By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The heart of the Hutchinson Community College softball order has been potent all season long and Tuesday was no different against the Hesston College Larks.

Hutchinson's No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/miller_haley_c81y">Haley Miller</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/grimes_madison_qa73">Madison Grimes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/bevan_natalie_gq93">Natalie Bevan</a>&nbsp;– combined for 11 hits, 15 runs batted in and seven runs scored in the Blue Dragons' doubleheader sweep of the Larks at Fun Valley.

That trio was aided by a solid combined pitching performance by Muquela Gajardo and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/bailey_samarah_si6w">Samarah Bailey</a>&nbsp;in a 5-2 victory in Game 1. The heart of the Dragon order was joined in an offensive onslaught by Carley Sternecker and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/way_alexis_61jv">Alexis Way</a>, who had career highs for highs and RBIs, respectively in a 17-9 run-run of Hesston Game 1.

GAME 1 RECAP The Blue Dragons trailed 1-0 after four innings as Hutchinson stranded five runners on base, four in scoring position, in their first four at-bats.

The big hit finally came in the fifth after a Lark error off the bat of Grimes plated Way with the tying run. Bevan laced a double to center to score two more and came around to complete a four-run inning on an&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/head_easton_e2iz">Easton Head</a>&nbsp;single. The Dragons tacked on an insurance run on a Miller sacrifice fly in the sixth for a 5-2 lead.

Guajardo and Bailey made that stand up in the pitching circle. Guajardo (2-2) pitched a season-high five innings. She allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking none. Guajardo's three strikeouts tied a season high. Bailey earned her second save of the season with the final two innings. She also struck out three.

The Blue Dragons had seven total hits by seven different players. Bevan's double was the only extra base hit for Hutchinson. Bevan also had the only multi-RBI game. Miller, Grimes and Head all had RBIs.

Hutchinson was also 9 for 9 in stolen base attempts. Way had three steals Grimes and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/williams_lexi_p2uv">Lexi Williams</a>&nbsp;had two each and Miller had one steal.

GAME 2 RECAP The Blue Dragons exploded for 17 hits in Game 2 and scored at least one run each of their five at-bats in the game. That included six-run innings in each of the second and fourth.

Sternecker went a career-best 4 for 4 with two doubles four runs scored and two RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Way also drove in a career-high four runs, going 2 for 4.

As for the Dragons' No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters?

Miller had a career-high five RBIs and scored one, going 2 for 3 in Game 2. Grimes was 3 for 4 with a double, triple and four RBIs. Bevan had two doubles in going 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs.

The Blue Dragons led 15-3 entering the fifth inning and the pitching staff had its only reach hiccup of the day after the Larks scored six runs in the top of the fifth to extend the game.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/galliher_jordan_2rxp">Jordan Galliher</a>&nbsp;earned the win in the pitching circle. She went 4-plus innings with four strikeouts, but she allowed five hits, including two home runs and six total runs. Bailey entered and worked just 1-3 inning with three runs allowed before Guajardo pitched the final 2-3 of an inning.

The Blue Dragons are now scheduled to open Jayhawk Conference play on Thursday with a home doubleheader against the Barton Cougars at 2 p.m. at Fun Valley.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThe heart of the Hutchinson Community College softball order has been potent all season long and Tuesday was no different against the Hesston College Larks.Hutchinson's No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/miller_haley_c81y">Haley Miller</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/grimes_madison_qa73">Madison Grimes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/bevan_natalie_gq93">Natalie Bevan</a>&nbsp;– combined for 11 hits, 15 runs batted in and seven runs scored in the Blue Dragons' doubleheader sweep of the Larks at Fun Valley.That trio was aided by a solid combined pitching performance by Muquela Gajardo and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/bailey_samarah_si6w">Samarah Bailey</a>&nbsp;in a 5-2 victory in Game 1. The heart of the Dragon order was joined in an offensive onslaught by Carley Sternecker and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/way_alexis_61jv">Alexis Way</a>, who had career highs for highs and RBIs, respectively in a 17-9 run-run of Hesston Game 1.GAME 1 RECAP The Blue Dragons trailed 1-0 after four innings as Hutchinson stranded five runners on base, four in scoring position, in their first four at-bats.The big hit finally came in the fifth after a Lark error off the bat of Grimes plated Way with the tying run. Bevan laced a double to center to score two more and came around to complete a four-run inning on an&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/head_easton_e2iz">Easton Head</a>&nbsp;single. The Dragons tacked on an insurance run on a Miller sacrifice fly in the sixth for a 5-2 lead.Guajardo and Bailey made that stand up in the pitching circle. Guajardo (2-2) pitched a season-high five innings. She allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking none. Guajardo's three strikeouts tied a season high. Bailey earned her second save of the season with the final two innings. She also struck out three.The Blue Dragons had seven total hits by seven different players. Bevan's double was the only extra base hit for Hutchinson. Bevan also had the only multi-RBI game. Miller, Grimes and Head all had RBIs.Hutchinson was also 9 for 9 in stolen base attempts. Way had three steals Grimes and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/williams_lexi_p2uv">Lexi Williams</a>&nbsp;had two each and Miller had one steal.GAME 2 RECAP The Blue Dragons exploded for 17 hits in Game 2 and scored at least one run each of their five at-bats in the game. That included six-run innings in each of the second and fourth.Sternecker went a career-best 4 for 4 with two doubles four runs scored and two RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Way also drove in a career-high four runs, going 2 for 4.As for the Dragons' No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters?Miller had a career-high five RBIs and scored one, going 2 for 3 in Game 2. Grimes was 3 for 4 with a double, triple and four RBIs. Bevan had two doubles in going 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs.The Blue Dragons led 15-3 entering the fifth inning and the pitching staff had its only reach hiccup of the day after the Larks scored six runs in the top of the fifth to extend the game.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/sball/2020-21/bios/galliher_jordan_2rxp">Jordan Galliher</a>&nbsp;earned the win in the pitching circle. She went 4-plus innings with four strikeouts, but she allowed five hits, including two home runs and six total runs. Bailey entered and worked just 1-3 inning with three runs allowed before Guajardo pitched the final 2-3 of an inning.The Blue Dragons are now scheduled to open Jayhawk Conference play on Thursday with a home doubleheader against the Barton Cougars at 2 p.m. at Fun Valley.

Heart of order carries Dragons to sweep of Larks

Three Hutchinson Community College volleyball players had double figures in kills and libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;led a tremendous back-row effort as the Blue Dragons avenged an opening night loss to Garden City on Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons defeated Garden City 25-8, 23-25, 25-13, 25-16 in a Jayhawk West rematch Tuesday night. The Blue Dragons have now won 10 off 11 matches and stay within striking distance of the top spot in the Jayhawk West. Hutchinson is now 16-6 overall and 9-3 in the Jayhawk West. Garden City falls to 8-10 and 4-4.

Hutchinson travels to Colby for a 6:30 p.m. match on Thursday night.

Thorne led the Blue Dragons with a match-high 18 kills.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;had 15 kills and Taegen Larson came off the bench to add 10 kills.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lettries_myracle_x6su">Myracle Lettries</a>&nbsp;had eight kills and setter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;had seven kills

Defensively, Reeder had her 11th match or 20 or more digs with a career-high 28 against the Busters. Price had 14 digs and Thorne had 10 digs.

Price posted her eighth double-double of the season and Thorne had her 14th double-double of the season. Price had 44 set assists and Thorne had a match-high three aces.

Alli Meng, Raegan Karlin and Touja Durham had seven kills each to lead Garden City.

The Blue Dragons wasted little time in winning the opening set. Back-to-back Lettries kills gave Hutch an early 8-1 lead. Then at 9-4, a Larsen kill started a 13-point Thorne service run. Four different Dragons had kills in the run. Larsen also ended the run with a kill and Hutchinson led 22-4. The Dragons tallied a season single-set high 20 kills in the opening set in a 25-8 victory.

The second set played out much differently than the first. Hutch held the early upper-hand, but a Dragon service error and Durham ace gave the Busters a 14-12 lead. Garden City led 17-14 before the Dragons reeled off four straight to take an 18-17 lead on a Larsen kill. Trailing 21-19, Head produced two kills and a solo block on three-consecutive rallies for a 22-21 Dragon lead. Down one, Thorne had a back-row kill to tie the set at 23, but the Blue Dragons had attack errors on the final two points of the set and Garden City knotted the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 win.

Hutchinson quickly regained its strong offensive play from the first set by building leads of 6-2, 11-3, 14-4 and 16-5 in the third set. Throne and Head had four kills each. A Thorne kill boosted the Hutch advantage to 21-9. Head finished the set with a kill for a 25-13 win. The Dragons have 15 kills to Garden City's five in the third set.

