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SPORTS SECTION E

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net LUCIUS Fox notched another career milestone and became the second Bahamian this offseason to receive a Major League call-up during Spring Training. Fox was assigned to the Tampa Bay Rays’ Grapefruit League roster and saw immediate action on the field against the Minnesota Twins at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Fox replaced shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria as a pinch runner. He would eventually score on a Denard Span RBI. Fox remained in the game defensively at shortstop for the remainder of the afternoon. The Twins won 8-4. His call-up came just a day after Jervis Stuart received his Spring

Training call-up Fox hit a career-best from the New York .278 and ranked Mets. third in the MidFox entered west League with spring training at 27 stolen bases. He No.7 on the prosalso ranks second pect list for the on the team with Rays among play45 runs scored, colers still listed with lected 27 RBI and rookie eligibility. totalled a .362 OBP Fox was assigned and a .722 OPS with to the Charlotte two runs. Stone Crabs at the “Fox is a topSingle A-Advanced flight athlete with level last July. In plus-plus speed 30 games with the and three more LUCIUS FOX club, he hit .235 tools that should with a .608 OPS, .350 be at least solid. The OBP, one home run, three stolen switch-hitter profiles as a future bases, 12 RBI and 19 runs scored. leadoff-type hitter, as he employs The 20-year-old shortstop spent a solid approach, produces linethe previous 77 games with the drive contact from both sides of Bowling Green Hot Rods of the the plate and knows how to use his Midwest League at the Single impressive wheels once on base. A-Full level. For the Hot Rods, Fox won’t offer much in the way of

over-the-fence power, but he does have some strength and can drive some balls to the gaps, making him a source of doubles and triples,” Prospect Watch said. “Fox’s range, quick hands, and arm fit easily at shortstop, though, like any young shortstop, he needs to fine-tune his game and learn the nuances of the position. Some scouts don’t love his middle-infield actions and think he’ll fit better in centre field, though the Rays believe he can stay at short, lauding his super athleticism and ability to learn quickly.” Fox was also featured in the annual showcase of Major League Baseball’s top minor league prospects during the midseason All-Star classic. He drove in one RBI, but his Futures World team fell one run short in their rally and a 7-6 loss to team USA at the 2017 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

National champions A

total of seven made the qualifying standards for the CARIFTA Games and at least 12 records were broken as the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture concluded their National High School Track and Field Championships on Saturday night as the Big Red Machine took home another overall title to St Augustine’s College. As the three-day meet closed out at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, the Big Red Machine rolled out with a total of 935.50 points to hold off the stiff challenge from the Queen’s College Comets, who had 810.50 for second and the Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons, who took third place to Grand Bahama with 615.50. However, there was no distinction made on the separation of the senior and junior high divisions, although the scores indicated that SAC would have accumulated sufficient points to win the senior division, while Queen’s College took the junior division. SAC’s head coach William ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson said with the final trials for the CARIFTA Games this weekend, they had to make a decision that was in the best interest of the country and not so much for the Big Red Machine while they still attempt to seal the championship deal. “The biggest thing is going into

nationals, the CARIFTA trials was just five days away and we wanted to go to nationals without maximising our athletes in terms of what they can do,” Johnson said. “We had Jaide Knowles, who could win and set national records in the 100, 200 and hurdles, but we decided to limit the amount of events for all of them to preserve them because fatigue is what starts injuries. “So we wanted to get out of nationals without injuries. We pretty much did that, but we gave up easily 200-plus points by not putting athletes in certain events and holding some back in others like Joel Johnson, who has the fastest time this year in the 200, but we only allowed him to run the 100 and the 4 x 100. We had to be conscious of those athletes who will be representing the country at CARIFTA and hope that things worked out.” In the end, the Big Red Machine prevailed by taking seven of the divisional titles, including the under-17 and under-20 girls and under-13 and under-17 boys’w divisions. But Johnson said they were thrilled by the competition they received from the Comets and the Falcons. The Comets won the under-13 and under-15 girls and under-15 and open boys divisions, while the Falcons captured the under-20 boys division. Queen’s College, who had the most points in the female team scores with 538.50 ahead of SAC’s

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SAC BIG RED MACHINE TAKE HOME TRACK & FIELD TITLE

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE she didn’t make it in an individual event, sprinter Carmiesha Cox capped off her collegiate career by running the third leg of Purdue University women’s 4 x 400 metre relay to help the Boilermakers pull off a second place finish at the NCAA Division One

