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SPORTS SECTION E

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Hugh Campbell, PAGE 3

Bahamas Football Association bans Higgs for four years By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Football Association has banned Jared Higgs for four years and sanctioned Ehren Hanna, Torin Ferguson, Lamar Cancino and Christopher Davis following anti-doping testing last year prior to the CONCACAF Qualifiers and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. According to the BFA’s website, the BFA Appeals Committee agreed to ban Higgs for four years in accordance with the mandatory BFA Pre-Competition Testing, FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations 5 - 3 and 8, and WADA Anti-Doping Code 2015, V1.10.1.1 and 10.2.1.2. The BFA Appeals Committee, decided the following:

SANCTIONS EHREN HANNA, TORIN FERGUSON, LAMAR CANCINO AND CHRISTOPHER DAVIS

JARED HIGGS Higgs, 26, i. is found to have committed an AntiDoping Violation; ii. is banned for 4 years starting from January 22, 2018; iii. cannot take part in any football competitions and iv. cannot enter any facility that the BFA owns, rents or any facility that they host games or tournaments.

All football clubs will be notified and the decision is final. As for Hanna, 26; Ferguson, 32; Cancino, 30 and Davis, 32, they all were found to have committed an anti-doping violation. Each of their samples resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance Tetrahydrocannabinol (TCH). All four have been ii. suspended for 4 weeks; iii. fined $150 each; iv. cannot take part in any football competitions; v. cannot take part in any activities organized by the BFA; vi. cannot enter any facility that the BFA owns, rents or any facility that they host games or tournaments and vii. must undertake another

test before suspension can be lifted. When contacted, BFA’s secretary general Fred Lunn said it’s unfortunate that the incidents took place, but the information on their website speaks for itself. “Like every country, players were required to do a testing for the qualifier,” he said. “These players either got tested or they failed to show for the testing, which are required by WADA. “So if people fall short of that, we as an association, are obligated to follow the appropriate protocol and that is to report the information. That is all it is. We will stand behind the committee. It is what it is.

“It’s an unfortunate situation, but we are like every other sporting organisations, we don’t want to be in violation of the rules. So the athletes have to adhere to the rules.” Lunn said the posting on the website outlines the specific reasons for the ban and the sanctions and they are obligated to report the findings of the violations. As a member of FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, Lunn said they have to report the findings or they could be subjected to a fine and possibly suspension. “Hopefully it could be awarded in the future,” he said. “We do a lot to inform our players. We warn them and we advise them to

Grant Player of the Year By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net wo years after her brother Trevone Grant emerged as the Ontario University Athletics Male Player of the Year, Lakehead University Thunderwolves’ forward Leashja Grant was named the 2017-18 OUA Women’s Player of the Year and OUA First-Team All-Star. The announcement was made yesterday as Grant was awarded for her stellar performance for the Thunderwolves in just her first year in the OUA, becoming just the second Lakehead player to earn the feat, following in the footsteps of Jylisa Williams, the 2014-2015 recipient. Grant, in just her first year in the OUA and at Lakehead, made a huge impact as she helped to lead the Thunderwolves to a third-place finish in the OUA West with a record of 16-8 after she picked up a double-double in all but one game and averaging 22.3 points and 14.1 rounds per game. Grant not only led the conference but also ranked as the second-leading scorer and top rebounder in the country. She also holds the U SPORTS record for most rebounds in a single season with 338 in 24 games. As the OUA Player of the Year, Grant will automatically be named USports Women’s Basketball AllCanadian and will be honoured during the Nationals that will take place March 8-20 in Toronto. “I feel blessed, but most of all, I am forever grateful for this opportunity,” Grant told The Tribune following the announcement as she received her biggest honour ever. “It means a whole lot to me, especially with all of the visa situation. I was able to get a second chance to continue playing college

basketball. I have all types of emotions going through me, but I’m just soaking it in. I’m just proud to be a Bahamian representing the country in a different country.” Two years ago, Grant was making her presence felt on the Texas Tech women’s basketball team. But after she experienced some problems with her US visa, she had to stay in the Bahamas until the deal came through for her to go to Canada. “I was really saddened by the situation because Texas Tech is a dream school for any athlete or any Bahamian coming out of the Bahamas because you want to play at that division one level and that type of lifestyle,” she said. “But God don’t make mistakes. I think it’s all in his plans for me to be here, so I’m going to make the best of the situation. I’m just glad that I can still get the opportunity to continue my education and to play basketball at the same time.” Lakehead’s head coach Jon Kreiner said she was pleased with the way in which Grant made the adjustment to the Canadian University basketball and impacted the Thunderwolves’ team. “She brought so much experience with her that transferred right into our FIBA rules and she was a force early, earning MVP of the U of Winnipeg tournament in nonconference play early October,” Kreiner said. “Leashja is obviously a tremendous rebounder but she has developed in so many other areas and has the ability to score in so many ways. She can shoot to 18’, post up inside and take it strong off the bounce. She needed to develop a passing game to make people pay for doubling her and she has done that as well. She still needs to refine that part of her game and we are confident she can lead this team in assists or be close next season.”

