<a href="https://t.co/uRDBL1GANX">FULL RANKINGS</a>

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team dropped one spot to No. 16 in the final poll of the regular season released by the NJCAA on Monday afternoon.

Hutchinson is currently 24-5 overall, 19-4 in Jayhawk Conference play. The Blue Dragons close out the regular season on Wednesday at Garden City for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

The Blue Dragons have already locked up the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Region VI Tournament. The No. 3 seed guarantees a first round bye, and a quarterfinal game at the Sports Arena on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Hutchinson is one of four Jayhawk Conference schools in the Top 25. Barton stays put at No. 1 for the second straight week, while Cowley (No. 11), Hutch and Butler (No. 24) all stay in the rankings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701116844926.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://t.co/uRDBL1GANX">FULL RANKINGS</a>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team dropped one spot to No. 16 in the final poll of the regular season released by the NJCAA on Monday afternoon.Hutchinson is currently 24-5 overall, 19-4 in Jayhawk Conference play. The Blue Dragons close out the regular season on Wednesday at Garden City for a 7:30 p.m. tip.The Blue Dragons have already locked up the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Region VI Tournament. The No. 3 seed guarantees a first round bye, and a quarterfinal game at the Sports Arena on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.Hutchinson is one of four Jayhawk Conference schools in the Top 25. Barton stays put at No. 1 for the second straight week, while Cowley (No. 11), Hutch and Butler (No. 24) all stay in the rankings.

🏀 MBB: HutchCC No. 16 in NJCAA final regular season poll

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team remain No. 1 in the final poll of the regular season, released on Monday afternoon by the NJCAA.

The Blue Dragons are currently 29-0 overall, 23-0 in Jayhawk Conference play. 

HutchCC will close out the regular season on Wednesday at Garden City at 5:30 p.m.

The Blue Dragons have already locked up the KJCCC title and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Region VI Tournament. The No. 1 seed guarantees a first round bye, and a quarterfinal game at the Sports Arena on Tuesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m.

This marks the fourth straight week the Blue Dragons have been ranked No. 1 in the poll.

Hutchinson began the 2023-24 season unranked and picked second in the KJCCC preseason poll.&nbsp;

The Blue Dragons are one of two Jayhawk Conference teams in the final poll of the regular season. Dodge City dropped three spots from No. 14 to No. 17.

Wabash Valley (IL), Gulf Coast State (FL), Collin County (TX) and Northwest Florida State round out the top five.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709580999196.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy NJCAA" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy NJCAA</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://t.co/uRDBL1GANX">FULL RANKINGS</a>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team remain No. 1 in the final poll of the regular season, released on Monday afternoon by the NJCAA.The Blue Dragons are currently 29-0 overall, 23-0 in Jayhawk Conference play. HutchCC will close out the regular season on Wednesday at Garden City at 5:30 p.m.The Blue Dragons have already locked up the KJCCC title and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Region VI Tournament. The No. 1 seed guarantees a first round bye, and a quarterfinal game at the Sports Arena on Tuesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m.This marks the fourth straight week the Blue Dragons have been ranked No. 1 in the poll.Hutchinson began the 2023-24 season unranked and picked second in the KJCCC preseason poll.&nbsp;The Blue Dragons are one of two Jayhawk Conference teams in the final poll of the regular season. Dodge City dropped three spots from No. 14 to No. 17.Wabash Valley (IL), Gulf Coast State (FL), Collin County (TX) and Northwest Florida State round out the top five.

🏀 WBB: Hutchinson stays No. 1 in final NJCAA poll of regular season

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Senior&nbsp;Tylor Perry&nbsp;was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday afternoon (March 4) after averaging 27.5 points per game against West Virginia and Cincinnati last week.

Perry averaged 27.5 points on 63.6 percent shooting (14-of-22), including 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from 3-point range, and 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the free throw line in helping K-State to a 94-90 overtime win over West Virginia at home Feb. 26 and a narrow 74-72 loss at Cincinnati March 2. He also averaged 4.5 assists and 4 rebounds in 40 minutes per game in the 2 contests. It marked Perry’s team-leading ninth and 10th&nbsp;20-point games of the season, as he has scored 20 or more points in 5 of the last 9 games.

Perry scored his 54 total points on just 22 field goal attempts, tying his season-high for third and fourth time this season with 6 made 3-pointers in each contest.

The senior guard scored a season-high 29 points in the Wildcats’ Division I-record seventh overtime win of the season on just 12 shots, finishing 7-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with a 9-of-10 effort from the free throw line. He also added a game-high tying 6 assists and 4 rebounds in nearly 42 minutes.

Perry continued his strong week with 26 points in a narrow loss at Cincinnati, connecting on 7-of-10 field goals, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and 6-of-6 free throws to go along with 3 assists and 4 rebounds in 38 minutes. He scored 11 of his 26 points in a pivotal 18-4 run that nearly helped the Wildcats overcome a double-digit second-half deficit.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The weekly award is the first of the season for Perry and the first of his career. He is the second Wildcat to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors after junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;was selected for the honor on Dec. 11, 2023.

A 5-foot-11, 180-pound guard from Fort Coffee, Okla., Perry is currently averaging a team-best 16 points on 37.1 percent (121-of-326) shooting, including 34.2 percent (83-of-243) from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 36.9 minutes per game. He ranks in the top-15 in 7 categories in the Big 12, including first in minutes, second in 3-point field goals/game (2.86) and fifth in scoring (16.0 ppg.)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709580901463.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State AthleticsMANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Senior&nbsp;Tylor Perry&nbsp;was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday afternoon (March 4) after averaging 27.5 points per game against West Virginia and Cincinnati last week.Perry averaged 27.5 points on 63.6 percent shooting (14-of-22), including 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from 3-point range, and 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the free throw line in helping K-State to a 94-90 overtime win over West Virginia at home Feb. 26 and a narrow 74-72 loss at Cincinnati March 2. He also averaged 4.5 assists and 4 rebounds in 40 minutes per game in the 2 contests. It marked Perry’s team-leading ninth and 10th&nbsp;20-point games of the season, as he has scored 20 or more points in 5 of the last 9 games.Perry scored his 54 total points on just 22 field goal attempts, tying his season-high for third and fourth time this season with 6 made 3-pointers in each contest.The senior guard scored a season-high 29 points in the Wildcats’ Division I-record seventh overtime win of the season on just 12 shots, finishing 7-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with a 9-of-10 effort from the free throw line. He also added a game-high tying 6 assists and 4 rebounds in nearly 42 minutes.Perry continued his strong week with 26 points in a narrow loss at Cincinnati, connecting on 7-of-10 field goals, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and 6-of-6 free throws to go along with 3 assists and 4 rebounds in 38 minutes. He scored 11 of his 26 points in a pivotal 18-4 run that nearly helped the Wildcats overcome a double-digit second-half deficit.&nbsp;&nbsp;The weekly award is the first of the season for Perry and the first of his career. He is the second Wildcat to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors after junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;was selected for the honor on Dec. 11, 2023.A 5-foot-11, 180-pound guard from Fort Coffee, Okla., Perry is currently averaging a team-best 16 points on 37.1 percent (121-of-326) shooting, including 34.2 percent (83-of-243) from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 36.9 minutes per game. He ranks in the top-15 in 7 categories in the Big 12, including first in minutes, second in 3-point field goals/game (2.86) and fifth in scoring (16.0 ppg.)

🏀 MBB: Perry named Big 12 Player of the Week

The second-seeded Coyotes play top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan in the championship of the Kansas Conference Tournament on Monday.

MONDAY'S GAME Opponent: Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles Time: 8 p.m. Location: Hartman Arena, Park City

The second-seeded Coyotes play top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan in the championship of the Kansas Conference Tournament on Monday.MONDAY'S GAME Opponent: Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles Time: 8 p.m. Location: Hartman Arena, Park CityLIVE COVERAGE<ul>
 <li>The video stream of the game will be available online through the Coyote Sports Network at&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6e85c7de-88d7-43a8-b5a4-c71a35584a81?elinkdata=6647" target="_blank">www.kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan</a>.</li><li>Live Stats will be available at&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b15beb8f-814f-484c-9f42-920182b50330?elinkdata=6647" target="_blank">https://kwucoyotes.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary</a></li><li>Radio coverage will be on the Coyote Radio Network. The online stream is available at 910KINA.com. Tyler Henry and Brooks Garretson will have the call with pregame starting at 7:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN Wichita, 92.3-FM with Pat Strathman on the call.</li>
 </ul>TICKETS<ul>
 <li>Tickets for the KCAC tournament are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="http://kcacsports.com/" target="_blank">kcacsports.com</a>&nbsp;--&gt;&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/91d0e3e5-7d5c-4917-90aa-3797761a50d9?elinkdata=6647" target="_blank">GET TICKETS HERE</a></li><li>This is a no pass event, per KCAC policy</li><li>All tickets must be purchased online, there will be no on-site ticket sales.</li>
 </ul>RECORDS<ul>
 <li>Kansas Wesleyan 23-7</li><li>Oklahoma Wesleyan 28-2</li>
 </ul>THE SERIES<ul>
 <li>Oklahoma Wesleyan has won 10 in a row and 14 of the last 15. The Eagles won 82-66 January 20 in Mabee Arena in their only game this season. The Coyotes last victory was 78-64 February 22, 2020 in Mabee Arena. OKWU leads the series 18-6 since November 2005.</li>
 </ul>KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE<ul>
 <li>The Coyotes advanced to the championship game with a harrowing 76-71 victory over third-seeded Southwestern on Saturday night in Mabee Arena. The Moundbuilders led the entire game until the 26.5 second mark when&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/bf881d3b-cbb7-4c21-870e-324e28254e50?elinkdata=6647" target="_blank">Jun Murdock</a>&nbsp;made two free throws that gave the Coyotes a 72-71 lead. KWU trailed 71-64 with 3½ minutes left but held SC scoreless the rest of the way, closing the game on a 12-0 run themselves.</li><li><a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/4cbd18ba-20e2-4f54-9515-2fb869628ca6?elinkdata=6647" target="_blank">Alex Littlejohn</a>&nbsp;and Murdock were stellar as usual, Littlejohn finishing with 29 points and 16 rebounds while Murdock had 21 points and seven assists. Murdock also limited Southwestern's Cevin Clark to 18 points - Clark led the NAIA in scoring entering the game with a 26.5 average but was 7 for 17 shooting for the game and scored two points the second half.</li><li>Littlejohn had 91 points and 43 rebounds in the Coyotes' three victories over Southwestern this season. He entered Saturday's game ranked fifth in rebounding in the NAIA with an 11.3 average. He's also averages 17.3 points while Murdock averages 18.0 points and 4.9 assists.</li><li>Murdock scored 16 and had Littlejohn 15 and 10 rebounds in the first game against OKWU.&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/85253bfd-8934-43eb-8f83-f57aef7a242f?elinkdata=6647" target="_blank">Izaiah Hale</a>&nbsp;score 14 but the Coyotes shot just 34.4 percent and were outrebounded 49-39.</li><li>KWU has won six in a row and eight of nine including tournament victories over Ottawa in the quarterfinals and Southwestern.</li><li>Monday's championship will be the first for Wesleyan since the tournament moved to Hartman Arena. KWU's conference tournament championship game was in 2009 and the last conference tournament title in 2007 when they defeated Friends in Muir Gymnasium.</li>
 </ul>OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE<ul>
 <li>The Eagles rallied past Saint Mary 90-74 in their semifinal Saturday night in Bartlesville, Okla. USM led 44-40 at halftime but OKWU won the second half 50-30 by shooting 56.7 percent and limiting the Spires to 32 percent after they shot 65.4 percent the first half.</li><li>Jaden Lietzke, OKWU's All-America center, led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds while Kaleb Stokes had 16 points and eight rebounds and guard Dylan Phillip 14 points.</li><li>The Eagles won the rebounding battle 35-24 and are outrebounding their opponents by 10.2 per game. They also average just over 14 offensive rebounds.</li><li>Lietzke had 23 points and 16 rebounds in the victory over KWU in January. He averages 17 points and eight rebounds while point guard DJ Talton Jr. averages 14.7 points and 5.3 assists and Stokes 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.</li><li>The Eagles' two losses this season were to Southwestern on December 2 in Bartlesville and Evangel on February 24 in Springfield, Mo.</li><li>OKWU averages 78 points and allows 64.5. The Eagles are shooting 46 percent overall, 29.6 percent from beyond the 3-point line. They struggle collectively at the free throw line, just 58.6 percent.</li>
 </ul>

