Photo by Ed Marlowe: Murray's Grant Whitaker scored 29 points in Monday's First Region quarterfinals win over Mayfield at the CFSB Center in Murray. The Tigers beat the Cardinals 61-46, and Whitaker scored 14 points alone in a pivotal third quarter.
GRANT MARCHES ON MAYFIELD AS TIGERS ADVANCE
Grant Whitaker scored 14 of his game high 29 points in the third quarter to rally Murray High past Mayfield 61-46 last night in opening round action of the Boys Region 1 Tournament at the CFSB Center. Mayfield jumped out to an 11-4 first quarter lead before the Tigers closed the halftime gap to 21-19. But Whitaker caught fire in the second half to lead the Tigers into Friday night’s first semifinal game against Paducah Tilghman. Quanie McCallister added 16 for the Tigers, who improved to 16-7 while the Cardinals ended the season at 11-9. In last night’s first game, Tilghman defeated Carlisle County 75-45 behind Eli Brown’s 18 point night. First round action continues tonight with McCracken County facing Fulton City at 5:30 followed by Graves County vs Marshall County at 8 pm.
REGION 2 BOYS SCORES
Henderson County 71, Caldwell County 56
Hopkinsville 71, Lyon County 56
Madisonville 49, Webster County 44
UHA 80, Crittenden County 79.
RACER VOLLEYBALL LOSES MATCH AND SPOT IN OVC TOURNEY
Tennessee Tech downed the Murray State volleyball last night in a five set match at Racer Arena. The scores were 20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 23-25, and 11-15. The Racers are now 5-9 in conference play and out of contention for the conference tournament as only the top four teams make it in this year’s COVID abbreviated format. Jayla Holcombe led the Racers offensively, knocking down 16 kills for the second night in a row. The Racers hit the road for the final weekend of the regular season facing Southeast Missouri on Sunday and Monday.
RACER FOOTBALL TEAM RANKED 19TH IN STATS POLL
Murray State football jumped six spots from 25th to 19th in the latest STATS media poll released yesterday. James Madison is ranked first, followed by North Dakota State, Weber State, South Dakota State and Sam Houston State rounding out the top five. Jacksonville State moved up to 7th and SIU slipped to 10th. The 4-0 Racers return to action on Sunday at 2 pm when Eastern Illinois visits Stewart Stadium.
RACER FOOTBALL UNVEILS 2021 SCHEDULE
Also yesterday, Murray State released its 2021 fall schedule. With the departure of Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State, the OVC Directors of Athletics agreed to schedule additional games against OVC opponents that will not count in the Conference standings. The Racers will play non-conference games against Eastern Illinois and SEMO. The Racers will kick off the season with a September 4 home game against Mississippi Valley State, followed by trips to FBS opponents Cincinnati on September 11 and Bowling Green on September 18. After a bye week, the Racers will host Eastern Illinois in a non-conference home game and the road game at SEMO on October 16 will also be a non-conference tilt. The Racers OVC opener will be an October 9 game at UT Martin.
BELMONT STUNS GONZAGA; LOUISVILLE ADVANCES; CATS PLAY IOWA
In the women’s NCAA Tournament, OVC Freshman of the Year Destinee Wells scored 25 points to lead 12th seceded Belmont past 5th-seeded Gonzaga 64-59 in opening round action at Texas State University. Belmont forced 20 Gonzaga turnovers while committing only six. The 21-5 Bruins advanced to the round of 32 to face fourth-seeded Indiana Wednesday. Louisville clobbered Marist 74-43 last night and will tangle with Northwestern tomorrow in Round Two. The Kentucky women’s basketball team is hoping to advance to the Sweet 16 and will face Iowa in San Antonio this afternoon. The ‘Cats beat Idaho State, 71-63, in the first round on Sunday. Today’s game is set for 2:30 Central.