LEASHJA GRANT, of the Bahamas, has been named the 2017-18 OUA Women’s Player of the Year and OUA First-Team All-Star. Kreiner said it’s a tremendous feeling to have another OUA POY in their programme. “That’s twice in four years a Lakehead has been named OUA player of the year and Leashja did it in only her first year with the team,” he said.

“She also did it on a team plagued with injuries and with players coming in and out of the line-up all season. We feel she can come back and be even better next

SEE PAGE 3

Rutherford Jr helps Patriots to basketball title win By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net EVEN though he came in as a sophomore, Bahamian Peter Rutherford Jr helped the Providence Academy Patriots to win

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the Heartland Christian Athletic Association’s (HCAA) State Basketball Championship title. Known as JP, the 6-foot, 2-inch Rutherford Jr played a pivotal role for the Patriots in their 49-48 nipping of Lawton. Unfortunately, two Bahamian female players Jonisha Rolle and Faith Curry, both juniors, were not so successful as the Patriots’ lost their championship game to Life Prep. Men’s basketball head coach Austin Bivens said he was quite pleased with the way that Rutherford Jr performed and he was delighted to watch the Bahamian connection at Providence Academy. “In the last couple of weeks, JP has really figured out the schemes that we run and that is how he was able to make the adjustment,” said Bivens of Rutherford Jr as he came off the bench. “He’s very athletic, very fast and that has helped him. “We have been running the floor and he has been able to fit

right into what we were doing. In the game, with about four minutes left, we decided to go to our 1-3-1 defence, which really hasn’t worked that well for us this year, and when we put JP on the top of that, he had such quick reactions that he knocked away a couple of passes and just did an amazing job.” While Rutherford Jr is the first Bahamian male player that Bivens has worked with, he said they had a couple of international players in the past who have gone on to play in major division one college teams and they’re hoping that he will be able to continue the trend. With basketball season over and done with, Bivens said Rutherford Jr has switched his talents to the track where he is now preparing to represent the Patriots in the 100 and 200 metres this season where he is the state champion. “We also will have him playing summer ball for us this year so that he can prepare for his junior

PETER Rutherford Jr celebrates. year where the players start to get looked at for college,” he forecasted. “So we are very excited bout his future here at Providence Academy.” Rutherford Jr, 16, left the Bahamas after he completed grade nine at St Augustine’s College where he played for the Big Red Machine’s junior boys basketball team. He is the son of Peter Sr and Chavez Rutherford.

talk to our medical officer, Pattie Symonette, so that she can check the list on any medicine that they are taking because the list is long. “I don’t know everything on the list, but if you have to be selected for a national team, then you need to be extra careful in whatever you take.” In the case of Higgs, Lunn said he chose to go to the Appeals Committee and that was the decision that they made. Hanna, Ferguson, Cancino and Davis all paid their fines and they were given four weeks. “That sounds a bit crazy, but when you want to go to

SEE PAGE 3

FRASER GETS SET FOR IAAF WORLD INDOORS By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER running in the same race when Christian Coleman set the world indoor record in the 60 metres, Warren Fraser said he’s more motivated to take on the American again at the 17th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. Fraser, the 26-year-old graduate from Clemson University, will be one of five Bahamians competing at the championships that will be held in Birmingham, Great Britain, from Thursday to Sunday. The other members of Team Bahamas are Alonzo Russell in the men’s 400m, Donald Thomas and Jamal Wilson in the men’s high jump and Devynne Charlton in the women’s 60m hurdles. Sandra Laing is the manager and Donald Cartwright is the head coach. “I’m looking forward to the competition this time,” said Fraser in an interview with The Tribune just before he departed for his second appearance at the World Indoors where he just missed making the final after he was ninth overall in Sopot, Poland, in 2014. “They have a lot of fast guys out there this time. I’m looking forward to the competition. Hopefully that will help me to step up my game and run even faster.” At the Clemson Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 18, Fraser clocked 6.69 seconds to pick up a third place finish as Coleman sped to a time of 6.37 to erase fellow American Maurice Greene’s previous record of 6.39 that was established in 1998. “That was my first race this season, but I’ve never experienced anything like that,” said Fraser, who trailed second place finisher Tevin Hester, who did 6.57. “After that experience, I went back to the drawing board and started working out and I went through a lot of training and stuff like that. I’m ready to go back again and, this time, I want to stay in my race and in my zone.” As the reigning Bahamas national sprint champion, Fraser said he hates to lose, which has motivated him even more to excel when he competes in the championships.

