USA

Anthony Davis plays and Lakers overcome shaky start in blowout win over Hawks

Anthony Davis plays and Lakers overcome shaky start in blowout win over Hawks

19/03/2024, USA, Basketball, NBA (Basketball), Article # 31687053

D'Angelo Russell finishes with 27 points and ties the Lakers' single-season record for three-pointers in a 136-105 blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks.



https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2024-03-18/dangelo-russell-anthony-davis-lakers-hawks-nba-recap
High school scores and top performers from Monday

High school scores and top performers from Monday

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686943

Here are Orlando area high school scores and top performers from Monday, March 18:

Baseball

Apopka 8, Edgewater 1

Buzz: Jackson Adams went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored for the Blue Darters (6-4) while Reef VanKuren was 2-for-4, and Cody McKinley added a single, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Windermere 12, Lake Nona 3

Buzz: Aidan Reyes was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and 3 RBI for the Wolverines (8-2) in the win while Gabriel Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored, and Randy Ruiz added a single and 3 RBI. Fabian Gavalo went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Lions (6-4) while Lorenzo Rodriguez-Pozo added a triple and 3 RBI.

West Boca Raton 7, Bishop Moore 1

Buzz: Aaron Reabe went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Hornets (7-4) in the loss.

Fort Pierce Central 8, Orangewood Christian 6

Buzz: Roby McClarnon was 4-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Rams (6-4) in the loss while Carson Balls added a single and 2 RBI.

Oviedo 6, Dr. Phillips 5

Buzz: Kaiden Lopez went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Lions (7-4) in the win while Cooper Pitman had 2 hits and 2 runs scored, and Colin Napier added 2 hits and an RBI.

Olympia 14, Jones 9

Buzz: Adonys Velez was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Titans (5-2) in the win at the Tate Aggie Classic in Pensacola while Yamil Gonzalez was 3-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI. Matthew Logan had 2 doubles, a run scored and an RBI while Mason Mojica added a home run and 2 RBI. Greg Williams was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI for the Tigers (7-3), while Javier Rojas went 3-for-5.

Celebration 25, Haileyville (OK) 2

Buzz: Alejandro Moreno went 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 5 RBI for the Storm (1-3) while Alejandro Hernandez was 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI, and Keiner Quintero added 2 hits and 3 RBI.

Master’s Academy 6, Centennial 1

Buzz: Julian Mercado got the complete-game pitching win for the Eagles (6-4) with 4 strikeouts and just 3 hits given up. Mercado also went 3-for-4 with a double while James Rudolph added a double, run scored and an RBI.

First Academy-Leesburg 8, Geneva School 6

Buzz: Reid Patterson was 2-for-4 with a double and 3 runs scored for the Eagles (4-3) in the win while Nate Johnson added a double, run scored and 3 RBI.

West Orange 3, Foundation Academy 1

Buzz: Brooklyn Hicks had a double and a run scored for the Warriors (8-2) in their win while Joshua Bell had a single, run scored and an RBI and Parker Hohnstock got the pitching win with 8 strikeouts in 5 innings. Ryle Gibson went 2-for-3 for the Lions (10-1) and pitched the complete game with 7 strikeouts in the hard-luck loss.

East Ridge 15, St. John Lutheran 0

Buzz: Barak Boston was 3-for-3 for the Knights (3-7) while Stephen Pineda notched the pitching win.

Other scores:

American Heritage 7, Horizon 1

Lake Mary 11, Pine Ridge 1

Softball

Lake Minneola 17, First Academy-Leesburg 1

Buzz: Claire Colton had a double for the Eagles (2-4) in the loss while Alivia Collins had the lone RBI and Avery Keller scored the run.

South Sumter 7, Umatilla 2

Buzz: Kiersten Taylor had a double and run scored for the Bulldogs (5-3) in the loss while Jaelyn Larsen had an RBI and Brooke Moss scored the other run.

Girls Flag Football

DeLand 14, Orange City University 0

Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com 



https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/high-school-scores-stats-march-18/
Keeler: Deion Sanders’ new offensive line coach wants CU Buffs to “build a fence” that stops t

Keeler: Deion Sanders’ new offensive line coach wants CU Buffs to “build a fence” that stops t

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686915

BOULDER — Godzilla wouldn’t throw down with Phil Loadholt. Unless the King of the Monsters wants a place of honor among Deion Sanders’ luggage, best swing that mighty tail around the other direction and run, son.