KWU MBB faces Oklahoma Wesleyan in KCAC Championship Monday on KINA

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709552620035.jpeg" alt="Keaton Wagler and Shawnee Mission Northwest enter this week's Class 6A boys state basketball tournament at 22-0." />
 <figcaption>Keaton Wagler and Shawnee Mission Northwest enter this week's Class 6A boys state basketball tournament at 22-0.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of KSHSAA Covered&nbsp; BOYS TOURNAMENTS<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553054305.png" alt="At Koch Arena, Wichita" />
 <figcaption>At Koch Arena, Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553165798.png" alt="At White Auditorium, Emporia" />
 <figcaption>At White Auditorium, Emporia</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553276841.png" alt="At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina" />
 <figcaption>At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553416393.png" alt="At Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson" />
 <figcaption>At Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553567248.png" alt="At United Wireless Arena, Dodge City" />
 <figcaption>At United Wireless Arena, Dodge City</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553666699.png" alt="At Colby Event Center, Colby" />
 <figcaption>At Colby Event Center, Colby</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553787210.png" alt="At Barton Community College, Great Bend" />
 <figcaption>At Barton Community College, Great Bend</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709555180528.jpeg" alt="

Kendal Brueggen and Hesston avenged a regular-season loss to Halstead in the sub-state finals to earn a Class 3A berth." />
 <figcaption>

Kendal Brueggen and Hesston avenged a regular-season loss to Halstead in the sub-state finals to earn a Class 3A berth.</figcaption>
 </figure>GIRLS TOURNAMENTS<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709553990162.png" alt="At Koch Arena, Wichita" />
 <figcaption>At Koch Arena, Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709554306741.png" alt="At White Auditorium, Emporia" />
 <figcaption>At White Auditorium, Emporia</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709554469532.png" alt="At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina" />
 <figcaption>At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709554585221.png" alt="At Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson" />
 <figcaption>At Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709554624986.png" alt="At United Wireless Arena, Dodge City" />
 <figcaption>At United Wireless Arena, Dodge City</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709554662918.png" alt="At Colby Event Center, Colby" />
 <figcaption>At Colby Event Center, Colby</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709554701579.png" alt="At Barton Community College, Great Bend" />
 <figcaption>At Barton Community College, Great Bend</figcaption>
 </figure>

🏀 KSHSAA state championship schedule

Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich's NCAA Division I scoring record

Caitlin Clark of Iowa has become the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader, breaking the late Pete Maravich's 54-year-old record when she made two free throws after a technical foul was called in the No. 6 Hawkeyes' 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State. Clark finished with 35 points. She entered the game needing 18 to pass Maravich's total of 3,667, which he amassed in just 83 games over three seasons at LSU. Maravich's record fell four days after Clark broke Lynette Woodard's major college women's record when she scored 33 points against Minnesota.

Two fragile DC neighborhoods hang in the balance as the Wizards and Capitals consider leaving town

WASHINGTON (AP) — The proposed move of the Capitals and Wizards sports teams to nearby Virginia has stoked concern in a pair of fragile Washington neighborhoods. Residents and business owners in Chinatown fear that the departure of the teams would devastate the neighborhood around the Capital One Arena — which is already struggling with rising crime. Ted Leonsis, majority owner of both teams, has proposed moving the WNBA's Mystics to Capital One as a partial replacement. But residents of the Congress Heights neighborhood, where the Mystics now play, complain that this departure would remove an economic anchor from one of Washington's poorest districts.

Chris Mortensen, an award-winning ESPN reporter who covered the NFL, dies at 72

Chris Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died Sunday morning. He was 72. ESPN confirmed Mortensen's death on Sunday. There was no immediate word on the cause or place of death. Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could "focus on my health, family and faith."

Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson bruises left knee early in New York's 107-98 win over Cavaliers

CLEVELAND (AP) — New York All-Star guard Jalen Brunson suffered a bruised knee in the opening minute of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But after seeing Brunson go down, the Knicks recovered and posted a 107-98 win that showcased their toughness and togetherness. Brunson, who averages 27.2 points per game, was hurt while attempting a jump shot in the first minute. Following the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said X-rays on Brunson's knee were negative. The Knicks are already missing three starters, including forward Julius Randle, who has been making progress from a shoulder injury. It's not yet known if Brunson will miss any time. The Knicks host Atlanta on Tuesday.

Brown, Tatum lead Celtics to 3rd-biggest win in franchise history, 140-88 over weary Warriors

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Jayson Tatum had 27 on his 26th birthday, and the NBA-best Boston Celtics posted their third-largest winning margin in franchise history, drubbing the weary Golden State Warriors 140-88. Boston set an NBA record with its third win this season by 50 points or more. Payton Pritchard added 19 points for Boston, which extended its season-best winning streak to 11 games. Stephen Curry didn't play the second half and finished with a season-low four points for Golden State. He missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. The Celtics led by a franchise-record 44 points at halftime.

US shakes off shocking loss, advances to Women's Gold Cup semis with a 3-0 win over Colombia

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. national team rebounded from its loss to Mexico with a 3-0 victory over Colombia to advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw scored and Lindsey Horan converted a penalty for the Americans, all in the first half. The U.S. was back in dominant form against an impressive Colombian team that reached the quarterfinals of last year's World Cup. The U.S. will face Canada in the Gold Cup semifinals in San Diego.

Column: Horner dodges through messy F1 opening amid leaked evidence, Verstappen's father, fan flames

Christian Horner said midway through the Red Bull internal investigation that it was "business as normal" for the Formula 1 team and star of "Drive to Survive," and he wasn't kidding. Horner in one race weekend alone gave Netflix an entire season of material in what could be the performance of his lifetime. Cleared by Red Bull last week on allegations of misconduct levied against him by a team employee, he moved on to the season-opening race in Bahrain, where the team went 1-2.

Kyle Larson again wins at Las Vegas to keep Chevrolet undefeated on NASCAR season

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kyle Larson won his second consecutive race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday to keep keep Chevrolet undefeated and give Hendrick Motorsports its second victory in the first three NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. Larson won for the third time in his career at Las Vegas, where in 2021 he got his first win driving for Hendrick following a nearly yearlong suspension in 2020. Larson also won in the No. 5 Chevy at Las Vegas last October in the playoffs. Larson held off Tyler Reddick for his 24th career Cup victory. Chevrolet also has wins this year by Larson teammate William Byron in the Daytona 500 and Daniel Suarez last week at Atlanta for Trackhouse Racing.

Betts, Ohtani and Freeman make for an impressive trio at the top of the Dodgers' batting order

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — With Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers have quite the trio at the top of their batting order. That's a tough start for any pitcher. Betts and Ohtani each had three hits and Freeman drove in two runs during their spring training game against the Colorado Rockies in Glendale, Arizona. Betts is 7 for 17 so far this spring, and Ohtani is 5 for 7 in limited action. Chris Sale also is looking pretty good in his first spring training with the Atlanta Braves. The lanky left-hander struck out five in 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Atlanta's 3-2 win over Philadelphia in Florida.

Eckroat leads by stroke over van Rooyen, after rain sends Cognizant Classic to a Monday finish

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Austin Eckroat left PGA National with a share of the lead on Saturday. He left with the outright lead on Sunday. He'll have to come back Monday to finish the job. A Monday finish awaits at PGA National, after the final round of the opening event on the PGA Tour's Florida Swing was interrupted by thunderstorms that brought nearly 2 inches of rain in a hurry Sunday afternoon and forced everyone off the course for 3 1/2 hours. Eckroat is the leader at 15 under through seven holes, one shot ahead of Erik van Rooyen.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

		Miami	at	St. Louis	1:05 p.m.	(Canceled)

		Miami	at	Washington	1:05 p.m.	(Canceled)

