WSJM Sports

 

 

This week, we talk St. Joe, Lake Michigan Catholic, Lakeshore, Michigan Lutheran, and Benton Harbor Girls' Basketball...

 

 

Lakeshore vs Countryside Academy in Round 2 of the January 27th Academic Challenge!

Bridgman vs Coloma in Round 1 of the January 27th Academic Challenge!

Joe Borenstein on the call as the Lancers host the Mustangs of Portage Central on January 27, 2022.

NFL – Chicago Bears hire Colts DC Matt Eberflus as head coach

Matt Eberflus is the new coach of the Chicago Bears, tasked with turning around a franchise mired in mediocrity for much of the past decade. He spent the past four years as Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator. The 51-year-old Eberflus called his new job a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” The hire is the first big move for new Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who took over on Tuesday. Poles and Eberflus are first-timers in their respective positions in the NFL. The Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy after a 6-11 season, hoping new leadership will lift a struggling franchise.

NFL – Roethlisberger retires at 39: Time to 'hang up my cleats'

Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL career is over. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has announced his retirement. In a video message, Roethlisberger said it was “time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats” after 18 seasons, two Super Bowls, countless team records and a likely spot in the Hall of Fame. The 39-year-old Roethlisberger called his journey from a kid growing up in northwestern Ohio to the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft to a likely future Hall of Famer “exhilarating” but said he is retiring “a truly grateful man.” The Steelers never had a losing season during Roethlisberger’s tenure and captured Super Bowls 40 and 43. The player known as “Big Ben” posted a 165-81-1 record as a starter, the most in franchise history and 5th-most ever.

NFL – National Football League – Conference Championships

Sunday

AFC:  Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs, 3:00 p.m.

NFC:  San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams, 6:30 p.m.

NFL – NFC title game slightly delays Super Bowl stadium prep

Last year the NFL had a team play in its home stadium in a Super Bowl for the first time. On Sunday, the league will see another first that does put a delay in some of their preparations for this year’s big game. The NFC championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers marks the first time that a conference title game is taking place at the Super Bowl venue. Katie Keenan, the NFL’s Senior Director of Event Operations, said that the league had prepared for that contingency, but that it has delayed what work they can do inside SoFi Stadium.

NHL – National Hockey League

Tonight

Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 p.m.

Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association

Tonight

Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7:00 p.m.

Indiana Pacers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8:00 p.m.

Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m.

NBA – Durant, James lead ASG starters

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will be the starters and captains for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game. Joining Durant on the Eastern Conference starting lineup are Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh), Philadelphia center Joel Embiid (joh-EHL' ehm-BEED'), Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan and Atlanta guard Trae Young. Denver center Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH'-lah YOH'-kihch), Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins, Warriors guard Steph Curry and Memphis guard Ja (jah) Morant will start with James on the Western Conference team.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball

Saturday

Michigan at (10) Michigan State, 12:30 p.m.  UofM: 94.9 WSJM 12:00                       MSU: 103.7 Cosy-FM 11;30

Miami (OH) at Eastern Michigan, 3:00 p.m.

Western Michigan at Ball State, 3:30 p.m.

Central Michigan at Northern Illinois, 4:00 p.m.

Virginia at Notre Dame, 6:00 p.m.

NCAAWBKB – Women’s College Basketball

Yesterday

(20) Notre Dame 83, Syracuse 62

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball

Last Night

Michigan 72, Northwestern 70

Notre Dame 73, NC State 65

Michigan 72, Northwestern 70 – Michigan escapes 72-70 as Northwestern misses 3 at buzzer

Freshman Caleb Houstan scored 18 points, DeVante’ Jones added 15 points with six assists, and Michigan escaped with a 72-70 victory over Northwestern. Michigan forward Jaron Faulds missed two free throws, leading 72-69, with 8.5 seconds left and the Wolverines elected to foul Boo Buie near midcourt before he could attempt at 3-pointer. Buie, an 80% free-throw shooter, made the first free throw and missed the second but Pete Nance grabbed the rebound and got it to Julian Roper for a 3-pointer that didn’t hit the rim at the buzzer.

Notre Dame 73, NC State 65 – Laszewski sparks Notre Dame in 73-65 victory over NC State

Nate Laszewski scored 18 points, including eight straight to give Notre Dame the lead for good in the second half, and the Fighting Irish defeated North Carolina State 73-65. Dane Goodwin finished with 17 points and eight rebounds for Notre Dame. Blake Wesley added 15 points and Prentiss Hubb 11 with five assists. Dereon Seaborn had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Wolfpack. Jericole Hellems added 14 points and Casey Morsell and Cam Hayes 10 each.

