March 5, 2021 2:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Claude Giroux scored his second goal of the night on a tap-in with 2:08 remaining and the Philadelphia Flyers recovered from an early Pittsburgh deluge to slip by the Penguins 4-3. The Flyers trailed by three following a 71-second first-period onslaught by Pittsburgh but kept chipping away. They finally moved in front on Giroux’s easy flip into an open net late in the third. Kris Letang, Mark Friedman and Jared McCann all scored for Pittsburgh. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby played 21 minutes in his return following a one-game stay on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list.
March 5, 2021 2:49 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Redshirt freshman Jalen Bridges set season highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 6 West Virginia to a 76-67 victory over TCU. The Mountaineers bounced back from an overtime loss to No. 3 Baylor on Tuesday, sweeping the regular-season series from TCU. Derek Culver added 17 points and Sean McNeil scored 14 for West Virginia. Jaedon LeDee scored 18 points for the Horned Frogs, and Kevin Samuel and Mike Miles added 12 points apiece. Leading scorer RJ Nembhard fouled out with five points, ending his streak of 20 straight games in double figures.
March 5, 2021 1:34 am
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Wednesday the team has signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a new contract for 2021. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed. “We are excited we were able to come to an agreement with Ben Roethlisberger on a new contract for him to return to the Steelers in 2021,” General Manager and Vice President Kevin Colbert said in a release. “We know that Ben can still play at a high level and do special things for this team. Our goal remains the same — to put together a roster that will compete for another championship. We are happy that Ben will be one of our leaders to help us accomplish that goal.” “It is my greatest honor to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and give my all for this organization,” said Roethlisberger. “I am grateful to be at this stage of my career and more than happy to adjust my contract in a way that best helps the team to address other players who are so vital to our success. I love this game and love to compete, and I believe in this team and my ability to deliver when called upon. It all starts with great preparation and I am ready to go.”
March 3, 2021 2:40 am
Trinity’s boys team rolled past #4 Highlands to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals at Mars Area. Meanwhile, #11 Fort Cherry upset Frazier for the school’s first playoff win since 1998, earning another shot at Section 2 champion Sto-Rox. Waynesburg was the only girls winner as Charleroi, McGuffey and Wash High were eliminated along with boys teams from Burgettstown and California. Sweet 16 action wraps up Thursday with three boys teams suiting up. They’ll be joined by two girls teams from Washington County, two more from Greene County. Click for Girls Brackets, Boys Brackets. Here’s the Sweet 16 schedule for Washington & Greene County teams.
Sweet 16
Thursday, Mar. 4, 6:00 pm
Boys 3A #12 Laurel at #5 Washington WJPA-AM Listen Here (airtime 5:50 pm)
Boys 3A #15 McGuffey at #2 Neshannock
Boys 3A #10 Charleroi at #7 Beaver Falls
Girls 5A #16 Mars Area at #1 Trinity WJPA-FM Listen Here (airtime 5:50 pm)
Girls 1A #9 St. Joseph’s at #8 Avella
Girls 1A #12 Mapletown at #5 Clairton
Girls 1A #13 Jeff-Morgan at #4 Aquinas Academy
Quarterfinals
Friday, Mar. 5, 6:00 pm
Girls 1A #8 California at #1 Neshannock
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Mar. 6, 12:00 noon
Boys 5A #13 Trinity at #5 Mars Area WJPA-FM Listen Here (airtime 11:45 am)
Boys 2A #11 Fort Cherry at #3 Sto-Rox
Girls 3A #14 Beaver Falls at #6 Waynesburg
Quarterfinals
Monday, Mar. 8, 6:00 pm
Girls 1A #7 Bishop Canevin/#10 Riverview winner at #2 West Greene
March 4, 2021 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Big East Conference is going to provide a limited number of tickets to each of the participating teams in next week’s Big East men’s basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden. The league says it will follow New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent announcement allowing partial spectator capacity at sporting events in the state. There will be no public sale of tickets however. All tickets will be designated for use by the members of each school’s official travel party in order to permit families and guests of athletes, coaches and team staffs to attend the games.
March 4, 2021 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez says left-hander Jon Lester will have surgery to have a thyroid gland removed. Lester will leave spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida, and fly to New York for the procedure. Martinez says the 37-year-old starting pitcher is expected to be back at camp in about five to seven days. The starting pitcher originally was scheduled to make his first appearance for Washington in a Grapefruit League game Thursday. In 2006, Lester’s rookie season with the Boston Red Sox ended early because he was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. He had chemotherapy and returned the next season. Lester is entering his 16th year in the majors and first with Washington. He was a free agent and joined the Nationals on a $5 million, one-year contract after playing the past six seasons with the Chicago Cubs.
In other MLB news: New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is taking a leave of absence from the team to get a pacemaker and intends to return to work in a few days. Bench coach Carlos Mendoza took over as acting manager for Wednesday night’s exhibition against Toronto in Tampa. The 47-year-old Boone is entering his fourth season as Yankees manager.
March 3, 2021 3:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kasperi Kapanen scored two goals and the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. The Penguins won in front of their fans for the first time in almost a year, as state coronavirus restrictions were eased at the beginning of the month and spectators were allowed into the building. Penguins’ players raised their sticks and saluted the fans in attendance following the win. Bryan Rust scored his seventh, and Cody Ceci and Mike Matheson also scored for Pittsburgh, which has won five of its last seven. Joel Farabee scored twice for the Flyers, whose three-game win streak ended. Carter Hart made 22 saves for the Flyers. Pens captain Sidney Crosby was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list and did not play.
March 2, 2021 11:49 am
Sidney Crosby has been placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list and will not play Tuesday, Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan said. The Penguins are set to play against the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. “Sid will not be available for tonight’s game. He will be listed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list. We didn’t have a morning skate this morning due to the NHL’s COVID protocol,” Sullivan said.
March 2, 2021 3:49 am
DALLAS (AP) – The NIT is moving the entire 2021 event to Texas, taking the semifinals and championship game out of New York’s Madison Square Garden for the first time in the 83-year history of college basketball’s oldest postseason tournament. The pandemic is also reducing the field to 16 teams from the usual 32. All games are set for two venues in the Dallas area. First-round games will be played March 17-20, with the quarterfinals March 25. The semifinals are set for March 27, followed by the championship game the next day. Last year’s event was canceled because of COVID-19.
March 2, 2021 3:52 am
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) – J.J. Watt has agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The team announced the deal with the free-agent edge rusher on Monday. Watt was released last month by the Houston Texans, for whom he won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. The 31-year old Watt has been one of the NFL’s best players for a decade, but asked out in Houston, which is undergoing a roster upheaval. Watt joins another former Texans star, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, in Arizona. Hopkins was acquired by the Cardinals in a one-sided trade a year ago.