		Oklahoma City	at	L.A. Lakers	10:30 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Monday, March 4th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Monday, March 4th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for March 4th, 2024.Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich's NCAA Division I scoring recordCaitlin Clark of Iowa has become the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader, breaking the late Pete Maravich's 54-year-old record when she made two free throws after a technical foul was called in the No. 6 Hawkeyes' 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State. Clark finished with 35 points. She entered the game needing 18 to pass Maravich's total of 3,667, which he amassed in just 83 games over three seasons at LSU. Maravich's record fell four days after Clark broke Lynette Woodard's major college women's record when she scored 33 points against Minnesota.Two fragile DC neighborhoods hang in the balance as the Wizards and Capitals consider leaving townWASHINGTON (AP) — The proposed move of the Capitals and Wizards sports teams to nearby Virginia has stoked concern in a pair of fragile Washington neighborhoods. Residents and business owners in Chinatown fear that the departure of the teams would devastate the neighborhood around the Capital One Arena — which is already struggling with rising crime. Ted Leonsis, majority owner of both teams, has proposed moving the WNBA's Mystics to Capital One as a partial replacement. But residents of the Congress Heights neighborhood, where the Mystics now play, complain that this departure would remove an economic anchor from one of Washington's poorest districts.Chris Mortensen, an award-winning ESPN reporter who covered the NFL, dies at 72Chris Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died Sunday morning. He was 72. ESPN confirmed Mortensen's death on Sunday. There was no immediate word on the cause or place of death. Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could "focus on my health, family and faith."Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson bruises left knee early in New York's 107-98 win over CavaliersCLEVELAND (AP) — New York All-Star guard Jalen Brunson suffered a bruised knee in the opening minute of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But after seeing Brunson go down, the Knicks recovered and posted a 107-98 win that showcased their toughness and togetherness. Brunson, who averages 27.2 points per game, was hurt while attempting a jump shot in the first minute. Following the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said X-rays on Brunson's knee were negative. The Knicks are already missing three starters, including forward Julius Randle, who has been making progress from a shoulder injury. It's not yet known if Brunson will miss any time. The Knicks host Atlanta on Tuesday.Brown, Tatum lead Celtics to 3rd-biggest win in franchise history, 140-88 over weary WarriorsBOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Jayson Tatum had 27 on his 26th birthday, and the NBA-best Boston Celtics posted their third-largest winning margin in franchise history, drubbing the weary Golden State Warriors 140-88. Boston set an NBA record with its third win this season by 50 points or more. Payton Pritchard added 19 points for Boston, which extended its season-best winning streak to 11 games. Stephen Curry didn't play the second half and finished with a season-low four points for Golden State. He missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. The Celtics led by a franchise-record 44 points at halftime.US shakes off shocking loss, advances to Women's Gold Cup semis with a 3-0 win over ColombiaLOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. national team rebounded from its loss to Mexico with a 3-0 victory over Colombia to advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw scored and Lindsey Horan converted a penalty for the Americans, all in the first half. The U.S. was back in dominant form against an impressive Colombian team that reached the quarterfinals of last year's World Cup. The U.S. will face Canada in the Gold Cup semifinals in San Diego.Column: Horner dodges through messy F1 opening amid leaked evidence, Verstappen's father, fan flamesChristian Horner said midway through the Red Bull internal investigation that it was "business as normal" for the Formula 1 team and star of "Drive to Survive," and he wasn't kidding. Horner in one race weekend alone gave Netflix an entire season of material in what could be the performance of his lifetime. Cleared by Red Bull last week on allegations of misconduct levied against him by a team employee, he moved on to the season-opening race in Bahrain, where the team went 1-2.Kyle Larson again wins at Las Vegas to keep Chevrolet undefeated on NASCAR seasonLAS VEGAS (AP) — Kyle Larson won his second consecutive race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday to keep keep Chevrolet undefeated and give Hendrick Motorsports its second victory in the first three NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. Larson won for the third time in his career at Las Vegas, where in 2021 he got his first win driving for Hendrick following a nearly yearlong suspension in 2020. Larson also won in the No. 5 Chevy at Las Vegas last October in the playoffs. Larson held off Tyler Reddick for his 24th career Cup victory. Chevrolet also has wins this year by Larson teammate William Byron in the Daytona 500 and Daniel Suarez last week at Atlanta for Trackhouse Racing.Betts, Ohtani and Freeman make for an impressive trio at the top of the Dodgers' batting orderGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — With Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers have quite the trio at the top of their batting order. That's a tough start for any pitcher. Betts and Ohtani each had three hits and Freeman drove in two runs during their spring training game against the Colorado Rockies in Glendale, Arizona. Betts is 7 for 17 so far this spring, and Ohtani is 5 for 7 in limited action. Chris Sale also is looking pretty good in his first spring training with the Atlanta Braves. The lanky left-hander struck out five in 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Atlanta's 3-2 win over Philadelphia in Florida.Eckroat leads by stroke over van Rooyen, after rain sends Cognizant Classic to a Monday finishPALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Austin Eckroat left PGA National with a share of the lead on Saturday. He left with the outright lead on Sunday. He'll have to come back Monday to finish the job. A Monday finish awaits at PGA National, after the final round of the opening event on the PGA Tour's Florida Swing was interrupted by thunderstorms that brought nearly 2 inches of rain in a hurry Sunday afternoon and forced everyone off the course for 3 1/2 hours. Eckroat is the leader at 15 under through seven holes, one shot ahead of Erik van Rooyen.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	Houston	5	N.Y. Mets	2	Final	Baltimore	5	Pittsburgh	2	Final	Kansas City	7	Cincinnati	3	Final	Chicago Cubs	5	Cleveland	3	Final	San Diego	12	Seattle	4	Final	San Francisco	6	Cleveland	5	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Boston	3	Toronto	1	Final	Detroit	7	N.Y. Yankees	2	Final	Oakland	5	Texas	2	Final	L.A. Angels	3	Chicago White Sox	1	Final	Tampa Bay	4	Minnesota	4	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Miami	at	St. Louis	1:05 p.m.	(Canceled)		Miami	at	Washington	1:05 p.m.	(Canceled)Final	Atlanta	3	Philadelphia	2	Final	L.A. Dodgers	7	Colorado	4	Final	Milwaukee	10	Arizona	4	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Philadelphia	120	Dallas	116	Final	Boston	140	Golden State	88	Final	L.A. Clippers	89	Minnesota	88	Final	Orlando	113	Detroit	91	Final	Toronto	111	Charlotte	106	Final	New York	107	Cleveland	98	Final	San Antonio	117	Indiana	105	Final	Oklahoma City	118	Phoenix	110	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Arizona	5	Washington	2	Final	Los Angeles	5	New Jersey	1	Final	Winnipeg	5	Buffalo	2	Final	Minnesota	4	San Jose	3	Final	Vancouver	2	Anaheim	1	Final	Edmonton	6	Pittsburgh	1	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(3)UConn	91	Seton Hall	61	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCERFinal	Toronto FC	1	New England	0	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Atlanta	at	Minnesota	1:05 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Tampa Bay	1:05 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Toronto	1:07 p.m.			Arizona	at	Chi White Sox	3:05 p.m.			Oakland	at	Cincinnati	3:05 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Miami	6:40 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Minnesota	at	Baltimore	1:05 p.m.			Boston	at	Detroit	1:05 p.m.			L-A Angels	at	Texas	3:05 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		St. Louis	at	Washington	1:05 p.m.			San Francisco	at	Colorado	3:10 p.m.			Chi Cubs	at	San Diego	3:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Memphis	at	Brooklyn	7:30 p.m.			L.A. Clippers	at	Milwaukee	8 p.m.			Portland	at	Minnesota	8 p.m.			Washington	at	Utah	9 p.m.			Chicago	at	Sacramento	10 p.m.			Oklahoma City	at	L.A. Lakers	10:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Boston	at	Toronto	7 p.m.			Florida	at	N-Y Rangers	7 p.m.			St. Louis	at	Philadelphia	7 p.m.			Vegas	at	Columbus	7 p.m.			Chicago	at	Colorado	9 p.m.			Seattle	at	Calgary	9:30 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		(10)Duke	at	NC State	7 p.m.			Texas	at	(15)Baylor	9 p.m.	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Monday

LeBron James reaches 40,000 points to extend his NBA career scoring record

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach.James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket.James received a standing ovation at the next timeout, while coach Darvin Ham gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest. There was an in-arena video presentation, which was preceded and followed by James raising the ball over his head.

Shead breaks tie with short follow with 0.4 seconds left, No. 1 Houston beats Oklahoma 87-85

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jamal Shead hit a short follow shot with 0.4 seconds left and No. 1 Houston beat Oklahoma 87-85 on Saturday night, giving coach Kelvin Sampson a victory over one of his former schools. Shead missed a driving layup attempt, but corralled the rebound and put the Cougars back ahead after they blew a 15-point lead. Emanuel Sharp tipped away a desperation pass by Oklahoma's Milos Uzan as time expired. L.J. Cryer led Houston (26-3, 13-3 Big 12) with 23 points, making 5 of 9 3-pointers. J'Wan Roberts added 20 points and Shead had 14 points. Rivaldo Soares had 16 points for Oklahoma (19-10, 7-9). Sampson coached Oklahoma from 1994 to 2006 and ranks second in program history with 279 wins.

No. 15 Baylor is led by Dennis and Nunn in win over No. 7 Kansas, which has first consecutive losses

WACO, Texas (AP) — RayJ Dennis had 19 points and 10 assists, Jayden Nunn scored 18 points with consecutive fastbreak layups to ignite a key run for No. 15 Baylor and the Bears beat seventh-ranked Kansas 82-74. The Jayhawks have consecutive losses for the first time this season. Yves Missi added 17 points and fellow freshman Ja'Kobe Walter 11 for the 21-8 Bears. Big 12 scoring leader Kevin McCullar Jr. had 20 points in his return to the Kansas lineup after missing four of the previous five games with a bone bruise in his knee. Hunter Dickinson also had 20 points for 21-8 Kansas.

Acing drills at the NFL scouting combine can lead to riches but don't forecast football greatness

All eyes may be on the draft prospects at the NFL scouting combine as they run the 40-yard dash, bench press 225 pounds and see how high and far they can jump and how quick they are. But while acing any one of these tests can lead to a better draft selection and more money, they're not necessarily a sign of success to come on the field. Many who have set records in various drills at the combine haven't found similar success on Sundays.

Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. is dealing with some right knee irritation

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. has some irritation around the meniscus in his surgically repaired right knee. The reigning NL MVP had an MRI on Friday. He will be evaluated on Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who repaired the outfielder's torn right ACL in July 2021. The 26-year-old Acuña is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but that timeline could change after he sees ElAttrache in California. Acuña led Atlanta to its sixth consecutive NL East title in 2023. The outfielder hit a career-best .337 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 steals in 159 games.

WNBA teams see increase in ticket sales after Caitlin Clark announces plans to enter draft

NEW YORK (AP) — Soon after Caitlin Clark announced her plans to enter the WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever's ticket offices got noticeably busier. Pacers Sports and Entertainment says in a statement that the organization has seen "a spike in ticket inquiries." The Fever wouldn't disclose how many tickets they've sold. Still, getting Iowa star Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft would be a boost to the franchise. Indiana was second-to-last in attendance last season, averaging 4,067 fans at home games. Clark and Iowa have sold out nearly all their road games the past two seasons.

Lowry, Skinns, Eckroat tied for lead entering final round of Cognizant Classic

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Shane Lowry nearly won at PGA National two years ago. The Irishman has given himself a big chance to get a victory there Sunday. Lowry, David Skinns and Austin Eckroat were tied for the lead Saturday after third round of the Cognizant Classic. Lowry and Skinns had rounds of 66 to and Eckroat shot a 68. They were at 13-under 200. Lowry is looking for his third victory on the PGA Tour. Skinns is trying for his first top-10 finish in 33 tour starts. Eckroat is seeking his first tour win in his 50th start. Jacob Bridgeman (65), Min Woo Lee (66), Martin Laird (66), Kevin Yu (70) and Victor Perez (70) were 10 under.

Sports analytics may be outnumbered when it comes to artificial intelligence

BOSTON (AP) — When it comes to artificial intelligence, the sports analytics crowd may be outnumbered. The people who turned NBA games into a 3-point shooting contest aren't quite sure what will happen when AI fully invades sports. Philadelphia 76ers team president and analytics early adopter Daryl Morey says "this is the first thing that we don't understand." The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference brings together thousands of number-crunching sports fans to attack the pressing issues in games. Previous hot topics have been diversity, gambling and the slow pace of baseball games. This year's gathering has an artificial intelligence focus, with a handful of talks addressing how AI can affect sports on the field and in the front office.

Messi, Súarez score twice as Inter Miami routs Orlando City 5-0

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Luis Súarez scored two goals each and Inter Miami routed Orlando City 5-0 on Saturday. Suárez also assisted on the two goals. With a prolific career that has resulted in 381 club goals over 19 seasons, Suárez scored his first two in MLS within a seven-minute sequence early in the first half. Robert Taylor scored the fifth goal for Inter Miami, which is unbeaten for the first time through its first three games in club history. Orlando City dropped to 0-1-1.

Women's boxing champion Serrano unable to fight in Puerto Rican homecoming because of eye injury

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Women's boxing champion Amanda Serrano was prevented from fighting Saturday night because of an eye injury, forcing her homecoming bout in Puerto Rico to be scrapped at the last minute. Serrano was to defend her IBF, WBA, and WBO women's featherweight titles against Germany's Nina Meinke, with Jake Paul, the YouTube star-turned boxer who is also her agent, fighting in the previous bout so Serrano could have the main event in front of her home fans. Paul won his fight by first-round knockout. However, shortly after, it was announced that Serrano was declared unfit to fight by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission because of an eye injury she sustained Friday.

