Issuu

SPORTS SECTION E

NPBA

Championships, Page 3

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

Tamara Myers 9th overall in triple jump final By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD Coast, Australia — National record holder Tamara Myers came here with the goal of making the final eight to contest for a medal at the XXI Commonwealth Games. In the final Tuesday night at the Carrara Stadium, Myers fell one place shy of accomplishing that feat when she had to settle for ninth place with a best leap of 13.12 metres or 43-feet, 1 3/34-inches. Jamaica got a sweep of the gold and silver from Kimberly Williams with a personal best of

14.64m (48-0 1/2) and Shanieka Ricketts with 14.52m (47-7 3/34). Thea Laford was the bronze medallist with 13.92m (45-8). “It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. I guess I just have to rebound,” Myers said. The 24-year-old native of Conch Sound, Andros, said her series of jumps were indicative of her

TAMARA MYERS performance. She scratched her first attempt, was slightly behind the board on the second attempt for a leap of 13.06m (42.10 1/4)

and she put it together for her best effort on the third. “It was too late to come back,” said Myers, who missed the eighth and final spot for the final three jumps. I don’t know. It was just bad approach work. During warm up it was fine, but I don’t know what went wrong.” Myers said she will take some time off to recuperate before she starts to prepare for the trip to the Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico in July. Hopefully, by then, she would have corrected the mistakes that she made here. She was the first Bahamian on the track team to make it to a final at the games. Tonight, Donald

Thomas and Jamal Wilson will go head-to-head in the men’s high jump final at 8:05pm (Australian time). Also, Bianca ‘BB’ Stuart will be in action at 7pm as the eighth out of nine competitors on the runway in Group B of the women’s long jump qualifying round. And Shaunae Miller-Uibo will run at 8:18pm in lane six of heat two and Anthonique Strachan will follow in lane eight in heat three of the women’s 200m semi-final. Teray Smith will then contest the men’s 200m semi-final in lane eight of the last of three heats at 9:06pm. The first two and the next two fastest losers will advance to Thursday’s final.

Evans 4th, just shy of bronze in 400m free By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GOLD Coast, Australia — It was probably the worst position any athlete would want to finish in a final, especially when there’s medals on the line like at the XXI Commonwealth Games. That was the position Joanna Evans found herself in on Tuesday night at the Optus Aquatic Centre as she just missed getting on the podium with a fourth place in the women’s 400 metre freestyle. Her time of four minutes and 08.82 seconds had her trailing Australian champion Ariarne Titmus, the gold medallist in 4:00.93 and England’s Holly Hibbott, the silver medallist in 4:05.31 and bronze medallist Eleanor Faulkner, who did 4:07.35. In fact, Titmus pulled away from the field and easily won in a games record, shattering the previous mark of 4:04.47 that was held by Lauren Boyle of New Zealand. Back in action after she got off to a promising start as the flag raiser during the opening ceremonies, Evans encountered some technical challenges when she competed in her first event in the 200m free and even though she had some time to recuperate, she was just not the same on the final day of competition for swimming. “It’s just annoying,” said a disgusted Evans. “I came in and tried to do what I had to do and some things just did not add up.” When asked to elaborate, Evans said there were some things that were “out of my control. I would rather not mention it.” Obviously disappointed, Evans said there’s no reason why she should not have been on the podium. “Yeah, yeah,” she stated, when asked about how disappointing it

JOANNA EVANS, at the Optus Aquatic Centre Tuesday night, just missed getting on the podium with a fourth place in the women’s 400 metre freestyle at the XXI Commonwealth Games. was that she didn’t get there. With her second Commonwealth Games behind her, Evans said she will now go back to the drawing board at Texas A&M where she’s a junior and try to work on the things that didn’t come through for her here. The 19-year-old Grand Bahamian said her performance here was much better than it was four years ago when she competed in

the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, but she’s undecided on what her future holds. “I will go back to Texas and practice and see where it goes from there,” she stated. Earlier in the day, Evans advanced to the final by placing third in her heat in 4:12.38 for sixth place overall. Her performance came after she had four days to relax from her fourth place in

her heat for 12th place overall in the 200m freestyle in 2:01.75. She admitted that she took the time to enjoy the experience here in the Gold Coast. “It’s always good to adjust to the time and get used to the environment,” Evans summed up. During the race, Evans posted splits of 28.50 in the first 50m, 30.81 for 59-55 at 100m; 31.33 for 1:30.88 at 150m; 31.50 for 2:02.38 at 200m; 31.52 for 2:33.90 at 250m; 31.67 forb 3:05.57 at 300m; 32.04 at 3:37.81 at 350m and 31.21 in her final 50m. It was just a little too short of getting her on the podium.

