WSJM Sports

NCAAWBKB – Women’s NCAA Tournament – Elite 8
Last Night
Wichita Region – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
1 Louisville 62, 3 Michigan 50

Louisville 62, Michigan 50 – Louisville beats Michigan 62-50 to return to Final Four
Hailey Van Lith scored 22 points, Olivia Cochran made a series of crucial baskets in the final minutes, and Louisville held off Michigan 62-50 to return to the Final Four for the fourth time in program history. Chelsie Hall added 15 points and Emily Engstler balanced out a poor shooting night with 16 rebounds and some big plays on defense, helping the top-seeded Cardinals advance to face South Carolina next weekend in Minneapolis. Naz Hillmon finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolverines, who couldn’t overcome 22 turnovers despite a huge disparity at the foul line in their first regional final.

Bridgeport Region – Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, CT
2 UConn 91, 1 NC State 87 – 2 OT

UConn 91, NC State 87 – 2 OT – UConn reaches 14th straight Final Four, tops NC State in 2OT
UConn is heading to the women’s Final Four for the 14th straight time. The Huskies beat North Carolina State 91-87 in a double-overtime thriller. Paige Bueckers scored 15 of her 27 points in the two extra periods. The Huskies had been 0-for-5 in overtime in the NCAA Tournament. They will face top seed Stanford on Friday night in the national semifinals in Minneapolis. Bueckers was AP Player of the Year last season as a freshman but missed two months this season with a knee injury. When the Huskies needed her, she looked like her old self. Jakia Brown-Turner hit a 3-pointer to force the second overtime and led N.C. State with 20 points.

NCAAMBKB – Duke-Carolina, Kansas-Nova set for epic Final Four showdowns
Duke and North Carolina will meet for the 258th time but first in the NCAA Tournament when they tip off Saturday night in the Final Four in New Orleans. It will be the final trip to college basketball’s biggest stage for Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is chasing his sixth national championship. The winner of their showdown at the Superdome will get Kansas or Villanova in the title game. North Carolina will be making its records 21st appearance in the Final Four, and the four teams headed to the Big Easy combined to make it 61 times with 17 national titles between them.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
New York Knicks 109, Chicago Bulls 104
Atlanta Hawks 132, Indiana Pacers 123

Knicks 109, Bulls 104 – Knicks hold off DeRozan, Bulls for 4th straight win
RJ Barrett scored 28 points, Alec Burks had 27 and the New York Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls 109-104 for their fourth straight victory. Obi Toppin had 17 points for the Knicks, whose strong recent play will likely come too late. They remained 4 1/2 games behind Atlanta for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the final play-in spot with only six games remaining. DeMar DeRozan scored 37 for the Bulls, including 15 in the fourth quarter. But he missed a jumper and then was called for an offensive foul in the final 45 seconds, cutting short Chicago’s comeback attempt.

Hawks 132, Pacers 123 – Bogdanovic scores 29, Hawks beat Pacers 132-123
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 29 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks past the Indiana Pacers 132-123. Clint Capela and Kevin Huerter each contributed 22 points and Capela added 15 rebounds for the Hawks, who are 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Tonight
Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m.

NBA – Pistons’ Grant to miss rest of season with left calf injury
Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant will miss the remainder of the season because of a strained left calf. The team said Monday that Grant was hurt in the first quarter of a 100-97 loss to Washington on Friday. Grant averaged 19.2 points in 47 games this season, his second with the Pistons. He won a gold medal playing for the U.S. Olympic team last summer.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Buffalo Sabres 6, Chicago Blackhawks 5

Sabres 6, Blackhawks 5 – Thompson winner with 10.6 left, Sabres rally past Blackhawks
Tage Thompson scored the tiebreaking goal on a fortunate bounce with 10.6 seconds left and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from four down to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-5. Victor Olofsson had two goals and an assist to help the Sabres win for the first time in three games. Kyle Okposo, Vinnie Hinostroza and Alex Tuch also scored for Buffalo. Thompson, the team leader with 28 goals, broke his stick on a shot from left wing. The puck caromed off the boards behind the net and hit Chicago goaltender Kevin Lankinen’s left skate before going in. Tuch tied it for Buffalo with 2:14 to play. Alex DeBrincat, Calvin de Haan, Sam Lafferty, Jonathan Toews and Seth Jones scored for the Blackhawks, who led 4-0 in the second period.

