Sports – Page 593 – North Platte Post Archive

Springsteen to Headline March Madness Music Fest

Posted on March 4, 2014March 4, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Bruce Springsteen will headline the NCAA March Madness Music Festival next month in Dallas.

Springsteen and the E Street Band will close the free, three-day festival on April 6 at Reunion Park, the downtown lot where the NCAA Final Four was played in 1986. Pop-rock trio fun. will perform ahead of the Boss.

Jason Aldean will kick off the festival on April 4. Fellow country star Tim McGraw and the Killers take the stage on April 5.

Tickets for the festival are on a first-come, first-serve basis each day.

Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

College basketball’s Division I semifinal and championship games will be played at the Dallas Cowboys’ massive stadium in Arlington.

Timberwolves Outlast Nuggets for 132-128 Win

Posted on March 4, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Kevin Love scored 33 points and tied a season high with 19 rebounds for his NBA-best 50th double-double this season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the skidding Denver Nuggets 132-128 on Monday night for their third win in a row.

Love topped 30 points for the 11th time in his last 14 starts, helping Minnesota wrap up a 4-1 trip out west.

The Nuggets got a boost from the return of Ty Lawson, who scored a season-high 31 points with 11 assists in his first game since breaking his left rib Feb. 8 at Detroit. But it wasn’t enough to reverse their sagging fortunes. Denver lost its sixth straight and has dropped 11 of 12 overall.

NPCC Lady Knights Win Back-to-Back Region IX Division II Championships

Posted on March 4, 2014March 4, 2014

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (16-12, 3-1 Region IX Division II) defeated the Central Community Lady Raiders (19-13, 2-2 Region IX Division II) Monday night at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium in the Region IX Division II Championship in overtime 90-86.

The Lady Knights struggled out of the gate to find any rhythm offensively and got down early. However, a 12-2 run would even the score up at 34 before the Lady Raiders would score four points to the Lady Knights two to take a 36-38 lead into the locker room.

The second half went much the same as the first half with the Lady Raiders playing well and taking a large lead at 55-72. The Lady Raiders would keep the Lady Knights at bay for the next several minutes and led by 15 points with five minutes to play.

The Lady Knights would then use their largest run of the evening at 18-1 to tie the game at 73 apiece. The Lady Raiders would score the next three points, but a free throw from April Stull and a lay-up from Aliyah Brown with eight seconds left tied the game. Central was unable to get off at the end of regulation and the game headed to overtime.

In overtime, the teams would exchange baskets as the lead went back and forth several times. Finally, with the game tied Stephanie Casteel was fouled and calmly sank both free .throws to give the Lady Knights a two point advantage. After a steal by the Lady Knights, Jordan Dickerson was fouled and calmly hit both free throws to give the Lady Knights the winning margin.

“The girls never gave up,” said head coach Richard Thurin. “Our press was very effective throughout the game and the 18-1 run to end the game was huge. All of our girls gave a great effort.”

DaVontaye Merritt once again the Lady Knights with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. April Stull also had a double-double as she finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Dickerson was second on the team in scoring with 18 points and Aliyah Brown finished with 17. Courtney Widick scored six points, but pulled down 10 rebounds for the Lady Knights.

Adrianna Beck led all scorers with 28 points while Paris Crenshaw scored 12 points and Alyssa Foltz scored 11. The Lady Knights out-rebounded the Lady Raiders 56-38.

The Lady Knights now advance to the District F Playoff in Bottineau, North Dakota on Sunday March 9 against the Dakota College at Bottineau Lady Jacks (13-17) to qualify for the Division II National Tournament. The Lady Jacks defeated Gogebic Community College (21-8) 86-75 in the opening round of the Region XIII Tournament and then defeated the host United Tribes Technical College (8-23) by a score of 77-71 to win the Region XIII Title.

Lawson Set to Return from Rib Injury for Nuggets

Posted on March 3, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson was set to return for Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing nearly a month because of a left rib fracture.

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said before tipoff that Lawson, injured in a collision on Feb. 8 at Detroit, had been cleared to play.

“I expect him to be a little rusty,” Shaw said. “He hasn’t really done anything involving contact with the team but we are excited to have him back and ready to play. We are looking forward to having him on the court.

The Nuggets have missed Lawson, their primary offensive catalyst. Denver has gone 1-8 without Lawson, losing the last five in a row.

No. 15 NPCC Knights Survive and Advance, Part Two

Posted on March 3, 2014

Sterling, CO – The No. 15 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team (27-4, 12-4 South Sub-Region) survived and advanced for the second straight game in the Region IX Tournament by defeating the Casper College Thunderbirds (19-13, 11-5 North Sub-Region) in overtime 71-70 behind a long 3-pointer from freshman Marco Pascolo.