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PAGE 2, Wednesday, February 28, 2018

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‘We were still not good enough to compete with those two teams’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Basketball Federation men’s No.60 ranked national team was just simply outperformed by the No.20 and 25 ranked Dominican Republic and Canada teams during the second window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers over the weekend. The Bahamas got clobbered 96-63 by the Dominican Republic on Thursday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium and then blown out 113-67 by Canada. Federation first vice president Mario Bowleg, who was criticised as the head coach of the team, said unless they can field their best team, the Bahamas won’t be able to contend with the other teams. “When you compare their rosters with ours, people see man-for-man, but when you look at the level of professional leagues that our players are playing in, compared to some of them, they are playing at a much higher level. “So I think even though we improved our rosters from the first two games we played in November, we were still not good enough to compete with those two teams. “But we will continue to try and improve the roster. Until we get our best players home, it will be an uphill battle trying to beat those teams.” When the third window is played in June, the Bahamas is slated to face the US Virgin Islands on Thursday, June 28 in a game that could be played in Jacksonville, Florida, due to the devastation that took place

to the facilities in the USVI as a result of a hurricane. “The good thing is that the majority of our NCAA players and pro players whom we couldn’t get home in the first two windows will be available,” Bowleg said. “We’re looking at trying to get Tum Tum (Lourawls Nairn) and Buddy Hield to play in that window, so if we can get them to play, we believe we can beat the US Virgin Islands, but I think even if we get them, it will be tougher to beat the Dominican Republic.” The Bahamas will have to win that game by at least 10 points in order to advance out of Group D. They will have another game to play on the road against the Dominican Republic on Sunday, July 1. The Dominican Republic is leading the Group with a perfect 4-0 win-loss record, followed by Canada at 3-1. The US Virgin Islands is sitting in third at 1-3 and the Bahamas is winless at 0-4. The top three teams will advance to the second round that is scheduled to begin in September. “The summer months will benefit us more because we will have the players here for a longer time, so we can better prepare the team,” Bowleg said. Bowleg, however, said they will have to make another mass change to their roster. “We will probably have to change about eight players,” Bowleg said. “If you look at this roster, most of these guys can play at the CBC level, but when you get to the World Cup, every country changes their line-up. “Each level as we go higher, we have to change

MARIO BOWLEG, Bahamas Basketball Federation first vice president and head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

the roster to play better and that is the process that we have to go through to get our team better to play the next round.” Norris Bain, one of the assistant coaches, felt that they did all they could in their power with the team that they had to play against the Dominican Republic and Canada.

“What we have to respect is the fact that the Dominican Republic and Canada are very good basketball teams and they have some very good good basketball teams with some former NBA players that are now representing their countries,” Bain said. “I just personally believe that in the final analysis, we

have to get the best players to come home and to represent us. This window was not the best for us, but the window in June and July promises to be a better window and I expect us to have some of our better players so we can have a better showing.” Despite losing their two games again, Bain said the

players were content that they came home and represented the country and, in these cases, the teams were just better than the Bahamas. “These teams are better and just have to get better and get a victory over the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands,” he said. “I know the (BBF) president (Charlie ‘Softly’ Robins) and the vice president (Bowleg) is going to do their best to get these players home.”

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Wednesday, February 28, 2018, PAGE 3

Coach Clarke: ‘Those boys worked so hard, I’m so proud of them’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons are celebrating another repeat performance as the prestigious Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic champions. But head coach Kevin Clarke said it was more about the back-to-back accomplishments of his players in the classroom than on the basketball court where they knocked off the CI Gibson Rattlers last year. “It’s wonderful. Those boys worked so hard. I’m so proud of them,” Clarke said amidst the team’s celebrations on Monday night at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium after they pulled off an impressive 65-44 triumph over the CC Sweeting Cobras. “A lot of people don’t know this, but I have about five boys on my team with five or more BGCSEs and that is what I’m more proud of than their basketball accomplishments.” He mentioned that Desmond Butler, his starting point guard, is head boy at Tabernacle Baptist Academy in Grand Bahama and has secured seven BGCSEs. “I’m more proud of their academic accolades than their prowess on the basketball court,” Clarke stressed. “They can go to any college they want to on an academic scholarship. “You don’t find that balance between academics and sports. Normally, it’s one or the other, but I’m so proud to be a part of this. This is so amazing. To be back-to-back champions makes it even more special

for me, the coaching staff and the team.” Having taken over the helm from his former mentor and coach Norris Bain, Clarke said he had a very special group of players to work with who, despite his tough disciplinary stance, has gained the love and trust of all of them. “They will run through a brick wall for me,” Clarke emphasiSed. “I’m elated. I’m just proud of them. What a group to be connected to. We will celebrate this. So Freeport get ready. The trophy is coming back home.” Bain, who now sits on the sideline after making history as the winningest coach in the history of the tournament with five titles, said he’s very proud of his protégé. “I told Softly (Charlie Robins, the president of the Bahamas Basketball Federation) and Mario (Bowleg, Cobras’ coach) earlier that Kevin does a very good job with those guys. He does a very good job with high school basketball,” Bain said. “He played college basketball so he knows exactly what he is doing. He has the guys playing the way we want them to play. “They are very intelligent young men, smart, academically sound. That’s the reason why they are so easy to coach. “When you have the point guard and the off guard and your shooting guard with more than five BGCSEs, it’s easy to coach. They understand what you’re saying. So I’m very proud of Kevin and the entire team as they build on a dynasty in Grand Bahama.”