UTM END SEASON WITH A WIN; WALDROP CAREER COMES TO AN END
In the consolation finals of the WNIT, UT Martin defeated Illinois State 64-59. Maddie Waldrop scored a game-high 24 points as the Skyhawks finished the season 22-6. Waldrop finished her career 16th in scoring at UTM with 1,092 points, and the Murray High product finished third in program history with 825 rebounds and sixth with 89 blocks.
MORANT POWERS MEMPHIS PAST CELTICS
Ja Morant scored 29 points and Dillon Brooks 24 in the 132-126 Grizzlies’ overtime victory over the Celtics in Memphis. Jonas Valanciunas contributed 16 points and 19 rebounds. The Grizz are 20-and-20 and open a four-game trip tomorrow in Oklahoma City.
TENNESSEE SIGNS REYNOLDS
Josh Reynolds is joining the Titans. ESPN reports the veteran wideout has agreed to a one-year deal. Reynolds had 52 catches for 618 yards and two touchdowns last season with the LA Rams. Tennessee needed receiving help to augment Pro Bowler A.J. Brown after releasing Adam Humphries and Corey Davis leaving as a free agent to sign with the Jets.
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
The Golden Knights blasted the Blues 5-1 in Las Vegas. Vince Dunn scored the lone goal for St. Louis, which dropped to 16-11-and-5. The Blues visit the Wild on Thursday…After playing their last eight on the road, the Predators are home tonight and Thursday for games against the Red Wings. The Preds have not played in Nashville since March 6th. They went 4-3-and-1 on their journey and sit at 14-17-and-1 overall.
CARDS LOSE, BATTLE NATS TODAY ON WNBS AM AND FM
The Cardinals suffered a 7-2 defeat to the Marlins in Jupiter, Florida. Dylan Carlson went two for three with a homer and two RBI for St. Louis. Jack Flaherty was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, in just over five innings of work. The Cards host the Nationals today with coverage beginning on WNBS AM and FM at 11:55 this morning.
VOLS BEGIN SPRING PRACTICE
Tennessee starts spring football practice today. It will be the first chance for new head coach Josh Heupel to see his team on the field. The Vols will have the chance to practice 15 times. Spring practices will end with the Orange and White game on Saturday, April 24 in Neyland Stadium.
STAHL RECEIVES NCAA SCHOLARSHIP
Senior defensive lineman Chris Stahl of the Murray State football team is a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year. One-time, non-renewable $10,000 scholarships are awarded annually, corresponding to each sport season. Stahl is a double major in psychology and biology who currently has a 3.49 GPA. The. St Louis native intends to enroll in medical school in the fall. Stahl has been a staple for Murray State where he has appeared in 34 games with a total of 64 tackles. Off the field, Stahl is a two-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient and is the current president of Newman House, Murray State’s Catholic Campus Ministry. Stahl joins current Murray State regent and All-American Eric Crigler as Racer football student-athletes that have earned the award.
DERBY TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY
Kentucky Derby tickets go on sale Friday. COVID precautions and restrictions will be in place for both the Derby and Kentucky Oaks. All of the seats this year are all inclusive, meaning they include drinks and food so people don’t have to stand in line or exchange money.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
The NCAA Sweet 16 is set. Moving on from round two on Monday are top-seeds Gonzaga and Michigan, second-seeded Alabama, fourth-seeded Florida State, fifth-seeded Creighton, sixth-seeded USC, seventh-seeded Oregon, and 11th-seeded UCLA. The Sweet 16 starts Saturday.
The Nets will be without guard Kyrie Irving on their upcoming three-game trip. The team says he will miss games against the Trail Blazers, Jazz and Pistons due to a family matter. Irving previously missed two weeks for personal reasons in January. He’s played 31 of 43 games.
The basketball world is mourning the loss of Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor. He passed away Monday at age 86. Baylor was an 11-time All-Star as a player in 14 seasons with the Lakers. After his playing career, he coached the New Orleans Jazz before becoming GM of the LA Clippers.