Here is the latest ACC sports news from The Associated Press

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Filipowski scored 21 points and No. 10 Duke shot 59% before halftime to build a huge lead on the way to beating Virginia 73-48. Tyrese Proctor added 15 points for the Blue Devils, who stayed near the top of the league race primarily on the strength of a dominant first half Saturday night. That included the 7-foot Filipowski outscoring Virginia through the opening 15 minutes as Duke rolled to a 25-point lead before halftime. Reece Beekman had 18 points and Isaac McKneely added 12 points for the Cavaliers.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Ingram scored a season-high 22 points as No. 9 North Carolina rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half and beat North Carolina State 79-70. Elliot Cadeau scored 15 points and RJ Davis finished with 14 after being held to two in the first half. Armando Bacot added 13 points for North Carolina, which won its fourth straight game and maintained its hold on first place in the ACC, ahead of Duke. Jayden Taylor hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and DJ Horne scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half for N.C. State, which lost for the third time in four games.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Chris Bell scored 23 points and Judah Mintz scored 21 points and Syracuse held off Louisville for an 82-76 win beating the Cardinals for the fourth-straight time. Mike James scored 18 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Louisville. Syracuse led 64-47 after Brown made a pair of foul shots with 9:49 left. Louisville then went on to outscore Syracuse 27-14 to get within 78-74 on a James 3 with 39 seconds left. The Cardinals targeted Taylor to foul down the stretch as he was just 1 of 5 from the stripe up to that point. He responded to the challenge and made 4 of 6 down the stretch to seal the win.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Markus Burton scored 21 points, Tae Davis added 18 points and Notre Dame defeated Clemson 69-62, the fifth win in the past six games for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame's biggest lead of the game was three points before Davis scored six consecutive points and Burton later added a 3-pointer to give Notre Dame a 59-51 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Braeden Shrewsberry hit another key 3-pointer and the Fighting Irish led by seven with 90 seconds remaining. Davis went 4-for-4 at the line and Burton made one of two in the final minute to preserve the win. PJ Hall scored 21 points to lead Clemson.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Hunter Cattoor scored 26 points shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point range and Lynn Kidd scored 21 points and Virginia Tech rallied in the second half to beat Wake Forest 87-76. Kevin Miller scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half for Wake Forest. Hunter Sallis gave Wake Forest its last lead with a jumper with 14:42 remaining for a 52-51 advantage. Virginia Tech then took control outscoring Wake Forest 20-8 over nearly the next seven minutes for its first double-digit lead at 71-60 with 7:59 to go.

BOSTON (AP) — Blake Hinson knocked down the first of Pittsburgh's 16 3-pointers 12 seconds into the game and freshman Carlton Carrington scored a career-high 27 points as the Panthers rolled to a 90-65 wire-to-wire win over Boston College. Carrington hit a career-high seven 3s as the Panthers matched their season high, hitting 16 of 30.

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Sturdivant scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, Baye Ndongo finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Georgia Tech pulled away to beat Florida State 85-76 on Saturday in the Yellow Jackets' final home game. Naithan George scored 15 points and Tafara Gapare and Tyzhaun Claude both had 10 rebounds and eight points for the Yellow Jackets, who won back-to-back games for the first time since December and split the season series. Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, Cameron Corhen 14 and Baba Miller and Primo Spears 13 each for the Seminoles.

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has told its enforcement staff to halt investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making name, image and likeness compensation deals with Division I athletes. In a letter to member schools, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff to hold off. The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia. The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes' ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.

Final	(17)Saint Mary's (Cal.)	83	Pepperdine	57	

Final	(19)Washington St.	75	Southern Cal	72	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Sunday, March 3rd, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for March 3rd, 2024.LeBron James reaches 40,000 points to extend his NBA career scoring recordLOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach.James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket.James received a standing ovation at the next timeout, while coach Darvin Ham gave him a congratulatory pat on the chest. There was an in-arena video presentation, which was preceded and followed by James raising the ball over his head.Shead breaks tie with short follow with 0.4 seconds left, No. 1 Houston beats Oklahoma 87-85NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jamal Shead hit a short follow shot with 0.4 seconds left and No. 1 Houston beat Oklahoma 87-85 on Saturday night, giving coach Kelvin Sampson a victory over one of his former schools. Shead missed a driving layup attempt, but corralled the rebound and put the Cougars back ahead after they blew a 15-point lead. Emanuel Sharp tipped away a desperation pass by Oklahoma's Milos Uzan as time expired. L.J. Cryer led Houston (26-3, 13-3 Big 12) with 23 points, making 5 of 9 3-pointers. J'Wan Roberts added 20 points and Shead had 14 points. Rivaldo Soares had 16 points for Oklahoma (19-10, 7-9). Sampson coached Oklahoma from 1994 to 2006 and ranks second in program history with 279 wins.No. 15 Baylor is led by Dennis and Nunn in win over No. 7 Kansas, which has first consecutive lossesWACO, Texas (AP) — RayJ Dennis had 19 points and 10 assists, Jayden Nunn scored 18 points with consecutive fastbreak layups to ignite a key run for No. 15 Baylor and the Bears beat seventh-ranked Kansas 82-74. The Jayhawks have consecutive losses for the first time this season. Yves Missi added 17 points and fellow freshman Ja'Kobe Walter 11 for the 21-8 Bears. Big 12 scoring leader Kevin McCullar Jr. had 20 points in his return to the Kansas lineup after missing four of the previous five games with a bone bruise in his knee. Hunter Dickinson also had 20 points for 21-8 Kansas.Acing drills at the NFL scouting combine can lead to riches but don't forecast football greatnessAll eyes may be on the draft prospects at the NFL scouting combine as they run the 40-yard dash, bench press 225 pounds and see how high and far they can jump and how quick they are. But while acing any one of these tests can lead to a better draft selection and more money, they're not necessarily a sign of success to come on the field. Many who have set records in various drills at the combine haven't found similar success on Sundays.Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. is dealing with some right knee irritationAtlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. has some irritation around the meniscus in his surgically repaired right knee. The reigning NL MVP had an MRI on Friday. He will be evaluated on Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who repaired the outfielder's torn right ACL in July 2021. The 26-year-old Acuña is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but that timeline could change after he sees ElAttrache in California. Acuña led Atlanta to its sixth consecutive NL East title in 2023. The outfielder hit a career-best .337 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 steals in 159 games.WNBA teams see increase in ticket sales after Caitlin Clark announces plans to enter draftNEW YORK (AP) — Soon after Caitlin Clark announced her plans to enter the WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever's ticket offices got noticeably busier. Pacers Sports and Entertainment says in a statement that the organization has seen "a spike in ticket inquiries." The Fever wouldn't disclose how many tickets they've sold. Still, getting Iowa star Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft would be a boost to the franchise. Indiana was second-to-last in attendance last season, averaging 4,067 fans at home games. Clark and Iowa have sold out nearly all their road games the past two seasons.Lowry, Skinns, Eckroat tied for lead entering final round of Cognizant ClassicPALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Shane Lowry nearly won at PGA National two years ago. The Irishman has given himself a big chance to get a victory there Sunday. Lowry, David Skinns and Austin Eckroat were tied for the lead Saturday after third round of the Cognizant Classic. Lowry and Skinns had rounds of 66 to and Eckroat shot a 68. They were at 13-under 200. Lowry is looking for his third victory on the PGA Tour. Skinns is trying for his first top-10 finish in 33 tour starts. Eckroat is seeking his first tour win in his 50th start. Jacob Bridgeman (65), Min Woo Lee (66), Martin Laird (66), Kevin Yu (70) and Victor Perez (70) were 10 under.Sports analytics may be outnumbered when it comes to artificial intelligenceBOSTON (AP) — When it comes to artificial intelligence, the sports analytics crowd may be outnumbered. The people who turned NBA games into a 3-point shooting contest aren't quite sure what will happen when AI fully invades sports. Philadelphia 76ers team president and analytics early adopter Daryl Morey says "this is the first thing that we don't understand." The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference brings together thousands of number-crunching sports fans to attack the pressing issues in games. Previous hot topics have been diversity, gambling and the slow pace of baseball games. This year's gathering has an artificial intelligence focus, with a handful of talks addressing how AI can affect sports on the field and in the front office.Messi, Súarez score twice as Inter Miami routs Orlando City 5-0FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Luis Súarez scored two goals each and Inter Miami routed Orlando City 5-0 on Saturday. Suárez also assisted on the two goals. With a prolific career that has resulted in 381 club goals over 19 seasons, Suárez scored his first two in MLS within a seven-minute sequence early in the first half. Robert Taylor scored the fifth goal for Inter Miami, which is unbeaten for the first time through its first three games in club history. Orlando City dropped to 0-1-1.Women's boxing champion Serrano unable to fight in Puerto Rican homecoming because of eye injurySAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Women's boxing champion Amanda Serrano was prevented from fighting Saturday night because of an eye injury, forcing her homecoming bout in Puerto Rico to be scrapped at the last minute. Serrano was to defend her IBF, WBA, and WBO women's featherweight titles against Germany's Nina Meinke, with Jake Paul, the YouTube star-turned boxer who is also her agent, fighting in the previous bout so Serrano could have the main event in front of her home fans. Paul won his fight by first-round knockout. However, shortly after, it was announced that Serrano was declared unfit to fight by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission because of an eye injury she sustained Friday.Here is the latest ACC sports news from The Associated PressDURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Filipowski scored 21 points and No. 10 Duke shot 59% before halftime to build a huge lead on the way to beating Virginia 73-48. Tyrese Proctor added 15 points for the Blue Devils, who stayed near the top of the league race primarily on the strength of a dominant first half Saturday night. That included the 7-foot Filipowski outscoring Virginia through the opening 15 minutes as Duke rolled to a 25-point lead before halftime. Reece Beekman had 18 points and Isaac McKneely added 12 points for the Cavaliers.CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Ingram scored a season-high 22 points as No. 9 North Carolina rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half and beat North Carolina State 79-70. Elliot Cadeau scored 15 points and RJ Davis finished with 14 after being held to two in the first half. Armando Bacot added 13 points for North Carolina, which won its fourth straight game and maintained its hold on first place in the ACC, ahead of Duke. Jayden Taylor hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and DJ Horne scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half for N.C. State, which lost for the third time in four games.LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Chris Bell scored 23 points and Judah Mintz scored 21 points and Syracuse held off Louisville for an 82-76 win beating the Cardinals for the fourth-straight time. Mike James scored 18 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Louisville. Syracuse led 64-47 after Brown made a pair of foul shots with 9:49 left. Louisville then went on to outscore Syracuse 27-14 to get within 78-74 on a James 3 with 39 seconds left. The Cardinals targeted Taylor to foul down the stretch as he was just 1 of 5 from the stripe up to that point. He responded to the challenge and made 4 of 6 down the stretch to seal the win.SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Markus Burton scored 21 points, Tae Davis added 18 points and Notre Dame defeated Clemson 69-62, the fifth win in the past six games for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame's biggest lead of the game was three points before Davis scored six consecutive points and Burton later added a 3-pointer to give Notre Dame a 59-51 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining. Braeden Shrewsberry hit another key 3-pointer and the Fighting Irish led by seven with 90 seconds remaining. Davis went 4-for-4 at the line and Burton made one of two in the final minute to preserve the win. PJ Hall scored 21 points to lead Clemson.BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Hunter Cattoor scored 26 points shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point range and Lynn Kidd scored 21 points and Virginia Tech rallied in the second half to beat Wake Forest 87-76. Kevin Miller scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half for Wake Forest. Hunter Sallis gave Wake Forest its last lead with a jumper with 14:42 remaining for a 52-51 advantage. Virginia Tech then took control outscoring Wake Forest 20-8 over nearly the next seven minutes for its first double-digit lead at 71-60 with 7:59 to go.BOSTON (AP) — Blake Hinson knocked down the first of Pittsburgh's 16 3-pointers 12 seconds into the game and freshman Carlton Carrington scored a career-high 27 points as the Panthers rolled to a 90-65 wire-to-wire win over Boston College. Carrington hit a career-high seven 3s as the Panthers matched their season high, hitting 16 of 30.ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Sturdivant scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, Baye Ndongo finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Georgia Tech pulled away to beat Florida State 85-76 on Saturday in the Yellow Jackets' final home game. Naithan George scored 15 points and Tafara Gapare and Tyzhaun Claude both had 10 rebounds and eight points for the Yellow Jackets, who won back-to-back games for the first time since December and split the season series. Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, Cameron Corhen 14 and Baba Miller and Primo Spears 13 each for the Seminoles.UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has told its enforcement staff to halt investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making name, image and likeness compensation deals with Division I athletes. In a letter to member schools, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff to hold off. The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia. The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes' ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.AP-ScorecardTODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUEFinal	Atlanta	5	Minnesota	0	Final	Philadelphia	5	Toronto	0	Final	Baltimore	9	Pittsburgh	8	Final	Atlanta	12	Tampa Bay	9	Final	San Diego	5	Oakland	3	Final	Texas	7	Milwaukee	5	Final	Houston	2	N.Y. Mets	1	Final	Miami	0	N.Y. Yankees	0	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Boston	5	Detroit	2	Final	L.A. Angels	4	Cleveland	1	Final	Chicago White Sox	6	Seattle	5	Final	Chicago White Sox	6	Kansas City	1	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Washington	3	St. Louis	1	Final	Arizona	2	San Francisco	1	Final	Colorado	10	Chicago Cubs	9	Final	Cincinnati	5	L.A. Dodgers	4	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Milwaukee	111	Charlotte	99	Final	Orlando	115	Utah	107	Final	Brooklyn	124	Atlanta	97	Final	Golden State	110	New York	99	Final	San Antonio	132	Oklahoma City	118	Final	Phoenix	110	Houston	105	Final	Denver	103	Miami	97	Final OT	L.A. Lakers	134	Washington	131	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Carolina	4	Columbus	2	Final	N-Y Islanders	5	Detroit	3	Final	Toronto	4	Arizona	2	Final OT	Buffalo	3	Tampa Bay	2	Final	Boston	5	Vegas	4	Final SO	Florida	4	Montreal	3	Final	Dallas	4	Winnipeg	1	Final	Nashville	6	Minnesota	1	Final	Colorado	5	Chicago	0	Final	Los Angeles	5	Vancouver	1	Final	Seattle	2	Pittsburgh	0	Final	Anaheim	6	San Jose	4	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(17)Saint Mary's (Cal.)	83	Pepperdine	57	Final	(19)Washington St.	75	Southern Cal	72	Final	(23)Gonzaga	86	San Francisco	68	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Sunday