NHL – Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk dies from illness at 62
The Ottawa Senators say owner Eugene Melnyk has died from an illness at age 62. The team announced the news with a statement from his family. The statement did not provide additional details of what the illness was. Melnyk had a liver transplant in 2015 after a public search for a donor. Melnyk had owned the Senators since 2003. The Toronto native was also involved in other businesses around Canada and in 2010 had an estimated net worth of $1.21 billion.

NHL – Sheldon Kennedy talks safety, inclusion at NHL GMs meeting
Sheldon Kennedy addressed NHL general managers on the opening day of their first in-person meeting in two years. He and league executive Kim Davis led a discussion about safety and inclusion. Kennedy has been a voice for victims following his own experience being sexually abused by a coach during his time as a junior hockey player. The league is attempting to push forward on those issues in the aftermath of the Chicago Blackhawks investigation into allegations a player was sexually assaulted by a video coach in 2010.

NFL – NFL makes adjustments to Rooney Rule to aid minority hiring
To ensure more opportunities for diverse candidates, the NFL has added requirements on the hiring of offensive assistant coaches, and women in general. The moves announced at the owners meeting include adjustments to the Rooney Rule adopted in 2003 and amended frequently in attempts to enhance opportunities for people of color and women for nearly all league and team jobs. Beginning this season, all 32 clubs must employ a female or a member of an ethnic or racial minority to serve as an offensive assistant coach. The person will receive a one-year contract and work closely with the head coach and offensive staff to gain experience.

NFL – New stadium for Buffalo; proposal for Tennessee
Sources tell The Associated Press that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee plans to propose $500 million in bonds in the state budget to help fund a new covered $1.2 billon Tennessee Titans stadium envisioned for Nashville. In New York, state and county taxpayers will be asked to commit a record $850 million in public funds toward construction of the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium. The project has a total estimated price tag of $1.4 billion.

NFL – Lions to be featured on NFL’s “Hard Knocks”, will host 2024 draft
The NFL announced that the Detroit Lions will be the team featured in the upcoming season of the HBO documentary series “Hard Knocks.”    The Lions were one of three teams that could not turn down the series coming to Lions training camp.  This will be the 15th season of the show.  The NFL also announced that the city of Detroit will host the NFL Draft in 2024.   The physical draft location will be held downtown at around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza.  This season’s draft will take place in Las Vegas, with Kansas City hosting in 2023.

NCAAFB – New coach Marcus Freeman liking his first Irish spring
Notre Dame and first-year coach Marcus Freeman are getting know each other. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees returns on a staff that has eight new faces, including Freeman’s successor at defensive coordinator in Al Golden. There’s also a battle for the No. 1 quarterback spot as sophomore Tyler Buchner and junior Drew Pyne duel to replace Jack Coan. Notre Dame finished last season 11-2. The spring game is April 23.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
New York Yankees 11, Detroit Tigers 7
San Diego Padres 9, Chicago White Sox 8
Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati Reds 2

Today
Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 p.m.
Tigers and White Sox are off

MLB – Cubs’ Wisdom, Schwindel looking to build on 2021 season
Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel were two pleasant surprises for the Chicago Cubs during a tough 2021 season. Looking to establish themselves as consistent major leaguers, the slugging infielders are trying to stick to the formula that worked so well for each one last year. Wisdom set a single-season franchise record for rookies with 28 homers, topping Kris Bryant’s 26 in 2015, and Schwindel batted .342 in 56 games. Chicago is hoping what they accomplished in 2021 is a harbinger of future success instead of a fleeting aberration.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Today
Baseball
Lake Michigan College at Kellogg Community College, 2:00 p.m./4:30 p.m.       (DH)

Softball
Glen Oaks Community College at Lake Michigan College, 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m.    (DH)

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer
South Haven 2, Fennville 1

Today
Baseball
Brandywine at Niles, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Coloma at South Haven, 4:15 p.m. (DH)
Martin at Grand Rapids Union, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Saugatuck at Hamilton, 4:15 p.m. (DH)

Softball
North Muskegon at Saugatuck, 4:15 p.m. (DH)

Girls Soccer
Delton-Kellogg at Hastings, 5:00 p.m.