FALCONS players celebrate winning the Hugh Campbell Basketball Tournament Championship. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff The Falcons had four players in double figures as Joshua Dames led the attack with 16 points in 24 minutes. Dames also pulled down eight rebounds with two assists in earning the most valuable player award. Shyrone Kemp and Regis Cooper both had big games contribution 13 points and 13 and 12 rebounds respectively. “It was an amazing feeling, an amazing honour, but today I have to give thanks to God because without him, I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” Dames said. “The coaching staff gave me the ability to come off the bench and to be that spark, so it doesn’t matter what role I play, I will contribute my part. So it was really all up to God and he worked it through me.” Dames called Tabernacle Baptist Academy the “best school in the country” and he said that even though they have some “haters, we put God first and we have a goal in mind and that is to be the champions. “This team, there’s nothing I can say about them.

All of them are seniors. They let me as the underclass come and do my thing, but at the end of the day, they gave me the opportunity for me to be me. All I can do is say thanks to them. It was really a team effort.” Butler, who finished with 10 points with five assists and three steals in 32 minutes, said after getting off to a slow start, they managed to regroup and got back on track. “Joshua lit the fire and we followed suit and the Cobras couldn’t get it out,” Butler said. “That team over there (CC Sweeting) fought hard. That’s a nice team, well coached, but Joshua is a young up and coming star and he helped us out tremendously. “To win it once was amazing, but the feeling right now as back-to-back champions is unbelievable. As long as Joshua continues to progress, the sky is the ceiling for Tabernacle Baptist. “They could win it again next year without those of us who are leaving as seniors.”

CC Sweeting basically had just two players carrying their load as Brandon Strachan poured in a game high 22 points with five rebounds and two steals. Marco Beckford added 12 points. “We just have to work harder,” Strachan said. “When we go to the Nationals, we have to be better prepared. We played bad defence and we didn’t execute and we didn’t rebound. They out-rebounded us and kept the tempo of the game. That is how they won.” Cobras’ coach Mario Bowleg didn’t mince words when asked what happened. “Our bigs didn’t show up. They did nothing for us, nothing,” he stated. “They didn’t defend the basket. From October when I went to the Vitamalt Classic, I came home and told CC boys in practice that if they are going to win the Hugh Campbell Tournament, they will have to beat Tabernacle. “I told them the only difference between us and them is the bigs. If our bigs don’t show up, we can’t beat them. Our bigs did not show up at all, not tonight.

They couldn’t rebound, defend or catch the ball. We played horrible.” Bowleg said he hopes to get his Cobras prepared to come back for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s National Basketball Tournament that will be held in Grand Bahama next month. “We just have to go and regroup,” said Bowleg, who is expected to make this his final year after spending the past 11 years coaching at CC Sweeting. “Tabernacle did a good job and we have to congratulate coach Clarke and his team. “They did a tremendous job and they deserved to be the champions.” While Dames was named the MVP, the other individual winners were Queen’s College’s Christopher Knowles with most blocks, Anatol Rodgers’ Dominic Bridgewater with most assists, St John’s Trimaine Ferguson with most rebounds, CC Sweeting’s Brandon Strachan with most points and RM Bailey’s Khobe Mackey with most steals. Named to the AllTournament team were Christopher Knowles (Queen’s College), Dominic Bridgewater (Anatol), Trimaine Ferguson (St John’s), Brandon Strachan (CC Sweeting), Khobe Mackey (RM Bailey). Mazio Randall (Kingsway Academy), Joshua Cornish and Eudeancel McPhee (Sunland), John Nixon (Aquinas College), Derryn Johnson (St Anne’s), Kemran Gray and Terrance Storr (CI Gibson), Kingcy Thompson (St George’s) and Regis Cooper and Joshua Dames (Tabernacle Baptist).

WARREN FRASER GETS SET FOR IAAF WORLD INDOORS FROM PAGE 1 “That kind of drives me to work harder and to make sure that I execute a great race the next time I race him,” said Fraser about the possibility of competing against Coleman at the championships. While the indoors is not as big as the outdoors, Fraser said he’s delighted to be a part of the Bahamian contingent that will be out to add to the total count of 20 medals. The count is inclusive of three gold, seven silver and 10 bronze won since the World Indoor

Games got started in 1985 in Paris, France before it became a biannual event renamed the IAAF world Indoor Championships in Athletics in 1987 in Indianapolis, Indiana. “I feel the competition is always there, even though it’s not as big as outdoors,” he pointed out. “We only have a few guys going, but I’m sure they’ve worked hard to get in shape and to qualify. “So we’re still going there to compete and to be in the finals and to win medals. “The Bahamas is a small country, but we still go out there and represent. So even though we are

a small team, we will go out there and do our best.” As for his personal goals, Fraser said he would be ecstatic if he can surpass his lifetime best of 6.54 that he set in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 18, 2014. “Once I execute all the rounds, I know I will be up there,” Fraser said. “I’m not going to put any limitations on myself. I just want to execute a good race. “The guys have ran fast at different times of the year and they might not be able to hold onto what they have been doing, so if I can just be consistent during the rounds, I should be able to make