“Big time players make big time plays and we had some guys do that today,” said head coach Kevin O’Connor. “We are very excited to be advancing and playing tomorrow.”

The Knights started out the game quickly and earned an early 11-2 advantage over the Thunderbirds. Casper would not go quietly and turned the tables on the Knights to take a 32-25 lead into the locker room. Tim Simmons and Cameron Williams each picked up two early fouls in the first half and saw limited action. Ethan Montalvo led the way for the Knights with 10 points while Jay Wright paced the Thunderbirds with 12.

In the second half, the Knight quickly cut into Casper’s lead and would take as much as a six point advantage, but like Saturday were unable to close the door on the Thunderbirds. Late in the game, Casper was able to take a two point advantage with 50 seconds left. After working the ball around for 30 seconds, freshman Marco Pascolo hit a step-back jumper with 18 seconds left to tie the game at 61. A great defensive effort by the Knights forced Wright into a double-clutch shot that flew wide to send the game in overtime.

In overtime, Casper would get on the board first and would gain as much as a three point advantage over the Knights. Montalvo came up with two huge steals to keep the Knights in the game. The Knights once again found themselves with the ball, down two with 50 seconds remaining. Once again the Knights would work the ball around and once again Pascolo would be the hero. A skip pass from Cameron Williams found Pascolo open on the wing for the game winning points with 18 seconds remaining. The Knights were once again able to get a stop and advance to the Region IX Semifinals tomorrow.

The shot was Pascolo’s second straight game winner after scoring a lay-up with two seconds remaining Saturday to give the Knights an opening round victory.

“It was what you practice every day for,” said Pascolo “to be in that position and make the shot. I wasn’t thinking about how poorly I had shot the ball today (1-8 from 3) and just let it fly and knew it was going in.”

The Knights were led by Ethan Montalvo who finished with 22 points. Pascolo was second on the team with 14 points, while Tim Simmons and Jake Maslo each scored 11. Maslo led the Knights with eight rebounds.

Jay Wright paced the Thunderbirds with 22 points while Daniele Nwosu score 20. George Edwards was the third Thunderbird in double figures with 13.

The Knights advance to play the No. 1 seed from the North Sub-Region and nationally ranked No. 9, the Gillette College Pronghorns (28-3, 15-1 North Sub-Region) tomorrow evening in the Region IX Semifinals at 7 p.m. CST. The game will be live streamed at www.ihigh.com/gonjc/ and will be broadcast live be ESPN Radio 1410. The Pronghorns defeated the No. 4 seed from the South Sub-Region McCook Community College (21-11, 9-7 South Sub-Region) by a score of 109-97.

2014 Region IX Tournament Bracket

1st Look with Expanded MLB Replay: The Call Stands

Posted on March 3, 2014

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The first review under Major League Baseball’s expanded replay system has taken place and after a further look that took 2½ minutes, the call stood.

Toronto manager John Gibbons used his challenge to ask umpires to review a play in the sixth inning of Monday’s game against Minnesota.

Chris Rahl of the Twins was called safe at first base when shortstop Munenori Kawasaki’s throw pulled Jared Goedert off the bag.

The umpires gathered in front of the first base dugout while umpire Brian O’Nora watched the replays from a satellite truck outside the ballpark. After a wait of 2 minutes, 34 seconds, first base umpire Fieldin Culbreth spread his hands in the safe sign.

MLB has expanded replay this year beyond potential home runs and boundary calls. This season, most every play except for balls-and-strikes is subject to a review, with calls coming from a replay booth in New York.

NPCC Hosted ‘Elementary Night’ on Feb. 22

Posted on March 3, 2014

Knights Men Sign Autographs at Elementary Night

North Platte Community College hosted “Elementary Night” during the Knights men’s and women’s basketball games against Southeast Community College on Feb. 22.

“Students from all the Elementary Schools were invited and the ones that attended saw some pretty great games,” said Josh York, Assistant Housing Director/Student Activities. “The students showed up the games to show their support for both teams. They had a great time meeting and getting the autographs from the players. Some of them made signs to show their support and they were able to those autographed.

“We look forward to doing this again and will hope for a strong showing from the community as well as from the Elementary students,” he said, adding, “A special thanks goes out to all those who helped create such a great event. Without their help we would not have been as successful as we were with this event.

Big Ten Announces Women’s Basketball Postseason Honors, Hooper Player of the Year

Posted on March 3, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the women’s basketball All-Conference teams and individual award winners on Monday. Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper was named Big Ten Player of the Year by the conference coaches, while Penn State’s Maggie Lucas earned the honor from the media. Lady Lions’ teammate Dara Taylor collected Defensive Player of the Year recognition and Purdue’s Whitney Bays was tabbed Sixth Player of the Year. Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui B. was honored with the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award by the coaches and media. Penn State head coach Coquese Washington received the nod from media as conference Coach of the Year, while Nebraska’s Connie Yori was chosen by her peers.