Southeast of Saline 57, Santa Fe Trail 51

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701785757574.png" alt="Eagle Media HS Basketball Scoreboard from Saturday sub-state games." />
 <figcaption>Eagle Media HS Basketball Scoreboard from Saturday sub-state games.</figcaption>
 </figure>Saturday's ScoresThe Associated Press<h2>BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>KSHSAA Sub-State=Championship=Class 6A=East=Sub-State 1=SM Northwest 65, SM South 42Sub-State 2=BV Northwest 71, Olathe South 58Sub-State 3=Olathe North 58, Olathe West 48Sub-State 4=Mill Valley 54, BV West 48West=Sub-State 1=Wichita Heights 47, Washburn Rural 31Sub-State 2=Wichita East 48, Wichita South 47Sub-State 3=Wichita Northwest 58, Maize 52Sub-State 4=Wichita Campus 46, Derby 45Class 4A=East=Sub-State 1=Atchison 64, Parsons 37Sub-State 2=Baldwin 59, Louisburg 49Sub-State 3=Rock Creek 48, Ottawa 44, OTSub-State 4=Fort Scott 49, Chanute 43West=Sub-State 1=McPherson 64, Concordia 29Sub-State 2=Hugoton 73, Wellington 39Sub-State 3=Circle 61, Scott City 30Sub-State 4=Abilene 47, Pratt 42Class 3A=Caney Valley=Riverton 52, Girard 40Chaparral=Cheney 57, Wichita Collegiate 47Hoisington=Ellsworth 45, Haven 25Holcomb=Goodland 63, Lakin 41Riley County=Beloit 47, Nemaha Central 40Royal Valley=Topeka Hayden 71, Sabetha 67, 2OTSE of Saline=Southeast of Saline 57, Santa Fe Trail 51Wellsville=Wellsville 77, Heritage Christian 57Class 2A=Jefferson County North=Jefferson North 58, Horton 52Marion=Moundridge 47, Ell-Saline 25Meade=Sterling 69, Meade 57Oakley=Plainville 60, Hays-TMP-Marian 50Pleasanton=Lyndon 84, Uniontown 31Sedgwick=Conway Springs 43, Remington 32Southeast=Erie 50, Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 48Wabaunsee=Salina Sacred Heart 52, Bennington 45Class 1A, Div. 1=Central=Burden Central 62, Norwich 34Decatur=Quinter 52, Rawlins County 25Doniphan West=Bishop Seabury 52, Centralia 51Flinthills=Olpe 44, Madison 35Rock Hills=Clifton-Clyde 61, Frankfort 43Skyline=South Gray 58, South Central 54, OTSolomon=Canton-Galva 69, Solomon 65, OTSt. John=La Crosse 39, Central Plains 36Class 1A, Div. 2=Blue Valley=Axtell 61, Hanover 55Bucklin=Bucklin 66, Ingalls 32Golden Plains=Northern Valley 60, Logan 50Greeley County=Dighton 56, Wallace County 42Lebo=Lebo 43, Elyria Christian 35South Haven=Cunningham 50, South Barber 48, OTSt. Paul=Marmaton Valley 62, Altoona-Midway 57Stafford=St John's Beloit 51, Victoria 47Saturday's ScoresThe Associated Press<h2>GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>KSHSAA Sub-State=Championship=Class 5A=East=Sub-State 1=St. Thomas Aquinas 64, St. James Academy 42Topeka Seaman 68, Basehor-Linwood 33Sub-State 2=De Soto 62, Shawnee Heights 47Sub-State 3=BV Southwest 47, Pittsburg 41West=Sub-State 1=Andover 47, Hutchinson 23Sub-State 2=Maize South 40, Valley Center 25Sub-State 3=Emporia 59, Great Bend 26Sub-State 4=Wichita Bishop Carroll 38, Hays 34Class 3A=Caney Valley=Girard 50, Cherryvale 36Chaparral=Cheney 47, Neodesha 38Hoisington=Haven 48, Ellsworth 39Holcomb=Goodland 63, Holcomb 41Riley County=Silver Lake 62, St Marys 32Royal Valley=Topeka Hayden 69, Jefferson West 31SE of Saline=Halstead 47, Hesston 46Wellsville=Heritage Christian 59, Anderson County 47Class 2A=Jefferson County North=Riverside 56, Maur Hill - Mount Academy 24Marion=Hillsboro 52, Moundridge 26Meade=Wichita County 72, Meade 48Oakley=Hoxie 54, Smith Center 50Pleasanton=Eureka 60, Maranatha 26Sedgwick=Wichita Independent 62, Remington 36Southeast=Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 58, Southeast 31Wabaunsee=Valley Heights 51, Wabaunsee 45Class 1A, Div. 1=Central=Norwich 43, Wichita Central Christian 21Decatur=Rawlins County 48, Quinter 37Doniphan West=Centralia 65, Burlingame 35Flinthills=Olpe 48, Marmaton Valley 36Rock Hills=Frankfort 46, Clifton-Clyde 41Skyline=South Gray 61, South Central 34Solomon=Little River 56, Goessel 32St. John=St John 50, Spearville 30Class 1A, Div. 2=Blue Valley=Hanover 54, Axtell 32Bucklin=Bucklin 62, Ingalls 45Golden Plains=Northern Valley 54, Wheatland-Grinnell 50Greeley County=Wallace County 62, Dighton 48Lebo=Lebo 54, Hutchinson Central Christian 26South Haven=South Haven 49, Attica 45St. Paul=Marais des Cygnes Valley 37, Waverly 33Stafford=St John's Beloit 69, Pawnee Heights 47

🏀 EAGLE Media Scoreboard from Saturday

ANDOVER, Kan. - The Hutch High Salthawk girls season came to a close on Saturday evening with a 47-23 loss to the #1 ranked and class 5A #1 seeded Andover girls team in sub-state play.

Hutch jumped out on top 2-0 early and led 4-2 before Andover settled in to build a 24 to 8 half time lead.

The second half went Andover's way as well taking advantage of Salthawk turnovers while getting balanced scoring from Utah signee Brooke Walker with 11 and former Salthawk Aliyah Green with 9. Junior guard Katie Evens added 8, plus 5 apiece for Bella Bouddhara, Alana Shetlar and Brodie Christenson.

Hutchinson was led by Grace Posch with 10, followed by senior Kaia Smith with 4, Kolbie Craft 3, Lily Rodriquez 2, Azariah Dawes 2 and Rachal Tomac 2.

Hutchinson finishes the season at 13 and 9 but Coach Kalen Hilst was possitive noting he has a good group returning squad for next season with Posch, Rodriquez and Craft returning. Seniors Dawes, Tomac and Smith will be gone due to graduation.

Andover stays undefeated at 22-0 and will play Wichita-Bishop Carroll in Emporia on Thursday.

ANDOVER, Kan. - The Hutch High Salthawk girls season came to a close on Saturday evening with a 47-23 loss to the #1 ranked and class 5A #1 seeded Andover girls team in sub-state play.Hutch jumped out on top 2-0 early and led 4-2 before Andover settled in to build a 24 to 8 half time lead.The second half went Andover's way as well taking advantage of Salthawk turnovers while getting balanced scoring from Utah signee Brooke Walker with 11 and former Salthawk Aliyah Green with 9. Junior guard Katie Evens added 8, plus 5 apiece for Bella Bouddhara, Alana Shetlar and Brodie Christenson.Hutchinson was led by Grace Posch with 10, followed by senior Kaia Smith with 4, Kolbie Craft 3, Lily Rodriquez 2, Azariah Dawes 2 and Rachal Tomac 2.Hutchinson finishes the season at 13 and 9 but Coach Kalen Hilst was possitive noting he has a good group returning squad for next season with Posch, Rodriquez and Craft returning. Seniors Dawes, Tomac and Smith will be gone due to graduation.Andover stays undefeated at 22-0 and will play Wichita-Bishop Carroll in Emporia on Thursday.

🏀 Hutch High girls season ends at Andover

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2023-24/div1/boxscores/20240302_wums.xml?view=boxscore">BOX SCORE</a>

GREAT BEND, Kan. — The No. 15-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak come to a close on Wednesday, losing at No. 1 Barton, 91-78.

The Blue Dragons fall to 24-5 overall, 19-4 in Jayhawk Conference play.

Hutchinson and Barton traded leads back-and-forth in the first half before the Cougars eventually led 37-33 at halftime. Barton outscored Hutchinson in the second half, 54-45.

Barton forced a Hutchinson turnover within the first two seconds of the second half, which resulted in three points and a seven-point Cougar lead.&nbsp;

The Cougars took advantage of Hutchinson miscues, scoring 30 points off of 20 Blue Dragon turnovers. HutchCC scored nine points on eight Barton mishaps.

Hutchinson pulled within seven with 8:35 remaining, but that is the closest the Blue Dragons would get. Barton extended its lead to 15 with under a minute to go, but for the most part the Blue Dragons kept it within eight to 12.&nbsp;

Every time the Blue Dragons had a big shot, Barton had an answer.

Hutchinson was led by Tino Simon with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Russell Branch finished with a career-high 13 points, while Kobe Smith also added 13.&nbsp;

Hutchinson was without leading scorer Kam Thomas due to an injury sustained on Friday in practice.