COLEBROOK: ‘IT WAS BREEZY AND THE HILLS WERE HARD, BUT I HAD A GOOD RIDE’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD Coast, Australia — Although he was not pleased with the adjustments he had to make to his bicycle before the race, Anthony ‘Biggie’ Colebrook said

Page 5

he went out and gave it his best shot in the men’s time trials at the XXI Commonwealth Games. On Tuesday morning at Currumbin Beachfront, Colebrook did the 38.5 kilometre race in one hour, 10 minutes and 59.85 seconds for 52nd position out of a field of 53 competitors who finished. One cyclist didn’t. “It was breezy and the hills were hard, but I had a good ride,” said Colebrook, the only member of the cycling team that participated in the first of two events for him and team-mate Jay Major Jr. Before coming here, Colebrook said he was concerned because he wasn’t aware of what to expect and so when he found out that in order for him to ride his bike, he had to make some adjustments to the frame, he was even more disappointed.

SEE PAGE 3

SWIMMER FERNANDER ‘IS FINE, HE IS HAVING A GREAT TIME’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD Coast, Australia — After being quarantined for two days for treatment for Influenzavirus B, swimmer N’Nyhn Fernander has been cleared medically. Unfortunately, his confinement in the Games Village kept him from competing in his final two swims at the XXI Commonwealth Games. After competing in the heat of the men’s 50m butterfly where he was 28th overall in 25.39 seconds, Fernander had to skip both the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle as he was confined to the Games Village. “He had contracted Influenzavirus B, which is just the flu virus and had the chills, a fever, the cough and was feeling extremely weak with a sore throat,” said Dr Rickey Davis, the head of Team Bahamas’ medical staff. “We went to the polyclinic here so that I could examine and at the same time, I asked one of the doctors here at the polyclinic to also check him out. His throat was red and swollen, so at first we thought it was tonsillitis. “When we did a swab, it came back positive for Influenzavirus B and over here in Australia, they are very adamant about quarantining persons in an environment that is isolated, so no one else can catch whatever the symptom the person might have.” While being quarantined for the 48 hours, Davis said

SEE PAGE 3

TABLE TENNIS: ROLLINS LOSES 14-MINUTE MATCH By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ANTHONY Colebrook (right) warms up as Jay Major Jr checks his bicycle.

GOLD Coast, Australia — Adrian Rollins lost his match 4-0 to Rohan Sirisena of Sri Lanka in the men’s singles group 15 game one of the table tennis competition at the Oxenford Studios on Tuesday. The match lasted 14 minutes. Rollins, the oldest member of Team Bahamas at 54, was beaten by the 36-year-old Sirisena 11-3 in game one, 11-2 in game two, 11-4 in game three and 116 in game four.

PAGE 2, Wednesday, April 11, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Semenya dominates on track, Australians rule in the pool By DENNIS PASSA AP Sports Writer GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Caster Semenya didn’t let a light drizzle and technical malfunction prevent her from setting the Commonwealth Games record in the 1,500 metres. The two-time Olympic 800-metre champion crossed in 4 minutes, 0.71 seconds, taking more than four seconds off the old mark. That came after a 12-minute delay at the start because of a technical fault, and a slowerthan-usual first two laps from Semenya. She started her surge with 250 metres to go and rounded the leaders with 200 remaining, extending her lead in the home stretch and then flexing her biceps in a bodybuilding pose after crossing the line. Next up could be gold in her specialty, the 800, as well. “It’s difficult to balance speed with endurance, but with 10 years of experience for me now I’m ready for anything,” Semenya said of her prospects of winning over both distances. “I’m more confident that I know how to run in fast races and slow races, to muster the kicks and make sure I’m in the right shape, because I can’t always run in front.” • In other news: FINAL NIGHT AT THE POOL There was yet more gold for Australia along with

personal milestones for South African Chad le Clos and Canadian teenager Taylor Ruck. Australia added six more gold medals yesterday to finish with 73 medals — 28 gold, 21 silver and 24 bronze — in swimming events. Ahead of the last night of competition, le Clos won gold in all three butterfly distances — the 50, 100 and 200, and had a silver in the 100 freestyle. Those four medals had increased his career Commonwealth Games total to 16, a record for a swimmer, and two fewer than the record 18 overall held by two shooters. Le Clos made it 17 when South Africa won bronze in the medley relay. The 17-year-old Ruck finished with eight medals at these Games, breaking a 52-year-old Canadian women’s record. Canadian Elaine Tanner won seven medals (four gold and three silver) at the 1966 edition in Kingston, Jamaica. Ruck had one gold, five silver and two bronze medals on the Gold Coast, picking up her eighth medal when Canada finished second in the medley relay. INDIA INTO FIELD HOCKEY SEMIS Harmanpreet Singh scored twice to help India beat Malaysia 2-1 to secure a spot in the men’s field hockey semi-finals, where they’ll likely face either Australia or New Zealand.