CASEY ENDS WIN DROUGHT AT VALSPAR AFTER WOODS’ LATE CHARGE PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Paul Casey closed with a 6-under 65 and won the Valspar Championship yesterday after watching Tiger Woods come up one putt short of a playoff. A highly charged PGA Tour event ended with one player ending a long victory drought, just not the one most fans came to see. Casey ran off three straight birdies early on the back nine to take the lead, and he closed with tough pars to post at 10-under 274. No one caught him, giving Casey his first PGA Tour victory since the 2009 Houston Open. Patrick Reed squandered a chance to force a playoff when a long birdie putt rolled 45 feet back to his feet and he three-putted for bogey. Woods charged up the record crowd with a birdie putt from just inside 45 feet on the 17th hole to get within one shot. He laid well back off the 18th tee and hit his approach from 185 yards to just inside 40 feet. The birdie chance to force a playoff was 2 feet short. Woods closed with a 1-under 70 and tied for second, his highest finish in an official tournament since he tied for second at The Barclays in 2013.

CARTWRIGHT AND AMERICAN PARTNER WIN DOUBLES TITLE By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ST Augustine’s College Big Red Machine students celebrate their track and field title win.

Cox caps off collegiate career with 2nd in 4x400m relay

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MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2018

Lucius Fox receives Major League call-up

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Woods,

Indoor Championships on Saturday in College Station, Texas. At the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, the other three Bahamians competing didn’t fear as well in their individual events. Cox, on the third leg, got the baton in first place, but coming off the final curve on the last of the two laps each competitor had to run, the University of South Carolina runner took the lead and they held on for the win on the anchor leg in 3:27.45. Purdue got second in 3:29.92, both season best performances. It was Cox’s final appearance for the Boilermakers as she is not eligible to compete outdoors. She closed out her four-year sting at Purdue University in grand style, running a split of 52.07 as she teamed up with sophomore Choloe Abbott and seniors Brionna Thomas and Jahneya Mitchell for just the second time. Cox ended up with her fourth first-team All-America honours and the ninth overall of her career, including the outdoors.

On the field, preliminary round Kaiwan Culmer, in of the women’s 60m his senior year for hurdles. the Nebraska HuskSeymour’s time ies, had to settle for of 8.13 seconds was 10th place in the final sixth in her heat for of the men’s triple 10th place overall. jump on Saturday The top qualifier was with his leap of 15.97 Payton Chadwick, a metres of 52-feet, 4 junior at Arkansas, 3/4-inches. O’Brian in a lifetime achieveWasome, a sophoment of 7.93. The more at Texas, won eighth and final qualithe competition with fier was Kayla White, a leap of 16.82m (55-2 a junior at North Car1/4). olina A&T, who did LaQuan Nairn, 8.12. in his junior year at In the final on SatTexas, soared 7.52m urday, Chadwick led (24-8 1/4) for 11th three other women place in the final of with lifetime personal the men’s long jump best performances as CARMEISHA COX on Friday. Will Wilshe stopped the clock liams, a senior at in 7.93 to duplicate Texas A&M, was the winner with her time of 7.93 in the preliminara best of 8.19m (26-10 1/2). ies for the win. Also on Friday on the track, With the indoor season now Pedrya Seymour, a senior at complete, the focus of attention Texas, finished two spots outside will switch to the outdoors, which of qualifying for the final in her will start this weekend.

AFTER they both got ousted early in their second tournament at the Lyttos Beach Hotel in Heraklion, Greece, Bahamian female pro tennis player Kerrie Cartwright and her American partner Kariann Pierre-Louis made sure that they didn’t suffer the same fate in doubles. The unseeded duo survived all the way to the final where they upset the top seeded team of Michaela Boev of Belgium and Raluca Georgiana Serban of Romania with an impressive 6-4, 7-5 decision to win their first International Tennis Federation’s Ladies’ title. Boev and Serban were the doubles champions of the previous tournament at the same venue the week before. “I thought that we played really well,” Cartwright told The Tribune as she became the first Bahamian in modern era to win any women’s professional title. “We stayed really aggressive and even though the match was kind of close, it just came down to those deuce points and 30-30 to take the games.” While Cartwright made her exit in the first round in singles after losing 6-4, 6-3 to Ioana Gaspar from Romania and Pierre-Louis was ousted in the second round 6-2, 6-3 to Serban, the No.2 seed, it was more revenge for the Bahamian-American combo in doubles. “It was good for us to pull off the doubles,” Cartwright said. There was no time for celebrations as Cartwright had to turn right around and played her first round match in their third and final tournament in Greece.