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NCAAWBKB – Women’s NCAA Tournament – Elite 8
Saturday
Bridgeport Region – Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, CT
1 NC State 66, 5 Notre Dame 63
2 UConn 75, 3 Indiana 57

Wichita Region – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
1 Louisville 76, 4 Tennessee 64
3 Michigan 52, 10 South Dakota 49

Tonight
Wichita Region – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
1 Louisville vs. 3 Michigan, 9:00 p.m.

NCAAWBKB – Early loss at Louisville on Michigan’s mind ahead of Elite 8
Michigan’s first women’s hoops loss of the season was a doozy. The Wolverines were blown out 70-48 at Louisville in what is their second-largest margin of defeat so far this season. Michigan has a chance to avenge that loss on a grand stage. The third-seeded Wolverines face top seed Louisville on Monday in the Elite Eight with a trip to the Final Four at stake. Michigan’s Naz Hillmon was held to 12 points in the first meeting. That’s nine points under her current average.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s NCAA Tournament – Elite 8
Saturday
South Region – AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
3 Villanova 50, 5 Houston 44

West Region – Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
2 Duke 78, 4 Arkansas 69

Yesterday
Midwest Region – United Center, Chicago
1 Kansas 76, 10 Miami-FL 50

East Region – Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia
8 North Carolina 69, 15 Saint Peter’s 49

Saturday
Final Four – Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
1 Kansas vs. 2 Villanova, 6:06 p.m.
2 Duke vs. 8 North Carolina, 8:49 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
New York Knicks 104, Detroit Pistons 102

Knicks 104, Pistons 102 – Alec Burks, R.J. Barrett lead Knicks past Pistons, 104-102
Alec Burks hit a 3-pointer for New York’s final points and finished off Detroit with a last-second steal in the Knicks’ 104-102 victory over the Pistons on Sunday. R.J. Barrett led New York with 21 points, Julian Randle had 20 and Burks and Immanuel Quickly had 18 each. Trailing by two, the Pistons called a timeout to set up a final play with 6.6 seconds left. Killian Hayes inbounded the ball to Cade Cunningham, but Burks stripped the ball as he tried to drive. Marvin Bagley III led Detroit with 27 points, and Cunningham added 18.

Tonight
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.
Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Pittsburgh Penguins 11, Detroit Red Wings 2

Penguins 11, Red Wings 2 – Malkin’s hat trick powers Penguins to 11-2 romp over Detroit
Evgeni Malkin had his 13th career hat trick and added an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins drilled the reeling Detroit Red Wings 11-2. Sidney Crosby, Kasperi Kapanen, Jeff Carter, Teddy Blueger, Danton Heinen, Brian Boyle and recently acquired Rickard Rakell also scored for the Penguins. Pittsburgh needed less than 30 minutes to take a 6-0 lead on its way to the franchise’s first 11-goal game in nearly 30 years. Tristan Jarry made 33 saves to win for the sixth time in his last seven starts.

Tonight
Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

NCAA Hockey – NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament – Elite 8
Last Night
2 Minnesota 3, 1 Western Michigan 0                       Worcester Regional – DCU Center, Worcester, MA           
1 Michigan 7, 2 Quinnipiac 4,                                    Allentown Regional – PPL Center, Allentown, PA

Thursday, April 7
NCAA Frozen Four – TD Garden, Boston MA
1 Michigan vs. 1 Denver, 5:00 p.m.
1 Minnesota State vs. 2 Minnesota, 8:30 p.m.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Baltimore Orioles 5, Detroit Tigers 4
Chicago White Sox 9, Los Angeles Dodgers 0
Chicago Cubs 13, Kansas City Royals 12

Today
New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m.
San Diego Padres at Chicago White Sox, 4:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds, 9:05 p.m.

Golf – PGA – Sheffler No. 1 after Match Play win
The PGA’s hottest golfer has vaulted to No. 1. Scottie Scheffler won the Dell Technologies Match Play for his third title in his last five starts. His climb to No. 1 comes just weeks after his first tour victory. Scheffler never trailed in the final against Kevin Kisner, building a 3-up lead through six holes and giving him no chance to catch up. Scheffler closed him out with a par on the 15th for a 4-and-3 victory. Scheffler also never trailed in the semifinal win over Dustin Johnson on Sunday. In fact, he went the final 57 holes at Austin Country Club without trailing.