Hooper’s award marks the first time a Husker has been tabbed Player of the Year since Nebraska joined the conference for the 2011-12 season, as she became the fifth player in Big Ten history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. She averaged 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season, which both rank third in the conference. She tallied 12 double-doubles this season and was named Big Ten Player of the Week three times. Hooper garners first-team All-Big Ten status for the third time, and was a unanimous selection by the coaches and media this year.

Lucas was tabbed Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, just the seventh player in Big Ten history to earn the accolade multiple times. Lucas ranks second in the conference in scoring this season, averaging 21.5 points per game. She is currently fourth on the Big Ten’s all-time scoring list, having tallied 2,439 points in her career. Lucas leads the nation in free-throw percentage (.959) and needs one three-point field goal to tie the Big Ten career record. Lucas was named first-team All-Big Ten for the third time, and was a unanimous selection by the coaches and media this year. The honor marks the fifth time a Lady Lion has been tabbed Player of the Year, joining Kelly Mazzante who won back-to-back honors in 2003 and 2004 and Helen Darling in 2000.

Washington earns top billing among media for the third consecutive season. She is just the second coach to win the honor three straight years, joining Ohio State’s Jim Foster, who earned the honors from 2005-07. She guided Penn State to the Big Ten Championship for the third straight year, finishing the season 22-6 overall with a 13-3 conference ledger. The award is the seventh in Penn State history.

Yori was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by her peers for the second year in a row after guiding Nebraska to a 22-6 overall record and 12-4 mark in conference action. The award marks the fourth conference coach of the year honor for Yori. It marks the second year in a row Yori and Washington shared Coach of the Year honors.

Zahui collected Freshman of the Year honors after averaging a double-double this season. The Minnesota newcomer averaged 15.1 points and a conference-best 11.3 rebounds per game. She was also second in the Big Ten in blocked shots, tallying 2.9 blocks per contest. Zahui was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times this season and garners first-team All-Big Ten status. She is the third player in Gopher history to win Freshman of the Year honors and second in the last three years, following Rachel Banham in 2012.

Taylor picks up Defensive Player of the Year laurels after leading the conference in steals this season, averaging 2.9 per game. She was part of a Lady Lion defense that limited opponents to 37 percent shooting, good for second in the Big Ten. Taylor’s award is the fourth in Penn State history and first since Tanisha Wright won three straight from 2003-05.

Bays becomes the third Boilermaker to earn Sixth Player of the Year honors, following Cherelle George in 2006 and Brittany Rayburn in 2009. The junior leads Purdue in rebounding, tallying 7.5 boards per contest, and is the team’s third-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game. In conference games only, Bays upped her rebounding average to 9.2 per game, which ranks fourth among all Big Ten players.

Hooper and Lucas were joined by Banham as unanimous first-team selections by both the coaches and media, while Iowa’s Samantha Logic and Purdue’s Courtney Moses were each unanimous picks by the coaches. This year, the conference’s All-Big Ten teams consists of 10 first-team honorees and 10 second-team selections.

The Big Ten also recognized 12 Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships Pre-Seeds Announced

Posted on March 3, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 8-9 on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. Five schools boast at least one top-seeded wrestler, with Penn State leading the way with five. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State will bring a seeded wrestler in each of the 10 weight classes, while Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin each boast a seeded grappler in nine classes.

The pre-seeds, as voted on by the conference’s coaches, rank the top eight wrestlers in five weight classes, along with all 12 starters in five weight classes due to the Big Ten receiving eight or more NCAA Championships qualifier allocations in those classes. Each team enters the championships with a seeded wrestler in the 133-, 157-, 165-, 197- and 285-pound weight classes.

Penn State holds five No. 1 seeds, with 125-pounder Nico Megaludis, 141-pounder Zain Retherford, 165-pounder David Taylor, 184-pounder Ed Ruth and 197-pounder Morgan McIntosh earning top billing in their weight classes. Nebraska brings two top-seeded grapplers into the championships, while Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin each hold one top-ranked wrestler. The Hawkeyes’ Tony Ramos (133), Wolverines’ Adam Coon (285) and Badgers’ Isaac Jordan (157) have each earned No. 1 seeds, while the Huskers’ Jake Sueflohn (149) and Robert Kokesh (174) round out the group of top-ranked grapplers.

Four of this year’s top seeds advanced to the final of their weight class at last year’s Big Ten Championships, including two who took home titles. Ruth and Taylor each won their third conference crowns a season ago and aim to become just the 12^th and 13^th four-time winners in Big Ten history. Ramos and Sueflohn both advanced to the championship finale in their respective weight classes last year. This season, three freshmen earned No. 1 seeds entering the championships, including Coon, Jordan and Retherford.