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Monday, March 12, 2018, PAGE 3

BAHAMIAN PLAYERS GET BIDS INTO FIELD FOR MARCH MADNESS By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net WHEN the dust settled on “Selection Sunday,” four Bahamian players and their respective universities received bids into the 68-team field for the NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament, commonly referred to as “March Madness.” Two of those teams – Deandre Ayton and the Arizona Wildcats and the Nathan Bruins and the Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks - received automatic bids as conference tournament champions,

while Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr and the Michigan State Spartans received an at large bid. The Wildcats were named the No.4 seed in the South region, hosted in Boise, Idaho. They will face the Buffalo Bulls on Thursday March 15. Buffalo is 26-8 this season, including a league-best 15-3 record in the MAC. Arizona concluded the season with their second consecutive PAC-12 title and ninth in school history with a 75-61 win over the University of Southern California Trojans on Saturday night. Ayton finished with 32 points and 18 rebounds in one of the

MILLER PRESIDENT OF BAHAMAS SOFTBALL FEDERATION FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net TED Miller, receiving the overwhelming support from the delegates, was returned to the helm as president of the Bahamas Softball Federation for another three years. During the federation’s annual general meeting and election of officers on Saturday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Miller went in unopposed and will be joined by returning first vice president Senator Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson. Henry Dean, who will take the New Providence Softball Association through their election process this weekend as the outgoing president, was elected as the second vice president. Grand Bahama Softball Association president Helena Curry is now the third vice president, Eleuthera Softball Association’s executive Paula Johnson is fourth vice president and Thora Sweeting, one of the immediate past directors, is now the fifth vice president. Jeffrey ‘Beef’ Hendfield is back as the treasurer and will be assisted by Johnny Butler, also from the Eleuthera Softball Association. Arthur Johnson is the secretary general and he will be assisted by Eriker Albury of the Abaco Softball Association. Very shortly, Miller said they will announce the names of the directors who will be appointed. “I’m very happy that they have given me another chance to do some things to move softball along in the country,” Miller said. “I guess they saw something or heard some things that gave them the confidence for us to move softball further. So I feel it’s another opportunity and chance for me to take advantage of.” While there are a few changes on the board, Miller said the officers have an idea of what needs to be done, so they should be reinventing the wheels. “I expect that we double down on our work and our efforts to bring softball out of the doldrums,” Miller stated. “Everybody who was there in the last term and are back that we have another chance to make a difference in softball and I need them to put in the hard work and dedication. That is going to be the order of the day.

“Anybody who falls off from their responsibilities, they could look to get left by the wayside and be replaced by somebody who is willing to help to grow softball in the country. That was my announcement after accepting the win. “I wasn’t opposed, so I think I have the mandate from the delegates to ensure that everybody puts their feet to the wheel and let’s drive this federation forward.” As they now venture forward, Miller said there are some events on their agenda, but their immediate goal is to get the 3-4 Family Island associations that are not plying softball right back to get their programme back up and functioning, while they also concentrate on their junior development programme so that the sport continues to grow bigger and better in the country. Issacs-Dotson said she expects this year for their executive team to advance the sport of softball nationally. “We must get a youth softball programme started as we have to build our federation,” she said. “We would like to communicate more with the associations and provide them with coaching and skills development clinics and workshops. “We will be holding the BSF High School Softball Championships and other local tournaments and Chief Umpire Thomas Sears will ensure that we get more International Softball Federation certified umpires by putting on clinics for the local umpires.” So far this year, the men’s national softball team, managed by Perry Seymour and coached by Richard ‘the Lion-Heart’ Johnson and from Abaco, have already qualified for the Central American and Caribbean Games and will be heading to Colombia in July. There is a nucleus of a team that is in place, but Miller said the coaching staff may make one or two adjustments by the time they are ready to travel. Miller said he’s also looking at the possibility of getting their senior ladies national team to be able to make a trip overseas to compete as well. And with the ECAST organisation, headed by Burkett Dorsett, planning to host a junior tournament, Miller said they will be working on getting Team Bahamas ready for that.

