January 28, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NBA has decided it’s too soon for the Lakers to resume their schedule in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash. The league has postponed Tuesday’s game against the Clippers and will reschedule it. The decision came one day after Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others perished in the crash. The Lakers learned about Sunday’s wreck while flying home from Philadelphia. The 16-time NBA champion franchise made grief counselors available to employees Monday after the loss of Bryant, who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers.
January 27, 2020 3:51 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Pro Bowl turned into a Kobe Bryant tribute. Players paid homage to the late Lakers star by faking fadeaway jumpers after big plays. Green Bay receiver Davonte Adams pointed to the sky and flashed the number “24” on his fingers as an ode to Bryant’s jersey after a touchdown catch. The NFL’s annual all-star game also held a moment of silence for Bryant in the first half. The AFC beat the NFC 38-33 for a fourth consecutive victory in Orlando. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson was voted the game’s offensive MVP. Jacksonville’s Calais Campbell was the defensive MVP. Steelers linebacker TJ Watt returned a fumble 82 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Joe Haden also had an interception.
January 27, 2020 3:44 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Marc Leishman sizzled on the front nine to turn a four-shot deficit into a victory in the PGA’s Farmers Insurance Open. Leishman reeled off five birdies before the turn and closed with a 7-under 65 for a 15-under total. He surged ahead of third-round leader Jon Rahm, who was 4 over through five holes on Sunday. Leishman kept a cushion with three big par saves down the tough stretch at Torrey Pines and closed with a 6-foot birdie putt that turned out to be the winner. Rahm finished one shot back and two ahead of Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker.
January 27, 2020 3:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) – NBA players, coaches, entertainers and politicians took to social media and other avenues to express their shock and sadness over the helicopter crash that took the life of former basketball great Kobe Bryant. Philadelphia 76ers center Joe Embiid tweeted that he started playing basketball after watching Bryant in the 2010 NBA Finals, saying it was a turning point in his life. Madison Square Garden, where Bryant played in his first All-Star Game in 1998, was lit up in the Lakers’ purple and gold colors. Clippers coach Doc Rivers tearfully said players would need to Bryant’s spirit to play.
January 26, 2020 8:07 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — No. 14 West Virginia’s inside dominance turned a close game into a rout and moved coach Bob Huggins another notch higher on the all-time wins list. Jermaine Haley had 15 points and nine rebounds, Miles McBride scored 15 points and No. 14 West Virginia broke open a close game with a huge run early in the second half to beat cold-shooting Missouri 74-51 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. Freshman Oscar Tshiebwe added 14 points and eight rebounds, Gabe Osabuohien grabbed 12 rebounds and Derek Culver had 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers (16-3). Huggins earned his 876th win to tie Adolph Rupp for seventh place on the NCAA Division I coaching list.
January 25, 2020 4:17 am
UNDATED (AP) – Eli Manning officially ended his NFL career on Friday at a packed news conference surrounded by his family, friends, former New York Giants teammates, ex-coaches and two Lombardi trophies. The 39-year-old quarterback said he had no immediate plans and no regrets. But he said he would miss the time with teammates, the preparation and the beers in the back of the bus after wins. The two-time Super Bowl MVP said he plans to spend some time reliving the positives memories, enjoying himself and being an assistant coach on his daughter’s third-grade basketball team. A job with the Giants is a possibility, he said. The Giants plans to retire his number 10.
January 23, 2020 3:02 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ryan Murphy hit a pull-up jumper from the top of the key with 4 seconds remaining to lift Pittsburgh to a 74-72 victory over Boston College. The Eagles trailed by 10 with less than 5 minutes to go but drew even on a Derryck Thornton lay-up with 12 seconds to go. The Panthers opted not to call time-out and Murphy delivered to give Pitt back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference wins for the first time in nearly three years. Murphy finished with 11 points for the Panthers. Jay Heath paced Boston College with 16 points.
January 23, 2020 2:04 am
The WPIAL Board of Directors today approved the six-classification alignment for football for the next two school years. There were very few changes to what had been presented to the League membership at a meeting several weeks ago. Here’s the alignment for Washington & Greene County Schools.
6A (8 teams, one section):
Canon-McMillan, Baldwin, Central Catholic, Hempfield, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Norwin, Seneca Valley
5A (18 teams, three sections of six teams):
Section 1: Peters Township, Bethel Park, Moon Area, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, West Allegheny
4A (22 teams, two sections of eight teams, one section of six):
Section 3: Ringgold, Trinity, Belle Vernon, Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, Thomas Jefferson, Uniontown, West Mifflin
3A (20 teams, two section of seven teams, one section of six):
No Washington/Greene County teams
2A (27 teams, one section of eight teams, one section of seven teams, two sections of six teams):
Section 3: Beth-Center, Chartiers-Houston, Charleroi, Frazier, McGuffey, Washington, Waynesburg
1A (24 teams, three sections of eight teams):
Section 2: Avella, Bentworth, California, Carmichaels, Jeff-Morgan, Mapletown, Monessen, West Greene
Section 3: Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Cornell, Northgate, Our Lady/Sacred Heart, Rochester, Shenango, Union
Schedules grids will likely be out within a few days. Playoff formats will have to wait at least until the PIAA Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, possibly until later in February.
January 22, 2020 3:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Derek Jeter came within one vote of being a unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame while Larry Walker also earned baseball’s highest honor on Tuesday. The longtime New York Yankees captain appeared on 396 of 397 ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, falling just shy of the standard set when longtime Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection last year. It was not immediately known which voter didn’t choose Jeter. Walker made it by six votes in his 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot, up from 54.6% last year.
January 21, 2020 2:58 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Oscar Tshiebwe had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Derek Culver scored 13 points, No. 14 West Virginia jumped to a big early lead and coasted to a 97-59 victory over Texas. It was the fifth-worst loss in Texas history and the worst under coach Shaka Smart. Jermaine Haley added 12 points and Jordan McCabe scored 10 for the Mountaineers. West Virginia improved to 9-0 at home and bounced back from a lopsided loss at Kansas State that cost them a spot in the top 10 this week. Jase Febres led the Longhorns with 18 points and Matt Coleman scored 15.