If the Buffs’ new offensive line coach is ever cornered in a dark alley by a bear, Yogi’s as good as a rug. At 6-foot-8, 340-ish pounds, when Loadholt rises and stretches at the dawn of a new day, the man blots out the sun.

“It’s like (an) eclipse walked outta here,” CU’s wide receivers coach Jason Phillips cracked Monday as he replaced Loadholt on a makeshift podium across the hall from The Buff Team Store.

Like tugging on Superman’s cape, spitting into the wind and pulling the mask off that old Lone Ranger, you mess around with Phil at your peril.

“We want to recruit the top talent, as you’ve seen with Jordan (Seaton) coming in,” Loadholt said when I asked him Monday about his philosophy and lodestar. “And then hopefully keep the guys that are in-state (in Colorado), keep them here.”

(Sound of a record scratching, then silence.)

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Go on.

“I know we’ve got some good linemen (from Colorado) that are at other places right now,” Loadholt continued. “And we hopefully can build a fence around that and keep those guys here so that we don’t have look at other places, you know what I mean? So hopefully, we can start building that relationship around the state.”

Priority for you?

“One-hundred percent. One-hundred percent.”

As Loadholt spoke, off in the distance, I could almost hear ex-CU big man Matt McChesney scream out a “hallelujah” from halfway across town.

The first step to addressing a problem? Admitting you have one in the first place. Since 2017, per 247Sports.com’s database, Colorado high schools have produced seven offensive line prospects who rated as four stars or higher, or an average of one per recruiting cycle. The Buffs wound up signing … one of them.

And while Coach Prime is more of a “let’s portal them in as free agents when they’re juniors or seniors” sort than a developmental, Kirk Ferentz, Barry Alvarez, Bill Snyder kind of guy, talent is talent. And baby steps forward are still steps, especially when they’re trending in the right direction.

“Being a good player doesn’t make you a good coach,” the first-time offensive line boss noted. “I understand that as well. But I definitely lean on my experience.”

At 38, Loadholt is a blocker who’s been around the block a bit. A star in football, basketball and track for Fountain-Fort Carson, his frame and pedigree blossomed at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, then at the University of Oklahoma. The Minnesota Vikings plucked him in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and he proved to be a mainstay up front in the Great White North until injuries hastened his retirement in the summer of 2016. The coaching bug bit, and stops on the staffs at UCF, Mississippi and Oklahoma led Coach Prime to make Loadholt an offensive line guru this past offseason.

“(The hiring process) was surreal, man,” Loadholt recalled. “It was full circle for me, obviously, being (from) about an hour and 45 minutes down the road. So being able to come back to my hometown, spend time with my parents and my sister, who still live here … it’s great.”

We learned a lot about Sanders last year, for better or worse. The only quicker way into Coach Prime’s doghouse than becoming a sports columnist is being CU’s offensive line coach after Shedeur Sanders just spent three hours running for his life on national television.

“No, he made that clear,” Loadholt said with a grin. “He made that very clear. But the interview process was real. I went and (saw) him, went down to his house and (saw) him and spent some time with him down there and let him know my philosophy and how I want to take care of things.

“And that point (about Shedeur) was definitely made, that it’s important to keep the quarterback up. So I’m excited to have that chance to do that.”

According to 247, the top in-state prep prospect for the Class of ’25 is another top-shelf lineman, Cherry Creek tackle Soren Shinofield. The Buffs haven’t offered yet, reportedly. But if Loadholt is serious about building a fence, he can start with the garden out back.

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https://www.denverpost.com/2024/03/18/deion-sanders-cu-buffs-recruiting-offensive-linemen/
Old friends in CU Buffs’ Tad Boyle, Boise State’s Leon Rice collide in NCAA First Four

Old friends in CU Buffs’ Tad Boyle, Boise State’s Leon Rice collide in NCAA First Four

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686916

It wasn’t long after Colorado, with a great collective sigh of relief, officially landed the sixth NCAA Tournament bid under Tad Boyle when CU’s coach picked up his phone and made a call.

With a First Four matchup set in Dayton against Boise State on Wednesday night, Boyle wanted to bend the ear of one of his better friends in the coaching fraternity. That, of course, is nothing unusual. Yet it was likely one of the few times in NCAA Tournament history that sort of call was placed to the very coach looking to end his friend’s season.

When the Buffs lock horns with the Broncos on Wednesday (7:10 p.m. MT, truTV), it will be a battle of longtime coaching allies in Boyle and Boise State head coach Leon Rice.

