associated Press on Monday.

Next season’s semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. The following weekend is the last of the NFL regular season, when the league plays all its games on Sunday, leaving Saturday relatively free.

ESPN pays about $470 million a year over 12 years for TV rights to the playoff.

Huskers Head to Michigan for Super Tuesday

Posted on January 26, 2015

The Nebraska men’s basketball team hits the road for an important Big Ten contest, as the Huskers take on Michigan Tuesday night in Ann Arbor.

Tipoff is set for 6:02 p.m. (central) from the Crisler Center, and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN with Mike Tirico, Dan Dakich and Sam Ponder on the call.Tuesday’s game is also available online and on mobile devices on the WatchESPN app. Tuesday’s matchup with Michigan is the first of two Super Tuesday appearances for the Big Red, as the Huskers will host Wisconsin at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 10.

The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the 37-station IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The Huskers (12-7, 4-3 Big Ten) broke out of an offensive slump on Saturday against Michigan State, scoring 79 points against a Spartan defense that was surrendering 61.9 points per game. Nebraska, which averaged a league-low 58.2 points per game in its first six Big Ten games, hit 49 percent from the field and went 27-of-39 from the foul line to earn its fourth win in the last five games.

While All-Big Ten performers Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields combined for 53 points, it was the performances of a pair of role players that helped propel the Huskers above the .500 mark in Big Ten play for the first time in 2014-15. Leslee Smith stepped into the starting lineup after David Rivers suffered a knee injury in practice Thursday night and gave the Huskers seven points and seven rebounds in a career-high 30 minutes. Sophomore Tai Webster came off the bench and played extended minutes after starting center Walter Pitchford was ejected four minutes into the contest and gave the Huskers 13 points, three rebounds and a pair of steals in 28 minutes after playing just 21 minutes in NU’s previous four contests.

Michigan (12-8, 5-3 Big Ten) is coming off a tough 69-64 overtime loss to Wisconsin on Sunday. Derrick Walton Jr. led the Wolverines with 17 points, including a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, while Zak Irvin added 12 in a losing cause. Michigan was dealt a blow earlier in the month with the season-ending injury to Caris LeVert, as the junior led the Wolverines in scoring (14.9 ppg), rebounding (4.9 rpg) and assists (3.7 apg).

Royals Invite 23 Non-Roster Players to Spring Training

Posted on January 26, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have invited 23 non-roster players to spring training, including former fifth overall draft pick Bubba Starling and promising youngsters Miguel Almonte and Raul Mondesi.

Starling, who grew up near Kansas City, has struggled in the minor leagues but will get a taste of big league camp. Almonte, a right-hander, and Mondesi, an infielder, are non-drafted free agents who have become two of the club’s top prospects.

Other notable players headed to camp are infielder Hunter Dozier, the eighth overall draft pick in 2013; pitcher Sean Manea, the 34th overall choice the same year; and outfielder Brett Eibner, a second-round choice in 2010.

Pitchers and catchers report to Surprise, Arizona, for the start of spring training on Feb. 19. The Royals’ first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 25.