it through to the final and go from there. It’s all about execution for me.” Fraser, who trains at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, thanked his coach Ken Harding for preparing him to go to the Worlds and hopefully make an impact. “I haven’t raced as much, but I feel good because we were able to get more training done, which was the same as last year,” he said. “My first race I opened up with a 6.5, so I was able to get a lot more training done.” Fraser won’t start competing until the morning session of day

three on Saturday when the heats of the 60m is contested. The semi-final and final will be ran during the evening session. The championships will open on day one on Thursday with Thomas and Wilson competing in the final of the men’s high jump. On day two on Friday, Russell will be entered in the heats and semi-final of the men’s 400m with the final on Saturday. Also on Friday, Charlton will run the heats of the women’s 60m hurdles with the semi-final and final on Saturday. The championships wrap up Sunday.

Grant named Player of the Year in Canada BFA BANS FROM PAGE 1 season.” With one more year of eligibility left, Kreiner said he anticipates that Grant will work extremely hard over the summer to become stronger and be ready for the start of the season next year. “She is looking forward to graduating next season as well as coming back to lead this team towards achieving its goal of winning an OUA championship,” he projected. “With the addition of some key recruits, we feel we can challenge further into the playoffs. It is our goal to an OUA title, but we have so many strong teams in the OUA, and we have a lot of work to do.” Kreiner, however, pointed out that Grant is a player that has just scratched the surface of her full potential and they want to help her realise that potential. “I’m looking forward to returning to Lakehead in August and graduate in December with my bachelors in Honest Sociology and I will continue to play for the full year and hopefully enter the (WNBA) draft or play overseas in 2019,” she said. “But right now I’m just working out and trying to stay in shape and better my game.”

Grant credits the coaching staff at Lakehead and her team-mates because she believes that without them, she would not have been as successful as she was. Of course, she feels her dad, Trevor Grant, has been an inspiration to her, allowing her to fall and get back up, as well as her brother, who is also in Canada. “I guess it runs in the family,” said Grant of following behind Trevone. “My brother was a big influence on my life. Watching him and playing against him, I wanted to do what he did and also be better. I always looked up to him and I was proud of being his super big sister. Now he’s looking at me and telling me how proud he is of me is a big step.” With miles a part between them where they are stationed in Canada, Grant said they try to stay connected with each other via the internet or WhatsApp as they share their affections for each other. Trevor Grant is as proud as a peacock as he basked in the success of his children. “She adjusted to the new system in Canada and it’s working out extremely well for her right now,” he said. “I’m very happy to see how she has followed in the footsteps of Trevone and accomplishing a lot of the goals that he’s set.

HIGGS FOR FOUR YEARS FROM PAGE 1

LEASHJA GRANT (left), of the Bahamas, in action. “She still has another year to go so I believe she will eventually surpass him. But I’m very proud to see that after both of them went to school in the

United States, they went to Canada and performed tremendously.” While at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, Trevone Grant

earned the OUA Men’s Player of the Year. He’s now at Acadia University where he’s continuing to hold his own on the court.

the Appeals Committee, that is what they came back with,” Lunn said. “They advised us that we were wrong in the penalty for the other four, but it was too late for that because they paid the fine.” The Appeals Committee was appointed by the BFA and they made the final decision, based on the BFA’s rules and guidelines that are in accordance with FIFA. At the time, Lunn said they tested all 20 players, who were involved in the qualification process, but they were the ones in violation. Lunn said they tested them all more than once. The pre-testing was a requirement by CONCACAF to conduct the testing prior to the players being selected to participate in the tournaments that were played at the newly constructed beach soccer facility. “The players were all informed of the testing prior to us conducting them,” Lunn said. “Once the decision was made, we had to make the ruling public or we would have been in violation.”

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Father Prime: Wade gets 27, Heat beat 76ers 102-101 By TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 27 points, the last of those coming on a jumper that gave Miami its only lead of the fourth quarter with 5.9 seconds left, and the Heat rallied to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-101 on Tuesday night. Wade had 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, and the Heat won a game where they never led by more than three. Goran Dragic scored 21 for the Heat, who got 16 points from Tyler Johnson and 15 points and 11 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside. Joel Embiid scored 23 points for Philadelphia, which got 21 from Dario Saric. The 76ers led by as many as 10 in the fourth and had a chance to win at the buzzer, but JJ Redick’s wide-open 3-point try bounced off the rim. Redick finished with 15 for the 76ers. Wade was absolutely vintage down the stretch, and Miami needed him to be just that. Redick got fouled shooting a 3 with 1:47 left, made all three free throws and put Philadelphia up

The 76ers eventually broke through, going up nine late in the third. But they saw the margin cut to 75-73 going into the fourth, after Wade hit a step-back 3 to end the quarter. In the fourth, Philadelphia went up again, this time by 10 — and Miami clawed back again, using an 11-1 run to knot the game on a layup by Wade with 4:57 left. And in the end, Wade won came through in a bigger way.