NHL – National Hockey League

Last Night

Chicago Blackhawks 8, Detroit Red Wings 5

Blackhawks 8, Red Wings 5 – Strome has hat trick as Blackhawks outlast Red Wings 8-5

Dylan Strome scored three goals and the Chicago Blackhawks had their highest-scoring game of the season in an 8-5 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. Alex DeBrincat added two third-period goals for the Blackhawks, who led 4-0 in the first period but let Detroit get back into the game. DeBrincat’s empty-netter with 1:43 remaining finally put the game away as Chicago ended a four-game winless streak. Dominik Kubalik, Sam Lafferty and Brandon Hagel also scored for Chicago. Robby Fabbri, Tyler Bertuzzi, Pius Suter, Moritz Seiter and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit.

NHL – Blackhawks to consider candidates from outside hockey for GM

The Chicago Blackhawks are taking an unusual approach to their search for their next general manager and plan to make a decision before the NHL trade deadline in March. Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz says the interview process will include candidates “both inside and outside of hockey.” Wirtz and President of Business Operations Jaime Faulkner will lead the interview process, with help from an advisory group. Interim GM Kyle Davidson will interview for the position, and Wirtz says Davidson “will continue to have full autonomy of hockey decisions in the meantime.”

NBA – National Basketball Association

Yesterday

Charlotte Hornets 158, Indiana Pacers 126

Chicago Bulls 111, Toronto Raptors 105

Hornets 158, Pacers 126 – Hornets break franchise record with 158-126 win over Pacers

The Charlotte Hornets broke the franchise’s single-game scoring record on Wednesday night and notched the highest point total in the NBA this season in their 158-126 rout of the Indiana Pacers.  — also a career best. Indiana was led by Goga Bitdaze and rookie Isaiah Jackson, who both scored 17 points.

Bulls 111, Raptors 105 – DeRozan powers Bulls to 111-105 win over Raptors

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 23 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 111-105. Nikola Vucevic also scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, notching his fifth straight double-double and helping the Bulls win consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 7. Gary Trent Jr. led the Raptors with 32 points, while OG Anunoby added 23 points. Toronto has lost six of its last nine games.

NCAAWBKB – Women’s College Basketball

Yesterday

Bowling Green 67,

This week's Mid-West Family Player of the Week is Alexis Snodgrass, a senior from Hartford High School.

Alexis is a key fixture for the Hartford Girls Varsity Basketball team and has helped lead the way to a 9-1 start to the regular season, the best start in Hartford High School history.

Beyond her impressive skills, Alexis' leadership and experience, as she is a 4-year varsity player, is being shown on full display, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Being a 6'0" center, Alexis is not only the last line of defense, but is also the signal caller of the whole defense, a defense that is giving up just 31 points per game this season due to her presence in the middle.

In last week's games, Alexis had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in Hartford's 31-26 win over Decatur. She then followed that up with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, in their 38-34 win over Centerville.

On the season, Alexis is averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.

Alexis is also a member of the Hartford Varsity Volleyball Team and plans to run track this spring.

To find out more about Alexis, listen to her conversation with Jordan Jensen, below!

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball

Last Night

(24) Illinois 56, (10) Michigan State 55

Kent State 75, Western Michigan 64

Akron 60, Central Michigan 56

Bowling Green 85, Eastern Michigan 71

(24) Illinois 56, (10) Michigan State 55 – No. 24 Illinois holds off No. 10 Michigan State, 56-55

Trent Frazier scored a game-high 16 points, and No. 24 Illinois held on to beat No. 10 Michigan State 56-55 and take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. The Illini (14-5, 7-2) led by as many as 15 points early in the second half before Michigan State (15-4, 6-2) mounted a furious comeback in the final four minutes. Down by two, the Spartans had a chance to tie the game with less than a second left after Coleman Hawkins fouled Malik Hall as Hall drove to the basket. He missed the first free throw and made the second, then time expired. Marcus Bingham Jr. had 13 points to lead the Spartans, while Gabe Brown had 10 and Tyson Walker added 9.

Kent State 75, WMU 64 – Garcia, Carry lift Kent St. over W. Michigan 75-64

Andrew Garcia scored 18 points to lead five Kent State players in double figures and the Golden Flashes beat Western Michigan 75-64. Sincere Carry 14 points, VonCameron Davis and Malique Jacobs 11 apiece and Justyn Hamilton scored 10, grabbed 10 rebounds and distributed six assists. Lamar Norman Jr. had 22 points for the Broncos.

Akron 60, CMU 56 – Castaneda, Freeman lift Akron over Cent. Michigan 60-56

Xavier Castaneda and Enrique Freeman scored 16 points apiece as Akron narrowly defeated Central Michigan 60-56. Ali Ali added 15 points for the Zips (13-5, 6-2 Mid-American Conference). Freeman also had 11 rebounds and three blocks. Central Michigan scored 24 points in the first half, a season low for the team. Cameron Healy had 18 points for the Chippewas (2-13, 1-3). Ralph Bissainthe added 11 points and seven rebounds. Nicolas Pavrette had four blocks.