most dominating performances in Pac-12 Tournament history. After a slow start to the tournament with 10 points and six rebounds against Colorado, Ayton bounced back with a 32-point, 14-rebound performance in a semi-final win over UCLA. Ayton was named the tournament MVP for his efforts. The Wildcats finished the season with a 27-8 record. The Lumberjacks are ranked No. 14 in the East Region and will play the No. 3 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders on March 15 in Dallas, Texas. In the Southland Conference, the Lumberjacks added

their names to the list of automatic bids when they won the conference title with a 59-55 win over regular season champion Southeastern Louisiana. Following a first round bye, they outlasted the Central Arkansas in the quarter-finals and defeated the Nicholls State in the semi-finals. It was their fourth conference title in the last five years. Nairn and the No.4 nationally ranked Spartans received an at large bid and were named the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region. They face the No.14 Bucknell Bison on March 16 in Detroit, Michigan. It is the 21st straight year the Spartans

TED MILLER, 4th from right, poses with the newly elected officers of the BSF.

(29-4) have made the NCAA field under coach Tom Izzo, in his 23rd season. That ranks as the third-longest active streak among Division I schools and fifth-longest all-time. The Spartans fell in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament, 75-64 to the Michigan Wolverines. The NCAA tournament is scheduled to begin on March 13, and will conclude with the championship game on April 2 at Alamodome in Arlington, Texas. Several other Bahamian players competed in conference championships this week, however, did not advance to the tournament.

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SAC BIG RED MACHINE TAKE HOME NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD TITLE FROM PAGE 1 517.50, had a highly spirited performance, according to head coach Everette Fraser. “We had some people who didn’t participate, but for those who did, I think they did a very good job,” Fraser said. “They went out there and they did their best.” Fraser said there were a lot of things that didn’t go right for his Comets with some athletes sick and some didn’t show up. “For those who came out and represented their school, I was pleased with their performances,” he said. “We just have to get back to the drawing board. We have a lot of young kids who will be back in the same division. This was a taste of what to expect. We just have to get them out and training much earlier and harder for next year.” Tabernacle Baptist Academy, who are still celebrating their Falcons’ senior boys triumph as Hugh Campbell basketball tournament champions, were expected to put on a show and they didn’t disappoint. “I am in great spirits over my team’s performance in

ST Augustine’s College (above and top) students celebrate with their trophies. this meet,” Johnson, Falcons’ head coach said. “I feel like we were the Cinderella team of the meet. We were the most impressive team in the meet. We might not have won on points, but I only entered qualifiers and there were schools who had two persons and not all of them were qualifiers, when you come to a meet where all integrity is lost, it’s a different story. “We bring quality. When you bring quantity in a

meet that should be quality, it’s hard for you to win. Nevertheless, I’m proud of my team. They went out there and they gave it their best shot. I couldn’t ask for anything more from them. Hopefully we will get better for next year.” Sprinter Jaide Knowles of St Augustine’s College was the cream of the crop in the under-17 girls’ division. She opened by running 11.96 seconds to surpass the CARIFTA qualifying standard of 12.06 and she

came back and did the same in the 200m in 24.10. The standard in the half-lap race is 24.55. Knowles’ 200m time erased St Anne’s Devine Parker’s record time of 24.39 that she set in 2016. Two standards were achieved in the under-17 boys division as SAC’s Chima Johnson soared 14.55m to surpass the mark of 14.24m in the triple jump and his team-mate Tarajh Hudson threw the discus 46.24m, well over

the Carifta mark of 41.50m. Doniesha Anderson was the lone qualifier in the under20 girls division when she cleared 1.70m in the high jump to match the standard. In the process, Anderson also erased the previous meet record of 1.63m that was held by Celine Thompson from 2015. Three marks were surpassed in the under-20 boys division with SAC’s Oscar Smith running 13.98 in the 110m hurdles as he dipped under the qualifying time of 14.00; Adrian Curry, also of SAC, sped to victory in the 100m in 10.60 to equalize the standard and CI Gibson’s Deangelo Oliver won the Octathlon with a total of 4,165.00 points to go over the standard of 4,100. Among the record breaking performances was Angel Willie of St Andrew’s, who inked her name in the book with her time of 14.98 in the under20 girls 100m hurdles. The old record was 17.74 that was set by India Sweeting from Queen’s College in 2015. Also, Lakelle Kinteh of SAC cleared 5.48m to win the under-20 girls long jump to replace the previous mark of 4.81m by Quannisha Marshall in