Barton was paced by all five starters in double-figure scoring, led by Lajae Jones with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Ring Malith added 15, Cooper Jackson and Brent Moss had 14.&nbsp;

HutchCC will travel to Garden City on Wednesday for the regular season finale against the Broncbusters at 7:30 p.m. Barton will play its final regular season game at Colby on Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709441446081.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2023-24/div1/boxscores/20240302_wums.xml?view=boxscore">BOX SCORE</a>GREAT BEND, Kan. — The No. 15-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak come to a close on Wednesday, losing at No. 1 Barton, 91-78.The Blue Dragons fall to 24-5 overall, 19-4 in Jayhawk Conference play.Hutchinson and Barton traded leads back-and-forth in the first half before the Cougars eventually led 37-33 at halftime. Barton outscored Hutchinson in the second half, 54-45.Barton forced a Hutchinson turnover within the first two seconds of the second half, which resulted in three points and a seven-point Cougar lead.&nbsp;The Cougars took advantage of Hutchinson miscues, scoring 30 points off of 20 Blue Dragon turnovers. HutchCC scored nine points on eight Barton mishaps.Hutchinson pulled within seven with 8:35 remaining, but that is the closest the Blue Dragons would get. Barton extended its lead to 15 with under a minute to go, but for the most part the Blue Dragons kept it within eight to 12.&nbsp;Every time the Blue Dragons had a big shot, Barton had an answer.Hutchinson was led by Tino Simon with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Russell Branch finished with a career-high 13 points, while Kobe Smith also added 13.&nbsp;Hutchinson was without leading scorer Kam Thomas due to an injury sustained on Friday in practice.Barton was paced by all five starters in double-figure scoring, led by Lajae Jones with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Ring Malith added 15, Cooper Jackson and Brent Moss had 14.&nbsp;HutchCC will travel to Garden City on Wednesday for the regular season finale against the Broncbusters at 7:30 p.m. Barton will play its final regular season game at Colby on Tuesday.

🏀 MBB: No. 15 Hutchinson falls short at No. 1 Barton

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wbkb/2023-24/div1/boxscores/20240302_a7xa.xml?view=boxscore">BOX SCORE</a>

GREAT BEND, Kan. — The No. 1 Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team moved one more step closer to an unbeaten regular season record with a 57-39 win at Barton on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons are now 29-0 overall, 23-0 in Jayhawk Conference play with one game remaining in the regular season, a trip to Garden City on Wednesday.

Hutchinson struggled to get going in the first quarter, shooting 1-of-10 from the floor, while Barton built a 12-5 lead after one. During the quarter, HutchCC went on a 5:27 drought without points.

The Blue Dragons scored the final two points of the first period and the first 11 points of the second quarter. Barton went over nine minutes without a point from the first quarter to the 2:41 mark in the second quarter. Hutchinson led 20-16 at halftime.

The lead continued to grow in the third quarter thanks to an 11-0 run, pushing the lead to 34-18 with 3:13 left in the period. Barton scored the final four points of the quarter, but still trailed 37-24.

Hutchinson led by a game-high 21 points late in the fourth quarter, earning its first win in Great Bend since Feb. 19, 2020, snapping a three-game losing streak in the Kirkman Center.

Kiki Smith led the Blue Dragons with 14 points, while Monae Duffy finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Akaysha Muggeridge added seven points. Hailey Jackson scored six points and seven boards, while Journey Armstead had five points, seven rebounds and a team-high six assists.

Barton was led by Vivan Onugha with 11 points and 13 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.

Hutchinson held Barton (20-9, 15-8) to it's second-lowest shooting performance of the season. The Cougars finished 17-of-57 (29.8%) from the floor and 2-of-20 from the 3-point line.

The Blue Dragons close out the regular season at Garden City on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. inside of Conestoga Arena. Barton will travel to Colby to play the Trojans on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Colby Event Center.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709439419191.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wbkb/2023-24/div1/boxscores/20240302_a7xa.xml?view=boxscore">BOX SCORE</a>GREAT BEND, Kan. — The No. 1 Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team moved one more step closer to an unbeaten regular season record with a 57-39 win at Barton on Saturday.The Blue Dragons are now 29-0 overall, 23-0 in Jayhawk Conference play with one game remaining in the regular season, a trip to Garden City on Wednesday.Hutchinson struggled to get going in the first quarter, shooting 1-of-10 from the floor, while Barton built a 12-5 lead after one. During the quarter, HutchCC went on a 5:27 drought without points.The Blue Dragons scored the final two points of the first period and the first 11 points of the second quarter. Barton went over nine minutes without a point from the first quarter to the 2:41 mark in the second quarter. Hutchinson led 20-16 at halftime.The lead continued to grow in the third quarter thanks to an 11-0 run, pushing the lead to 34-18 with 3:13 left in the period. Barton scored the final four points of the quarter, but still trailed 37-24.Hutchinson led by a game-high 21 points late in the fourth quarter, earning its first win in Great Bend since Feb. 19, 2020, snapping a three-game losing streak in the Kirkman Center.Kiki Smith led the Blue Dragons with 14 points, while Monae Duffy finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Akaysha Muggeridge added seven points. Hailey Jackson scored six points and seven boards, while Journey Armstead had five points, seven rebounds and a team-high six assists.Barton was led by Vivan Onugha with 11 points and 13 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.Hutchinson held Barton (20-9, 15-8) to it's second-lowest shooting performance of the season. The Cougars finished 17-of-57 (29.8%) from the floor and 2-of-20 from the 3-point line.The Blue Dragons close out the regular season at Garden City on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. inside of Conestoga Arena. Barton will travel to Colby to play the Trojans on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Colby Event Center.

🏀 WBB: No. 1 HutchCC powers past Barton for win No. 29

CINCINNATI (AP) — John Newman III scored 13 of his 18 in the second half, Simas Lukosius hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left and Cincinnati blew a 13-point lead before beating Kansas State 74-72 Saturday night to snap a three-game skid.

Lukosius finished with 13 points. Day Day Thomas added 14 points, five assists and four steals and Jizzle James scored 10 for Cincinnati (17-12, 6-10 Big 12).

Jamille Reynolds converted a three-point play to give Cincinnati a 67-54 lead — matching the largest of the game — with 6:51 remaining. Tylor Perry answered with a 3-pointer 11 seconds later and added two free throws before he hit another 3 to cap a 10-0 run a little more than 2 minutes later. Carter was fouled on a 3-point shot and hit all three free throws to pull the Wildcats within two with 3:03 remaining and neither team scored again until Perry hit a straight-away 3 late in the shot clock that made it 72-71 with 1:16 left — Kansas State’s first lead since 8-5.

Neither team scored again until Lukosius came around a screen, caught a pass from James at hit the winner. Perry lost the ball out of bounds under the basket with 2.7 seconds to go and Newman was fouled with 1.7 left but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Will McNair Jr. grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 1.5 to go but the inbounds pass was deflected and rolled out of bounds as time expired.

Perry led the Wildcats with 26 points, including 17 in the second half. He made 7 of 10 from the field, 6 of 8 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Jerrell Colbert added 15 points and Cam Carter scored 13.

Kansas State (17-12, 7-9) has lost eight of its last 11 games.

Colbert scored seven consecutive points for Kansas State capped by a dunk that made it 21-19 but the Bearcats scored 11 of the next 13. The Wildcats scored the final four points of the first half and the first four of the second to trim its deficit to 34-31 with 19 minutes to play but Newman scored nine points in a 13-4 run over the next 3 minutes.

The Bearcats are 8-1 all-time against Kansas State. The programs met seven times from 1958-68 and have played just twice since, the most recent coming when Cincinnati beat the Wildcats 75-61 in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Kansas State visits No. 7 Kansas on Tuesday before wrapping up its regular season next Saturday at No. 8 Iowa State. Cincinnati plays Tuesday at Oklahoma and returns for its finale Saturday against West Virginia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709435009403.png" alt="K-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>K-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>CINCINNATI (AP) — John Newman III scored 13 of his 18 in the second half, Simas Lukosius hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left and Cincinnati blew a 13-point lead before beating Kansas State 74-72 Saturday night to snap a three-game skid.Lukosius finished with 13 points. Day Day Thomas added 14 points, five assists and four steals and Jizzle James scored 10 for Cincinnati (17-12, 6-10 Big 12).Jamille Reynolds converted a three-point play to give Cincinnati a 67-54 lead — matching the largest of the game — with 6:51 remaining. Tylor Perry answered with a 3-pointer 11 seconds later and added two free throws before he hit another 3 to cap a 10-0 run a little more than 2 minutes later. Carter was fouled on a 3-point shot and hit all three free throws to pull the Wildcats within two with 3:03 remaining and neither team scored again until Perry hit a straight-away 3 late in the shot clock that made it 72-71 with 1:16 left — Kansas State’s first lead since 8-5.Neither team scored again until Lukosius came around a screen, caught a pass from James at hit the winner. Perry lost the ball out of bounds under the basket with 2.7 seconds to go and Newman was fouled with 1.7 left but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Will McNair Jr. grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 1.5 to go but the inbounds pass was deflected and rolled out of bounds as time expired.Perry led the Wildcats with 26 points, including 17 in the second half. He made 7 of 10 from the field, 6 of 8 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Jerrell Colbert added 15 points and Cam Carter scored 13.Kansas State (17-12, 7-9) has lost eight of its last 11 games.Colbert scored seven consecutive points for Kansas State capped by a dunk that made it 21-19 but the Bearcats scored 11 of the next 13. The Wildcats scored the final four points of the first half and the first four of the second to trim its deficit to 34-31 with 19 minutes to play but Newman scored nine points in a 13-4 run over the next 3 minutes.The Bearcats are 8-1 all-time against Kansas State. The programs met seven times from 1958-68 and have played just twice since, the most recent coming when Cincinnati beat the Wildcats 75-61 in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.Kansas State visits No. 7 Kansas on Tuesday before wrapping up its regular season next Saturday at No. 8 Iowa State. Cincinnati plays Tuesday at Oklahoma and returns for its finale Saturday against West Virginia.

🏀 Simas Lukosius hits winning 3 as Cincinnati beats Kansas State

WACO, Texas (AP) — RayJ Dennis had 19 points and 10 assists, Jayden Nunn scored 18 points with consecutive fastbreak layups in a key run for No. 15 Baylor and the Bears beat seventh-ranked Kansas 82-74 on Saturday, handing the Jayhawks consecutive losses for the first time this season.

Yves Missi added 17 points and fellow freshman Ja'Kobe Walter had 11 for the Bears (21-8, 10-6 Big 12).

Nunn first drove the length of the court with 13:49 left after grabbing a defensive rebound. Then after 7-foot freshman Missi blocked a Kansas shot, Dennis passed ahead to a breaking Nunn for another layup. Those baskets 25 seconds apart ignited a 13-2 run that pushed Baylor's lead from one to 12 with 10 minutes left.

Big 12 scoring leader Kevin McCullar Jr., in his return to the lineup after missing four of the previous five games with a bone bruise in his knee, and Hunter Dickinson had 20 points each for Kansas (21-8, 9-7), which was coming off a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-byu-score-40b8e4f3cac4171a55f4a1df95452c20">76-68 loss at home to Big 12 newcomer BYU</a>. Dajuan Harris had 12 points and nine assists.

The Bears had their largest lead before halftime at 31-24 after Dennis made a 3-pointer with 3 1/2 minutes left, but they needed his jumper with 28 seconds left to lead 35-34 at the break.

Kansas went on a 10-2 spurt in between those baskets by Dennis. The Jayhawks' streak started with two nifty assists by Harris, including a give-and-go break with McCullar, who had a steal. Harris' floater put the Jayhawks up 34-33.

Kansas: This is the first time the Jayhawks have had seven conference losses during coach Bill Self's 21 seasons. They have to win one of their next two games (vs. Kansas State and at No. 1 Houston) to extend their record streak of winning conference records to 35 seasons in a row.

Baylor: The Bears are a national-best 32-15 against AP Top 25 opponents the past five seasons, and have won 13 of their last 18 against top 10 teams.