NASCAR – Chastain has first career win, breaks ice for Trackhouse Racing
It was a day of firsts for Ross Chastain and upstart race team Trackhouse Racing. Chastain bumped and banged his way around the final overtime lap at Circuit of the Americas to earn his first career Cup win. It’s also the first victory for Trackhouse Racing, which took over Chastain’s contract after buying out Chip Ganassi Racing. Tyler Reddick had somehow moved to the front in the previous single lap run between the eighth and ninth cautions. Chastain and Allmendinger restarted second and third, just ahead of Alex Bowman. The overtime featured four lead changes, with Chastain and Allmendinger swapping it twice. Chastain decided the race by divebombing inside of Allmendinger, which spun Allmendinger from second to 33rd. Bowman finished second, followed by Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Reddick.

Soccer – CONCACAF – Pulisic 1st hat trick leads US to 5-1 win, World Cup brink
Christian Pulisic scored his first international hat trick, leading the United States to the brink of returning to the World Cup with a 5-1 rout of Panama. Pulisic converted two penalty kicks during a four-goal burst in the first half that also saw Paul Arriola and Jesús Ferreira score, then boosted the lead to 5-0 on memorable goal with two brilliant touches that evaded a pair of defenders. With fans still fretting after the Americans’ failure to reach the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. assumed a commanding position to qualify for this November’s tournament in Qatar.

Soccer – CONCACAF – Canada advances to World Cup for first time in 36 years
Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan and Junior Hoilett scored and Canada secured its first World Cup berth in 36 years with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica on Sunday. Canada has been to the World Cup just once before, in 1986. Canada missed out a chance to secure a spot in Qatar last week against Costa Rica. It was Canada’s first loss in three qualifying rounds and it snapped a six-game winning streak. Boosted by the home crowd at BMO Filed, Canada rebounded against the Jamaicans, who were already eliminated.

AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Ontario Reign 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 3 – OT
Chicago Wolves 5, Iowa Wild 2

ECHL – ECHL Hockey League
Last Night
Kalamazoo Wings 5, Indy Fuel 2
Toledo Walleye 4, Allen Americans 2

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Yesterday
Softball
Lake Michigan College at Oakland Community College, Cancelled

MHSAA – High School Sports
Saturday
Boys Basketball – State Finals          
Division 1 at Michigan State University
Warren DeLaSalle 67, Grand Blanc 58

Division 2 at Michigan State University
Williamston 68, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 65 – OT

Division 3 at Michigan State University
Schoolcraft 59, Menominee 49

Division 4 at Michigan State University
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 56, Ewen-Trout Creek 45 – OT

Today
Girls Soccer
Allegan at St. Joseph, Cancelled
Brandywine at Constantine, 5:00 p.m.
Fennville at South Haven 6:30 p.m.
Hartford at Paw Paw, Cancelled
Saugatuck at Hamilton, 5:00 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Hastings, 5:00 p.m.

Baseball
Constantine at River Valley, 4:15 p.m. (DH)
Bloomingdale at Delton-Kellogg, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Lawton at Hartford, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Gobles at Allegan, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Marcellus at Dowagiac, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Wayland at Otsego, 4:00 p.m.
Paw Paw at Decatur, cancelled
Fennville at Hamilton, 4:15 p.m. (DH)

Softball
Constantine at River Valley, 4:15 p.m. (DH)
Allegan at Gobles, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Marcellus at Dowagiac, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Lawton at Hartford, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Lawrence at Decatur, cancelled
Zeeland West at Fennville, 4:15 p.m. (DH)

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This week, we talk high school sports officiating with members of our local Fruitbelt Officials Association…

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s NCAA Tournament – Sweet 16
Last Night
South Region – AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
3 Villanova 63, 11 Michigan 55
5 Houston 72, 1 Arizona 60

Villanova 63, Michigan 55 – Samuels powers Villanova over Michigan 63-55 in Sweet 16
Jermaine Samuels scored 22 points and Villanova controlled Michigan in a 63-55 Sweet 16 victory in the NCAA Tournament. Much of Samuels’ scoring effort came on tough drives through Michigan defenders and around Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson had 15 points and 15 rebounds for Michigan. The No. 2 seed Wildcats advance to the South Regional final to play No. 5 Houston, which beat one-seed Arizona.

West Region – Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
4 Arkansas 74, 1 Gonzaga 68
2 Duke 78, 3 Texas Tech 73

Tonight
East Region – Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia
3 Purdue vs. 15 Saint Peter’s, 7:09 p.m.
4 UCLA vs. 8 North Carolina, 9:39 p.m.