SOUTH Africa’s Caster Semenya gestures after winning the women’s 1,500m final at Carrara Stadium yesterday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Following a draw with Pakistan and wins over Wales and Malaysia, eighttime Olympic champion India will play England to finish of play in Group B ahead of the finals. 79-YEAR-OLD FINISHES 8TH Robert Pitcairn, the 79-year-old Canadian and oldest-ever athlete to at the Commonwealth Games, finished eighth in the Queen’s Prize Pairs shooting event with partner Nicole Rossignol. England’s Parang Patel and David Luckman won gold. Welsh pair Chris Watson and Gareth Morris took silver and Scotland’s Alexander Walker and Ian Shaw won bronze.

SUPPORT THE BLOOD BANK

SAVE A LIFE GIVE THE GIFT OF

BLOOD

BECOME A REGULAR DONOR

1 PINT CAN SAVE 3 LIVES GIVE BLOOD - GIVE LIFE

SOME HELPFUL TIPS BEFORE YOU DONATE:

4 You must have eaten at least once for the day.

4 You need at least 30 minutes between your last meal and donating blood. 4 You will need at least 10 minutes rest after donating blood. 4 You can donate blood every 8 weeks.

4 The Blood Bank will do FREE Pre-screening tests to make sure you are healthy enough to donate blood.

BECOME A REGULAR DONOR

PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT THE BLOOD DRIVES

British shooters also filled the podium in the men’s 50-metre rifle prone — David Phelps of Wales took gold, Neil Stirton of Scotland won the silver and Kenneth Parr of England took the bronze. It was Phelps’ second gold of the games, and on his 41st birthday. India won the other shooting gold, with Heena Sidhu taking the women’s 25-meter pistol. DALEY OUT England diver Tom Daley has withdrawn from the 10-metre platform because of a recurring hip injury. British Swimming issued a statement saying the technical dives required in the platform event “put enormous physical

strain on Tom’s body,” but that Daley would still compete in the men’s synchronised platform with England teammate Daniel Goodfellow. Daley, a former world champion in the platform and bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympics, said he was “devastated” to have to withdraw from the individual competition. “I have been training so hard ... the hardest thing for any athlete is coping with an injury, especially when it means they can’t compete in what they have been working towards,” Daley said. The games’ diving competition begins on Wednesday (today). Daley and Goodfellow are scheduled to compete Friday.

BOXER FINED FOR FIGHTING Sean McComb, a 25-yearold boxer from Northern Ireland, was fined 756 Australian dollars ($580) and banned from the Gold Coast night club district after an altercation with security overnight. Local media reported that McComb had been drinking with friends when he was removed from the nightclub, and police were called when McComb tried to re-enter the club. Police said McComb was arrested and issued with an infringement notice for public nuisance and violence. McComb’s night out came after he was beaten by England’s Luke McCormack in the 64-kilogram division on Sunday.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 11, 2018, PAGE 3

Giants and High Flyers take 2-0 leads in NPBA Finals By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Spo rt s Repo rter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net A DEFENSIVE struggle and a lopsided win highlighted NPBA finals action Monday night as both top seeds took 2-0 leads in their respective series. Division I Commonwealth Bank Giants - 76 Rockets - 68 D’Shon Taylor powered the Giants game two win with 25 points and 14 rebounds, both game highs. Tehran Cox scored 16, Michael Bain Jr added 11 points and 8 rebounds and Gamaliel Rose scored eight. Livingston Munnings led the Rockets with 20 points and 13 rebounds, Lerecus Armbrister scored 13 while Eugene Bain and Rashad Saunders each added eight. Neither team had an efficient night shooting from the field. The Giants

shot 32 per cent (16 from beyond the arch) while the Rockets shot just 27 per cent (19 from beyond the arch). Both teams were even from the free throw line with 20 made shots, 22 points off the bench and just a two-point advantage for the Giants on points in the paint. The Giants took an early 10-2 lead in the first quarter, but the Rockets responded with a 12-1 run to take control. Jeffrey Henfield’s late jumper at the end of the first ended the run, but the Rockets took a 16-13 lead at the end of the first. The Giants’ 10-point lead was the biggest of the second quarter when Taylor put them up 29-19 with his free throws at the 5:28 mark. Again the Rockets would respond to the deficit with a run of their own and a 16-2 spurt gave them a 35-31 lead with 1:28 left in the half. Cox added a late three for the Giants but they still trailed 38-36 at the half. The

added a pair of free throws, Bain scored four and the Giants went up seven with just over two minutes left in regulation. Division II

THE ROCKETS are down 2-0 in the NPBA Division I Finals. third quarter had five ties before the Rockets ended the period on a 7-3 run and a Selwyn McKenzie jumper gave them a 58-54 lead headed into the fourth. The

Rockets were limited to just 10 points in the fourth quarter and were outscored by 12 en route to the loss. Taylor’s layup gave the Giants a 65-64 lead. Taylor