For more information on the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit the Big Ten Championships Central page on Wisconsin’s website HERE. The complete list of Big Ten Championships pre-seeds can be found below.

125 lbs.

1. Nico Megaludis, PSU

2. Jesse Delgado, ILL

3. Cory Clark, IOWA

4. Bradley Taylor, WIS

4. Conor Youtsey, MICH

6. Tim Lambert, NEB

7. Camden Eppert, PUR

8. Nick Roberts, OSU

133 lbs.

1. Tony Ramos, IOWA

2. Tyler Graff, WIS

3. David Thorn, MINN

4. Cashe Quiroga, PUR

5. Zane Richards, ILL

6. Johnni DiJulius, OSU

7. Jimmy Gulibon, PSU

8. Rossi Bruno, MICH

9. Shawn Nagel, NEB

10. Dom Malone, NU

11. Joe Duca, IND

12. Garth Yenter, MSU

141 lbs.

1. Zain Retherford, PSU

2. Logan Stieber, OSU

3. Chris Dardanes, MINN

4. Stephen Dutton, MICH

5. Josh Dziewa, IOWA

6. Steven Rodrigues, ILL

7. Danny Sabatello, PUR

8. Jessie Thielke, WIS

149 lbs.

1. Jake Sueflohn, NEB

2. Nick Dardanes, MINN

3. Jason Tsirtsis, NU

4. Brody Grothus, IOWA

5. Eric Grajales, MICH

6. Ian Paddock, OSU

7. James English, PSU

8. Brandon Nelsen, PUR

157 lbs.

1. Isaac Jordan, WIS

2. James Green, NEB

3. Dylan Ness, MINN

4. Derek St. John, IOWA

5. Dylan Alton, PSU

6. Taylor Walsh, IND

7. Zac Brunson, ILL

8. Brian Murphy, MICH

9. Alex Griffin, PUR

10. Ben Sullivan, NU

11. Randy Languis, OSU

12. Roger Wildmo, MSU

165 lbs.

1. David Taylor, PSU

2. Nick Moore, IOWA

3. Pierce Harger, NU

4. Dan Yates, MICH

5. Jackson Morse, ILL

6. Danny Zilverberg, MINN

7. Ryan LeBlanc, IND

8. Austin Wilson, NEB

9. Pat Robinson, PUR

10. Joe Grandominico, OSU

11. Bobby Nash, MSU

12. Ben Cox, WIS

174 lbs.

1. Robert Kokesh, NEB

2. Matt Brown, PSU

3. Mike Evans, IOWA

4. Logan Storley, MINN

5. Tony Dallago, ILL

6. Mark Martin, OSU

7. Scott Liegel, WIS

8. Collin Zeerip, MICH

184 lbs.

1. Ed Ruth, PSU

2. Kevin Steinhaus, MINN

3. Ethen Lofthouse, IOWA

4. TJ Dudley, NEB

5. Domenic Abounader, MICH

6. Kenny Courts, OSU

7. Jackson Hein, WIS

8. John Rizqallah, MSU

197 lbs.

1. Morgan McIntosh, PSU

2. Nick Heflin, OSU

3. Scott Schiller, MINN

4. Braden Atwood, PUR

5. Nathan Burak, IOWA

6. Mario Gonzalez, ILL

7. Alex Polizzi, NU

8. Timmy McCall, WIS

9. Nick McDiarmid, MSU

10. Caleb Kolb, NEB

11. Chris Heald, MICH

12. Garret Goldman, IND

285 lbs.

1. Adam Coon, MICH

2. Adam Chalfant, IND

3. Mike McMullan, NU

4. Bobby Telford, IOWA

5. Tony Nelson, MINN

6. Mike McClure, MSU

7. Connor Medbery, WIS

8. Jon Gingrich, PSU

9. Collin Jensen, NEB

10. Nick Tavanello, OSU

11. Alex White, PUR

12. Chris Lopez, ILL

Champion Earns $1.1 Million in The American

Posted on March 2, 2014

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas cowboy Richmond Champion earned $1.1 million Sunday in The American, the richest one-day rodeo ever with a $2 million purse.

The 21-year-old Tarleton State junior won the bareback at AT&T Stadium to earn $100,000 and took the $1 million bonus offered to a qualifier who won an event against the top 10 in the National Finals Rodeo or Professional Bull Riding World Finals.

Champion, from The Woodlands, qualified for The American at a rodeo in Gillette, Wyo., in February, and won the semifinal event a week ago in Mesquite. He had an 84 to tie for third in the first round Sunday, then won the shoot out, scoring 90 points on Assault.

He then had to wait out five other events before he knew that none of the five other qualifiers had won after qualifying for the shoot out.