HEAT guard Dwyane Wade (3) reacts to a call during the first half last night against the Philadelphia 76ers. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) 98-95. With 27 seconds left, Wade got fouled on a busted Miami play while trying a 3 from the left corner — making all three to tie the game at 100. Then Miami rolled the dice — twice. The first came when Wade intentionally fouled Simmons almost immediately after the ensuing inbounds pass. Simmons missed the first and made the second, and the Heat were down one with 23.8 seconds left.

The second was not calling timeout to set up the next play. Wade kept the ball for the entirety of the next possession, connecting on a 21-footer that ultimately was the deciding shot. Philadelphia used a 16-3 run to open a 33-20 lead in the first half, and Miami answered with an 18-2 run to go up 38-35. From there, a 12-minute stretch of back-andforth commenced with neither team ever leading by more than three.

TIP-INS 76ers: It was only the second time that the 76ers and Heat met three times in the same regular-season month. Miami went 3-0 against Philadelphia in February 1996; 22 years later, the 76ers went 2-1 against the Heat. ... Before it happened again in the fourth, Philadelphia got fouled twice on 3-point tries in the second quarter and made the utmost of the chances, converting them into seven points. Marco Belinelli made three free throws, and Redick turned his into a fourpoint play. Heat: Coach Erik Spoelstra got a technical in the first quarter when Embiid wasn’t called for goaltending on a short shot

by Wade. Replays indicated his argument was valid. ... It was the 24th time in Miami’s last 26 games that the winning margin was less than 10 points. ... Wade’s previous season high was 25, when he was with Cleveland. MOTT LEAVES Most of the second half was played with only two referees on the floor. Rodney Mott left the game early in the third quarter, accompanied by Heat athletic trainer Jay Sabol. Bill Spooner and Lauren Holtkamp finished the game. MCGRUDER BACK Heat guard Rodney McGruder, recovered from a stress fracture in his left leg, made his season debut in the third quarter. McGruder played in two G League games with Miami’s affiliate in Sioux Falls, the last being Monday in Ontario, California. McGruder flew out postgame on a redeye and landed in Miami around 1 p.m. Tuesday. The plan wasn’t to have him play Tuesday, but McGruder was needed after guards Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson got hurt.

JAMES LEADS CAVALIERS PAST NETS 129-123 By STEVE HERRICK Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James scored 31 points and finished a month averaging a tripledouble for the first time in his career, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 129-123 on Tuesday night. James had 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season and 67th of his career. He also reached 8,000 assists and became the first player in NBA history to reach that milestone, along with 30,000 points and 8,000 rebounds. Rodney Hood’s threepoint play with 40 seconds remaining gave Cleveland a 123-121 lead. James and George Hill hit two free throws each in the final 16 seconds to seal the win. Jarrett Allen’s two free throws gave Brooklyn a 119-117 lead with 1:18 to play. Jordan Clarkson’s 3-pointer put Cleveland ahead, but Allen Crabbe’s runner in the lane put the Nets up 121-120. Hood hit a jumper from the wing and made the foul shot that gave Cleveland a two-point lead. D’Angelo

Russell attempted to draw a foul but barely got off a wild shot from the corner, which led to James’ foul shots. The win could also help Cleveland position in the NBA draft. The Cavaliers own Brooklyn’s No. 1 pick, acquired in a trade with Boston. The Nets have the seventh-worst record in the league, but have lost nine of 10. Russell led Brooklyn with 25 points. Caris LeVert scored 18 while DeMarre Carroll had 16. James took an elbow under the jaw from Dante Cunningham in the third quarter. He was down for several seconds but timeout was called and he remained in the game. James also became the first frontcourt player and the 11th overall in league history to reach 8,000 assists. Hill, one of four players acquired at the trade deadline, scored a season-high 26 points and Cleveland placed six in double figures. Brooklyn broke an eightgame losing streak Monday by beating Chicago. LEBRON VS. THE NCAA James took a strong stance on the NCAA in

light of the FBI’s investigation into recruiting in college basketball. “The NCAA is corrupt, we know that,” he said. “Sorry, it’s going to make headlines, but it’s corrupt.” James was drafted by the Cavaliers out of high school in 2003. He laughed when asked about some of the offers he received in recruiting, but didn’t give details. “Listen, man. I can’t even talk about that,” he said. “Me and my mom was poor, I’ll tell you that, and they expected me to step foot on a college campus and not to go to the NBA? We weren’t going to be poor for long, I’ll tell you that.” James would like to see the NBA expand the G-League into a farm system, an idea he wants to discuss with commissioner Adam Silver. TIP-INS Cavaliers: F Jeff Green (sore lower back) missed his first game of the season. He played in the first 59 games, all off the bench. Green is averaging 10.6 points. ... Lakers G Isaiah Thomas said the Cavs were in “panic mode” when they

CLEVELAND Cavaliers’ Larry Nance Jr dunks against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half last night in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) traded him before the deadNets: LeVert (right knee) injuries. Broooklyn began line. Asked for a reaction, and F Rondae Hollis-Jeffer- a five-game, 10-day road Cleveland coach Tyronn son (right groin) saw action trip that ends on March 8 in Lue joked: “I’m panicking for the second straight Charlotte. now.” game after returning from