As youngsters, Rice preceded Boyle as an assistant at Oregon in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and he was an assistant at Northern Colorado when Boyle was cutting his coaching teeth at Longmont High.

“Leon Rice is one of my dearest friends in the coaching business. We talk weekly throughout the season. Two, three times a week sometimes about our teams,” Boyle said. “He knows our team extremely well because he watches our games. I know his team extremely well because I watch his games.

“Now, the players, maybe not so much. But the coaches know. He’s familiar with us. I’m familiar with them. Now it’s a challenge to get our teams familiar and ready.”

Boyle and Rice have worked together each of the past two summers as well. Boyle was the head coach for USA Basketball’s U18 FIBA Americas team and the U19 World Cup team last summer, and he brought Rice on board as an assistant for both teams.

“We’ve had a lot of great times together and we really lean on each other,” Rice told BuffZone during last summer’s U19 training camp in Colorado Springs. “Tad really helps me through my hard times. I try to help him in the coaching hard times in the season. We bounce a lot of stuff off each other and we have a deep relationship.”

J'Vonne Hadley (1) of the Colorado Buffaloes speaks with head coach Tad Boyle during the second half of the Oregon Ducks' 75-68 Pac-12 Tournament championship game win at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
J’Vonne Hadley (1) of the Colorado Buffaloes speaks with head coach Tad Boyle during the second half of the Oregon Ducks’ 75-68 Pac-12 Tournament championship game win at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

First-round tournament matchups often begin with an air of unfamiliarity. Yet that won’t be the case in Dayton, and it extends beyond the close relationship between the head coaches.

CU and the Broncos squared off in the Myrtle Beach Invitational early last season, with the Broncos posting a 68-55 victory in which the Buffs shot just 35.8% overall while going 4-for-20 on 3-pointers. Given the impact of the transfer portal, a surprising number of key rotation players return from both sides from that matchup, including Tyson Degenhart, Chibuzo Agbo, Max Rice and Jace Whiting for Boise, plus KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva, Luke O’Brien and Javon Ruffin for the Buffs (J’Vonne Hadley suffered a minor injury in the first game at Myrtle Beach and didn’t play against the Broncos).

Degenhart recorded 14 points and seven rebounds against the Buffs last year, and he enters Wednesday’s matchup as Boise State’s leading scorer (17.0) and second-leading rebounder (6.2).

“Going through the game plan from a year ago kind of gives you an idea of how they play, what kind of team they are, what their culture is,” da Silva said. “So it’s not like a completely new team, I’d say, but obviously they have new players, they have new roles. We’ve still got to make sure that we get a good game plan together and execute that.”

Boise State coach Leon Rice gestures during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against San Diego State on Friday, March 8, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Boise State coach Leon Rice gestures during the second half of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against San Diego State on Friday, March 8, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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https://www.denverpost.com/2024/03/18/old-friends-in-cu-buffs-tad-boyle-boises-leon-rice-collide-in-ncaa-first-four/
Seminoles’ rise boosted by transfers

Seminoles’ rise boosted by transfers

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686887

By Bob Ferrante

Orlando Sentinel Correspondent

TALLAHASSEE — There are college football programs around the nation taking more transfers than Florida State. But few can claim a success rate quite like that of Mike Norvell and the Seminoles’ staff the last few years.

FSU had 11 selections to the 2023 All-ACC team who transferred in after Norvell took over, a group that doesn’t include quarterback Jordan Travis. While there will annually be a debate over who is the portal king, and really anyone from Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin to Colorado’s Deion Sanders to Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and even former FSU offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State can stake a claim.

But Norvell has always stated that recruiting the portal and high school ranks is all about “fit.” FSU has found the right fit of production, leadership and personality that have translated to 23 wins the last two seasons.

“It’s about being right,” Norvell said. “There’s plenty of people that have taken more transfers. People point to ours because ours are good. They do a great job when they get here. They make impacts.”

FSU’s coaching staff will get a first-hand look at the transfers and what impact they could have in 2024 when spring practice opens on Tuesday. It’s the first of 15 practices leading up to the spring showcase on April 20 inside a Doak Campbell Stadium that, perhaps fittingly, is also going through a massive renovation.

There’s perhaps no bigger transfer than quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, whom Norvell says has fit right in with Brock Glenn and incoming freshmen Luke Kromenhoek and Trever Jackson, an Orlando native. But the impact of transfers could also be reflected at nearly every position group on offense and defense.