The fourth set had the same start to the second as Garden City game to live and led 9-3. But unlike the second set, the Blue Dragons were able to turn the tables on the Busters. Trailing 10-6, the Dragons scored four in a row, getting kills from&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;and Price to tie the set at 10. Trailing 11-10, Head terminated on a perfectly ran slide to tie the set and spark Hutchinson to 10 unanswered points to claim control of the set. Thorne had two kills and a block assists. Briggs has back-to-back ace serves and when Head nailed another slide, the Dragons led 21-11. Hutch doubled up Garden City in kills in the fourth set, 14-7, finished off the Busters on the fourth match point with a Larsen kill.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationThree Hutchinson Community College volleyball players had double figures in kills and libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;led a tremendous back-row effort as the Blue Dragons avenged an opening night loss to Garden City on Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.The Blue Dragons defeated Garden City 25-8, 23-25, 25-13, 25-16 in a Jayhawk West rematch Tuesday night. The Blue Dragons have now won 10 off 11 matches and stay within striking distance of the top spot in the Jayhawk West. Hutchinson is now 16-6 overall and 9-3 in the Jayhawk West. Garden City falls to 8-10 and 4-4.Hutchinson travels to Colby for a 6:30 p.m. match on Thursday night.Thorne led the Blue Dragons with a match-high 18 kills.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;had 15 kills and Taegen Larson came off the bench to add 10 kills.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lettries_myracle_x6su">Myracle Lettries</a>&nbsp;had eight kills and setter&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;had seven killsDefensively, Reeder had her 11th match or 20 or more digs with a career-high 28 against the Busters. Price had 14 digs and Thorne had 10 digs.Price posted her eighth double-double of the season and Thorne had her 14th double-double of the season. Price had 44 set assists and Thorne had a match-high three aces.Alli Meng, Raegan Karlin and Touja Durham had seven kills each to lead Garden City.The Blue Dragons wasted little time in winning the opening set. Back-to-back Lettries kills gave Hutch an early 8-1 lead. Then at 9-4, a Larsen kill started a 13-point Thorne service run. Four different Dragons had kills in the run. Larsen also ended the run with a kill and Hutchinson led 22-4. The Dragons tallied a season single-set high 20 kills in the opening set in a 25-8 victory.The second set played out much differently than the first. Hutch held the early upper-hand, but a Dragon service error and Durham ace gave the Busters a 14-12 lead. Garden City led 17-14 before the Dragons reeled off four straight to take an 18-17 lead on a Larsen kill. Trailing 21-19, Head produced two kills and a solo block on three-consecutive rallies for a 22-21 Dragon lead. Down one, Thorne had a back-row kill to tie the set at 23, but the Blue Dragons had attack errors on the final two points of the set and Garden City knotted the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 win.Hutchinson quickly regained its strong offensive play from the first set by building leads of 6-2, 11-3, 14-4 and 16-5 in the third set. Throne and Head had four kills each. A Thorne kill boosted the Hutch advantage to 21-9. Head finished the set with a kill for a 25-13 win. The Dragons have 15 kills to Garden City's five in the third set.The fourth set had the same start to the second as Garden City game to live and led 9-3. But unlike the second set, the Blue Dragons were able to turn the tables on the Busters. Trailing 10-6, the Dragons scored four in a row, getting kills from&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;and Price to tie the set at 10. Trailing 11-10, Head terminated on a perfectly ran slide to tie the set and spark Hutchinson to 10 unanswered points to claim control of the set. Thorne had two kills and a block assists. Briggs has back-to-back ace serves and when Head nailed another slide, the Dragons led 21-11. Hutch doubled up Garden City in kills in the fourth set, 14-7, finished off the Busters on the fourth match point with a Larsen kill.

Blue Dragon Volleyball avenge early season loss to Busters

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas athletic director Jeff Long says he asked Les Miles during the hiring process to be next football coach of the Jayhawks whether there was anything in his background that could potentially embarrass the university. He says Miles replied, "No." Three years later, Miles is out as head coach. He was placed on administrative leave last week amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU. Now Kansas is looking for another head coach.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will be without starting center David McCormack and backup forward Tristan Enaruna for the Big 12 Tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. The No. 11 Jayhawks hope to have both players back for next week's NCAA Tournament. Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Tuesday the pair entered the protocol "semi-recently" but did not say whether either tested positive for the virus. The No. 2 seed Jayhawks open tournament play in Thursday's quarterfinals against No. 25 Oklahoma or Iowa State.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa's Luka Garza is The Associated Press player of the year in the Big Ten for the second year in a row and Michigan's Juwan Howard is coach of the year. Garza won a split vote with Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu after being a unanimous pick in 2020. Garza and Dosunmu were unanimous choices for for spots on the AP's All-Big Ten team in voting of 15 media members. Joining Garza and Dosunmu on the first team are Minnesota's Marcus Carr, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Ohio State's E.J. Liddell. Michigan's Hunter Dickson is newcomer of the year.

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta has apologized to the family of Hawkeyes basketball great Roy Marble for any hard feelings caused by the retirement of star player Luka Garza's number. Garza recently broke the career scoring record held by Marble and is the two-time Big Ten player of the year. Iowa announced after Sunday's home win against Wisconsin that no one in the basketball program would wear Garza's No. 55 after this season. Marble led Iowa to an NCAA regional final in 1987 and to the Sweet 16 the next year. His No. 23 has not been retired.

UNDATED (AP) — Tampa Bay, the New York Islanders, Vegas and Toronto entered the week leading their divisions in the NHL. They are relying in part on strong secondary scoring beyond their top lines. Carolina, Florida, Washington, Minnesota, Edmonton and Winnipeg are also finding success that way. The Oilers have had 20 players score. The Islanders were the first team in the league this season to have five players, including the four that center each line, score at least nine times. They also have a trio of defensemen with at least 10 points.

UNDATED (AP) — The Big Ten hasn't won an NCAA Tournament title since Tom Izzo coached Michigan State to the 2000 championship. But the league rarely has boasted as much strength as it does now. Big Ten schools make up three of the top five teams in the latest Top 25: No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Iowa. Ohio State is ranked ninth. That gives the league plenty of confidence going into the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. It begins opens Wednesday with two games: Minnesota-Northwestern and Nebraska-Penn State.

UNDATED (AP) — Baylor guard Jared Butler is The Associated Press Big 12 men's basketball player of the year after helping the Bears win their first conference title. He is averaging 17.1 points a game while leading the league in 3-point shooting and steals. The others named AP Big 12 first-team are Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma senior Austin Reaves, West Virginia junior forward Derek Culver and Texas Tech junior Mac McClung . Baylor's Scott Drew is the top coach for the second season in a row. Cunningham is the league's top newcomer.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 Tournament begins with a pair of first-round games Wednesday night at T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It figures to be one of the toughest tournaments in years with seven of the 10 schools ranked in the latest Top 25. Among them are second-ranked Baylor, No. 13 Texas and No. 20 Texas Tech, all of whom are hoping to become the first school from the state of Texas to win the championship.&nbsp;

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Gonzaga had to stage a second-half comeback to win its conference title.

Top-ranked Gonzaga trailed by 12 at halftime before pulling out an 88-78 victory over BYU that gives the Bulldogs the West Coast Conference title.

Jalen Suggs hit two late 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help the Zags stay unbeaten this season, now at 26-0.

The Zags responded to their biggest halftime deficit in three years by locking down defensively and getting back to their efficient ways on offense.

Suggs took charge down the stretch, hitting consecutive 3-pointers to put Gonzaga up by nine with 1:28 left. Corey Kispert scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will be without starting center David McCormack and backup forward Tristan Enaruna for the Big 12 Tournament due to COVID-19 protocols

Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Tuesday the pair entered the protocol "semi-recently" but did not say whether either tested positive for the virus. McCormack is averaging 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds and Enaruna plays sparingly off the bench.

The second-seeded Jayhawks open tournament play in Thursday's quarterfinals against No. 25 Oklahoma or Iowa State.

The No. 11 Jayhawks hope to have both players back for next week's NCAA Tournament.

UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a pair of big moves as they try to retain their Super Bowl-winning roster. 

The Buccaneers have placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin, who now stands to make about $16.4 million next season after earning $2.1 million last year. Godwin ranked second to Mike Evans on the Super Bowl champs with 65 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.

The Bucs also agreed to a deal with linebacker Lavonte David. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that David accepted a two-year package worth up to $25 million. The 31-year-old David, was set to become a free agent after nine pro seasons, all with the Bucs. He's a long-time captain and generally regarded as the heart of a defense that's ranked first against the run each of the past two seasons.

— The Jacksonville Jaguars used their franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson. The move prevents him from hitting free agency and makes him the blindside protector for presumptive No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence. The team made it official about two hours after coach Urban Meyer said "we are headed in that direction." Robinson has started 50 of 67 games since being drafted in the second round in 2017. 

— New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club placed the franchise tag on free safety Marcus Williams. The decision prevents the 24-year-old Williams from entering free agency and effectively places him under a one-year contract for about $10.5 million. Williams was a second-round draft choice out of Utah in 2017, who has started since the beginning of his rookie year and has intercepted 13 passes during his first four NFL seasons. 

— The Tennessee Titans released cornerback Malcolm Butler on Tuesday three years into the five-year deal he signed in March 2018, according to his agent Derek Simpson. Butler signed for more than $60 million in March 2018 after leaving New England as a free agent. Releasing Butler is expected to save the Titans more than $10 million against the salary cap as they try to create space for free agency. 