Breezes High Flyers - 93 Aliv Bucket Team – 77 The combination of Jeremy Neely and Dave Davis were again too much for the Bucket team to overcome in game two. The duo both posted their second 20-10 double doubles in as many outings. Davis finished with 22 points and 18 rebounds, Neely scored 23 with 10 rebounds and Shanton Pratt scored 22. Rashad Ingraham led the Bucket Team with a game high 29 points and 10 rebounds, Dylan Musgrove had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Akeil Bullard scored 14. It was another dominant performance in the paint for the Flyers with a 14-point advantage. They

scored seven more points off turnovers and they won the battle between the benches 16-6. Aliv began the game on a 12-2 run capped by Bullard’s layup. Breezes went on a run of their own and took an 18-14 lead on a Neely layup with 2:03 left. James Rolle ended the run for Aliv, but Breezes led 21-19 at the end of one. The Bucket Team led 35-32 with 3:19 left in the half on a pair of Musgrove free throws, but the Flyers ended the period on another 12-2 run. Devonte Gibson scored on a layup followed by a Neely jumper to take the lead for good. Enrico Bethel and Pratt would add scores and the High Flyers took a 44-37 lead at the half. Aliv trimmed the deficit to three at one point, but the defending champions managed to take a 63-56 lead into the fourth. Breezes had their highest scoring period in the fourth when they outscored Aliv 30-21.

FERNANDER ‘IS HAVING A GREAT TIME’ FROM PAGE 1

A VOLUNTEER from Australia shares a moment with Jay Major Jr, Anthony Colebrook and manager Roshawn Jones at the

COLEBROOK: ‘IT WAS BREEZY AND THE HILLS WERE HARD, BUT I HAD A GOOD RIDE’ FROM PAGE 1 After being encouraged by the team to just go out and compete, Colebrook did. But the 22-year-old Grand Bahama resident said it would have been better if they had gotten the problem sorted out before he got here. With the time trials over and done with, Colebrook is hoping that he can leave the memories behind as well and start to concentrate on the road race on Saturday when he and Major Jr will be on the same course. “I’m looking forward to the road race,” he said. “I want to do the best I can.” It’s not known how many of the competitors who participated in the time trials will be back for the final. Australia’s Cameron Meyer took the gold, the silver went to England’s Harry Tanfield and New Zeal;and’s Hamish Bond was the bronze medallist. Major Jr, 23, said despite what Colebrook had to deal with in the time trials, they won’t allow it to affect their performances in the road race. He said the goal is for the Bahamas to finish in the top 30. Together, he said he and Colebrook intend to work their way in the peloton and not get dropped. However, they won’t have any more issues with their bikes to derail them from their goals. The race will get started at 12:30pm Australian time.

ANTHONY Colebrook assembles his bicycle.

ANTHONY ‘Biggie’ Colebrook, Jay Major Jr and manager Roshawn Jones share a moment together.

Fernander was given antiviral medication for the sore throat. As a precautionary measure, Davis said about 15 members of Team Bahamas were checked out because of their contact with Fernander. However, Davis said there were no other cases of Influenzavirus B. After the 48-hour period, Davis said Fernander was cleared and was moving around in the village. Unfortunately, the 19-year-old freshman at Keiser University was not cleared in time to compete again. “He’s fine,” Davis said. “He’s having a great time, but we had to take in consideration the health and well being of the athlete first and so we did all that we could to ensure that he was healthy and nobody else was affected.” Fernander and the rest of the four-member swim team are done. They completed competition on Tuesday with Joanna Evans falling one spot shy of getting on the podium in the final of the women’s 400m freestyle. Two members of the team, Izaak Bastian and Lilly Higgs, along with coach Andy Loveitt, were treated for the flu-like symptoms when they arrived here directly from the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. As for the rest of the team, Davis said except for some minor problems of pain in the legs of some of the athletes, they haven’t had any other problems to deal with. He noted that once an incident was brought to his attention, he checked the athletes out thoroughly. In the case of sprinter Shavez Hart, who withdrew from the first round heats of the men’s 200m after he failed to get out of the first round of the men’s 100m, Davis said Hart told him that he was having some shocking pain in his leg. “I took him to the polyclinic where a sports medical doctor and myself was able to evaluate him and there wasn’t any significant findings other than a little small irritation.“By the time we were finished, it was too late for him to get to the track to run,” Davis said. “He only had about a half hour to get from the polyclinic to the stadium. It took hours for us to deal with him. “He just needs some physio-therapy work done on him, nothing major. He said he was having pain and numbness when he pushed forward, so we just wanted to be sure that he didn’t have any major problems.” Davis said he and physiotherapists Cottrice Robinson and Cordero Bonamy have been treating the athletes on a case-by-case basis as they made their medical requests known.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, April 11, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