While the narrative with transfers is that they often come and go after one year, Jared Verse was a two-year transfer who is set to be an NFL first-round draft pick. Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett and defensive back Jarrian Jones just spent four years at FSU following a transfer from Mississippi State.

And FSU has retained a number of multi-year transfers who will be major parts of the 2024 roster, including tight end Kyle Morlock, offensive linemen Jeremiah Byers and Keiondre Jones, defensive tackle Darrell Jackson, defensive backs Greedy Vance and Fentrell Cypress, linebacker Justin Cryer and tailback Caziah Holmes of Cocoa.

Norvell called it a “new age of college athletics with change and transition.” As the Seminoles have won incrementally more games in each of his prior four years, they have also been able to manage the portal better and better. With wins comes the attraction of FSU’s coaches and roadmap for player development as well as helping them develop for the NFL.

FSU loses Verse as well as Lovett and Braden Fiske on the defensive front. But their development and success is why FSU was able to land some of the top defensive ends in the portal in Marvin Jones Jr. (Georgia), Sione Lolohea (Oregon State) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (West Virginia) as well as defensive tackle Grady Kelly (Colorado State).

“We’re not going to say that we’re better than anyone else,” defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said. “We’ve taken a lot transfers and high school kids. But tell me the ones that haven’t worked out. The trust is that. Right? … We’re not better evaluators than everybody in the country. I’m not saying we are. But I’m saying we’re really good at it — for what fits here.”



https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/seminoles-rise-boosted-by-transfers/
Dolphins restructure running back Jeff Wilson Jr.’s contract to lower 2024 cap hit

Dolphins restructure running back Jeff Wilson Jr.’s contract to lower 2024 cap hit

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686888

Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. agreed to a contract restructure Monday that cuts into his 2024 cap hit to the team.

The adjustment lowers Wilson’s cap number from $3.67 million to $2,375,500, according to a league source.

It essentially assures Wilson’s return to the Dolphins for the 2024 season as he was previously a candidate to be released for savings toward the salary cap.

Wilson’s base salary was lowered from $2.6 million to $1,125,000, but he added $400,000 guaranteed, plus workout and roster bonuses and incentives.

The 28-year-old power runner signed a two-year, $6 million contract as a free agent last offseason, but in his first season on the deal, he only carried 41 times for 188 rushing yards without a touchdown, adding 14 receptions for 85 yards.

In the 2023 offseason, Wilson was coming off his best season. Acquired by the Dolphins in a midseason trade, he had 860 rushing yards and six total touchdowns in time split between Miami and San Francisco.

Wilson (6 feet, 210 pounds) has ties to Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel from back with the 49ers when McDaniel was both run-game coordinator and then offensive coordinator as Wilson first made it with San Francisco as an undrafted player in 2018.

Miami essentially returns its running back corps in 2024. Rookie phenom De’Von Achane is back for a second season, and veteran Raheem Mostert is also under contract coming off a career year. The team already re-signed fellow running back Salvon Ahmed, and Chris Brooks enters a second professional season after making the Dolphins roster as an undrafted rookie in 2023.

Wilson’s top highlight with Miami last season was a defining moment in the team’s last win. He plunged for a late first-down conversion on third-and-2 against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 24 that allowed Miami to run down the clock so kicker Jason Sanders’ game-winning field could come as time expired.



https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/dolphins-restructure-running-back-jeff-wilson-jr-s-contract-to-lower-2024-cap-hit/
Northern Colorado to play University of Texas San Antonio Thursday in Women’s NIT

Northern Colorado to play University of Texas San Antonio Thursday in Women’s NIT

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686996

The University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball team will play the University of Texas San Antonio in the first round of the Women’s NIT Thursday in San Antonio, Texas.

The game begins at 5:30 p.m. MDT (6:30 p.m. CDT) and will be played at the Convocation Center on the UTSA campus.

The matchups and full bracket for the 48-team tournament were announced Monday afternoon. Games will be played at campus sites. The tournament field was announced Sunday evening. UNC and UTSA were among the 37 teams receiving at-large selections.

UNC is 15-15 this year following the regular season and Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Bears lost to Montana State 47-44 in overtime in a Big Sky tournament quarterfinal last week.

UNC is making its fifth appearance in the WNIT. The team played in the tournament in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019. Wyoming defeated UNC in the first round of the 2019 tournament, 68-60, in Laramie.