The Jayhawks scored 46 points in the paint, with 22 of those before halftime. The opening stretch included an emphatic two-handed dunk by Dickinson with just under six minutes left that gave him the last of his 10 points before the break. He scored Kansas’ first six points, including consecutive passes from Adams for a dunk and a layup.

Missi opened the scoring with a powerful dunk even with Adams’ hands in his face, and then did a spin move around Dickinson for a layup for their second basket.

Kansas' streak of 55 consecutive AP poll appearances in the top 10 will come to an end Monday, though the Jayhawks still will be ranked. That will leave top-ranked Houston with the longest active streak of top-10 appearances at 36 in a row.

Kansas is back home at Allen Fieldhouse to play Sunflower State rival Kansas State on Tuesday night. That comes after a week after the Jayhawks’ only home loss, to BYU.

Baylor has two games in a three-day stretch, in its home finale Monday night against Texas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709413044436.png" alt="Photo Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>WACO, Texas (AP) — RayJ Dennis had 19 points and 10 assists, Jayden Nunn scored 18 points with consecutive fastbreak layups in a key run for No. 15 Baylor and the Bears beat seventh-ranked Kansas 82-74 on Saturday, handing the Jayhawks consecutive losses for the first time this season.Yves Missi added 17 points and fellow freshman Ja'Kobe Walter had 11 for the Bears (21-8, 10-6 Big 12).Nunn first drove the length of the court with 13:49 left after grabbing a defensive rebound. Then after 7-foot freshman Missi blocked a Kansas shot, Dennis passed ahead to a breaking Nunn for another layup. Those baskets 25 seconds apart ignited a 13-2 run that pushed Baylor's lead from one to 12 with 10 minutes left.Big 12 scoring leader Kevin McCullar Jr., in his return to the lineup after missing four of the previous five games with a bone bruise in his knee, and Hunter Dickinson had 20 points each for Kansas (21-8, 9-7), which was coming off a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-byu-score-40b8e4f3cac4171a55f4a1df95452c20">76-68 loss at home to Big 12 newcomer BYU</a>. Dajuan Harris had 12 points and nine assists.The Bears had their largest lead before halftime at 31-24 after Dennis made a 3-pointer with 3 1/2 minutes left, but they needed his jumper with 28 seconds left to lead 35-34 at the break.Kansas went on a 10-2 spurt in between those baskets by Dennis. The Jayhawks' streak started with two nifty assists by Harris, including a give-and-go break with McCullar, who had a steal. Harris' floater put the Jayhawks up 34-33.BIG PICTUREKansas: This is the first time the Jayhawks have had seven conference losses during coach Bill Self's 21 seasons. They have to win one of their next two games (vs. Kansas State and at No. 1 Houston) to extend their record streak of winning conference records to 35 seasons in a row.Baylor: The Bears are a national-best 32-15 against AP Top 25 opponents the past five seasons, and have won 13 of their last 18 against top 10 teams.BIG INSIDEThe Jayhawks scored 46 points in the paint, with 22 of those before halftime. The opening stretch included an emphatic two-handed dunk by Dickinson with just under six minutes left that gave him the last of his 10 points before the break. He scored Kansas’ first six points, including consecutive passes from Adams for a dunk and a layup.Missi opened the scoring with a powerful dunk even with Adams’ hands in his face, and then did a spin move around Dickinson for a layup for their second basket.POLL IMPLICATIONSKansas' streak of 55 consecutive AP poll appearances in the top 10 will come to an end Monday, though the Jayhawks still will be ranked. That will leave top-ranked Houston with the longest active streak of top-10 appearances at 36 in a row.UP NEXTKansas is back home at Allen Fieldhouse to play Sunflower State rival Kansas State on Tuesday night. That comes after a week after the Jayhawks’ only home loss, to BYU.Baylor has two games in a three-day stretch, in its home finale Monday night against Texas.

🏀 Baylor led by Dennis and Nunn in win over Kansas

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/gunderson_cody_npi8">Cody Gunderson</a>'s two-run go-ahead home run in the sixth inning of Game 1 and an eight-run first inning in Game 2 led to Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a piece of history in its all-time series with Coffeyville on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.

The Blue Dragons completed the first four-game series sweep against the Red Ravens with victories of 7-3 and 15-3 on Friday. Hutchinson defeated Coffeyville 14-4 and 17-6 in the first two games of the series on Thursday.

The only other time Hutchinson swept Coffeyville in any series of three or more games was 2017 when the Dragons won all three games of a three-game series. This was the 10th-straight season the Blue Dragons and Red Ravens have played in at least a three-game series.

Hutchinson outscored Coffeyville 53-16 and out-hit the Red Ravens 52-23 in the four-game series.

The Blue Dragons match a season high eight-games over .500 with an 11-3 record. The Blue Dragons travel to NOC-Enid for a single nine-inning game at 2 p.m. on Tuesday before opening Jayhawk West play next Thursday against Garden City at Hobart-Detter Field. Coffeyville dropped to 6-7.

GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 7, Coffeyville 3 The Blue Dragons hit four home runs in Game 1 – two by Gunderson and one each by&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/cymbalista_colin_rw61">Colin Cymbalista</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/pimental-guerrero_luis_ubag">Luis Pimentel-Guerrero</a>. All four homers came at key times in the game.

The Dragons took the lead in the first inning when Cymbalista hit a one-out solo shot to left field. Two batters later, Gunderson homered to left to give the Dragons a 2-0 lead.

Trailing 3-2 in the fourth inning, Pimentel-Guerrero's solo home run to right tied the game at 3-3.

Still tied at 3-all in the sixth, Gunderson hit a towering two-run home run over the Hobart-Detter scoreboard in left-center field for a 4-2 lead. The Dragons added two more runs on an Coffeyville error for a 7-3 lead.

Gunderson went 2 for 3 to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to eight games. Gunderson's two home runs drove in three.

The Dragons had just seven hits in Game 1. Pimentel-Guerrero was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Jacob Haddon (1-0) pitched 3 1-3 innings of strong relief to earn the pitching victory. Haddon entered the game with the bases loaded and two out in the fourth inning and needed only one pitch – a groundout to second baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/bradford_blake_6h1a">Blake Bradford</a>&nbsp;– to end the Raven threat.

Haddon allowed just two hits and struck out three in a scoreless relief performance.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/roehler_trenton_3q7k">Trenton Roehler</a>&nbsp;went 3 2-3 innings in his fourth start of the year. He struck out six and walked five, giving up two hits and three unearned runs.

GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 15, Coffeyville 3, 7 innings The Blue Dragons sent 14 batters to the plate in their eight-run first inning. The Dragons had four hits in the inning, but were aided by two Raven errors, five walks and a hit batter. Bradford had a two-run single and Cymbalista had a three-run double in the first inning.

Cymbalista led the Dragons' 14-hit attack, going 4 for 5 with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/wesslund_cooper_2jkh">Cooper Wesslund</a>&nbsp;went 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Pimentel-Guerrero and Bradford had two hits each.

Leading 9-3, the Blue Dragons exploded for five runs in the sixth inning to push the game to the brink of a run-rule game. Wesslund and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/babin_kael_g1ow">Kael Babin</a>&nbsp;each had two run singles in the inning.

Over the four-game series, the Blue Dragons had five innings of five or more runs.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/wandless_caden_3vbw">Caden Wanless</a>&nbsp;(2-0) worked three innings of relief to earn the pitching victory. Wanless struck out five and allowed three hits, a run and a walk.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/neill_bradley_q5wl">Bradley Neill</a>&nbsp;started and worked the first three innings. He allowed four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/toureau_cole_aswi">Cole Toureau</a>&nbsp;struck out three in a scoreless seventh inning.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709400425085.jpeg" alt="Cody Gunderson celebrates after hitting a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning in Game 1 against Coffeyville on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field. The Blue Dragons defeated Coffeyville 7-3 and 15-3 to complete a four-game sweep of the Red Ravens. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Cody Gunderson celebrates after hitting a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning in Game 1 against Coffeyville on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field. The Blue Dragons defeated Coffeyville 7-3 and 15-3 to complete a four-game sweep of the Red Ravens. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of HutchCC Athletics<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/gunderson_cody_npi8">Cody Gunderson</a>'s two-run go-ahead home run in the sixth inning of Game 1 and an eight-run first inning in Game 2 led to Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a piece of history in its all-time series with Coffeyville on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.The Blue Dragons completed the first four-game series sweep against the Red Ravens with victories of 7-3 and 15-3 on Friday. Hutchinson defeated Coffeyville 14-4 and 17-6 in the first two games of the series on Thursday.The only other time Hutchinson swept Coffeyville in any series of three or more games was 2017 when the Dragons won all three games of a three-game series. This was the 10th-straight season the Blue Dragons and Red Ravens have played in at least a three-game series.Hutchinson outscored Coffeyville 53-16 and out-hit the Red Ravens 52-23 in the four-game series.The Blue Dragons match a season high eight-games over .500 with an 11-3 record. The Blue Dragons travel to NOC-Enid for a single nine-inning game at 2 p.m. on Tuesday before opening Jayhawk West play next Thursday against Garden City at Hobart-Detter Field. Coffeyville dropped to 6-7.GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 7, Coffeyville 3 The Blue Dragons hit four home runs in Game 1 – two by Gunderson and one each by&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/cymbalista_colin_rw61">Colin Cymbalista</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/pimental-guerrero_luis_ubag">Luis Pimentel-Guerrero</a>. All four homers came at key times in the game.The Dragons took the lead in the first inning when Cymbalista hit a one-out solo shot to left field. Two batters later, Gunderson homered to left to give the Dragons a 2-0 lead.Trailing 3-2 in the fourth inning, Pimentel-Guerrero's solo home run to right tied the game at 3-3.Still tied at 3-all in the sixth, Gunderson hit a towering two-run home run over the Hobart-Detter scoreboard in left-center field for a 4-2 lead. The Dragons added two more runs on an Coffeyville error for a 7-3 lead.Gunderson went 2 for 3 to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to eight games. Gunderson's two home runs drove in three.The Dragons had just seven hits in Game 1. Pimentel-Guerrero was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI.Jacob Haddon (1-0) pitched 3 1-3 innings of strong relief to earn the pitching victory. Haddon entered the game with the bases loaded and two out in the fourth inning and needed only one pitch – a groundout to second baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/bradford_blake_6h1a">Blake Bradford</a>&nbsp;– to end the Raven threat.Haddon allowed just two hits and struck out three in a scoreless relief performance.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/roehler_trenton_3q7k">Trenton Roehler</a>&nbsp;went 3 2-3 innings in his fourth start of the year. He struck out six and walked five, giving up two hits and three unearned runs.GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 15, Coffeyville 3, 7 innings The Blue Dragons sent 14 batters to the plate in their eight-run first inning. The Dragons had four hits in the inning, but were aided by two Raven errors, five walks and a hit batter. Bradford had a two-run single and Cymbalista had a three-run double in the first inning.Cymbalista led the Dragons' 14-hit attack, going 4 for 5 with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/wesslund_cooper_2jkh">Cooper Wesslund</a>&nbsp;went 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Pimentel-Guerrero and Bradford had two hits each.Leading 9-3, the Blue Dragons exploded for five runs in the sixth inning to push the game to the brink of a run-rule game. Wesslund and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/babin_kael_g1ow">Kael Babin</a>&nbsp;each had two run singles in the inning.Over the four-game series, the Blue Dragons had five innings of five or more runs.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/wandless_caden_3vbw">Caden Wanless</a>&nbsp;(2-0) worked three innings of relief to earn the pitching victory. Wanless struck out five and allowed three hits, a run and a walk.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/neill_bradley_q5wl">Bradley Neill</a>&nbsp;started and worked the first three innings. He allowed four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/bios/toureau_cole_aswi">Cole Toureau</a>&nbsp;struck out three in a scoreless seventh inning.