— The Minnesota Vikings have cleared more salary cap space by cutting kicker Dan Bailey. Bailey ranked last in the league in 2020 in field goal percentage and extra point percentage, among kickers who appeared in 10 or more games. Both of those rates were career lows, by far. The 10-year veteran missed five field goals and five extra points over the final five games. 

— The Chicago Bears have placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson, setting up a potential messy situation with their most consistent playmaker on offense. The sides have until July 15 to reach a multiyear deal. Otherwise, he would play next season for approximately $16.4 million assuming he signs. 

— The Carolina Panthers have placed the franchise tag on Taylor Moton while still hoping to work out a long-term extension with the fourth-year offensive tackle. If no long-term deal is reached by July 15 Moton would make between $13 million and $14 million next season depending on the NFL salary cap —and would be eligible for free agency next year. 

— For the second consecutive year the New York Giants have given the franchise tag to defensive tackle Leonard Williams. The Giants applied the non-exclusive franchise tag just before the league deadline. He earned $16.1 million on the 2020 tag and a second franchise tag is worth 120% of the previous season's contract. 

— Marcus Allen is staying in Pittsburgh. And staying at linebacker too. The Steelers announced they have signed Allen to a one-year deal for the 2021 season. Allen had been an exclusive rights free agent. The 24-year-old Allen played in 14 games in 2021 after being moved from safety to inside linebacker in the preseason because of depth issues at the position.

— The Detroit Lions have signed Tyrell Williams, adding much-needed depth at wide receiver with a player they hope can stay healthy. The Lions made the move Tuesday. Detroit's top receivers from last season are free agents. 

— The Atlanta Falcons have saved almost $4 million from the 2021 salary cap by cutting veteran offensive guard James Carpenter. The move comes after the team already cleared almost $11 million in cap space by releasing two veterans, safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey.

— The Cleveland Browns cleared out a little more salary cap space by releasing veteran defensive end Adrian Clayborn after one season. Clayborn appeared in 15 games for the Browns last season after signing a two-year, $5.75 million contract as a free agent in March. 

Pierce, Cooper, Bosh lead finalists for 2021 Hoop Hall class

UNDATED (AP) — Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh lead a list of 14 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The list features six other first-time finalists: former NBA coach Rick Adelman, Villanova coach Jay Wright, two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith, three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson and former WNBA coach of the year Marianne Stanley, plus Hall of Famer Bill Russell as a coach. The other finalists are high school coaching great Leta Andrews, Michigan "Fab Five" member Chris Webber, 2000 Olympic gold medalist Tim Hardaway, five-time NBA All-Star Marques Johnson and four-time NBA defensive player of the year Ben Wallace. The Class of 2021 will be announced May 16.

— Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will both be unable to start the second half of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, though neither All-Star will be missing from the Eastern Conference leaders' lineup for long. They will miss Philadelphia's game Thursday in Chicago, and Simmons will also miss the 76ers' contest on Friday against Washington. Provided both continue to test negative for COVID-19, they would be cleared after those games.

— Meyers Leonard of the Miami Heat used an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game that was being livestreamed, prompting both the team and the NBA office to quickly open investigations into the matter. The video began circulating widely on social media Tuesday afternoon. The Heat, who were in the final day of their All-Star break and are not formally resuming practice until Wednesday, had no immediate comment. An NBA spokesman said the league "unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech."

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Islanders extended their winning streak and stayed atop the East Division, two points ahead of Washington.

Anthony Beauvillier scored the deciding goal in the shootout and the Isles beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 for their sixth straight win.

Brock Nelson scored in regulation for the Islanders, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 32 shots as Barry Trotz became the third coach in NHL history to reach 1,700 games behind the bench. New York beat Boston for the fourth time in four meetings this season.

The Islanders also improved to 11-0-2 at Nassau Coliseum, remaining the league's only team without a regulation loss at home.

In Washington, Jakub Vrana scored his second goal of the game in overtime to help theCapitals beat the New Jersey Devils 5-4 after squandering a three-goal lead. Washington has won six of seven games, including two in a row since Tom Wilson was suspended for hitting Boston's Brandon Carlo in the head. 

New Jersey earned a point with a dominant third period that featured a 16-5 shot disparity. The Capitals went up 4-1 in the third period before the Devils tilted the ice, scoring three consecutive goals to force OT.

— Blake Coleman scored 2:17 into overtime, giving the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Coleman's goal was set up by Tyler Johnson, who also had a goal in the game to help the defending Stanley Cup champions season-high point streak to nine games. Detroit's Dylan Larkin had a tiebreaking goal midway through the second period and the rebuilding team kept the lead against the NHL power for 20-plus minutes. 

— Patric Hornqvist and Owen Tippett scored power-play goals in the second period, Sergei Bobrovsky made 40 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 on Tuesday night. Juho Lammikko and Carter Verhaeghe also scored for the Panthers, who have won three of their last four games. Michael Del Zotto and Oliver Bjorkstrand had goals for the Blue Jackets, and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 shots. Columbus has lost five of the last seven.

— Jordan Staal's second goal of the game came with 34.9 seconds left on the clock in overtime, sending the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. The Hurricanes have their first six-game winning streak in 10 years. Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes. Matt Benning and Ryan Johansen had Nashville's goals as the Predators built a 2-0 lead in the second period. 

— Kasperi Kapanen got his fourth goal in his last five games and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 4-2. Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Penguins, who went 4-1 on their homestand to gain ground in the hyper-competitive East Division. Sidney Crosby's empty-net goal with 32 seconds to go helped Pittsburgh escape. Tristan Jarry finished with 33 saves, including a couple of scrambling stops on his belly in the final minutes to preserve a one-goal lead. 

— Shayne Gostisbehere tied the game late in regulation, Sean Couturier and Nolan Patrick scored shootout goals, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4. The NHL-worst Buffalo Sabres lost their eighth straight game. The Flyers rallied from a 3-1 hole to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Hayes and Claude Giroux all scored for the Flyers.

— Joel Kiviranta scored 100 seconds in and added an assist as the Stars blasted the Blackhawks, 6-1. Rookie Jason Robertson had four assists for his first four-point game, and Joe Pavelski got his team-best 13th goal for the Stars. Anton Khudobin stopped 21 shots for Dallas, which has won two of three by a combined 11-1 after dropping four straight games.

— Connor Hellebuyck made 36 saves, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the North Division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs in the opener of a three-game series. Andrew Copp had a goal and an assist and Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Mason Appleton also scored for Winnipeg. Neal Pionk finished with three assists for the Jets, who trail the Maple Leafs by five points in the standings with two games in hand. Toronto's Auston Matthews scored twice, raising his NHL-leading goal total to 20.

Predators add captain Roman Josi to injured reserve list

UNDATED (AP) — The Nashville Predators' injury bug now has hit captain Roman Josi, who is week to week with an upper body injury. 

Josi took a high stick from Denis Gurianov 2:46 into the third period that drew blood on Josi's face. Josi stayed in the game and scored the winning goal Sunday night in a 4-3 shootout victory in Dallas. The captain becomes the fourth Nashville player on injured reserve within the past week. 

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL will be returning to ESPN beginning next season. 

People familiar with the deal told The Associated Press the two sides have reached agreement on a seven-year contract that includes four Stanley Cup Finals. The deal was first reported by SportsNet in Canada.

NBC is in the final season of a 10-year contract worth $2 billion that gives it national NHL rights, but the league will air on multiple networks in its next agreement.

NBC has aired games since 2005 and is still among the bidders for the other part of the deal, which includes three Stanley Cup Finals.

UNDATED (AP) — Cleveland Indians third baseman José Ramírez and slugger Franmil Reyes have rejoined the team after being banned for breaking COVID-19 protocols. 

The players tested negative for the coronavirus and are back at the team's facility in Goodyear, Arizona. 

Ramírez and Reyes had been isolated at their temporary spring training homes since Saturday after they went out to dinner indoors, a behavior that violated virus guidelines set last season by Major League Baseball and the players' union. Indians manager Terry Francona said the team followed the guidelines and reported the violation.

— Chicago Cubs reliever Pedro Strop has returned to training camp after he was kept away for a couple days for violating baseball's COVID-19 protocols. The team said Sunday that Strop was being kept away from his teammates, and that Major League Baseball will decide when he is allowed to rejoin the team. It has confirmed Strop's return. The 35-year-old Strop is in camp on a minor league deal. He is trying to make it back to the majors after a tough season last year.

— New York Yankees left-hander Zack Britton needs surgery to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow and seems certain to miss the start of the season. Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced the need for an operation following New York's 6-5 loss to Detroit on Tuesday. Head team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad will perform the surgery on Wednesday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Boone said Clint Frazier was not hurt when he banged into the left-field wall chasing Willi Castro's homer in the fourth inning.

— The Texas Rangers will be without one of their top relievers to start the season. Hard-throwing Jonathan Hernandez has been shut down from pitching for at least four weeks because of a ligament sprain in his right elbow. Rangers general manager Chris Young says it is a low-grade sprain in the ulnar collateral ligament. The pitcher felt something when throwing his last live BP session. Hernandez was 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA in 27 appearances last season. He had 31 strikeouts in 31 innings, relying heavily on sinker that averaged nearly 98 mph.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State has halted football team workouts for a week because of an increase in positive COVID-19 tests within the program.