UTSA (17-14) is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners were 10-8 in the AAC and also received an at-large selection. The team lost its most recent game March 12 to East Carolina in the AAC semifinals.

UTSA will play in the postseason for the first time since the 2008-09 season, according to the Roadrunners’ athletics website. That year, the Roadrunners made their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after winning Southland Conference Tournament titles.

The winner of the UNC-UTSA game advances to the second round against Wyoming (16-14) of the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming has a first-round bye.

Second-round games are scheduled for March 23-26.

The WNIT is composed of 11 automatic qualifying teams and 37 at-large programs, according to the tournament website womensnit.com.

The 11 automatic qualifying teams are: Colgate (18-13) from the Patriot League, Grambling (22-9) from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Le Moyne (18-13) from Northeast Conference, Monmouth (21-9), from Coastal Athletic Association, Niagara (20-13) from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Northern Arizona (25-9) from the Big Sky, South Carolina Upstate (16-15) from the Big South Conference, Southern Indiana (24-6) from the Ohio Valley Conference, Stetson (17-14) from the Atlantic Sun Conference, University of Albany (25-6) from America East Conference and UNC Greensboro (21-11) from the Southern Conference.

Northern Arizona also has a first-round bye. The Lumberjacks play either South Dakota or the University of California Riverside in the second round.

Big Sky Conference member Montana (22-9) also received an at-large selection to the tournament. The Grizzlies host Boise State (21-13) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the first round.

The third round is scheduled for March 27-29. The quarterfinals are March 30-April 1, with the semifinals scheduled for April 2-3. The championship game will be played at 3 p.m. Eastern Saturday, April 6, and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.



https://www.denverpost.com/2024/03/18/northern-colorado-to-play-university-of-texas-san-antonio-thursday-in-womens-nit/
50th Players Championship delivers needed greatness for PGA Tour

50th Players Championship delivers needed greatness for PGA Tour

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686889

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The week of the 50th Players Championship began with a flap but ended with a flourish.

Scottie Scheffler’s dramatic and historic 1-shot come-from-behind win was the show-stopping performance the PGA Tour needed on its biggest stage.

Scheffler’s relentless execution and closing ability drew Tiger Woods comparisons as he maintained his stranglehold on world No. 1 at the expense of the reigning U.S. Open champion (Wyndham Clark), British Open champ (Brian Harman) and Olympic gold medalist (Xander Schauffele).

Yet Scheffler didn’t have the opportunity to chase down, defeat and demoralize all of golf’s top players.

Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during his closing 8-under 64 during the final round of The Players Championship March 17 in Ponte Vedra Beach. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during his closing 8-under 64 during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

LIV Golf continued to intrude at TPC Sawgrass, even if the absence of world No. 2 Jon Rahm, five-time major champion Brooks Koepka and five former Players champions, including 2022 winner Cam Smith, took nothing away from Scheffler’s transcendent performance. 

During his annual address Tuesday, commissioner Jay Monahan highlighted the Tour’s multi-billion dollar agreement with the Strategic Sports Group, aimed to combat the Saudi-funded rival league. Reporter queries followed, as did player reaction.

Schauffele said Monahan had “a long way to go to gain the trust of the membership,” potentially setting the stage for an uncomfortable champion’s ceremony when Schauffele held the 54-hole lead.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan looks on during the trophy ceremony after the final round of The Players Championship March 17 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan looks on during the trophy ceremony after the final round of The Players Championship  at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Scheffler, not known to share public opinions, blamed LIV defectors for less buzz about the Tour’s showcase event.

“If the fans are upset, then look at the guys that left,” he said.

But by the time Scheffler hoisted the trophy Sunday evening, golf was in a better place.

The world’s No. 1 player matched the lowest final-round score by a winner with an 8-under-par 64 to erase a 5-shot deficit, equaling the tournament’s biggest comeback during 41 years at TPC Sawgrass.

The 27-year-old summoned his best stuff after three days of battling a neck injury and watching three players ranked inside the top 10 leave him behind.

But on the Players’ golden anniversary, forces came together to produce a final round as riveting and emotionally exhausting as any in tournament history.

‘Today was another battle, hard-fought week,” the understated Scheffler said. “A lot of guys played some really good golf this week.”

Wyndham Clark reacts after missing a tying birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of The Players Championship March 17 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Wyndham Clark reacts after missing a tying birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Harman, Schauffele and then Clark had a chance to tie Scheffler with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole. Clark’s ball even fell halfway into the cup before horse-shoeing out to end his bid in agonizing fashion, especially given he held a 4-shot lead after 36 holes.