SNELL, RAYS TOP WHITE SOX 6-5, CHICAGO DROPS TO 0-5 AT HOME By MATT CARLSON Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Blake Snell pitched one-hit ball and struck out 10 through six innings and the Tampa Bay Rays kept the White Sox winless at home this season, beating Chicago 6-5 yesterday. The White Sox dropped to 0-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field. That matched Chicago’s five-game home skid to start 1975 at Comiskey Park. Carlos Gomez hit a solo homer and Joey Wendle, Wilson Ramos, Adeiny Hechavarria and Daniel Robertson each drove in a run as Tampa Bay won its second straight following an eight-game slide. Jose Abreu hit a threerun homer off Rays closer Alex Colome, capping a four-run rally in the ninth. After a two-out walk, Colome held on for his third save in five chances. Snell (1-1) didn’t allow a hit until Tyler Saladino’s

double bounced over the left-centre field wall with one out in the fifth inning. The 6-foot-5 left-hander was charged with Chicago’s first run and walked five before his pitch count climbed to 114 and Andrew Kittridge replaced him to start the seventh. Saladino had two of Chicago’s six hits and Adam Engel and Yolmer Sanchez drove in runs for the White Sox, losers of seven of eight. Carson Fulmer (0-1) struggled with his control, allowing four runs over 4 2/3 innings while walking six and hitting two batters. Snell rebounded after getting roughed up for five runs in 3 1/3 innings by the New York Yankees last Wednesday. The 25-yearold had a no-decision in his first start, on March 30 versus Boston, when he allowed no runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Snell finished 2017 strong, going 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA in his last nine starts. During that stretch, the

lefty won three times when he allowed just two hits in seven innings. Robertson and Denard Span walked to start the third, and both scored when Wendle’s sharp single to left rolled under Nicky Delmonico’s glove for an error. Hechavarria’s sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 3-0 and Ramos had an RBI single in the fifth. Gomez homered in the sixth off Hector Santiago. TRAINER’S ROOM Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier was available off the bench. The outfielder was in a walking boot on Monday after bruising his right foot on Sunday. Before the game, Kiermaier said he hoped to return to the lineup as early as Wednesday. White Sox: C Wellington Castillo left the game in the sixth with right knee soreness and is day-to-day. He was replaced by Omar Narvaez.

JUNIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE OF NASSAU

TAMPA Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the third inning of yesterday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)

LJ MAZZILLI TRADED FROM METS TO YANKEES NEW YORK (AP) — LJ Mazzilli is moving from the Mets to the Yankees, just like his father. The 27-year-old infield and outfield prospect was traded to the Yankees yesterday for outfielder Kendall Coleman. The Yankees already employed his twin sister, Lacey, who has been an on-air host for the team since 2014 and often is seen on the stadium video board. Selected in the fourth round of the 2013 amateur draft, LJ Mazzilli hit .259 with four homers and 36 RBIs last year in 94 games for Double-A Binghamton and .217 with one homer and four RBIs in 16 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. He was 2 for 6 with an RBI for Las Vegas in its first four games this year as the Mets’ top affiliate. LJ Mazzilli’s career was interrupted by a 50-game suspension assessed at the start of the 2015 season

under baseball’s minor league drug programme following a second positive test for a drug of abuse. Lee Mazzilli, now 63, played for the Mets from 1976-81 — making the NL All-Star team in 1979 — and again from 1986-89. He played for the Yankees in 1982, managed their Class A Tampa farm team from 1997-98, then was their major league first coach from 2000-03 and bench coach in 2006. He has been a spring training guest instructor in recent years and often is at Yankee Stadium. Lee Mazzilli also managed the Baltimore Orioles in 2004-05. The 22-year-old Coleman, an 11th-round draft pick in 2013, hit .212 with three homers and 25 RBIs last year in his second season with Class A Staten Island. The Yankees also selected the contract of

outfielder Shane Robinson and from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL) and designated infielder-outfielder Jace Peterson for assignment. The Mets optioned outfielder Brandon Nimmo to Las Vegas and recalled right-hander Corey Oswalt from the Pacific Coast League team. Filling in because of injuries to outfielders, the left-handed-hitting Peterson was 3 for 9 with a walk against Baltimore last weekend. The Yankees preferred to have a righthanded hitter available at Boston, where they face left-handers Chris Sale on Tuesday and David Price on Wednesday. Nimmo, a 2011 firstround draft pick, was 3 for 9 to start the season but was likely to get less playing time following the activation of outfielder Michael Conforto from the disabled list.

JUNIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE OF NASSAU

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 11, 2018, PAGE 5

76ers get team-record 15th straight win, 121-113 over Hawks By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA Hawks forward DeAndre’ Bembry hangs from the basket after dunking on Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington, below him, in the first half last night in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

ATLANTA (AP) — JJ Redick scored 28 points and the surging Philadelphia 76ers set a franchise record with their 15th consecutive victory, holding off the Atlanta Hawks 121-113 Tuesday night to move a step closer to locking up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers overcame a tough outing for rookie star Ben Simmons, who missed the morning shootaround after coming down with the stomach flu. He still managed to put up 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before fouling out with 7 seconds remaining. Simmons picked up a technical in the third quarter for arguing all the way down the court about a call that didn’t go his way. His teammates helped pick up the slack. Redick hit 6 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc, while former Atlanta players Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli burned their old team. Ilyasova scored 26 points, Belinelli added 20 and the duo combined for nine 3-pointers. Philadelphia went 17 of 37 beyond the arc. Just two years removed from a 10-72 debacle, the 76ers can lock up the East’s third seed with a home victory over Milwaukee in the regular-season finale Wednesday night. The rebuilding Hawks were long ago eliminated from playoff contention, closing out their worst season since 2005 with a record of 24-58.

They can only hope to duplicate the remarkable turnaround in Philly. TIP-INS 76ers: G T.J. McConnell went down hard midway through third quarter after running into Dewayne Dedmon’s pick near the top of the key while trying to keep up with Prince. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight — Dedmon outweighs McConnell by 55 pounds. McConnell was down for a couple of minutes before walking slowly to the bench. He was able to return, though he failed to score in 19 minutes. Philadelphia’s last loss was March 13 at home to Indiana. In all, the 76ers have won 26 of their last 31 games. F Dario Saric went out in the opening minute after he sustained a cut lip and chipped tooth. Hawks: Rookie G Antonius Cleveland fouled out of the game after playing just 13 minutes. ... Prince hurled up a franchiserecord 18 3-pointers, making six. ... Atlanta was outrebounded 54-39. UP NEXT 76ers: Returns to Philadelphia to close out the regular season with what could be a first-round playoff preview. Milwaukee holds a 2-1 edge in the season series, with each team holding serve on its home court. Hawks: It’s on to 2018 for Atlanta, whose 10-year playoff streak pretty much ended before the season began.

John Wall reaches 5K assists, Wizards beat Celtics 113-101 By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall surpassed 5,000 career assists and the Washington Wizards beat the Boston Celtics 113101 Tuesday night despite Jaylen Brown’s 21 firstquarter points to remain in play for the No. 6, No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. For now, the Wizards are eighth in the East, and potentially more worrisome is this: Starting small forward Otto Porter Jr. left at halftime with a right lower leg strain and did not return. Wall finished with 29 points and 12 assists as Washington ended its fourgame losing streak. The Wizards will wrap up the regular season at Orlando on Wednesday. That result, along with how Miami fares against

Toronto and what Milwaukee does at Philadelphia, will determine where the Wizards, Heat and Bucks all wind up in the standings ahead of the playoffs. Brown wound up with 27 points. The Celtics already were locked into the No. 2 seed, but they’re also without point guard Kyrie Irving the rest of the way. If the Wizards end up at No. 7, they would face Boston for the second year in a row. The Celtics eliminated the Wizards in Game 7 of the second round last season. On Tuesday, Brown nearly outscored the entire Wizards team in the first quarter; he led them 19-17 with about a minute left. By the close of the period, the Celtics were up 30-22, and Brown was shooting 6 for 9, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers. He did not score in the second quarter — he only took one shot — and the

Wizards cut their deficit to 54-52 by halftime. Washington was up 79-72 entering the fourth. TIP-INS Celtics: G Shane Larkin was called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter. ... Have dropped four of their past five games. Wizards: Backup C Ian Mahinmi returned to action after missing one game because of a concussion. WALL’S 5,000TH Wall came into the game needing nine assists to reach 5,000, and he passed for four of Washington’s first five baskets. He got to the milestone with about 4½ minutes remaining in the third quarter, assisting on a jumper by Markieff Morris. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft is the 10th active player, and 64th in NBA history, with 5,000 assists.

WASHINGTON Wizards guard John Wall dunks during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Tuesday, April 10, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

16TH DARELL SEARS SHOWCASE SET FOR APRIL 27-29 IN FREEPORT By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE high school basketball season may be over, but aspiring student athletes still look to take advantage of the many recruitment opportunities like the Darell Sears Showcase. The showcase continues to be a staple on the Bahamas’ basketball calendar and gains recognition by showcasing the best talent the country has to offer. The 16th edition of the event is scheduled to be hosted April 27-29 at the St George’s Gymnasium in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Since its inception, the showcase has facilitated over $2 million in scholarships to over 100 student athletes to attend various levels of colleges and high schools in the United States. Event sponsors include the Freeport Council, Nesbitt

Rentals, Kosha and the Ministry of Tourism. At the end of the 2017 event, a record five participants were offered scholarships by representatives of visiting programmes. Approximately 60 players participated in the showcase which featured scouts, coaches, and representatives from 25 high schools and colleges in the United States, ranging from JuCo to Division I. The showcase hosted coaches from Southern Mississippi University, Arkansas State, Stetson University, Arkansas-Little Rock, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Stephen F Austin, Texas A and M Corpus Christi, St Petersburg Junior College, Miami Dade Junior College, Paris Junior College and Edward Waters University. There were also four high schools out of the US and a representative from a Canadian college in attendance.