2015. Dachye Stubbs, also of SAC, threw the under20 girls shot put 11.47m to erase Keianna Albury’s old mark of 11.07m that was set in 2015 and Latia Saunders got another mark for SAC in the under-20 girls javelin with a toss of 38.85m to shatter the record of 32.55m by Walliscia McKinney in 2015. Five records fell in the under-20 boys division, two of which came from CI Gibson’s Deangelo Oliver in the octathlon with his total of 4,165 points. Oliver’s time of 11.82 in the 100m surpassed the previous mark of 13.20 by Shamel Green in 2016 and his heave of 11.93m replaced the old mark of 11.57m by Kevin Wallace in 2014. Benjamin Clarke of SAC cleared 1.90m to replace the old mark of 1.85m by Quincy Poitier in 2014 in the under-20 boys high jump; Michael Williams of Tabernacle Baptist Academy threw the under-20 boys shot put 13.18m to remove the mark of 11.57m that was set by Kevin Wallace again in 2014 and Anthony Carey threw the javelin 49.32m to erase Denzil Pratt’s old mark of 43.69m in 2014.

BAHAMIAN female pro tennis player Kerrie Cartwright (right) and her American partner Kariann Pierre-Louis with their trophies.

CARTWRIGHT AND AMERICAN PARTNER WIN DOUBLES TITLE FROM PAGE 1 Cartwright was playing to advance to the main draw. “This is my week here in Greece, so this win gives me a lot of confidence for

the next tournament,” Cartwright projected. In the meantime, Cartwright said she’s just in shock to know that she made history for the Bahamas, adding that “I’m just lost for words.” Cartwright, 25, and Pierre-Louis, 19, are

coming off their respective quarter-final losses in singles and doubles in their first tournament in Greece the week before. Hopefully their triumph in the second tournament on Saturday will inspire them to continue their winning spree before their trip is over.

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Monday, March 12, 2018, PAGE 5

TORONTO Raptors bench celebrate a three-point goal in the final minutes of the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Raptors won 132-106. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Raptors rout Knicks to roll to 8th straight victory NEW YORK (AP) — Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points, Kyle Lowry had 16 and the Toronto Raptors kept right on rolling after a big win two nights earlier, beating the New York Knicks 132-106 on Sunday for their season-high eighth straight victory. The Raptors had no letdown after edging NBA-leading Houston on Friday in a matchup of the No. 1 teams in each conference, leading much of the game even with All-Star DeMar DeRozan shooting just 4 for 16 for nine points. But seven Raptors finished in double figures in Toronto’s 15th win in 16 games. The Raptors fell one point shy of their highest total of the season, set in a victory over Cleveland on Jan. 11. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 and Luke Kornet had 18 as the Knicks dropped their seventh straight game and 15th in the last 16. TIMBERWOLVES 109, WARRIORS 103 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns helped

Minnesota stop a season-longest three-game losing streak with 31 points and 16 rebounds, and the Timberwolves powered their way past Golden State down the stretch to hand the Warriors their second straight defeat without Stephen Curry. Kevin Durant had 39 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, who left Curry at home from this road trip to rest an injured right ankle and lost 125-108 to Portland on Friday. Andrew Wiggins added 23 points for the Timberwolves, who lost twice on the road to the defending champion Warriors earlier this season by a combined 37 points. Curry had a collective plus-36 rating over those two games. Klay Thompson had 21 points for the Warriors, but he went 3 for 12 from 3-point range. ROCKETS 105, MAVERICKS 82 DALLAS (AP) — Eric Gordon scored 26 points and Chris Paul had 24 points and 12 assists as the Houston Rockets, playing without James Harden, beat the Dallas Mavericks.

The Rockets rested Harden because of a sore left knee, but had plenty of 3-point shooting even without their MVP candidate. Houston, which had its 17-game win streak snapped Friday in Toronto, broke the game open in the third quarter by hitting their first six 3s of the period amid a 22-10 run. The Rockets finished 17-for-45 from deep. The Rockets moved 1 ½ games ahead of Golden State for the best record in the NBA after the Warriors lost to Minnesota earlier Sunday. Dwight Powell led the Mavericks with 20 points, one short of his career high, on 9-of-11 shooting. NUGGETS 130, KINGS 104 DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, Gary Harris added 21 points and the Denver Nuggets cruised past the Sacramento Kings.