The school said Tuesday that team activities would pause and administrative offices in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center would close "out of an abundance of caution and with the health, safety and well-being of the student-athletes, coaches and football and facility support staff as the highest priority."

The Buckeyes are scheduled to open spring practice on March 19.

—Duke has paused spring football activities indefinitely due to a COVID-19 cluster involving 10 athletes. The school in Durham, North Carolina, announced the pause Tuesday, saying the cluster of cases was tied to people who attended team activities together. Those affected are in isolation. The school said contact tracers have identified others who possibly had close contact with someone who tested positive. The team started spring practice Feb. 26 and conducted three official workouts before the pause.

Study finds 'no racist intent' in Texas song

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A long-awaited report from the University of Texas on the history of the school song "The Eyes of Texas" finds that it had "no racist intent." 

The study was ordered last year by the school's president after a group football players and other athletes demanded the school drop the song because of racist elements of its past. 

The song will continue to be played, but school will not require athletes and band members to sing or perform it.

Sports Headlines for Wednesday

Northern Valley 52, Wheatland-Grinnell 44

Some high school basketball scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/

Tuesday's ScoresBy The Associated Press<h2>BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>State Quarterfinal=Class 1A Division I=Little River 56, Clifton-Clyde 40Ness City 53, Stockton 41Olpe 50, Wichita Classical 30South Gray 72, Pratt Skyline 49Class 1A Division II=Elyria Christian 47, Waverly 41Hanover 71, St. John's Beloit-Tipton 37Northern Valley 52, Wheatland-Grinnell 44Pawnee Heights 48, South Haven 43Class 3A=Galena 55, Wellsville 48Hays-TMP-Marian 82, Hugoton 67Hesston 55, Wichita Trinity 47Rock Creek 53, Royal Valley 43Class 5A=DeSoto 67, Pittsburg 42KC Washington 52, Mill Valley 47Maize 37, Wichita Bishop Carroll 33Topeka West 52, Hays 49<h2>GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>State Quarterfinal=Class 2A=Garden Plain 48, Moundridge 39Pittsburg Colgan 41, Berean Academy 34Sterling 57, Trego 43Valley Heights 60, Wabaunsee 44Class 4A=Andale 31, Clearwater 20Bishop Miege 56, Wamego 24Louisburg 49, Labette County 48McPherson 47, Clay Center 41Class 6A=Dodge City 55, Derby 30Olathe West 55, Olathe North 41SM Northwest 36, Blue Valley 29Topeka 71, Wichita Heights 36___Some high school basketball scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/

Prep State Tournament Scores from Tuesday

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Tuesday

WICHITA, Kan.—The Boys Class 6A State Tournament bracket is now set to be played at Koch Arena at Wichita State with the #1 seed going to Lawrence (20-1) as the Lions match up with #4 seed Blue Valley North (19-3) at 3pm on Thursday.

In the late game, the #2 seed Wichita Campus (20-2) will play #3 seed Lawrence Free State (20-3).&nbsp; Campus got a hard earned win over Hutchinson 70-61 on Monday while Free State out-lasted Wichita Heights in OT, 41-36.

The winners will advance to the Championship at Koch Arena on Saturday at 2pm.&nbsp; The losers will both receive 3rd place medals and trophies but will not participate in a 3rd place game.

Girls Class 6A quarter-finals will be held tonight.&nbsp; Winners will advance to play on Friday at Wichita State.

WICHITA, Kan.—The Boys Class 6A State Tournament bracket is now set to be played at Koch Arena at Wichita State with the #1 seed going to Lawrence (20-1) as the Lions match up with #4 seed Blue Valley North (19-3) at 3pm on Thursday.In the late game, the #2 seed Wichita Campus (20-2) will play #3 seed Lawrence Free State (20-3).&nbsp; Campus got a hard earned win over Hutchinson 70-61 on Monday while Free State out-lasted Wichita Heights in OT, 41-36.The winners will advance to the Championship at Koch Arena on Saturday at 2pm.&nbsp; The losers will both receive 3rd place medals and trophies but will not participate in a 3rd place game.Girls Class 6A quarter-finals will be held tonight.&nbsp; Winners will advance to play on Friday at Wichita State.

🏀 6A Boys Bracket is set for Thursday

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Les Miles is out as Kansas' head coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU. Kansas described Miles' departure as a mutual agreement to part ways. He has three years left on his original five-year contract with the school. Last week, LSU released a 148-page review by a law firm about the university's handling of sexual misconduct complaints. It described how Miles "tried to sexualize the staff of student workers in the football program by, for instance, allegedly demanding that he wanted blondes with big breasts, and 'pretty girls.'"

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton has lifted coach Greg McDermott's suspension for making racially insensitive remarks to his players during a postgame talk. McDermott twice used the term "plantation" as part of an analogy urging team unity. He apologized but was suspended last Thursday. Athletic director Bruce Rasmussen says the coach understands that forgiveness must be earned and he is willing to work for it. McDermott will become active in a campus program designed to help participants better understand racism and create change. He will return for this week's Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament that begins next week.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Evander Kane scored 41 seconds into overtime and the San Jose Sharks ended a disappointing homestand on a high note by beating the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Sharks had lost five of their first six games on their longest homestand of the season before rallying to beat the Blues by getting a tying goal in the third period from Logan Couture and the winner from Kane. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose, and Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves. The Blues won the first four games of their road trip before stumbling at the end with overtime losses in Los Angeles and San Jose.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says it could be years before its schools recover from the financial blow they took when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports. Bowlsby believes there is reason to feel good about the future. That includes the return of the men's and women's conference tournaments this week in Kansas City, Missouri.&nbsp;

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham is the fourth freshman to be selected as the Big 12 player of the year by the league's coaches. The rest of the first team includes guards Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell from regular-season champion Baylor, guard Austin Reaves from Oklahoma and West Virginia forward Derek Culver. Baylor's Scott Drew is the coach of the year for the second season in a row. The other freshmen tabbed the top player by Big 12 coaches were Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart in 2013, Kansas State's Michael Beasley in 2008 and Texas' Kevin Durant in 2007.&nbsp;

UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga remains entrenched at No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll in its bid to go wire-to-wire. The Zags received 61 of 63 first-place votes from a media panel as they attempt to become the first wire-to-wire No. 1 since Kentucky in 2014-15. Baylor had two first-place votes and moved back into the No. 2 slot after dropping a spot last week. Illinois, Michigan and Iowa rounded out the top 5. No. 8 Arkansas is in the top 10 for the first time since reaching No. 1 in 1994-95.

NEW YORK (AP) — Connecticut forward Isaiah Whaley and St. John's point guard Posh Alexander have been named co-winners of the Big East Conference's defensive player of the year award. The league's most improved player award was shared by St. John's guard-forward Julian Champagnie and Xavier forward Zach Freemantle. Tyler Polley of UConn was the winner of the league's sixth man award and Mitch Ballock of Creighton received the conference's sportsmanship award. The league's head coaches selected the awards. They weren't permitted to vote for their own players.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — No. 7 Maryland has been the Big Ten's most dominant women's basketball program since joining the league in 2014. The Terrapins have won either a share or the outright conference's regular-season crown six times in seven seasons and and four tournament title. But after finishing one game behind Maryland in the league standings this season, No. 9 Indiana hopes to dethrone the defending champs at this week's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.

Miles out at Kansas over behavior with women while at LSU

UNDATED (AP) — Les Miles is out as Kansas' head football coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU.

Last week, LSU released a 148-page review by a law firm about the university's handling of sexual misconduct complaints. It described how Miles "tried to sexualize the staff of student workers in the football program by, for instance, allegedly demanding that he wanted blondes with big breasts, and 'pretty girls.'"

Kansas announced Miles' departure Monday night, describing it as a mutual agreement to part ways. Miles has three years left on his original five-year contract with Kansas. Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement that he is "extremely disappointed" for the university, fans and everyone involved with the football program. A search for a new coach has been launched and will be assisted by an outside firm.

Astros boost rotation with Odorizzi's $20.25M, 2-year deal

UNDATED (AP) — Right-hander Jake Odorizzi and the Houston Astros have finalized a $20.25 million, two-year contract that includes a player option for 2023 and could be worth at least $33.25 million over three seasons. 

Odorizzi enhances a Houston rotation that lost Framber Valdéz indefinitely to a broken finger this spring. Astros ace Justin Verlander also is sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery. An All-Star with Minnesota in 2019, Odorizzi was limited to four starts last season because of injuries. He was 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA for the Twins during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. 

— Chicago's two major league baseball teams will be allowed to host a limited number of fans starting on opening day. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says capacity for the Cubs at Wrigley Field and the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field will be set at 20%. That translates to as many as 8,122 fans for White Sox home games and 8,274 fans at Wrigley Field. 

— Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has declined to specify why Jeremy Jeffress was released by the team. Rizzo says he considers it an "employment issue" and acknowledges it was not related to the reliever's baseball performance. Washington cut ties with Jeffress on Sunday. He was a 2018 NL All-Star for the Brewers who was with the Cubs last season.

— The Minnesota Twins have been eagerly anticipating the addition of shortstop Andrelton Simmons this season. The native of Curaçao had been unable to leave the Caribbean island country until travel documentation was complete. The paperwork was delayed by the recent wave of extreme wintry weather. Then he had to clear COVID-19 protocols upon arrival at camp. Simmons signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Twins.

— Rheal Cormier, the durable left-hander who spent 16 seasons in the majors and remarkably pitched in the Olympics before and after his time in the big leagues, has died. He was 53. The Philadelphia Phillies said Cormier died Monday of cancer at his home in New Brunswick, Canada. Cormier owned a neat nook in Phillies history: He was the winning pitcher in the final game that Philadelphia won at Veterans Stadium in 2003, and also was the winner in the first game the Phils won after moving into Citizens Bank Park in 2004. 

ATLANTA (AP) — The NBA's mini-bubble in Atlanta for the All-Star Game apparently worked. No players, coaches or game officials tested positive for COVID-19 while in Atlanta. 

The NBA announcement Monday comes after the final tests were processed and results were returned to the league and the teams involved.

That includes Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, a pair of All-Stars who had to miss the game and left Atlanta early after being flagged through contact tracing. A barber both saw before going to Atlanta tested positive, and that meant Embiid and Simmons were potentially exposed to the virus. So by league policy this season, they couldn't play Sunday night.

— Atlanta Hawks forward Cam Reddish has had a nonsurgical procedure after missing six games with soreness in his right Achilles. Reddish was placed in a walking boot following the procedure at Atlanta's Emory Sports Medicine Clinic. His status will be updated in about one week. A second-year player from Duke, Reddish is averaging 11.2 points in 26 games, including 21 starts. 

Kahkonen gets 1st shutout as Wild beat Golden Knights 2-0

UNDATED (AP) — Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves to notch his first career shutout for the Minnesota Wild in a 2-0 victory over Vegas. That stopped the Golden Knights' six-game winning streak. 

Kahkonen won his seventh consecutive start, a franchise rookie goalie record. The 24-year-old native of Finland has allowed only 10 goals over his seven-game streak. Kevin Fiala and Jonas Brodin scored for the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots for the NHL-leading Golden Knights. The teams play again on Wednesday.

— Bo Horvat scored in the shootout, giving Vancouver a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens and extending the Canucks' winning streak to three games. The Canadiens got a power-play goal from Jeff Petry early in the first period. Vancouver's Adam Gaudette forced extra time, scoring with 40.5 seconds left in regulation. Horvat assisted on the goal.

— Adam Henrique scored three minutes into overtime, Rickard Rakell became the fourth Anaheim player in 10 years to have three or more points in consecutive games and the Ducks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-5 in this season's second installment of the Freeway Face-Off. Henrique took a pass from Trevor Zegras and put the puck past Cal Petersen inside the near post to give the Ducks consecutive wins for only the second time this season. Adrian Kempe had his second NHL hat trick for Los Angeles. His redirect in front with 2:32 remaining in the third period sent the game to overtime. 

— Evander Kane scored 41 seconds into overtime and the San Jose Sharks ended a disappointing homestand on a high note by beating the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Sharks had lost five of their first six games on their longest homestand of the season before rallying to beat the Blues by getting a tying goal in the third period from Logan Couture and the winner from Kane. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose, and Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves. The Blues won the first four games of their road trip before stumbling at the end with overtime losses in Los Angeles and San Jose.

— Johan Larsson tipped in the go-ahead goal with 15:54 remaining, Antti Raanta stopped all 16 shots after taking over early in the third period when Darcy Kuemper left with an apparent injury and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. Derick Brassard and Jakob Chychrun also had goals for the Coyotes. Early in the third, Kuemper dropped down on one knee with the puck going the other way and asked the official to stop play. The trainer momentarily checked on the starting goaltender before he skated off and was replaced by Raanta. 

— The Oilers have opened a three-game homestand against Senators with 3-2 victory. Kailer Yamamoto scored the first of three straight goals by Edmonton, and the Oilers held on to beat the Ottawa. Alex Chiasson and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 5-0 against the Senators this season. 

Cowboys, QB Prescott finally have agreement on new contract

UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have finally agreed on the richest contract in club history two years after negotiations began with the star quarterback. 

A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press it is a $160 million, four-year deal with a record $66 million signing bonus. The deal comes a day before a deadline to put the franchise tag on Prescott for a second straight year at a salary cap charge of $37.7 million. Prescott's 2020 season was cut short by a compound fracture of his right ankle.

— A person familiar with the deal says the Tennessee Titans have traded offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson to the Miami Dolphins in a move unloading their first-round draft pick after his rookie season. The trade agreed to Monday night sends the 29th overall pick in 2020 out of Georgia to Miami after Wilson played only four snaps as a rookie. That's according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the swap. NFL.com first reported the trade, saying a swap of picks also is involved. 

— A person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that the Seattle Seahawks will release defensive end Carlos Dunlap. The move will leave Seattle without its most proven pass rusher but will also save the Seahawks more than $14 million against the salary cap. Dunlap was acquired by the Seahawks from Cincinnati midway through last season. 

— The Minnesota Vikings have signed defensive end Stephen Weatherly to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The deal brings back one of their past draft picks to try to strengthen a lagging pass rush. Weatherly played last season with the Carolina Panthers. They released him on Feb. 19. 

— The Detroit Lions have released linebacker Christian Jones and center Russell Bodine. Detroit also re-signed defensive back Mike Ford. The Lions signed Jones in 2018 and he had one year left on his contract. 

— J.C. Hassenauer will get a shot at being the potential replacement for retired Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. The Steelers have signed the 25-year-old Hassenauer to a one-year contract. Hassenauer was an exclusive rights free agent. Pittsburgh is in the market for a center after Pouncey, a nine-time Pro Bowler, retired on Feb. 12. Hassenauer made three starts at center in 2020 and one at left guard.

— A person with direct knowledge of the move says the New York Jets are placing the franchise tag on safety Marcus Maye. The move Monday night was expected and prevents Maye from becoming an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts on March 17. NFL teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST to use the tag on a pending free agent. 

— A traffic case involving Las Vegas Raiders player Josh Jacobs is closed after he completed community service and paid a fine stemming from a vehicle crash in January near McCarran International Airport. Lawyers for the 23-year-old running back said Monday he mentored at a Boys &amp; Girls Club and paid a $500 fine on traffic violation A DUI charge was dropped because Jacobs' blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit.

Judge tosses suit over 'race-norming' in dementia tests

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged so-called race-norming in dementia tests for retired NFL players. 

Lawyers for some former players say the practice assumes Black athletes start with worse cognitive functioning than their white counterparts. That makes it harder for them to show injury and qualify for awards that average more than $500,000.

The judge in Philadelphia on Monday instead ordered the NFL and the lead lawyer overseeing the settlement to start mediation. That process would appear to exclude the Black players who sued. They are Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport. The settlement fund has so far paid more than $765 million to retired players.

Creighton's McDermott reinstated after 'plantation' remark

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton has lifted coach Greg McDermott's suspension for making racially insensitive remarks to his players during a postgame talk. 

McDermott twice used the term "plantation" as part of an analogy urging team unity. He apologized but was suspended last Thursday. Athletic director Bruce Rasmussen says the coach understands that forgiveness must be earned and he is willing to work for it. McDermott will become active in a campus program designed to help participants better understand racism and create change. He will return for this week's Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament that begins next week.

Smokin' Joe Frazier feted with statue, mural in Philly

FEASTERVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Joe Frazier was celebrated in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia on the 50th anniversary of his win over Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century. 