⚾ HutchCC completes four-game sweep of Coffeyville

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;set the table from the leadoff spot scoring four runs while&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/sandoval_olivia_ydnf">Olivia Sandoval</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/divis_madi_gofs">Madi Divis</a>&nbsp;followed with three hits each to lead the Hutchinson Community College softball team to a 6-2 victor over North Iowa Area Community College on Friday at the Iowa Western Reiver Softball Tournament.

The Blue Dragons wound up splitting the first two games on Friday, falling 7-2 to Indian Hills later Friday afternoon.

Now 13-5 overall, the Blue Dragons will play Iowa Western at 11 a.m. and Indian Hills at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

With hits in her first two at-bats on Friday, Blue Dragon freshman first baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_brooke_06ze">Brooke Backhaus</a>&nbsp;ran her streak of consecutive hits to nine with a single and double against NIACC.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_brooke_06ze">Brooke Backhaus</a>' streak started with a 7-for-7 doubleheader performance against Pratt on Tuesday at Fun Valley. The streak came to an end with a pop out in the fifth inning against NIACC.

HUTCHINSON 6, NIACC 2 <a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;was just 1 for 3 against North Iowa Area, but was on base in all four plate appearances and scored four runs to lead the Blue Dragons.

Right behind Backhaus was Sandoval, who hit second in the Dragon lineup. She went 3 for 3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI to lead the Dragons' nine-hit attack.

The Dragons took a 3-0 lead after two innings. Sandoval's RBI double in the first inning started the scoring. The Dragons parlayed a NIACC error and a Divis RBI single into a two-run second and a three-run lead.

Divis went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs. She also had an RBI single in the sixth inning scoring&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;with Hutchinson's sixth run of the game.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_brooke_06ze">Brooke Backhaus</a>&nbsp;was 2 for 4 with a double.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/mastin_alexis_jxjs">Alexis Mastin</a>&nbsp;had an RBI with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/tomlinson_morgan_sq65">Morgan Tomlinson</a>&nbsp;(4-1) pitched one inning in relief to earn the win. She allowed three hits, but no runs.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/lake_dakota_j57w">Dakota Lake</a>&nbsp;worked the final four innings to earn her fourth save of the season. She allowed one hit and one run with seven strikeouts.

Lake entered the game with no out and NIACC runners at second and third and got three-straight strikeouts to end the threat.

INDIAN HILLS 7, HUTCHINSON 2 The Blue Dragons out-hit Indian Hills 11-10, but stranded 14 runners on base.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/darnell_jaeleigh_5kwl">Jaeleigh Darnell</a>&nbsp;led the Blue Dragons, going 3 for 4 with RBI singles in both the first and sixth innings.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/lozoya_tamara_njkf">Tamara Lozoya</a>&nbsp;both had two hits.

The Blue Dragons trailed just 2-1 after three innings, but the Warriors broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/nowlin_jaala_tjnf">Jaala Nowlin</a>&nbsp;(1-1) suffered the loss after 2 1-3 innings in the start. She allowed two hits, two runs and two walks while striking out two. Tomlinson worked 2 1-3 innings, as did&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/blakesley_delaney_cwfy">Delaney Blakesley</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709400314650.jpeg" alt="The Blue Dragon softball team defeats North Iowa Area 6-2, but falls to Indian Hills 7-2 on Friday at the Iowa Western Reiver Tournament in Council Bluffs, IA." />
 <figcaption>The Blue Dragon softball team defeats North Iowa Area 6-2, but falls to Indian Hills 7-2 on Friday at the Iowa Western Reiver Tournament in Council Bluffs, IA.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of HutchCC AthleticsCOUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;set the table from the leadoff spot scoring four runs while&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/sandoval_olivia_ydnf">Olivia Sandoval</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/divis_madi_gofs">Madi Divis</a>&nbsp;followed with three hits each to lead the Hutchinson Community College softball team to a 6-2 victor over North Iowa Area Community College on Friday at the Iowa Western Reiver Softball Tournament.The Blue Dragons wound up splitting the first two games on Friday, falling 7-2 to Indian Hills later Friday afternoon.Now 13-5 overall, the Blue Dragons will play Iowa Western at 11 a.m. and Indian Hills at 1 p.m. on Saturday.With hits in her first two at-bats on Friday, Blue Dragon freshman first baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_brooke_06ze">Brooke Backhaus</a>&nbsp;ran her streak of consecutive hits to nine with a single and double against NIACC.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_brooke_06ze">Brooke Backhaus</a>' streak started with a 7-for-7 doubleheader performance against Pratt on Tuesday at Fun Valley. The streak came to an end with a pop out in the fifth inning against NIACC.HUTCHINSON 6, NIACC 2 <a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;was just 1 for 3 against North Iowa Area, but was on base in all four plate appearances and scored four runs to lead the Blue Dragons.Right behind Backhaus was Sandoval, who hit second in the Dragon lineup. She went 3 for 3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI to lead the Dragons' nine-hit attack.The Dragons took a 3-0 lead after two innings. Sandoval's RBI double in the first inning started the scoring. The Dragons parlayed a NIACC error and a Divis RBI single into a two-run second and a three-run lead.Divis went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs. She also had an RBI single in the sixth inning scoring&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;with Hutchinson's sixth run of the game.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_brooke_06ze">Brooke Backhaus</a>&nbsp;was 2 for 4 with a double.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/mastin_alexis_jxjs">Alexis Mastin</a>&nbsp;had an RBI with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/tomlinson_morgan_sq65">Morgan Tomlinson</a>&nbsp;(4-1) pitched one inning in relief to earn the win. She allowed three hits, but no runs.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/lake_dakota_j57w">Dakota Lake</a>&nbsp;worked the final four innings to earn her fourth save of the season. She allowed one hit and one run with seven strikeouts.Lake entered the game with no out and NIACC runners at second and third and got three-straight strikeouts to end the threat.INDIAN HILLS 7, HUTCHINSON 2 The Blue Dragons out-hit Indian Hills 11-10, but stranded 14 runners on base.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/darnell_jaeleigh_5kwl">Jaeleigh Darnell</a>&nbsp;led the Blue Dragons, going 3 for 4 with RBI singles in both the first and sixth innings.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/backhaus_bailey_6uk7">Bailey Backhaus</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/lozoya_tamara_njkf">Tamara Lozoya</a>&nbsp;both had two hits.The Blue Dragons trailed just 2-1 after three innings, but the Warriors broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/nowlin_jaala_tjnf">Jaala Nowlin</a>&nbsp;(1-1) suffered the loss after 2 1-3 innings in the start. She allowed two hits, two runs and two walks while striking out two. Tomlinson worked 2 1-3 innings, as did&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/bios/blakesley_delaney_cwfy">Delaney Blakesley</a>.

🥎 Dragons split on Day 1 in Council Bluffs

GAINESVILLE, Florida – The Hutchinson Community College men's Distance Medley Relay just missed the awards podium on Friday, but set a school record in the event on Day 1 of the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The Blue Dragon relay of&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/telemaque_rickyle_suiu">Rickyle Telemaque</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/darrah_christian_vppx">Christian Darrah</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/kiprotich_titus_r5zd">Titus Kiprotich</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/legrand_leo_j8dp">Leo LeGrand</a>&nbsp;beat the 1977 record in the event, posting a ninth-place time of 10 minutes, 8.89 seconds, beating the old Hutchinson record by 3.11 seconds.

For LeGrand, that was the start of what could be a special national championship. After running the DMR, LeGrand posted the top qualifying time for Saturday's 1,000-meter finals. LeGrand posted a PR and the top NJCAA indoor championship time in Blue Dragon team history with a time of 2:25.58.

LeGrand will also run in the Mile run finals on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons scored three points on Day 1 of the two-day competition. The Dragons are in 17th place with 7 of 20 events scored. Pima leads the team race with 45 points. New Mexico Junior College is second with 33 points.

Pole vaulter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_chris_pj8c">Chris Johnson</a>&nbsp;placed sixth on Friday, clearing 15-0 3/4. That was the third-best vault in Blue Dragon indoor national championship history.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709400268284.jpeg" alt="The Blue Dragon men's Distance Medley Relay of (l to r), Rickyle Telemaque, Christian Darrah, Titus Kiprotich and Leo LeGrand, break the Blue Dragon school record and place ninth at the NJCAA Indoor Championships on Friday in Gainesville, FL." />
 <figcaption>The Blue Dragon men's Distance Medley Relay of (l to r), Rickyle Telemaque, Christian Darrah, Titus Kiprotich and Leo LeGrand, break the Blue Dragon school record and place ninth at the NJCAA Indoor Championships on Friday in Gainesville, FL.</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of HutchCC AthleticsGAINESVILLE, Florida – The Hutchinson Community College men's Distance Medley Relay just missed the awards podium on Friday, but set a school record in the event on Day 1 of the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.The Blue Dragon relay of&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/telemaque_rickyle_suiu">Rickyle Telemaque</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/darrah_christian_vppx">Christian Darrah</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/kiprotich_titus_r5zd">Titus Kiprotich</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/legrand_leo_j8dp">Leo LeGrand</a>&nbsp;beat the 1977 record in the event, posting a ninth-place time of 10 minutes, 8.89 seconds, beating the old Hutchinson record by 3.11 seconds.For LeGrand, that was the start of what could be a special national championship. After running the DMR, LeGrand posted the top qualifying time for Saturday's 1,000-meter finals. LeGrand posted a PR and the top NJCAA indoor championship time in Blue Dragon team history with a time of 2:25.58.LeGrand will also run in the Mile run finals on Saturday.The Blue Dragons scored three points on Day 1 of the two-day competition. The Dragons are in 17th place with 7 of 20 events scored. Pima leads the team race with 45 points. New Mexico Junior College is second with 33 points.Pole vaulter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/johnson_chris_pj8c">Chris Johnson</a>&nbsp;placed sixth on Friday, clearing 15-0 3/4. That was the third-best vault in Blue Dragon indoor national championship history.Other Blue Dragon performances on Friday:+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/roland_ty-rique_n9sc">Ty'Rique Roland</a>&nbsp;placed 10th in the high jump going 6-6 1/4 (1.99 meters).+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/seamster_ezekiel_gysy">Ezekiel Seamster</a>&nbsp;didn't qualify for the 60-meter finals, running 6.80 seconds in the preliminaries on Friday.+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/thid_david_jvzs">David Thid</a>&nbsp;ran the best 600-meter time in Blue Dragon indoor nationals history, finishing 13th in Friday's preliminaries with a time of 1:20.54.+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/williams_elisha_pv1w">Elisha Williams</a>&nbsp;ran a time of 48.47 seconds in the 400-meter prelims, the third best national time in Blue Dragon history.+ Farin Mangelson placed 17th in the 5,000 meter finals with a tie of 15:15.52, the fourth-best national performance in Blue Dragon history.+ Kiprotich ran a PR and the second-best indoor championship time in the 3,000 meter finals, placing 19th in 8:34.90.+&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mtrack/2023-24/bios/warren_d-antonio_xcf2">D'Antonio Warren</a>&nbsp;finished 26th in the 200-meter preliminaries with a time of 21.76 seconds.On tap for the Blue Dragon men on Saturday:+ 1:20 PM (CT) – LeGrand and Darrah run in the finals of the Mile run.+ 2:45 p.m. (CT) – LeGrand puts his No. 1 qualifying time on the line in the 1,000-meter finals+ 3:10 p.m. (CT) – The Blue Dragon 4x400 relay will compete in the final event of the national championships.