Each would have been a worthy world-class winner.

In golf, though, dominance generates mass appeal like few sports.

Coming off a 5-shot win during the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando’s Bay Hill, Scheffler fit the bill. He led the Players field in strokes gained tee-to-green and off-the-tee, along with driving accuracy at TPC Sawgrass. He tied for third in greens in regulation.

The rare time he made a mistake, his brilliant short game saved him. A putter change prior to the API seems to have filled the one hole in his game.

Even when Scheffler struggled before winning at Bay Hill, he recorded 14 top-10s in 19 starts between wins.

Scottie Scheffler of the United States speaks to reporters after winning The Players Championship March 17 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Scottie Scheffler of the United States speaks to reporters after winning The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Now with consecutive wins for the first time since his dominant spring in 2022, tougher tests await.

The April 11-14 Masters will feature 2023 winner Rahm, Koepka and three-time champion Phil Mickelson, who tied for second in 2023, along with 2018 winner Patrick Reed, who tied for fourth. Augusta National Golf Club also is unlikely to yield the low scoring encouraged by soft conditions at TPC Sawgrass.

Either way, 2022 Masters champion Scheffler will be the man to beat. But even if he fails, he helped the PGA Tour deliver a major win Sunday.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com.



https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/players-championship-scottie-scheffler-jay-monahan-pga-tour-wyndham-clark-brian-haraman-xander-schauffele/
Magic can secure postseason spot with win Tuesday vs. Hornets

Magic can secure postseason spot with win Tuesday vs. Hornets

19/03/2024, USA, Multi Sports, USA Publications, Article # 31686890

Winners of three in a row, the Magic have a chance to clinch a non-losing season for the first time since 2018-19 on Tuesday night against the Hornets at Kia Center.

A home victory would mark Orlando‘s 41st of the season, securing at least a .500 record with 13 contests remaining.

Although the Magic have their eyes set on much more under third-year coach Jamahl Mosley with less than a month before the playoffs begin, securing a non-losing record would check off another box in the rebuilding process for the organization.

The Magic finished below .500 each of the past four years but have improved their win total each season under Mosley.

Speaking of the postseason, a win on Tuesday would also clinch, at worst, Orlando’s spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. That’s because the 11th-seeded Nets are unable to earn 41 wins this season after dropping Sunday’s game to the Spurs.

Beede’s Breakdown: How Magic adjusted against Raptors to sweep season series

The Nos. 7-10 seeds in each conference compete in the Play-In for the Nos. 7 and 8 spots in the playoffs.

Orlando missed the Play-In last year despite a surge in wins during the second half of the season. The group was the last team in the East to be mathematically eliminated from Play-In contention.

This year, the Magic have been ahead of schedule throughout most of the season. No better example is their current record.

Mosley’s squad enters the Charlotte game at 40-28. At this point last season, the Magic were 28-40.

Of course, Orlando can avoid the Play-In completely by finishing in top 6 in the East to clinch a first-round playoff berth.

Entering Monday’s games, the Magic sat fifth in the conference, just half a game behind the fourth-seeded Knicks (40-27) and two full games ahead of the sixth-seeded Pacers (38-30).

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Orlando has a 88.7% chance of finishing inside the top 6 and a 73.3% chance to win the Southeast Division.

The Magic have won just one division title (2019) since 2010.

While Orlando’s goals are in sight, its upcoming schedule after the Hornets only gets tougher.

Although all four games will be played at home (where the Magic are 23-9 this season), the next four opponents (Pelicans, Kings, Warriors and Clippers) hold above-.500 records. Orlando is 15-22 against teams with a winning record this year.

Three of those four teams also sit inside the top 6 in the West; Golden State is ninth.

Fortunately for Orlando, the team is healthy at the right time.

Forward Jonathan Isaac (who sat Sunday’s game vs. Toronto due to left knee injury maintenance) is set to be available for the Magic against the Hornets (17-51).

While Orlando has no players listed on its injury report, the same can’t be said for Charlotte.

Former Magic coach Steve Clifford won’t have guard LaMelo Ball (right ankle tendinopathy), guard Seth Curry (right ankle sprain), forward Cody Martin (left ankle sprain), guard Bryce McGowens (right knee strain) and center Mark Williams (low back injury recovery) against Orlando.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com



https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/18/orlando-magic-charlotte-hornets-nba-playoffs-jamahl-mosley/
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