Denver led by as many as 36 points while staying in the thick of the playoff chase. The Nuggets now enter a difficult stretch in their schedule — eight of their next nine games are on the road. Buddy Hield scored 18 points, while former Nuggets player Kosta Koufos chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who play Monday night in Oklahoma City. BULLS 129, HAWKS 122 ATLANTA (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 21 points, including four free throws in the final 17 seconds to stop Atlanta’s comeback, and the Chicago Bulls beat the injury-depleted Hawks. Bobby Portis also had 21 points for Chicago. The Hawks, already playing without injured point guard Dennis Schroder, lost Kent Bazemore to a right knee sprain and Jaylen Morris to a left ankle injury in the second quarter. Taurean Prince led Atlanta with a career-high 38 points. Mike Muscala also set a career high with 19 points.

JAZZ 116, PELICANS 99 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ricky Rubio had 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and Utah overcame Anthony Davis’ first career triple-double for a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans that extended the Jazz’s winning streak to six. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, including 15 during the last 3:08 of the third quarter to put Utah in front for good in what could be an important victory in a tightly packed race for one of the Western Conference’s final five playoff spots. Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 16 rebounds, and Joe Ingles scored 20 for Utah, which has won 11 straight on the road. Davis had 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks in his return from a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for one game. Jrue Holiday had 18 points and 10 assists for the Pelicans, but missed 12 of 19 shots, turned the ball over four times and struggled defensively.

BARCELONA KEEPS BIG LIGA LEAD AS MESSI ATTENDS BIRTH OF SON FEDERER By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona increased its lead in the Spanish league without star Lionel Messi, who took leave to attend the birth of his third son on Saturday. Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho scored early in a 2-0 victory at Malaga, which was already trailing by two goals when one of its players was sent off for a dangerous tackle with an hour to go. Barcelona eased off in the second half with its Champions League match against Chelsea at Camp Nou looming on Wednesday. Barcelona earned a 1-1 away draw in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie. Barcelona remained unbeaten in the Spanish league through all 28 rounds and extended its lead to 11 points over Atletico Madrid, which hosts Celta Vigo on Sunday. Real Madrid stayed another four points back in third place after Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to beat Eibar 2-1. NO MESSI, NO PROBLEM Jordi Alba’s long cross met Suarez’s run near the penalty spot, where the striker floated a header into the corner of the net for the opening goal. Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, the two players Barcelona paid more than 300 million euros to sign this season, linked up to double the lead in the 28th. Dembele used a quick cut back in the area to

OPENS BNP PARIBAS OPEN WITH 2-DAY MATCH WIN

open a passing lane and slipped a ball to Coutinho, who completed the move with a skillful flick of the inside of his right boot to beat Malaga goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez. Malaga lost Samuel Garcia to a direct red card for a rash studs-first tackle into the foot of Alba on the half-hour mark. “The match was really just about the first half,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “We scored two goals and had chances to get more, and then the match was clearly ours after the sending off.” RONALDO ON ROLL Ronaldo’s 32nd and 33rd goals gave him one more than Messi over all competitions this season. After struggling early in the season to find the net in the league, Ronaldo has 14 goals in his last nine league games. His 18 in the competition put him third behind Suarez with 21 and Messi with 24. “(Ronaldo) is from another galaxy,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “He knows he is going to score. The numbers speak for themselves.” Ronaldo struck against the flow of play in the 34th when Luka Modric intercepted a pass and set him up. Eibar defender Ivan Ramis equalized in the 50th before being substituted for injury. Madrid was six minutes away from dropping points when Ronaldo came through with a powerful header to send in Dani

BARCELONA’s Suarez fights for the ball against Malaga’s Ignasi Miquel during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Malaga and Barcelona in Malaga, Spain, on Saturday. (AP Photo/M Pozo) Carvajal’s cross and grab victory. VALENCIA ON COURSE Valencia is on course to lock up a top-four finish and Champions League berth after beating Sevilla 2-0, its nearest rival for fourth place. Rodrigo Moreno scored twice to give Valencia an important away victory that opened up an 11-point advantage over fifth-place Sevilla. Rodrigo Moreno netted his 11th and 12th league goals. The forward first

capitalized on a mistake by Sergio Escudero, whose flubbed attempt to intercept a long pass left Moreno all alone to beat goalkeeper Sergio Rico. Luis Muriel hit the crossbar for Sevilla and Valencia goalkeeper Neto made a reflex save to parry Pablo Sarabia’s shot before halftime. Moreno beat Rico again after Geoffrey Kondogbia dribbled past three Sevilla players before playing him clear. “These are more than just three points,” Moreno said. “We have made an