Hornets win fifth straight, top the Bulls 118-103 By JODIE VALADE Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dwight Howard returned from a first quarter injury to lead Charlotte over the Bulls. The Hornets center was hurt after playing 10 minutes in the opening quarter of a 118-103 win over Chicago on Tuesday night. He first said it felt as if a rib “popped out a little bit.” “That happens a lot, it just comes out,” Howard said. “Really nothing I can do about it. Howard wanted to make it clear that it wasn’t a back issue. Charlotte’s coach Steve Clifford said it was “back spasms” and the team called it a back strain. “There’s nothing wrong with my back,” he said. “Just want to make sure I put that out there. I wasn’t really concerned with it being my back. I haven’t had a problem with that in the last two years; I knew it wasn’t my back. I’ve taken some hard falls and some hard hits, and that’s what happens.” He returned to start the second half, however, and his 16 thirdquarter points and all-around dominant play. He finished with 24 in the game. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 31 points to help the Hornets win a season-best fifth straight game. Zach LaVine led seven Bulls players in double-digits with 21 points as Chicago (20-41) dropped its fifth consecutive game. The Hornets suddenly hot shooting helped them continue their push to make the playoffs as they sank 53.7 percent of their

field-goal attempts, and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. Walker hit 11-of-19 attempts — including 6-of-10 of 3-pointers — while Howard missed only two shots in 12 attempts. Nicolas Batum also added 10 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. The teams were tied 51-51 at halftime, and the young Bulls were encouraged. “We’re playing some pretty good stretches, we’re just not sustaining it right now,” Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. It was difficult to sustain against a Charlotte team inspired by the return of Howard. The 6-11 center walked straight to the locker room after exiting the game in the first quarter. He did not re-emerge until just before the second half tipped off. TIP-INS Bulls: Justin Holiday and Robin Lopez were healthy scratches Tuesday. ... Cristiano Felicio equaled his season-high of 12 points by halftime. He did not score in the second half. ... Chicago already has exceeded the team’s previous record for most 3-pointers in a single season (651, set in 2015-16). The Bulls had 657 3-pointers entering Tuesday’s game. Hornets: Howard earned his 13th technical foul of the season in the third quarter. . Nicolas Batum’s 12 assists were a seasonhigh. ... With his first rebound against the Bulls, Howard moved into sole possession of 17th alltime in the NBA in rebounds. . Kemba Walker tied JR Reed for 10th-most career rebounds in franchise history with two rebounds against the Bulls.

CHARLOTTE Hornets’ Kemba Walker (15) prepares to shoot a three-pointer after teammate Dwight Howard (12) sets a screen to slow down Chicago Bulls’ Kris Dunn (32) during the first half yesterday. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone) COACHING CONNECTION When Clifford missed 21 games earlier this season for health issues that included persistent headaches related to a lack of sleep, one of the coaches who reached out immediately was Hoiberg. The two had developed a bond earlier over shared heart problems both experienced: Clifford had two stents inserted into his heart in 2013; Hoiberg had valve replacement surgery in 2015 after

open-heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm ended his playing career in 2005. “It’s a small fraternity, this coaching group, and we’re all very competitive and you want to go out there and beat the other guy, but more importantly, you understand what’s at stake with all this,” Hoiberg said. “The high-pressure situation that all of us are in ... “It’s great to see him back on the sidelines. I think Steve

Clifford’s one of the best coaches, and one of the best Xs and Os guys in this league.” Said Clifford: “He’s just a good man. Good guy to talk to.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 28, 2018, PAGE 7

Without Ronaldo, Madrid loses to Espanyol in Spanish league By TALES AZZONI Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid couldn’t overcome the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and other regular starters yesterday, losing 1-0 to Espanyol in the Spanish league to see its fivegame winning streak come to an end. Gerard Moreno scored three minutes into injury time to give Espanyol the victory against the defending champions. The result left Madrid in danger of losing third place to Valencia, which is two points behind going into its match at Athletic Bilbao today. Madrid stayed seven points behind second-place Atletico and 14 points behind leader Barcelona. Atletico hosts Leganes today and Barcelona visits Las Palmas on Thursday. “We didn’t deserve this goal in the last minute,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We played well, created chances, but things didn’t go our way in the end.” Ronaldo, who scored eight goals in his last four games, was rested by Zidane to make sure he is fully fit for the second leg

against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League next week. The European champions won the first match 3-1 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Madrid hosts Getafe in the Spanish league on Saturday in its final game before the match in Paris. Toni Kroos, Marcelo and Luka Modric also did not play as they try to recover from injuries for next week’s game against PSG. Casemiro was left out because of a stomach problem, while Dani Carvajal and Karim Benzema started on the bench. Gareth Bale played up front along with Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio and Isco. The midfield had Marcos Llorente and Mateo Kovacic, and the full backs were Nacho Fernandez and Achraf Hakimi. Benzema replaced Isco in the 69th minute. Madrid had outscored opponents 20-7 in its five-game winning streak. Espanyol, 13th in the league standings, hadn’t won in seven matches, since it ended Barcelona’s 29-match unbeaten streak in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in January. Its last league win came eight rounds