Frazier had a 9-foot-tall, 1,600-pound statue unveiled at a gym owned by some of his supporters from early in his fight career. There is also a mural in North Philadelphia that his friends and family hope will make sure his legacy lives on long after his death. Frazier died Nov. 7, 2011 after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden was so epic it was billed as the Fight of the Century, and 50 years later it reigns undefeated.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Les Miles is out as Kansas' head coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU. Kansas described Miles' departure as a mutual agreement to part ways. He has three years left on his original five-year contract with the school. Last week, LSU released a 148-page review by a law firm about the university's handling of sexual misconduct complaints. It described how Miles "tried to sexualize the staff of student workers in the football program by, for instance, allegedly demanding that he wanted blondes with big breasts, and 'pretty girls.'"OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton has lifted coach Greg McDermott's suspension for making racially insensitive remarks to his players during a postgame talk. McDermott twice used the term "plantation" as part of an analogy urging team unity. He apologized but was suspended last Thursday. Athletic director Bruce Rasmussen says the coach understands that forgiveness must be earned and he is willing to work for it. McDermott will become active in a campus program designed to help participants better understand racism and create change. He will return for this week's Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament that begins next week.SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Evander Kane scored 41 seconds into overtime and the San Jose Sharks ended a disappointing homestand on a high note by beating the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Sharks had lost five of their first six games on their longest homestand of the season before rallying to beat the Blues by getting a tying goal in the third period from Logan Couture and the winner from Kane. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose, and Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves. The Blues won the first four games of their road trip before stumbling at the end with overtime losses in Los Angeles and San Jose.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says it could be years before its schools recover from the financial blow they took when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports. Bowlsby believes there is reason to feel good about the future. That includes the return of the men's and women's conference tournaments this week in Kansas City, Missouri.&nbsp;IRVING, Texas (AP) — Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham is the fourth freshman to be selected as the Big 12 player of the year by the league's coaches. The rest of the first team includes guards Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell from regular-season champion Baylor, guard Austin Reaves from Oklahoma and West Virginia forward Derek Culver. Baylor's Scott Drew is the coach of the year for the second season in a row. The other freshmen tabbed the top player by Big 12 coaches were Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart in 2013, Kansas State's Michael Beasley in 2008 and Texas' Kevin Durant in 2007.&nbsp;UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga remains entrenched at No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll in its bid to go wire-to-wire. The Zags received 61 of 63 first-place votes from a media panel as they attempt to become the first wire-to-wire No. 1 since Kentucky in 2014-15. Baylor had two first-place votes and moved back into the No. 2 slot after dropping a spot last week. Illinois, Michigan and Iowa rounded out the top 5. No. 8 Arkansas is in the top 10 for the first time since reaching No. 1 in 1994-95.NEW YORK (AP) — Connecticut forward Isaiah Whaley and St. John's point guard Posh Alexander have been named co-winners of the Big East Conference's defensive player of the year award. The league's most improved player award was shared by St. John's guard-forward Julian Champagnie and Xavier forward Zach Freemantle. Tyler Polley of UConn was the winner of the league's sixth man award and Mitch Ballock of Creighton received the conference's sportsmanship award. The league's head coaches selected the awards. They weren't permitted to vote for their own players.INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — No. 7 Maryland has been the Big Ten's most dominant women's basketball program since joining the league in 2014. The Terrapins have won either a share or the outright conference's regular-season crown six times in seven seasons and and four tournament title. But after finishing one game behind Maryland in the league standings this season, No. 9 Indiana hopes to dethrone the defending champs at this week's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>COLLEGE FOOTBALL-MILES-KANSASMiles out at Kansas over behavior with women while at LSUUNDATED (AP) — Les Miles is out as Kansas' head football coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU.Last week, LSU released a 148-page review by a law firm about the university's handling of sexual misconduct complaints. It described how Miles "tried to sexualize the staff of student workers in the football program by, for instance, allegedly demanding that he wanted blondes with big breasts, and 'pretty girls.'"Kansas announced Miles' departure Monday night, describing it as a mutual agreement to part ways. Miles has three years left on his original five-year contract with Kansas. Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement that he is "extremely disappointed" for the university, fans and everyone involved with the football program. A search for a new coach has been launched and will be assisted by an outside firm.MLB-CUBS-ASTROS-ODORIZZIAstros boost rotation with Odorizzi's $20.25M, 2-year dealUNDATED (AP) — Right-hander Jake Odorizzi and the Houston Astros have finalized a $20.25 million, two-year contract that includes a player option for 2023 and could be worth at least $33.25 million over three seasons. Odorizzi enhances a Houston rotation that lost Framber Valdéz indefinitely to a broken finger this spring. Astros ace Justin Verlander also is sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery. An All-Star with Minnesota in 2019, Odorizzi was limited to four starts last season because of injuries. He was 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA for the Twins during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Elsewhere in the majors:— Chicago's two major league baseball teams will be allowed to host a limited number of fans starting on opening day. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says capacity for the Cubs at Wrigley Field and the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field will be set at 20%. That translates to as many as 8,122 fans for White Sox home games and 8,274 fans at Wrigley Field. — Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has declined to specify why Jeremy Jeffress was released by the team. Rizzo says he considers it an "employment issue" and acknowledges it was not related to the reliever's baseball performance. Washington cut ties with Jeffress on Sunday. He was a 2018 NL All-Star for the Brewers who was with the Cubs last season.— The Minnesota Twins have been eagerly anticipating the addition of shortstop Andrelton Simmons this season. The native of Curaçao had been unable to leave the Caribbean island country until travel documentation was complete. The paperwork was delayed by the recent wave of extreme wintry weather. Then he had to clear COVID-19 protocols upon arrival at camp. Simmons signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Twins.— Rheal Cormier, the durable left-hander who spent 16 seasons in the majors and remarkably pitched in the Olympics before and after his time in the big leagues, has died. He was 53. The Philadelphia Phillies said Cormier died Monday of cancer at his home in New Brunswick, Canada. Cormier owned a neat nook in Phillies history: He was the winning pitcher in the final game that Philadelphia won at Veterans Stadium in 2003, and also was the winner in the first game the Phils won after moving into Citizens Bank Park in 2004. VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA-ALL STAR GAMENobody tested positive at All-Star GameATLANTA (AP) — The NBA's mini-bubble in Atlanta for the All-Star Game apparently worked. No players, coaches or game officials tested positive for COVID-19 while in Atlanta. The NBA announcement Monday comes after the final tests were processed and results were returned to the league and the teams involved.That includes Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, a pair of All-Stars who had to miss the game and left Atlanta early after being flagged through contact tracing. A barber both saw before going to Atlanta tested positive, and that meant Embiid and Simmons were potentially exposed to the virus. So by league policy this season, they couldn't play Sunday night.In other NBA news:— Atlanta Hawks forward Cam Reddish has had a nonsurgical procedure after missing six games with soreness in his right Achilles. Reddish was placed in a walking boot following the procedure at Atlanta's Emory Sports Medicine Clinic. His status will be updated in about one week. A second-year player from Duke, Reddish is averaging 11.2 points in 26 games, including 21 starts. NHL-GOLDEN KNIGHTS-WILDKahkonen gets 1st shutout as Wild beat Golden Knights 2-0UNDATED (AP) — Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves to notch his first career shutout for the Minnesota Wild in a 2-0 victory over Vegas. That stopped the Golden Knights' six-game winning streak. Kahkonen won his seventh consecutive start, a franchise rookie goalie record. The 24-year-old native of Finland has allowed only 10 goals over his seven-game streak. Kevin Fiala and Jonas Brodin scored for the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots for the NHL-leading Golden Knights. The teams play again on Wednesday.Elsewhere on the ice:— Bo Horvat scored in the shootout, giving Vancouver a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens and extending the Canucks' winning streak to three games. The Canadiens got a power-play goal from Jeff Petry early in the first period. Vancouver's Adam Gaudette forced extra time, scoring with 40.5 seconds left in regulation. Horvat assisted on the goal.— Adam Henrique scored three minutes into overtime, Rickard Rakell became the fourth Anaheim player in 10 years to have three or more points in consecutive games and the Ducks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-5 in this season's second installment of the Freeway Face-Off. Henrique took a pass from Trevor Zegras and put the puck past Cal Petersen inside the near post to give the Ducks consecutive wins for only the second time this season. Adrian Kempe had his second NHL hat trick for Los Angeles. His redirect in front with 2:32 remaining in the third period sent the game to overtime. — Evander Kane scored 41 seconds into overtime and the San Jose Sharks ended a disappointing homestand on a high note by beating the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Sharks had lost five of their first six games on their longest homestand of the season before rallying to beat the Blues by getting a tying goal in the third period from Logan Couture and the winner from Kane. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose, and Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves. The Blues won the first four games of their road trip before stumbling at the end with overtime losses in Los Angeles and San Jose.— Johan Larsson tipped in the go-ahead goal with 15:54 remaining, Antti Raanta stopped all 16 shots after taking over early in the third period when Darcy Kuemper left with an apparent injury and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. Derick Brassard and Jakob Chychrun also had goals for the Coyotes. Early in the third, Kuemper dropped down on one knee with the puck going the other way and asked the official to stop play. The trainer momentarily checked on the starting goaltender before he skated off and was replaced by Raanta. — The Oilers have opened a three-game homestand against Senators with 3-2 victory. Kailer Yamamoto scored the first of three straight goals by Edmonton, and the Oilers held on to beat the Ottawa. Alex Chiasson and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 5-0 against the Senators this season. NFL-COWBOYS-PRESCOTT CONTRACTCowboys, QB Prescott finally have agreement on new contractUNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott have finally agreed on the richest contract in club history two years after negotiations began with the star quarterback. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press it is a $160 million, four-year deal with a record $66 million signing bonus. The deal comes a day before a deadline to put the franchise tag on Prescott for a second straight year at a salary cap charge of $37.7 million. Prescott's 2020 season was cut short by a compound fracture of his right ankle.Elsewhere in the NFL: — A person familiar with the deal says the Tennessee Titans have traded offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson to the Miami Dolphins in a move unloading their first-round draft pick after his rookie season. The trade agreed to Monday night sends the 29th overall pick in 2020 out of Georgia to Miami after Wilson played only four snaps as a rookie. That's according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the swap. NFL.com first reported the trade, saying a swap of picks also is involved. — A person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that the Seattle Seahawks will release defensive end Carlos Dunlap. The move will leave Seattle without its most proven pass rusher but will also save the Seahawks more than $14 million against the salary cap. Dunlap was acquired by the Seahawks from Cincinnati midway through last season. — The Minnesota Vikings have signed defensive end Stephen Weatherly to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The deal brings back one of their past draft picks to try to strengthen a lagging pass rush. Weatherly played last season with the Carolina Panthers. They released him on Feb. 19. — The Detroit Lions have released linebacker Christian Jones and center Russell Bodine. Detroit also re-signed defensive back Mike Ford. The Lions signed Jones in 2018 and he had one year left on his contract. — J.C. Hassenauer will get a shot at being the potential replacement for retired Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. The Steelers have signed the 25-year-old Hassenauer to a one-year contract. Hassenauer was an exclusive rights free agent. Pittsburgh is in the market for a center after Pouncey, a nine-time Pro Bowler, retired on Feb. 12. Hassenauer made three starts at center in 2020 and one at left guard.— A person with direct knowledge of the move says the New York Jets are placing the franchise tag on safety Marcus Maye. The move Monday night was expected and prevents Maye from becoming an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts on March 17. NFL teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST to use the tag on a pending free agent. — A traffic case involving Las Vegas Raiders player Josh Jacobs is closed after he completed community service and paid a fine stemming from a vehicle crash in January near McCarran International Airport. Lawyers for the 23-year-old running back said Monday he mentored at a Boys &amp; Girls Club and paid a $500 fine on traffic violation A DUI charge was dropped because Jacobs' blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit.NFL-CONCUSSION SETTLEMENTJudge tosses suit over 'race-norming' in dementia testsPHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged so-called race-norming in dementia tests for retired NFL players. Lawyers for some former players say the practice assumes Black athletes start with worse cognitive functioning than their white counterparts. That makes it harder for them to show injury and qualify for awards that average more than $500,000.The judge in Philadelphia on Monday instead ordered the NFL and the lead lawyer overseeing the settlement to start mediation. That process would appear to exclude the Black players who sued. They are Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport. The settlement fund has so far paid more than $765 million to retired players.T-25-CREIGHTON-MCDERMOTT REINSTATEDCreighton's McDermott reinstated after 'plantation' remarkOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton has lifted coach Greg McDermott's suspension for making racially insensitive remarks to his players during a postgame talk. McDermott twice used the term "plantation" as part of an analogy urging team unity. He apologized but was suspended last Thursday. Athletic director Bruce Rasmussen says the coach understands that forgiveness must be earned and he is willing to work for it. McDermott will become active in a campus program designed to help participants better understand racism and create change. He will return for this week's Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament that begins next week.FRAZIER-FIGHT OF THE CENTURYSmokin' Joe Frazier feted with statue, mural in PhillyFEASTERVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Joe Frazier was celebrated in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia on the 50th anniversary of his win over Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century. Frazier had a 9-foot-tall, 1,600-pound statue unveiled at a gym owned by some of his supporters from early in his fight career. There is also a mural in North Philadelphia that his friends and family hope will make sure his legacy lives on long after his death. Frazier died Nov. 7, 2011 after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden was so epic it was billed as the Fight of the Century, and 50 years later it reigns undefeated.