In addition to the players to receive offers, an additional 10 drew strong interest and are on the fast track for future opportunities if they are unable to capitalise immediately. In a new addition as a pair of former participants signed their letters of intent to attend institutions in the United States when Shaquillo Fritz signed on to join the Arkansas State Red Wolves while Qyemah Gibson made it official with the Miami Dade Sharks. Sears, the longtime coach of the Jaguars, began the practice of travelling with his players to the US to gain exposure for his players in the late 1990s. Since then, he has been able to forge a network of connections that now affords a greater number of players those same opportunities by showcasing their skills at home. Over the course of the weekend, players engaged in individual skill development, as well as scrimmages.

Sears talked about the improvements he has seen in the event since its inception. “My eyes are a bit different so I always look for the little things. The coaches and the kids had a wonderful time and I think our people had a great job. There are improvements we can make and I think that I am learning more and more that if one child gets the opportunity at the next level then it’s a success,” he said. “The thing that the coaches have spoken to me about is the guys’ athleticism. What they are excited about, especially for the ones that have been coming the last two, three years and what they have recognised is that the skill set and IQ of the game has improved. We know we have guys that can attack but in years past one of the knocks has been guys wouldn’t know when to pull up or when they get to the rim they wouldn’t know the appropriate move, now they recognise

defences better and their games have improved.” The age bracket for the showcase ranged from 9th grade to unattached. It also featured current Bahamian junior college players looking to progress into Division I. “Hopefully we can reach a bigger audience and reach even more programmes in the future, particularly for those coaches who can not attend,” Sears said. Showcase alumni includes some of the most recognised names in Bahamian basketball over the past 16 years. Some of the past participants in the showcase include professional players Buddy Hield (NBA) Magnum Rolle, Kadeem Coleby, Kentwan Smith, Garvin Hunt and current division I players Lourawls Nairn Jr, Kentwan Smith, Prince Cooper Jr, Travis Munnings, Nathan Bain, Kenneth Taylor, Andre Sands and Dwight Coleby.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 11, 2018, PAGE 7

Liverpool beats Man City 2-1, into Champions League semis By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool reached the Champions League semi-finals after recovering from conceding a goal inside two minutes against Manchester City to win 2-1 thanks to secondhalf strikes by Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino yesterday. Gabriel Jesus’ early goal raised belief inside Etihad Stadium that one of the most unlikely Champions League comebacks was on, with Liverpool having won the first leg 3-0 at Anfield last week. City’s attacking lineup was always susceptible to the counter-attack, however. And off one of them, Salah collected a loose ball, rounded goalkeeper Ederson Moraes and deftly chipped in the equaliser in the 56th for his 39th goal of the season. With City now needing four goals in barely half an hour to advance, Liverpool knew a spot in the last four

for the first time in 10 years was there for the taking. Firmino made sure of it by curling in the team’s second goal in the 77th. Liverpool, which won 5-1 on aggregate, is bidding for its sixth title in Europe’s top competition — and its first since 2005. Surprisingly, Roma joined Liverpool in the semi-finals by delivering one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s recent history, beating Barcelona 3-0 to advance on the awaygoals rule at 4-4. After goals by Edin Dzeko and Daniele De Rossi, centre back Kostas Manolas scored the decisive goal with a header from a corner in the 82nd minute at the Stadio Olimpico. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are in good positions to complete the last-four lineup when the quarter-finals are wrapped up on Wednesday. Madrid leads Juve 3-0 and Bayern leads Sevilla 2-1. It was the latest Champions League failure by City manager Pep Guardiola,

second leg. All-out attack was the only option if City was to become only the third team to overturn at least a three-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League knockout stage. They got the early goal they desperately needed. Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was shoved to the ground by Raheem Sterling as the defender made a clearance, which was picked up by Fernandinho. He slid the ball through to Sterling, who squared it for Jesus to stroke in a cool finish from 15 metres. It was game on for City and its jubilant fans, who did their best to make it an intimidating atmosphere for Liverpool and referee Lahoz. Liverpool held firm until halftime, fortunately as it turned out. Soon after Bernardo Silva struck a long-range shot against the post, Sane had a goal disallowed — incorrectly as it turned out — for offside. The assistant referee thought the ball reached the winger from