Midwest Region – United Center, Chicago
4 Providence vs.1 Kansas, 7:29 p.m.
11 Iowa State vs. 10 Miami-FL, 9:59 p.m.

NCAAWBKB – Women’s NCAA Tournament – Sweet 16
Tonight
Greensboro Region – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro NC
1 South Carolina vs. 5 North Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
3 Iowa State vs. 10 Creighton, 9:30 p.m.

Spokane Region – Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA
2 Texas vs. 6 Ohio State, 7:00 p.m.
1 Stanford vs. 4 Maryland, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday
Bridgeport Region – Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, CT
1 NC State vs. 5 Notre Dame, 11:30 a.m.
2 UConn vs. 3 Indiana, 2:00 p.m.

Wichita Region – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
1 Louisville vs. 4 Tennessee, 4:00 p.m.
3 Michigan vs. 10 South Dakota, 6:30 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
New Orleans Pelicans 126, Chicago Bulls 109
Memphis Grizzlies 133, Indiana Pacers 103

Pelicans 126, Bulls 109 – Graham, McCollum lead Pelicans past Bulls 126-109
Devonte’ Graham hit five 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 30 points, CJ McCollum scored 25 and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Chicago Bulls 126-109. Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 19 rebounds for the Pelicans, who won for the fourth time in six games as they try to solidify their hold on a Western Conference play-in spot. Zach LaVine scored 39 points and Coby White added 23 for Chicago. The Bulls played without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan because of his left groin injury and lost for the fifth time in six games. Pelicans undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Grizzlies 133, Pacers 103 – Bane has 30, Grizzlies rout Pacers 133-103 for playoff spot
Desmond Bane scored 30 points, hitting 12 of 15 shots, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big lead early before coasting to a 133-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 20 points, going 7 of 13 from the field, as the Grizzlies shot 54%. Stephenson led the Pacers with 25 points, while Terry Taylor had 17. Goga Bitadze finished with 14.

Tonight
Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m.

NYC/Covid – NYC lifts vaccine rule that blocked athletes from home games
New York City’s mayor has exempted athletes and performers from the city’s vaccine mandate. But the decision announced by Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday does not include countless government and private workers, some of whom have lost their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. Police and other unions are blasting the mayor for seemingly treating the wealthy and famous differently. Adams says the exemption is necessary because athletes and performers bring important money into the city. Before the change, unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving was barred from playing in home games, and several baseball players were expected to be blocked from taking the field.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
New York Islanders 5, Detroit Red Wings 2
Chicago Blackhawks 4, Los Angeles Kings 3 – Shootout

Islanders 5, Red Wings 2 – Nelson, Sorokin lead Islanders past Red Wings 5-2
Brock Nelson scored twice and Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves to lead the New York Islanders over the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 for their sixth straight home victory. Anthony Beauvillier had a goal just nine seconds into the game for the second-fastest score in Islanders history. Oliver Wahlstrom and Josh Bailey also scored for the Islanders who improved to 8-4-1 overall since March 1 and 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Anders Lee had three assists and Mathew Barzal added two. Pius Suter and Sam Gagner scored for the Red Wings.

Blackhawks 4, Kings 3 – SO – DeBrincat’s shootout goal propels Blackhawks over Kings 4-3
Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist in regulation and then scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Patrick Kane also had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks. Chicago has won two straight for the first time since reeling off four consecutive victories in the middle of January. Sam Lafferty also scored. Collin Delia made 43 saves. Phillip Danault scored twice for the Kings for his fourth multigoal game of the season. Danault also has a career-high 21 goals. Trevor Moore added a short-handed score for Los Angeles.

