Sports News-February 25, 2013
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Jimmie Johnson pulled ahead of defending NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski on the final restart and captured his second Daytona 500. The five-time Sprint Cup champion wasn't really challenged over the final six laps. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 winner, finished second for the third time in the last four season-opening races. Mark Martin was third, followed by Keselowski. Danica Patrick began as the first female pole-sitter and became the first woman to lead laps in the season-opening Cup event. She was in front for five laps along the way and sat third on the last lap before getting shuffled back to an eighth-place finish. It's the best showing by a woman in the history of the Great American Race.
New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson is going to be out up to ten weeks with a broken right forearm. The slugger was hit by a pitch from Toronto's J.A. Happ in the bottom of the first inning yesterday. The Yankees initially called it bruise but X-rays revealed the break. The blow is a major one for the Yankees, who are already without third baseman Alex Rodriguez until at least the All-Star break. Granderson led New York with 43 homers last season.
Rachel Theriot scored 19 points and the 24th ranked Nebraska women’s basketball team won its ninth game in a row, defeating Iowa 66-46 yesterday. Jordan Hooper and Lindsey Moore scored ten points apiece and Moore had eight assists for the Cornhuskers, who kept their hopes alive of sharing the conference championship. Nebraska's last two conference games are at Wisconsin on Thursday and at home next Sunday against seventh ranked Penn State, which owns at least a share of the Big Ten title. The Huskers improve to 21-6 overall and 11-3 in the Big Ten while the Hawkeyes drop to 17-11 overall and 6-8 in the conference.
The NSAA has released the Girls State Basketball Tournament bracket. Regarding area teams, on Thursday, in Class “C-1” at Pershing Center, Norfolk Catholic will take on Kearney Catholic at 2:00 and Pierce faces Minden at 8:45. In Class “C-2”, at Lincoln East High School, Crofton battles North Bend Central at 2:00 and Homer meets David City Aquinas at 3:45. In Class “D-1”, at Lincoln Northeast High School, Pender plays Palmer at 2:00, Emerson/Hubbard goes head to head with Friend at 3:45, West Point Guardian Angels faces Arapahoe at 7:00, and O’Neill St. Mary’s battles Sutherland at 8:45. In Class “D-2”, Osmond meets Deshler at Lincoln Northeast High School at 10:45. In games at Lincoln East High School, Lindsay Holy Family faces Wauneta/Palisade at 7:00 and Wynot takes on Giltner at 8:45.
The Omaha World Herald has updated its high school girls basketball rankings. Bellevue West remains first in the “Nebraska Top 10” & Class “A” while Seward is once again first in Class “B”. In Class “C-1”, Kearney Catholic is the new number one and Pierce slips from third to fifth. In Class “C-2”, Crofton is once again first and Homer remains second. In Class “D-1”, West Point Guardian Angels stays at number one, Pender is once again second, Emerson/Hubbard jumps from seventh to third, Howells/Dodge slips from third to fourth, and O’Neill St. Mary’s falls from fourth to fifth. In Class “D-2”, Lindsay Holy Family jumps from third to first, Humphrey High slips from first to second, Osmond improves from ninth to fifth, Wynot slips from second to sixth, Humphrey St. Francis drops from eighth to tenth.
High School Boys District Finals highlight the area schedule for today at 7:00. In Class “C-1”, Wayne takes on Boone Central/Newman Grove at Battle Creek in the C-1-4 final and O’Neill plays Gibbon at St. Paul in the C-1-5 final. In Class “C-2”, Lutheran High Northeast faces Oakland/Craig at Wisner/Pilger High School in the C-2-3 final and Hartington Cedar Catholic meets Crofton at Norfolk High in the C-2-4 final. In Class “B” District Semifinal, Columbus battles York at Lincoln Northeast High School at 5:45.
Local Schedule: LHNE Vs. Oakland/Craig at Wisner/Pilger (BBB C-2-3 Dist. Final-7:00).
Local Scores: (25) Texas 2 Nebraska 0 (Bsbl); (24) Nebraska 66 Iowa 46 (WBB).
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final L-A Lakers 103 Dallas 99
Final Golden State 100 Minnesota 99
Final Miami 109 Cleveland 105
Final New Orleans 110 Sacramento 95
Final Memphis 76 Brooklyn 72
Final New York 99 Philadelphia 93
Final San Antonio 97 Phoenix 87
Final Portland 92 Boston 86
Final Oklahoma City 102 Chicago 72
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston 4 Florida 1
Final Detroit 8 Vancouver 3
Final Winnipeg 4 New Jersey 2
Final Carolina 4 N-Y Islanders 2
Final Chicago 1 Columbus 0
Final Pittsburgh 5 Tampa Bay 3
Final OT Anaheim 4 Colorado 3
Final Calgary 5 Phoenix 4
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (18) Ohio St. 68 ( 4) Michigan St. 60
Final ( 6) Duke 89 Boston College 68
Final ( 7) Michigan 71 Illinois 58
Final (20) Pittsburgh 63 St. John's 47
Final (25) Notre Dame 62 Cincinnati 41
TOP-25 WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final ( 2) Notre Dame 84 DePaul 56
Final ( 4) Stanford 74 Oregon 50
Final ( 5) Duke 75 ( 8) Maryland 59
Final ( 6) California 58 Oregon St. 56
Final ( 7) Penn St. 68 Michigan 57
Final LSU 77 ( 8) Kentucky 72
Final Vanderbilt 61 (10) Texas A&M 51
Final (11) Tennessee 60 Arkansas 54
Final (12) Louisville 55 Villanova 49
Final (13) Georgia 73 Mississippi 54
Final (14) Dayton 67 Temple 47
Final (15) South Carolina 58 Mississippi St. 43
Final (16) North Carolina 68 NC State 58
Final (17) UCLA 63 Southern Cal 58
Final (18) Delaware 61 James Madison 60
Final Virginia Tech 71 (19) Florida St. 52
Final (20) Colorado 68 Washington 61
Final (22) Purdue 75 Minnesota 63
Final (24) Nebraska 66 Iowa 46
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