important step toward achieving our goal.” Sevilla visits Manchester United on Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. The first leg finished 0-0. NEW COACH WINS Levante won at Getafe 1-0 in the debut of manager Paco Lopez to break a run of 15 straight rounds without a victory. Coke Andujar headed in a corner kick in the 79th to snatch the much-needed result that lifted Levante four points away from the relegation zone.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Roger Federer completed a rain-delayed debut match at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday with a 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Federico Delbonis of Argentina. On Saturday, Federer led 6-3, 2-2 when the match was delayed by a heavy drizzle 56 minutes after it began. Federer saved a set point in the second-set tiebreaker and advanced to face Filip Krajinovic on Monday. Taro Daniel, a 190thranked qualifier, upset five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-1. Djokovic was makings his first appearance since being stunned by Hyeon Chung at the Australian Open. Djokovic sprinted out to a 5-2 lead against the 25-yard-old from Japan, but his mistakes began to add up and he finished with 58 unforced errors. It was the earliest loss for Djokovic at Indian Wells since a first-round exit in 2006. Gael Monfils upset No. 15 seed and 2012 runner-up John Isner 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), 7-5. On the women’s side, American Amanda Anisimova took down two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-4 in a match lasting just over an hour.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 12, 2018, PAGE 7

Casey wins at Innisbrook as Woods comes up short by a putt By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — A long victory drought on the PGA Tour finally ended yesterday, just not the one a raucous crowd was expecting. Paul Casey closed with a 6-under 65 and won the Valspar Championship, but only after watching from the locker room as Tiger Woods came up one putt short of forcing a playoff. It was the closest Woods has come to winning in nearly five years. Casey, who started the final round five shots behind, ran off three straight birdies early on the back nine at Innisbrook to take the lead, and he closed with four par saves to post at 10-under 274. No one caught him, giving him his second PGA Tour title and his first since the Houston Open in 2009. Patrick Reed was tied for the lead and appeared headed for a playoff at worst until his approach to the 18th came back down

the slope, and his 45-foot birdie putt was so weak that it rolled all the way back to his feet. He three-putted for bogey and a 68. Woods and his massive following went dormant after an opening birdie to briefly share the lead. He went 15 holes without a birdie until he brought Innisbrook to life with a birdie putt from just inside 45 feet that died into the cup at the par-3 17th, leaving him one shot behind with one hole to play. Woods played conservatively with an iron off the 442-yard, uphill closing hole on the Copperhead course. From 185 yards, his approach came up some 40 feet short, and his birdie putt to force a playoff was 2 feet short. He closed with a 70 — the first time since The Barclays in 2013 that he posted all four rounds under par on the PGA Tour — and tied for second. That was his best finish since he tied for second at that Barclays tournament, right about the time his back started to give out.

a one-shot lead, fell back quickly after opening with a bogey on the easiest hole at Innisbrook. He shot 77 and tied for 16th. Woods looked closer than ever to winning in his remarkable return from fusion surgery on his lower back last April. Each week has been a little better. He has been a factor on Sunday the last two tournaments, and a gallery that stood 10-deep around just about every green could sense it. He just couldn’t deliver after a two-putt birdie on the par-5 opening hole. “I didn’t feel that sharp with my iron game,” Woods said. “I played conservatively into the green because I wasn’t as sharp as yesterday. It was one of those days I kept getting half-clubs.” He missed birdie chances on both par 5s on the back nine, pulling a wedge into the rough at No. 11 and three-putting from 80 feet on No. 14. He missed a couple of putts in the 15-foot range. And right when it looked as though he

PAUL Casey holds up the champion’s trophy after winning the Valspar Championship golf tournament yesterday. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson) Casey had gone 132 starts on the PGA Tour since winning in Houston, though he had won five times worldwide, including the European Tour’s flagship event at the BMW PGA Championship. He had seven top 5s in the FedEx Cup playoffs over the last three years. Someone always played better — until Sunday. Corey Conners, the Canadian rookie who started the final round with

was out of chances, he ran into the 45-foot birdie putt to keep everyone guessing. Next up for Woods is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next week, which he hasn’t played since winning five years ago. He is an eight-time winner at Bay Hill, and the euphoria over his return is sure to reach even higher decibels. “I keep getting a little bit better,” Woods said. “I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament. A couple putts here and there, it could have been a different story.” Reed will look back on one putt. He opened with a 60-foot eagle putt that slammed into the pin on No. 1 and was never far from the lead, tying Casey with a bold fairway metal onto the fringe at the 14th that set up birdie. He was in the middle of the fairway on the 18th. He twirled his club when the ball was in the air. And then it all went wrong. The putt up the hill never had a chance, and when it

