Sports News-December 21, 2012
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It was not a lucky number 13 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose twelve-game winning streak ended on the home floor of the Minnesota Timberwolves, 99-93. Kevin Love had 28 points, eleven rebounds and seven assists to lead the T-Wolves. Nikola Pekovic had 24 points and ten rebounds for Minnesota. But it was guard J.J. Barea who was the key. Barea scored twelve straight at one point for the Wolves to hold off the team with the best record in the league. Barea scored 14 of his 18 in the final quarter. Kevin Durant had 33 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Russell Westbrook had 30 points, eleven rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who had not lost a game since Nov. 23 at Boston.
Duke has won the Jabari Parker sweepstakes. The 6’8 Parker from Chicago's Simeon Career Academy, one of the most highly touted recruits in years, is headed to Duke. With a national TV audience watching, he announced his decision at a news conference at his high school gym. Parker can't sign his letter of intent until April 17, but he made his intentions clear with one highly anticipated oral commitment. Duke beat out Michigan State, Florida, Stanford and Brigham Young for Parker's services. In the end, he chose to play for Mike Krzyzewski for at least a year before making what many believe will ultimately be a jump to the NBA.
A Wakefield native has been hired as the new women’s volleyball coach at Northeast Community College. Amanda Schultze will lead the new team into action beginning in the fall of 2013. Northeast has reinstated volleyball and men’s golf after both programs were disbanded several years ago. Schultze, the former Amanda Nelson, is a 2006 graduate of Wakefield High School. She attended Central Community College in Columbus for two years, where she received an Associate’s degree. Schultze earned All-American honors as a setter with the Raiders. She then transferred to Morningside College in Sioux City where she played libero for the Mustangs. Schultze has been a graduate assistant volleyball coach at Wayne State the past two seasons. Northeast Athletic Director Kurt Pytleski said they have had many inquiries from several local high school seniors who want to play for Northeast and will now have tryouts and sign up to 14 student-athletes for the team.
Jordan Hooper scored more than 30 points for the second straight home game, pouring in 33 points in just 25 minutes to lead the Nebraska women's basketball team to an 80-67 win over Oral Roberts last night at the Devaney Center. The Huskers improved to 9-3 overall while Oral Roberts slipped to 3-6. Hooper, who has averaged 32.7 points per game in her last three home games, hit 13-23 shots from the field, including 5-10 three-pointers. The 6’2 junior forward from Alliance, also hit both of her free throw attempts, while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. Senior point guard Lindsey Moore also produced a strong all-around game with 15 points and eight assists, while hitting 5-7 shots from the field including her lone three-point attempt, while also making all four of her free throws. Moore's eight assists moved her into second place on NU's career list with 568, ahead of both Nicole Kubik’s 563 and Jina Johansen’s 567.
Wayne State has announced plans to begin nearly $1.3 million in athletic facility renovations which include installation of artificial field turf at Bob Cunningham Field, resurfacing of the Dr. LeRoy Simpson Track at Cunningham Field and widening of the playing surface at the Soccer Complex. The Athletic Department and Foundation are charged with raising $575,000 of this project. Currently, twelve of the 16 schools in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and 13 of the 15 schools in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, another conference that is in the Central Region that Wayne State competes in, also have field turf. The current natural grass field surface is shared by Wayne State and Wayne High School. Plans call for construction crews to begin removing dirt from Cunningham Field in May of 2013 with the project scheduled for completion before the start of the 2013-14 school year.
The Omaha Central boys basketball team will play in a losers' bracket game today in the City of Palms Invitational at Fort Myers, Florida. The Eagles will play Chicago Whitney Young. Omaha Central, ranked first in Class ‘A’ in both polls, lost to Long Beach Poly of California 52-49. Long Beach Poly hit a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to snap the Eagles' 41-game winning streak. Akoy Agau finished with 13 points for Omaha Central. The Eagles will need to win today's game at 4:15 to reach the fifth-place game.
Local Schedule: West Point Guardian Angels at Nfk Cath (BBB-7:45); Nfk Cath at Laurel/Concord/Coleridge (GBB-7:45); LHNE at Homer (G&B BB-6:15).
Tonight: The Lutheran High Northeast girls & boys basketball teams are on the road at Homer for a doubleheader starting with the girls game at 6:15. Pregame coverage at approximately 5:55 on 106 KIX & 106KIX.com.
Saturday Morning: Sportstalk on 106 KIX & 106KIX.com from 9:00-10:00 AM from Hy-Vee East. This week, Nfk High’s Ben Ries; Nfk Cath’s Tim Kassmeier & Jason Konicek; LHNE’s Greg Rathke; Crofton girls basketball coach Aaron Losing, & Plainview wrestling coach Dean Boyer.