NCAA Hockey – NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament
Last Night
2 Notre Dame 2, 3 North Dakota 1 – OT           Albany Regional – MVP Arena, Albany, NY        
2 Minnesota Duluth 3, 3 Michigan Tech 0        Loveland Regional – Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, CO

Today
1 Western Michigan vs.4 Northeastern, 12:00 p.m.    Worcester Regional – DCU Center, Worcester, MA           
1 Michigan vs. 4 American International, 3:00 p.m.    Allentown Regional – PPL Center, Allentown, PA

IIHF – IIHF calls for ethics probe of Russian federation, Fasel
The International Ice Hockey Federation council has referred the Russian Hockey Federation and former IIHF president Rene Fasel to an independent ethics board for investigation over issues related to the war in Ukraine. The IIHF cited Russia’s instructions to the KHL to support the war. it also noted Fasel’s involvement with Russia and his comments about the invasion. Fasel served as IIHF president from 1994-2021. He has since taken a job as an adviser to the KHL, the elite Russian hockey league. Fasel criticized the IIHF to state media after his former organization banned Russia and Belarus from upcoming competitions.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 5, New York Yankees 3 – 7 Inn.
San Francisco Giants 9, Chicago White Sox 6
Los Angeles Angels 5, Chicago Cubs 4

Today
Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m.
Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners, 9:40 p.m.

NFL – Bills stand to lose Bates after OL signs Bears’ offer sheet
A person with direct knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Bills offensive lineman Ryan Bates has agreed to sign an offer sheet with the Chicago Bears. The move puts Buffalo in a position to have to match Chicago’s offer or lose the third-year player without compensation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. The Chicago Tribune first reported the move earlier in the day. The Bills last week retained the restricted free agent’s rights by tendering Bates a one-year, $2.4 million contract offer.

NFL – Denver Broncos stadium fire torches seats, suite area
Firefighters have extinguished a blaze that torched several rows of seats and a suite area at the Denver Broncos’ stadium. The fire broke out on the fourth level at Empower Field at Mile High on Thursday afternoon and spread to the third level, where it burned at least six rows of seats in two sections. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control but were trying to determine if it had spread to other areas of the stadium, which seats more than 76,000 people. No injuries were reported, and investigators have not said what caused the fire.

NASCAR – NASCAR hits Keselowski with huge fine for modifying Next Gen
NASCAR has issued steep penalties against Brad Keselowski and his new race team for illegally modifying a supplied part on the Next Gen car. Keselowski was docked 100 driver points and the No. 6 Ford team docked 100 owner points. Crew chief Matt McCall was fined $100,000 and suspended from the next four Cup races. The penalty plunged the 2012 NASCAR champion from 16th in the current standings to 35th — behind every other full-time driver in the field. Keselowski will also be docked 10 playoff points should he recover to make the playoff field.

Michigan law adds mandatory reporters after Nassar scandal
Physical and occupational therapists, and athletic trainers are now required to report suspected child abuse or neglect under a new Michigan law that follows the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week signed the legislation. It comes more than four years after the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University sports doctor was sentenced to a virtual life sentence for his conviction on child pornography charges and sexually abusing athletes. Several athletes testified during victim impact statements in 2018 that over the course of Nassar’s more than two decades of sexual abuse they told adults what was happening, including athletic trainers, and it went unreported.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Soccer
Dowagiac 8, Hartford 0
Three Rivers 2, Parchment 1

Boys Basketball – State Semifinals   
Division 3 at Michigan State University
Menominee 74, Ecorse 56
Schoolcraft 55, Flint Beecher 39

Division 4 at Michigan State University
Ewen-Trout Creek 62, Lake Leelanau St. Mary 56
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 77, Genesee Christian 33

Tonight
Girls Soccer
Paw Paw at Mattawan, 6:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Wyoming Lee, 6:00 p.m.
Sturgis at Coldwater, 5:30 p.m.

Softball
Lawrence at Bangor, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Hartford at South Haven, 4:00 p.m. (DH)

Baseball
Lawrence at Bangor, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Hartford at South Haven, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Constantine at Marcellus, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
B.C. Central at Galesburg-Augusta, 4:00 p.m. (DH)

Boys Basketball – State Semifinals   
Division 1 at Michigan State University
Warren DeLaSalle (18-7) vs Grand Rapids Northview (25-1), 12:00 p.m.
Grand Blanc (20-5) vs Belleville (19-6), 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Michigan State University
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (24-1) vs Ferndale (21-3), 5:30 p.m.
Williamston (25-0) vs Freeland (25-0), 7:30 p.m.

Saturday
Boys Basketball – State Finals
***All games will air on News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM***
Division 4
Ewen-Trout Creek (22-3) vs Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (20-6), 10:00 a.m.

Division 1
Teams TBA, 12:15 pm

Division 3
Menominee (23-3) vs Schoolcraft (24-2), 4:30 p.m.

Division 2
Teams TBA, 6:45 pm

Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Holland Christian, 11:45 a.m.

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