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 73° F/23° C Low: 43° F/6° C

TAMPA

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Variable clouds with spotty showers

Mostly cloudy with a shower

Clouds and sun with a stray shower

Partly sunny and nice

Pleasant with sunshine

High: 85°

Low: 63°

High: 78° Low: 63°

High: 78° Low: 60°

High: 76° Low: 61°

High: 78° Low: 64°

AccuWeather RealFeel

91° F

64° F

79°-66° F

87°-62° F

78°-64° F

82°-66° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

ABACO

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 65° F/18° C

12-25 knots

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 49° F/9° C

15-25 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 52° F/11° C

W S

WEST PALM BEACH

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 72° F/22° C Low: 47° F/8° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 59° F/15° C

MIAMI

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 52° F/11° C

15-25 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 70° F/21° C Normal high ....................................... 79° F/26° C Normal low ........................................ 65° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 84° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 60° F/16° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.37” Year to date ................................................. 6.38” Normal year to date ..................................... 3.48”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 63° F/19° C

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 69° F/21° C

KEY WEST

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 59° F/15° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 71° F/22° C

10-20 knots

8-16 knots

ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Low

Ht.(ft.)

5:03 a.m. 5:23 p.m.

2.4 2.0

11:32 a.m. 0.5 11:30 p.m. 0.3

Tuesday

5:53 a.m. 6:12 p.m.

2.5 2.1

12:19 p.m. 0.3 ---------

Wednesday 6:37 a.m. 6:56 p.m.

2.6 2.3

12:19 a.m. 0.1 1:01 p.m. 0.2

Thursday

7:19 a.m. 7:37 p.m.

2.7 2.5

1:04 a.m. 1:40 p.m.

Friday

7:58 a.m. 8:17 p.m.

2.8 2.6

1:46 a.m. -0.1 2:17 p.m. -0.1

Saturday

8:36 a.m. 8:56 p.m.

2.8 2.8

2:28 a.m. -0.2 2:53 p.m. -0.2

Sunday

9:14 a.m. 9:35 p.m.

2.8 2.9

3:09 a.m. -0.3 3:29 p.m. -0.3

0.0 0.0

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:22 a.m. 7:17 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

4:06 a.m. 3:11 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Mar. 17

Mar. 24

Mar. 31

Apr. 8

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 73° F/23° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 69° F/21° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

Ht.(ft.)

Today

CAT ISLAND

started rolling back at his feet, Reed beckoned it with his right hand. He used a wedge on the fourth shot, knowing he had to hole it for par to force a playoff. That left Casey the winner, finally. The 40-year-old from England had reason to believe his hopes ended on Saturday when he hit into the water on the 16th and made double bogey, falling five shots behind. He answered Sunday with all eyes on someone else — Woods — by going out in 33, and then getting rewarded for aggressive play. He got up-and-down from a bunker short of the green at No. 11 for birdie, stuffed his approach to a foot on No. 12 and then holed a 20-foot birdie from just off the green at No. 13. Justin Rose, among six players who had a share of the lead at some point in the final round, had backto-back bogeys on the back nine and never atoned for his mistakes. He closed with a 72 and finished three shots behind.

10-20 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 81° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 80° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

N E

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

7-14 knots

4-8 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday:

WINDS SW at 15-25 Knots NNW at 8-16 Knots SW at 10-20 Knots NNE at 8-16 Knots SSW at 8-16 Knots N at 8-16 Knots SSW at 6-12 Knots WNW at 6-12 Knots SW at 10-20 Knots N at 8-16 Knots WSW at 12-25 Knots N at 8-16 Knots SW at 8-16 Knots N at 8-16 Knots S at 4-8 Knots SW at 6-12 Knots SW at 7-14 Knots N at 8-16 Knots SSE at 8-16 Knots SW at 7-14 Knots SW at 12-25 Knots N at 8-16 Knots SW at 7-14 Knots N at 8-16 Knots SW at 10-20 Knots N at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 4-7 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 3 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 73° F 73° F 76° F 76° F 74° F 73° F 78° F 78° F 75° F 75° F 74° F 74° F 75° F 75° F 80° F 80° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 72° F 72° F 77° F 77° F 73° F 73° F