The 2021 NFL Draft will be April 29th to May 1st in Cleveland with a limited number of fans in attendance. A select amount of media and prospects will also be there, with other prospects taking part remotely from their homes. Vaccinations and masks will be required for attendees.
Embattled Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is facing six more lawsuits alleging sexual assault and inappropriate conduct. That brings the total to more than a dozen suits filed against the 25-year-old since last week. Most of the allegations involve massage therapy sessions.
MONDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Sacramento Kings 119, Cleveland Cavaliers 105
Oklahoma City Thunder 112, Minnesota Timberwolves 103
Charlotte Hornets 100, San Antonio Spurs 97
Utah Jazz 120, Chicago Bulls 95
Houston Rockets 117, Toronto Raptors 99
Memphis Grizzlies 132, Boston Celtics 126 (OT)
Milwaukee Bucks 140, Indiana Pacers 113
LA Clippers 119, Atlanta Hawks 110
NHL
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New York Rangers 5, Buffalo Sabres 3
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Ottawa Senators 2, Calgary Flames 1
New York Islanders 2, Philadelphia Flyers 1 (OT)
Minnesota Wild 2, Anaheim Ducks 1
Winnipeg Jets 4, Vancouver Canucks 0
Colorado Avalanche 5, Arizona Coyotes 1
Vegas Golden Knights 5, St. Louis Blues 1
San Jose Sharks 2, Los Angeles Kings 1
MLB Grapefruit League
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Minnesota Twins 4, Atlanta Braves 2
Pittsburgh Pirates 6, Baltimore Orioles 5 (F/8)
Boston Red Sox 10, Tampa Bay Rays 4
Houston Astros 5, New York Mets 4
Miami Marlins 7, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Philadelphia Phillies 4, New York Yankees 0
Toronto Blue Jays 4, Detroit Tigers 3
MLB Cactus League
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Arizona Diamondbacks 4, Oakland Athletics 4
Milwaukee Brewers 6, Cleveland Indians 3
San Diego Padres 9, Kansas City Royals 9
Chicago White Sox 7, San Francisco Giants 2
Los Angeles Angels 15, Chicago Cubs 7
Colorado Rockies 5, Texas Rangers 4
Seattle Mariners 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 3
NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
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#7 Oregon Ducks 95, #2 Iowa Hawkeyes 80 (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 87, #8 Oklahoma Sooners 71 (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#11 UCLA Bruins 67, #14 Abilene Christian 47 (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#5 Creighton Bluejays 72, #13 Ohio Bobcats 58 (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#1 Michigan Wolverines 86, #8 LSU Tigers 78 (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#4 Florida State Seminoles 71, #5 Colorado Buffaloes 53 (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide 96, #10 Maryland Terrapins 77 (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
#6 USC Trojans 85, #3 Kansas Jayhawks 51 (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Denver Nuggets at Orlando Magic
7:30 p.m. – Washington Wizards at New York Knicks
7:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans
8:00 p.m. – Phoenix Suns at Miami Heat
10:00 p.m. – Philadelphia 76ers at Golden State Warriors
10:00 p.m. – Brooklyn Nets at Portland Trail Blazers
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers
8:00 p.m. – Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks
8:00 p.m. – Detroit Red Wings at Nashville Predators
8:30 p.m. – Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars
10:00 p.m. – Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes
New York Islanders at Boston Bruins (Postponed)
MLB Grapefruit League
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1:05 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Atlanta Braves
1:05 p.m. – Minnesota Twins at Pittsburgh Pirates
1:05 p.m. – New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers
1:05 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles
1:05 p.m. – Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
1:10 p.m. – Miami Marlins at New York Mets
6:05 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at Philadelphia Phillies
MLB Cactus League
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4:05 p.m. – Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers
4:05 p.m. – Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
4:05 p.m. – Colorado Rockies at Oakland Athletics
4:05 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Cleveland Indians
4:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers
4:10 p.m. – Cincinnati Reds at San Diego Padres
9:10 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at Arizona Diamondbacks
NCAA Tournament
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No Games Scheduled