Bowling Green 85, EMU 71 – Gordon lifts Bowling Green over E. Michigan 85-71

Myron Gordon had a season-high 21 points and Joe Reece scored 20 and Bowling Green beat Eastern Michigan 85-71. Colin Golson Jr. had 16 points.

Tonight

Northwestern at Michigan, 6:30 p.m.             News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:00

NC State at Notre Dame, 9:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League

Tonight

Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association

Yesterday

Denver Nuggets 110, Detroit Pistons 105

Nuggets 110, Pistons 105 – Jokic's 28 points, 21 rebounds leads Nuggets past Pistons

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Detroit Pistons 110-105 on Tuesday. Monte Morris made four free throws in the final 11.5 seconds to clinch the game. Jeff Green added 20 points for the Nuggets in the second game between the teams in three nights. Denver won 117-111 at home on Sunday. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He had a layup with 1:31 left in the game to pull the Pistons within four, 106-102, and Detroit got a pair of stops. But Saddiq Bey missed at the rim and Cunningham came up empty on a pair of jumpers.

Tonight

Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.

Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.

NFL – Chicago Bears hire Ryan Poles as general manager

Ryan Poles has been hired as Chicago’s general manager almost 15 years after the former offensive tackle signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and then failed to make the final roster. Poles spent the previous 13 seasons in the Chiefs’ front office, the past year as executive director of player personnel. He was the team’s director of college scouting in 2017 when Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes with the No.

NHL – National Hockey League

Tonight

Colorado Avalanche 2, Chicago Blackhawks 0

Avalanche 2, Blackhawks 0 – Avs beat Blackhawks 2-0, extend record home streak to 16

Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen scored, Pavel Francouz made 23 saves for his third career shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 16 games. It was the seventh straight victory overall for the Avalanche, who tied the 1976 Boston Bruins for the fifth-longest home winning streak in NHL history.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball

Tonight

(10) Michigan State at (24) Illinois, 7:00 p.m.                  Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM 6:00

Western Michigan at Kent State, 7:00 p.m.

Akron at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m.

Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green, 7:00 p.m.

NCAABKB – ESPN's Vitale says he won't call games for rest of season

Dick Vitale says he will not be appearing on ESPN for the remainder of the college basketball season due to ongoing treatment for precancerous dysplasia on his vocal cords. Vitale first announced in late December that he needed to take a break to rest his ailing voice. He disclosed in October that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. He made an emotional return to the airwaves on Nov. 23 for the Gonzaga-UCLA game in Las Vegas. The last game Vitale called was on Dec. 12 between Villanova and Baylor.

NCAAMBKB – Auburn jumps to No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in history

Auburn has climbed past Gonzaga and into the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time ever. The Tigers beat Kentucky over the weekend for their 15th consecutive win. They are the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time since the poll began with the 1948-49 season.  The Bulldogs dropped to No. 2. Arizona remained third and earned the other No. 1 vote. Baylor is fourth and Kansas is fifth.

NBA – National Basketball Association

Yesterday

Chicago Bulls 111, Oklahoma City Thunder 110

New Orleans Pelicans 117, Indiana Pacers 113

Bulls 111, Thunder 110 – Vucevic, Bulls withstand late Thunder rally, win 111-110

Nicola Vucevic had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls withstood a fierce rally by Oklahoma City to beat the Thunder 111-110. The Bulls led by 28 points in the third quarter, but the Thunder had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a 3-pointer that would have evened the score with 2.3 seconds to play. Rookie Ayo Dosunmu scored a season-high 24 points and Zach LaVine added 23 for the Bulls. Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points and 10 assists and Lu Dort added 16 points for the Thunder.

Pelicans 117, Pacers 113 – Graham, Valanciunas push Pelicans past Pacers, 117-113

Devonte' Graham scored 25 points, Josh Hart had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Indiana Pacers 117-113. Graham went 5 of 9 from 3-point range on a night when the rest of his team missed 20 of 21 from deep.Pelicans leading scorer Brandon Ingram was sidelined by a right ankle sprain while Pacers top scorer Domantas Sabonis was out with a left ankle sprain. Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Pacers rookie Duane Washington Jr. hit a career-best seven 3s for a career-high 21 points.

Tonight

Denver Nuggets at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m.

NFL – Even winning coach Andy Reid questions NFL's overtime setup

Even the winning coach, in this case Andy Reid, is questioning the NFL’s overtime setup. One day after Reid’s Chiefs won the OT coin toss, then marched downfield for Travis Kelce’s 8-yard touchdown reception to end an epic divisional round game with Buffalo,

WSJM's Brett Witkowski calls the Lakeshore at Portage Northern boys basketball game on on January 21, 2022.