Sports Headlines for Tuesday

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

Final	(1)Gonzaga	78	Saint Mary's (Cal)	55	

AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Minnesota	2	Vegas	0	Final	Edmonton	3	Ottawa	2	Final	Arizona	3	Colorado	2	Final OT	San Jose	3	St. Louis	2	Final OT	Anaheim	6	Los Angeles	5	Final SO	Vancouver	2	Montreal	1	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	(1)Gonzaga	78	Saint Mary's (Cal)	55	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		N-Y Rangers	at	Pittsburgh	6 p.m.			Boston	at	N-Y Islanders	7 p.m.			Buffalo	at	Philadelphia	7 p.m.			Florida	at	Columbus	7 p.m.			Nashville	at	Carolina	7 p.m.			New Jersey	at	Washington	7 p.m.			Winnipeg	at	Toronto	7 p.m.			Tampa Bay	at	Detroit	7:30 p.m.			Chicago	at	Dallas	8:30 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		BYU	at	(1)Gonzaga	9 p.m.	___

Sports Scores from Monday

Just when the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team's Sophomore Recognition Night was starting to looking like a grind, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;honored the five Blue Dragon sophomores by carrying them to a Jayhawk West sweep on Monday night at the Sports Arena.

With Hutchinson up a set, but trailing Independence 15-13 in the second, Head took over the match and led the Dragons to a 25-10, 25-17, 25-13 victory.

Hutchinson improves to 15-6 overall and 8-3 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons turn right around and play Garden City at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in a make-up match at the Sports Arena. Independence falls to 0-14, 0-11.

After sophomores&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/hernandez_yuleishka_dr43">Yuleishka Hernandez</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/dyer_emily_g5gm">Emily Dyer</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lettries_myracle_x6su">Myracle Lettries</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/thorne_jenna_xncq">Jenna Thorne</a>&nbsp;were honored before the match, the Blue Dragons dominated the opening set, closing the Pirates out with a 14-2 run.

The second set was much different as the Pirates put together a 6-2 run to lead 12-11 and had a 15-13 lead after back-to-back Bianca Brierre solo blocks. That's when Head took over the match. She had three kills and a service ace as Hutch answered the Pirate challenge with a 12-2 run to win the second set.

From the point that Hutchinson trailed 15-13 in the second set, the Blue Dragons scored 37 of the match's final 52 points. Head was the catalyst with eight kills, three block assists and three service aces over that span of points.

Head finished the match with eight kills, four block assists and a career single-match high of six service aces to lead the Dragon offense.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;shook off a slow start and also finished with eight kills. Thorne finished with seven and Taegan Larsen had five kills.

The Dragons had 36 kills to Indy's 20. The Pirates also hit a minus .018 for the match with 20 kills and 21 attack errors.

Price had 28 assists and eight digs running the Blue Dragon offense. Price also had eight digs. Libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;had a match-high 14 digs.

Brierre had seven kills and Amelia Maulsby had six kills for the Pirates.

Head also played a big part in Hutch's first-set win, doing some from the service line. With the Blue Dragons leading only 11-8, Thorne had a kill, and the Head reeled off three-straight aces to force a Pirate timeout with Hutch leading 15-8. Briggs added a back-row kill and the Pirates had 1 of 8 attack errors to complete 6-0 Hutch run for a 17-8 lead. Larsen had four kills and Thorne had three in the first set as Hutchinson outscored Independence 14-2 to win the first set.

Hutch led the second set 11-8 when the Pirates scored four in a row to lead 12-11 on a Brierre kill. Her back-to-back blocks gave the Pirates a 15-13 lead. After a Pirate service error, Briggs dropped one of Hutch's 10 service aces, Head had back-to-back kills and Price dropped a setter dump for an 18-15 Dragon lead and force an Indy timeout. Head terminated on a Pirate overpass for a 19-15 lead and her fourth ace gave the Dragons 21-16 lead. The Dragons scored 12 of the final 14 points to claim the set 25-17.