LIVERPOOL’S MOHAMED SALAH, left, celebrates scoring his side’s first goal with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino during the Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match against Manchester City at Etihad stadium yesterday. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) for offside at the end of the first half, which would have made it 2-0. But over two legs, City can have few complaints and were always up against it after conceding three goals in 19 first-half minutes at Anfield and failing to score an away goal. Guardiola made his intentions clear by selecting an aggressive, adventurous 3-1-3-3 formation for the

who won the competition twice with Barcelona — in 2009 and ‘11 — but hasn’t reached the final since in five season with Bayern Munich and City. Guardiola was sent to the stands for the second half for arguing with referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz during halftime. He and City can legitimately complain that Leroy Sane had a goal wrongly disallowed

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 57° F/14° C

TAMPA

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Clouds and sun, a t‑storm in spots

Partly cloudy and breezy

Partly sunny and breezy

Some sun with a shower; breezy

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in the p.m.

High: 87°

Low: 71°

High: 85° Low: 69°

High: 86° Low: 72°

High: 88° Low: 74°

High: 88° Low: 71°

AccuWeather RealFeel

93° F

69° F

87°-67° F

89°-73° F

92°-75° F

96°-74° 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: 79° F/26° C Low: 70° F/21° C

10‑20 knots

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 68° F/20° C

8‑16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 71° F/22° C

W S

WEST PALM BEACH

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 61° F/16° C

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 67° F/19° C

MIAMI

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 68° F/20° C

8‑16 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 86° F/30° C Low .................................................... 70° F/21° C Normal high ....................................... 81° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 68° F/20° C Last year’s high ................................. 81° F/27° C Last year’s low ................................... 70° F/21° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 6.79” Normal year to date ..................................... 5.07”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 71° F/22° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

KEY WEST

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

4‑8 knots

4‑8 knots 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

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

5:08 a.m. 5:35 p.m.

2.4 2.2

11:34 a.m. 0.4 11:44 p.m. 0.3

Thursday

5:56 a.m. 6:20 p.m.

2.5 2.5

12:17 p.m. 0.2 ‑‑‑‑‑ ‑‑‑‑‑

Friday

6:40 a.m. 7:03 p.m.

2.6 2.7

12:32 a.m. 0.1 12:58 p.m. 0.0

Saturday

7:22 a.m. 7:45 p.m.

2.7 2.9

1:18 a.m. 0.0 1:37 p.m. ‑0.2

Sunday

8:03 a.m. 8:27 p.m.

2.8 3.0

2:02 a.m. ‑0.2 2:16 p.m. ‑0.4

Monday

8:45 a.m. 9:09 p.m.

2.8 3.2

2:46 a.m. ‑0.4 2:56 p.m. ‑0.5

Tuesday

9:28 a.m. 9:54 p.m.

2.7 3.2

3:31 a.m. ‑0.4 3:37 p.m. ‑0.5

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:52 a.m. 7:31 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

4:09 a.m. 3:39 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

Apr. 15

Apr. 22

Apr. 29

May 7

CAT ISLAND

Sterling, although it actually came off Liverpool’s James Milner. Fury swirled around the Etihad. Fernandinho remonstrated with the referee and had to be pulled away by Guardiola. However, the City coach must have continued the verbal assault as he was sent to the stands for the second half. His mood wouldn’t have improved 12 minutes into the second half, when Liverpool nicked the crucial away goal. Sadio Mane surged between Kyle Walker and Nicolas Otamendi into the area. Ederson got his hand to the ball but Salah nipped in, rounded the goalkeeper and applied a deft chip over Aymeric Laporte, who slid in attempting a goal-line block. That punctured any optimism inside the Etihad and Liverpool fans’ celebrations were already in full swing by the time Firmino pounced on an error by Otamendi to score the winner on the night.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 75° F/24° C

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

6‑12 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 81° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

6‑12 knots

8‑16 knots

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

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS W at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots W at 4‑8 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots S at 6‑12 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots SSW at 7‑14 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots NNW at 10‑20 Knots ENE at 10‑20 Knots S at 4‑8 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ENE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots SW at 8‑16 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots ENE at 7‑14 Knots S at 6‑12 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots

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

VISIBILITY 5 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 8 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 75° F 75° F 81° F 81° F 79° F 79° F 80° F 80° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 80° F 80° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 81° F 79° F 79° F 79° F 79° F 81° F 81° F 79° F 79° F

Covering The Bahamas for over 40 years. NEW PROVIDENCE | GRAND BAHAMA | ABACO | ELEUTHERA | EXUMA

INSURANCE MANAGEMENT

(BAHAMAS) LIMITED. INSURANCE BROKERS & AGENTS

HOME INSURANCE

LIFE INSURANCE

AUTO INSURANCE

MARINE INSURANCE

www.InsuranceManagementBahamas.com

PAGE 8, Wednesday, April 11, 2018

THE TRIBUNE