Local Scores: LHNE 33 Osmond 27 (WR Dual); Nebraska 80 Oral Roberts 67 (WBB).
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Minnesota 99 Oklahoma City 93
Final Miami 110 Dallas 95
Final Portland 101 Denver 93
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final ( 1) Duke 76 Elon 54
Final ( 2) Michigan 93 E. Michigan 54
TOP-25 WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final ( 5) Notre Dame 87 Kansas St. 57
Final ( 9) Maryland 69 Delaware 53
Final CS Northridge 77 (12) UCLA 72
Final (18) Oklahoma 70 UC Riverside 46
Final (20) Texas 53 Cornell 40
Final (22) Texas A&M 78 Old Dominion 55
Final Duquesne 62 (24) West Virginia 54
BOYS BASKETBALL
Anselmo-Merna 58, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 45
Boyd County 52, Hartington 49
Burwell 55, Twin Loup 29
Creighton 55, Bloomfield 30
Grand Island Northwest 50, Grand Island Central Catholic 34
Madison 64, Elkhorn Valley 35
Perkins County 45, Ogallala 41
Harrison Tournament
Crawford 40, Banner County 35
Lakota Nation Tournament (Paha Sapa Bracket)
Semifinal
Custer, S.D. 69, Omaha Nation 40
Maxwell Booster Tournament
SMC 44, Maxwell 30
Paxton Tournament
Third Place
Maywood 38, Garden County 33
Championship
Paxton 60, Mullen 46
POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Bellevue East vs. Bellevue West, ppd.
Cedar Bluffs vs. Walthill, ppd.
Cross County vs. Osceola, ppd. to Jan 31.
Diller-Odell vs. Exeter/Milligan, ppd.
Dundy County-Stratton vs. Chase County, ppd.
Elwood vs. Gibbon, ppd.
Humphrey St. Francis vs. Nebraska Christian, ppd.
Lewiston vs. Friend, ppd.
Niobrara/Verdigre vs. Lindsay Holy Family, ppd.
North Platte vs. Lincoln East, ppd. to Dec 21.
O'Neill vs. Guardian Angels, ppd.
Omaha Gross Catholic vs. Bishop Neumann, ppd.
Omaha Roncalli vs. Plattsmouth, ppd. to Dec 21.
Ord vs. Cozad, ppd.
Phillipsburg, Kan. vs. McCook, ppd.
Platteview vs. Louisville, ppd.
Ralston vs. Fort Calhoun, ppd.
Scribner-Snyder vs. Douglas County West, ppd. to Jan 7.
Southern Valley vs. Loomis, ppd.
Southern vs. Freeman, ppd.
St. Edward vs. Nebraska Lutheran, ppd. to Jan 8.
Wilcox-Hildreth vs. Red Cloud, ppd.
Knight Classic Tournament
Elkhorn Mount Michael vs. Hartington Cedar Catholic, ppd. to Dec 21.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Boyd County 57, Hartington 47
Dakota Valley, S.D. 61, Ponca 44
Madison 67, Elkhorn Valley 37
Perkins County 44, Ogallala 36
Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 35, Anselmo-Merna 24
Twin Loup 37, Burwell 29
Harrison Tournament
Crawford 60, Banner County 7
Sioux County 48, Morrill 39
Lakota Nation Tournament (Paha Sapa Bracket)
Quarterfinal
Omaha Nation 47, Custer, S.D. 45
Maxwell Booster Tournament
SMC 50, Maxwell 44
Paxton Tournament
Third Place
Maywood 42, Garden County 37
Championship
Mullen 55, Paxton 40
POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Bellevue East vs. Bellevue West, ppd.
Cedar Bluffs vs. Walthill, ppd.
Cross County vs. Osceola, ppd. to Jan 31.
Diller-Odell vs. Exeter/Milligan, ppd.
Dundy County-Stratton vs. Chase County, ppd.
Elwood vs. Gibbon, ppd.
Humphrey St. Francis vs. Nebraska Christian, ppd.
Lewiston vs. Friend, ppd.
Loomis vs. Southern Valley, ppd.
Malcolm vs. Logan View, ppd. to Jan 5.
Nebraska Lutheran vs. St. Edward, ppd. to Jan 8.
Niobrara/Verdigre vs. Lindsay Holy Family, ppd.
North Platte vs. Lincoln East, ppd.
O'Neill vs. Guardian Angels, ppd.
Ord vs. Cozad, ppd.
Phillipsburg, Kan. vs. McCook, ppd.
Platteview vs. Louisville, ppd.
Raymond Central vs. Wilber-Clatonia, ppd. to Dec 21.
Scribner-Snyder vs. Douglas County West, ppd. to Jan 7.
Southern vs. Freeman, ppd.
Wilcox-Hildreth vs. Red Cloud, ppd.
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