SWANSEA INTO FA CUP QUARTER-FINALS FOR 1ST TIME IN 54 YEARS SWANSEA, Wales (AP) — Swansea coach Carlos Carvalhal got the better of former club Sheffield Wednesday in a 2-0 win yesterday that sent the Welsh club into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 54 years. Jordan Ayew and Nathan Dyer both scored from close range in the second half of the fifth-round replay as Swansea set up a match at home to either Tottenham or third-tier Rochdale, who meet in a replay today. Carvalhal — a Portuguese coach known for his humour and colourful analogies — left Sheffield Wednesday in December, was hired by Swansea four days later, and has since done an impressive job in lifting the team toward safety in the Premier League. Ayew slotted home a rebound in the 55th minute after Tom Carroll’s shot hit one post and span across the goal-line to hit the other upright. Dyer drove in a low shot for the second goal in the 80th after being played in by Tammy Abraham. Swansea is one win away from a semi-final match at Wembley Stadium, where it won the English League Cup in 2013.

REAL MADRID’S BENZEMA, left, duels for the ball with Espanyol’s Esteban Granero during their Spanish La Liga match at RCDE stadium in Cornella Llobregat, Spain, yesterday. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) shot from near the penalty spot after a well-placed cross by Sergio Garcia following a late breakaway. “It was more or less the same against Atletico and Barcelona, we found a way to win in the end,” Moreno said. “This result restores our confidence after a series of poor results.”

ago, at Levante. It had already beaten Atletico 1-0 at home and drawn Barcelona 1-1 in the league. Espanyol had never beaten Madrid at RCDE Stadium, where it began playing in 2009. Moreno, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half, scored the winner with a

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny

A moonlit sky

Mostly sunny

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

High: 84°

Low: 70°

High: 85° Low: 71°

High: 86° Low: 66°

High: 80° Low: 64°

High: 79° Low: 64°

AccuWeather RealFeel

93° F

74° F

92°-75° F

91°-64° F

81°-61° F

76°-62° F

ORLANDO

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 66° F/19° C

TAMPA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 69° F/21° C

ABACO

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 72° F/22° C

7-14 knots

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 67° F/19° C

8-16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

WEST PALM BEACH

tiDes For nassau High

almanac

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

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.

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 68° F/20° C

MIAMI

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 69° F/21° C

4-8 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 81° F/27° C Low .................................................... 61° F/16° C Normal high ....................................... 78° F/26° C Normal low ........................................ 64° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 84° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 67° F/19° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 5.78” Normal year to date ..................................... 2.85”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 70° F/21° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 72° F/22° C

KEY WEST

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

4-8 knots

3-6 knots

12:37 p.m. -0.6 ---------

Thursday

7:03 a.m. 7:27 p.m.

3.3 2.9

12:46 a.m. -0.8 1:27 p.m. -0.7

Friday

7:53 a.m. 8:17 p.m.

3.3 3.0

1:40 a.m. -0.8 2:14 p.m. -0.8

Saturday

8:40 a.m. 9:05 p.m.

3.2 3.0

2:30 a.m. -0.8 2:59 p.m. -0.8

Sunday

9:26 a.m. 9:52 p.m.

3.0 2.9

3:20 a.m. -0.6 3:44 p.m. -0.7

Monday

10:11 a.m. 10:39 p.m.

2.8 2.8

4:09 a.m. -0.4 4:27 p.m. -0.5

Tuesday

10:57 a.m. 11:28 p.m.

2.5 2.7

4:58 a.m. -0.2 5:12 p.m. -0.2

sun anD moon 6:34 a.m. 6:11 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

5:01 p.m. 5:30 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Mar. 1

Mar. 9

Mar. 17

Mar. 24

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 70° F/21° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 71° F/22° C

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 68° F/20° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 71° F/22° C

Ht.(ft.)

3.3 2.8

Sunrise Sunset

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 71° F/22° C

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

Low

6:11 a.m. 6:35 p.m.

CAT ISLAND

Ht.(ft.)

Today

3-6 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 76° F/24° C Low: 72° F/22° C

High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 80° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

7-14 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 NE at 8-16 Knots SSW at 6-12 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots SSE at 4-8 Knots SSE at 3-6 Knots S at 4-8 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots NW at 3-6 Knots SSW at 4-8 Knots E at 8-16 Knots SSW at 7-14 Knots E at 3-6 Knots S at 4-8 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots E at 4-8 Knots NE at 3-6 Knots S at 4-8 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots W at 3-6 Knots SSW at 4-8 Knots

WAVES 4-7 Feet 3-5 Feet 0-1 Feet 0-1 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 5-9 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 0-1 Feet

VISIBILITY 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 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. 75° F 75° F 78° F 78° F 77° F 77° F 79° F 79° F 75° F 75° F 77° F 77° F 77° F 77° F 79° F 79° F 79° F 79° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 79° F 79° F 77° F 77° F

PAGE 8, Wednesday, February 28, 2018

THE TRIBUNE