Head had two kills, a block assist and ace in the Dragon's initial 8-1 surge to start the third set. The Dragons continued to stretch the lead from there. A Briggs' kill made it 12-3. Reeder served one of Hutch's four aces for a 15-5 lead. Another Briggs' kill made it 19-7. The aces by Head and later by&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/nelson_kersti_b4a9">Kersti Nelson</a>&nbsp;made it 24-10. Indy scored the next three points, but ended the match on a service error. Head and Briggs had four kills each in the third set.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationJust when the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team's Sophomore Recognition Night was starting to looking like a grind, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/head_kristina_5dlc">Kristina Head</a>&nbsp;honored the five Blue Dragon sophomores by carrying them to a Jayhawk West sweep on Monday night at the Sports Arena.With Hutchinson up a set, but trailing Independence 15-13 in the second, Head took over the match and led the Dragons to a 25-10, 25-17, 25-13 victory.Hutchinson improves to 15-6 overall and 8-3 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons turn right around and play Garden City at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in a make-up match at the Sports Arena. Independence falls to 0-14, 0-11.After sophomores&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/hernandez_yuleishka_dr43">Yuleishka Hernandez</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/dyer_emily_g5gm">Emily Dyer</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/lettries_myracle_x6su">Myracle Lettries</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/price_chloe_rbgs">Chloe Price</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/thorne_jenna_xncq">Jenna Thorne</a>&nbsp;were honored before the match, the Blue Dragons dominated the opening set, closing the Pirates out with a 14-2 run.The second set was much different as the Pirates put together a 6-2 run to lead 12-11 and had a 15-13 lead after back-to-back Bianca Brierre solo blocks. That's when Head took over the match. She had three kills and a service ace as Hutch answered the Pirate challenge with a 12-2 run to win the second set.From the point that Hutchinson trailed 15-13 in the second set, the Blue Dragons scored 37 of the match's final 52 points. Head was the catalyst with eight kills, three block assists and three service aces over that span of points.Head finished the match with eight kills, four block assists and a career single-match high of six service aces to lead the Dragon offense.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/briggs_shadee_xm04">Shadee Briggs</a>&nbsp;shook off a slow start and also finished with eight kills. Thorne finished with seven and Taegan Larsen had five kills.The Dragons had 36 kills to Indy's 20. The Pirates also hit a minus .018 for the match with 20 kills and 21 attack errors.Price had 28 assists and eight digs running the Blue Dragon offense. Price also had eight digs. Libero&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/reeder_shelby_zpe9">Shelby Reeder</a>&nbsp;had a match-high 14 digs.Brierre had seven kills and Amelia Maulsby had six kills for the Pirates.Head also played a big part in Hutch's first-set win, doing some from the service line. With the Blue Dragons leading only 11-8, Thorne had a kill, and the Head reeled off three-straight aces to force a Pirate timeout with Hutch leading 15-8. Briggs added a back-row kill and the Pirates had 1 of 8 attack errors to complete 6-0 Hutch run for a 17-8 lead. Larsen had four kills and Thorne had three in the first set as Hutchinson outscored Independence 14-2 to win the first set.Hutch led the second set 11-8 when the Pirates scored four in a row to lead 12-11 on a Brierre kill. Her back-to-back blocks gave the Pirates a 15-13 lead. After a Pirate service error, Briggs dropped one of Hutch's 10 service aces, Head had back-to-back kills and Price dropped a setter dump for an 18-15 Dragon lead and force an Indy timeout. Head terminated on a Pirate overpass for a 19-15 lead and her fourth ace gave the Dragons 21-16 lead. The Dragons scored 12 of the final 14 points to claim the set 25-17.Head had two kills, a block assist and ace in the Dragon's initial 8-1 surge to start the third set. The Dragons continued to stretch the lead from there. A Briggs' kill made it 12-3. Reeder served one of Hutch's four aces for a 15-5 lead. Another Briggs' kill made it 19-7. The aces by Head and later by&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wvball/2020-21/bios/nelson_kersti_b4a9">Kersti Nelson</a>&nbsp;made it 24-10. Indy scored the next three points, but ended the match on a service error. Head and Briggs had four kills each in the third set.

🏐 Head comes alive to power Dragon Volleyball past the Pirates

LIBERAL –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;sank a tie-breaking free throw with 0.7 seconds remaining in the game to give the No. 16-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West Monday night.

Suttington's free throw capped a big game for her and a come-from-behind Jayhawk West road win for Hutchinson at the Green House. Trailing by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, the Blue Dragons rallied for a 73-72 victory over the Saints.

Hutchinson won its seventh-straight game and improved to 11-2 overall and 10-2 in the Jayhawk West. The Dragons lead Seward County and Barton, the Dragons' opponent on Wednesday, by one game each in the loss column. The Saints fell to 7-3 overall and in league play.

Tied at 72 with 10 seconds to play, Suttington made a hard drive to the basket to draw a foul at the buzzer. The officials put 0.7 second back on the clock. Suttington made the first free throw and missed the second on purpose, not allowing the Saints a final opportunity at a game-winning shot attempt.

Suttington finished with 14 points and tied a season high with seven rebounds. This was Suttington's second go-ahead score in the final minute of a Blue Dragon win this season. Suttington scored with 36 seconds left at Northwest Tech on Feb. 24 in a 69-63 win over the Mavericks.

The Blue Dragons survived a season-high 29 turnovers and 10 Seward County 3-point goals, as well as a huge performance of Saints' forward Sierra Morrow, who scored 39 points. That mark tied Butler County's Betty Lennox for the second-most points scored by an individual Blue Dragon opponent in team history. Lennox scored 39 against the Dragons on February 28, 1996.

Hutchinson led 42-31 with 6:20 to play in the third quarter. Morrow sparked a Saints' comeback by scoring 29 points in the final 16:20 of the second half. Morrow was 10 of 17 shooting, knocking down 4 of 8 from 3-point range and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line.

The fourth quarter was a wild one for both teams on Monday night.

Hutchinson led 51-45 heading into the fourth quarter. With the Dragon lead down to one, the Saints parlayed a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;offensive foul and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/gore_lojong_i68o">Lojong Gore</a>&nbsp;technical foul into a 9-0 run. Morrow hit a 3-pointer with 6:43 to play to give Seward County a 61-53 lead.

Alford started the Dragon comeback with field goals on three-straight possessions, the third pulled the Dragons within 61-59 with 5:12 remaining. Suttington gave the Dragons a 64-63 lead on a three-point play with 4:21 remaining.

The Blue Dragons led 72-67 after two Alford free throws with 49 seconds left. Seward tied the game with a Sanaa Smith 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and a Sierra Lynch field goal with 10 seconds remaining, which set up Suttington's heroics.

<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/haidara_nafatoumata_7n3l">Nafatoumata Haidara</a>&nbsp;also had 14 points to lead the Blue Dragons. K.K. Adams finished with nine points. Alford scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/ogle_kate_kntm">Kate Ogle</a>&nbsp;finished with eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

The Blue Dragons shot 40 percent for the game (24 of 60), hitting just 3 of 15 from the 3-point line and 22 of 28 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons had a 51-39 rebounding advantage.

Hutchinson held Seward County to 29.6 percent shooting (21 of 71). The Saints hit 10 of 29 from distance and 20 of 24 from the foul line. Seward County also had 20 turnovers.

By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports InformationLIBERAL –&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/suttington_ishante_gbs8">Ishante Suttington</a>&nbsp;sank a tie-breaking free throw with 0.7 seconds remaining in the game to give the No. 16-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West Monday night.Suttington's free throw capped a big game for her and a come-from-behind Jayhawk West road win for Hutchinson at the Green House. Trailing by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, the Blue Dragons rallied for a 73-72 victory over the Saints.Hutchinson won its seventh-straight game and improved to 11-2 overall and 10-2 in the Jayhawk West. The Dragons lead Seward County and Barton, the Dragons' opponent on Wednesday, by one game each in the loss column. The Saints fell to 7-3 overall and in league play.Tied at 72 with 10 seconds to play, Suttington made a hard drive to the basket to draw a foul at the buzzer. The officials put 0.7 second back on the clock. Suttington made the first free throw and missed the second on purpose, not allowing the Saints a final opportunity at a game-winning shot attempt.Suttington finished with 14 points and tied a season high with seven rebounds. This was Suttington's second go-ahead score in the final minute of a Blue Dragon win this season. Suttington scored with 36 seconds left at Northwest Tech on Feb. 24 in a 69-63 win over the Mavericks.The Blue Dragons survived a season-high 29 turnovers and 10 Seward County 3-point goals, as well as a huge performance of Saints' forward Sierra Morrow, who scored 39 points. That mark tied Butler County's Betty Lennox for the second-most points scored by an individual Blue Dragon opponent in team history. Lennox scored 39 against the Dragons on February 28, 1996.Hutchinson led 42-31 with 6:20 to play in the third quarter. Morrow sparked a Saints' comeback by scoring 29 points in the final 16:20 of the second half. Morrow was 10 of 17 shooting, knocking down 4 of 8 from 3-point range and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line.The fourth quarter was a wild one for both teams on Monday night.Hutchinson led 51-45 heading into the fourth quarter. With the Dragon lead down to one, the Saints parlayed a&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/alford_tor-e_j660">Tor'e Alford</a>&nbsp;offensive foul and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/gore_lojong_i68o">Lojong Gore</a>&nbsp;technical foul into a 9-0 run. Morrow hit a 3-pointer with 6:43 to play to give Seward County a 61-53 lead.Alford started the Dragon comeback with field goals on three-straight possessions, the third pulled the Dragons within 61-59 with 5:12 remaining. Suttington gave the Dragons a 64-63 lead on a three-point play with 4:21 remaining.The Blue Dragons led 72-67 after two Alford free throws with 49 seconds left. Seward tied the game with a Sanaa Smith 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and a Sierra Lynch field goal with 10 seconds remaining, which set up Suttington's heroics.<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/haidara_nafatoumata_7n3l">Nafatoumata Haidara</a>&nbsp;also had 14 points to lead the Blue Dragons. K.K. Adams finished with nine points. Alford scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/bios/ogle_kate_kntm">Kate Ogle</a>&nbsp;finished with eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds.The Blue Dragons shot 40 percent for the game (24 of 60), hitting just 3 of 15 from the 3-point line and 22 of 28 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons had a 51-39 rebounding advantage.Hutchinson held Seward County to 29.6 percent shooting (21 of 71). The Saints hit 10 of 29 from distance and 20 of 24 from the foul line. Seward County also had 20 turnovers.GAME NOTES&nbsp;– The Blue Dragons are now 47-48 all-time against Seward County with three-straight wins against the Saints. Hutchinson is 18-29 in Liberal. … The Dragons snapped a four-game streak of not scoring 70 or more points in a game. … Hutch's 29 turnovers produced only a 24-23 advantage for the Saints in points off turnovers. … The Dragons had a 40-22 advantage in points in the paint. … The Dragons reached 50 or more rebounds in a game for the fourth time this season. … This was the fourth time this season the Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting.