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    Pacers spoil Russell Westbrook’s return as Clippers’ home struggles continue
    • March 26, 2024

    LOS ANGELES — There has been a lot of talk lately about the Clippers’ identity. Are they winners, the team that reeled off a 26-5 run earlier this season and briefly sat atop the Western Conference standings?

    Or are they no better than a .500 team, having gone 7-7 during the month of March?

    Coach Tyronn Lue had a harsher description of what his team has become – soft.

    “That could be our identity, if you want to call it that,” Lue said after watching the Clippers put up a fight in the first three quarters then succumb to the Indiana Pacers, 133-116, on Monday night, their fifth consecutive loss on their home court.

    “We have to be tougher mentally and physically,” Lue continued. “We did have an identity when we were 26-5. We had a great identity, but you can’t pick and choose when you want to lead, you can’t pick and choose when you want to have an identity. You have to do things the right way.”

    The Clippers – who got 26 points each from All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the loss – don’t seem to know what they want to be. They were close to securing home-court advantage during the playoffs, but now at 44-27, they have slipped to fifth behind the New Orleans Pelicans, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

    “I think we’re all trying to figure out what the (heck) is going on,” point guard James Harden said.

    Like Lue, Harden was at a loss to explain why the Clippers seem so lost this late in the season after a celebrated run through December and January that featured winning streaks of nine and five games.

    “If we could pinpoint it, put our finger on it, we would go out and do it,” Harden said. “It’s a combination of things.”

    Harden said regaining their identity as a team that can grind out victories and pile up wins is important, especially heading into the postseason.

    “When you have an identity as a team, you have something to rely on, something to fall back on,” he said.

    The Clippers showed a defensive effort against the Pacers that had been missing in recent weeks. But not even the return of Russell Westbrook could produce a victory once Indiana got rolling.

    The Pacers topped their season average of 12.31 points behind the scoring of Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton as they shot 58.1% from the field and 60.7% from 3-point range. Siakam led Indiana with 31 points and four rebounds, while Turner added 24 points and seven rebounds and Haliburton had 21 points and nine assists.

    Lue had hoped Westbrook’s return would provide a needed spark for his team, which has won once in its past 10 games against teams with winning records.

    Westbrook checked into his first game in more than three weeks at the 5:24 mark of the first quarter, giving the Clippers the energy off the bench they had missed in his absence. He had six points in the first half.

    Westbrook had been sidelined since he broke his left hand on March 1 and had surgery three days later. He had been averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 58 games.

    He finished with 14 points and seven assists in 18 minutes against the Pacers.

    “I think having that pace and having that energy on the floor is definitely infectious and we need that pop,” Lue said. “… having that pop, we could definitely use that.”

    The Westbrook effect only went so far. The Pacers, behind Haliburton’s long-range shooting, quickly quieted the Clippers in the first half, erasing a one-time eight-point lead to hold a 65-62 advantage at halftime.

    George got the Clippers moving early, leading them to a brief lead in the first quarter. He had 13 points in the opening half.

    The Pacers stretched their lead to 10 points, 78-68, in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Jarace Walker at the 8:24 mark and it looked as though the Pacers were poised to break open the game, but the Clippers hung in and pulled to within 86-83 with 2:58 left.

    After a tight third quarter, the Pacers slowly pushed their lead to 16 before settling for a 17-point victory, avenging a 151-127 Clippers victory in December on the strength of Harden’s 35 points, 27 of them coming off nine 3-pointers. This time, Harden was a non-factor, finishing with 11 points and seven assists.

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    Clippers guard Norman Powell had 22 points off the bench. Center Ivica Zubac pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with nine points.

    The Pacers – playing on the second night of a back-to-back set – shot 8 for 15 from 3-point range in the second half, while holding the Clippers to 1 for 9 from behind the arc in the final two quarters.

    “I think collectively we just got to come together during tough times,” Westbrook said. “Adversity, to me, is a real measure of who you are as a man and to who you are as a team. And I think now is a perfect time for us to be able to pull together, use what we know how to win games and use ourselves to help each other out to close games and win games.”

    Lue pointed to consistent effort as a solution.

    “The only way we’re gonna get out of it is playing hard for 48 minutes, doing things right every single night, every single possession,” Lue said. “Not two out of five, not two out of six. Every time, just do the right thing, and you’ll be able to get out of this rut.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Anze Kopitar leads Kings past Canucks for 4th straight win
    • March 26, 2024

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Kings have found some late-season momentum.

    Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist to help the Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

    Blake Lizotte and Kevin Fiala also scored for the Kings, and Cam Talbot finished with 21 saves.

    “It got a little hairy there at the end, there’s no question,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. “A couple of saves by (Talbot) and guys blocked some shots, got it done. It’s a good team. We’re proud to beat them.”

    Brock Boeser and Sam Lafferty had goals for Vancouver, which had its three-game win streak snapped. Casey DeSmith had 16 saves.

    “They’re a great team. We know what to expect and pretty much every game from here on out is going to be like that,” Lafferty said. “So I think we’re gearing up, we’re trending in the right direction. It just wasn’t our night.”

    The Canucks had a chance to become the first team to clinch a playoff berth. However, they remained one point ahead of Colorado and Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference standings.

    Trailing 3-1, the Canucks pulled DeSmith in favor of an extra skater with just over 4½ minutes remaining. The move paid off when Boeser’s shot from the top of the right faceoff circle hit Kopitar’s skate and deflected in past Talbot, pulling Vancouver within one with 2:54 left.

    Boeser leads Vancouver with 37 goals on the season.

    Canucks coach Rick Tocchet called a 30-second timeout with less than a minute to go. With DeSmith once again out of the net, Vancouver pressed for the tying goal. The Canucks got a prime opportunity when Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was sent to the box for tripping with 21 seconds to go, but they couldn’t bury a final shot during the stretch of 6-on-4 play.

    “There’s going to be a lot of hard games here coming down and I think this is good prep for us,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said. “And we’ve got to find a way to win games like that, not give up the late one in the second or whatever happened. I mean, they’re all tight against L.A. That’s just going to be how it is this time of year.”

    The Kings took a 3-1 advantage late in the second, scoring twice in less than two minutes.

    Lizotte put the Kings ahead 2-1 with 3:31 to go on a delayed penalty after Vancouver’s Carson Soucy was clocked for tripping. With six skaters on the ice, Lizotte fired a one timer that hit Canucks defenseman Ian Cole at the side of the net before pinging off Soucy’s skates on the way in past DeSmith.

    Kopitar got his 40th assist of the season on the play and has multiple points in four straight games, with four goals and five assists across the stretch.

    Kopitar scored his 24th of the season with 1:40 to go in the period as DeSmith got a piece of the veteran forward’s long blast but couldn’t hang on to the puck, which fell to the crease. Kopitar came around the back of the net and tapped it in to give the Kings a two-goal cushion.

    The Kings went 0 for 2 on the power play while the Canucks were 0 for 1.

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    A bad Canucks line change created an odd-man advantage for the Kings midway through the opening period. With the home side down a player, Pierre-Luc Dubois sent a pass in the slot to Fiala, who fired a shot in past a diving DeSmith to give the Kings a 1-0 lead 7:01 into the game. It was Fiala’s 24th goal of the season.

    Vancouver’s third line ground out a tying goal with 7:10 left in the first. Lafferty fought off Alex Laferriere along the boards, then muscled his way to the front of the net and popped a silky wrist shot in to tie it.

    Canucks center Elias Lindholm sat out with an undisclosed injury. Tocchet said the Swedish forward is “day to day.” Defenseman Ian Cole returned to Vancouver’s lineup after missing two games for what Tocchet previously called “maintenance.”

    UP NEXT

    The Kings play at Edmonton on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT in the second stop of a four-game trip.

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Orange Coast College women’s basketball leans on ‘unmatched’ chemistry to defend state title
    • March 26, 2024

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    Orange County crowned four CIF-SS champions in basketball in the winter but the success on the court didn’t stop there.

    Orange Coast College’s women’s team captured its second consecutive state title earlier this month to join the list of champions.

    With contributions from several county products, the Pirates defeated Glendale 71-60 at Mt. SAC on March 17 to finish the season 30-3.

    “It’s pretty unbelievable,” said Orange Coast College coach Sammy Doucette, who played at Woodbridge and Vanguard. “(Winning a second title) was the goal the second we won the first one. I’m very proud of (our team) for making it happen.”

    Guard Ashari Cassell (Orange Lutheran), a Cal State LA commit, scored a team-high 19 points and guard Bridgette McIntyre (Huntington Beach/St. Anthony) added 18 to lead Pirates.

    McIntyre sank five of the Orange Coast’s 10 3-pointers en route to being selected tournament MVP.

    Orange Coast College featured starting forward Myia Collins (Cypress) and reserve guard Emmeline Law (Irvine). Collins had 20 points and eight rebounds in an 88-66 win against Mt. SAC in the SoCal regional finals.

    The Pirates also started Alyssa Dreessen (ML King) and Jordan Arreola (ML King) in the state final, and received key play off the bench from Sabrina Lopez (Etiwanda).

    “Our culture is unmatched,” Doucette said, “and culture doesn’t graduate.”

    Orange County’s CIF-SS champions were JSerra and Canyon in girls, and Marina and La Habra in boys.

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    ​ Orange County Register 

    Baltimore bridge collapses after ship strikes it, sending vehicles into water
    • March 26, 2024

    A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for at least seven people in the water.

    The vessel appears to have hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in several places and plunge into the water, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The ship caught fire and appeared to sink.

    The bridge, which opened in 1977, spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the East Coast. It is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

    “This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

    He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.

    Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”

    He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.

    Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.

    “All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Orange County girls athlete of the week: Taylor Shumaker, Esperanza
    • March 26, 2024

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    The Orange County girls athlete of the week:

    Name: Taylor Shumaker

    School: Esperanza

    Sport: Softball

    Year: Senior

    Noteworthy: The Florida-bound center fielder hit a home run in a 1-0 win against Canyon and two home runs in a 5-2 loss against El Modena to continue her stellar play in the Crestview League. Shumaker is hitting .667 with an Orange County-leading 13 home runs and has made multiple outstanding catches in the field.

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    ​ Orange County Register 

    Orange County softball offering plenty of storylines for Michelle Carew Classic this week
    • March 26, 2024

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    The No. 1-ranked softball team in the nation. A pitcher with a perfect game and no-hitter the last two weeks. A defending champion riding an eight-game winning streak into the week.

    Those are just a few of the Orange County storylines for the Michelle Carew Classic, the Canyon-hosted tournament that runs Wednesday through Saturday.

    There are a plethora of other intriguing plots but county observers could be glued to Pacifica, Orange Lutheran pitcher Brianne Weiss and Los Alamitos.

    Pacifica (13-0) enters the week ranked No. 1 in Orange County by The Register, and No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.

    In early March, the Mariners captured the prestigious Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz. for the first time since 2003.

    Pacifica last won the Carew Classic in 2013.

    Weiss, a Notre Dame signee, pitched a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a 7-0 victory against Rosary last week. The week before, she pitched a perfect game with 16 strikeouts in an 8-0 win against Cajon.

    On the season, the left-hander carries an 8-1 record with a 0.60 ERA for the No. 2-ranked Lancers (10-2). Weiss has struck out 106 batters in 58 innings.

    Los Alamitos (13-3), the defending champion of Carew Classic, takes an eight-game winning streak into the week. The Griffins are ranked third in the county.

    “I’m really excited for it,” Los Alamitos third baseman Gabby Terrones said of the tournament. “Last year, we had a good run so we’re just going to keep it going.”

    Most the games will be played at Peralta Canyon Park in Anaheim.

    Ten of the top-11 ranked schools in the county are part of the 29-team tournament.

    One of the best openers Wednesday pits Esperanza, ranked No. 9 in the county, against No. 10 Mission Viejo. The Aztecs defeated the Diablos 7-3 last month.

    The event also features Norco, the top-ranked team in the Inland Empire. The Cougars could have Orange Lutheran transfer pitcher Peyton May, who observed the sitout period.

    St. Francis of Mountain View (7-0), the runner-up last year to Los Alamitos, is the top team from Northern California.

    The quarterfinals start Friday at 3 p.m. with the semifinals to follow Saturday at 1:15 p.m. The championship is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

    Rain is forecasted for Saturday.

    The tournament is named after former Canyon softball player Michelle Carew, daughter of Hall of Fame baseball player Rod Carew. In April of 1996, she died at age 18 of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia after a seven-month fight.

    WOODBRIDGE TOURNAMENT UPDATE

    The Gold Division championship of the Woodbridge-hosted Dugard Classic is Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at  Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

    On Monday, Aliso Niguel junior Olivia Kuhnel pitched a three-hitter in 3-0 win against Rosary to help the Wolverines reach the semifinals.

    HUNTINGTON BEACH FINDS YOUNG CATCHER

    Huntington Beach coach Jeff Forsberg believes he has found an intriguing catching prospect in freshman Emma Johnson.

    She was slated to play on the junior varsity but has progressed quickly in filling a sudden need on varsity.

    Not only is Johnson catching hard-throwing Zoe Prystajko, she is throwing out several base runners.

    Last week against Los Alamitos, she threw out a runner at second, almost got another at third and made a diving tag at home plate.

    “That kid has dominated behind the plate for us,” Forsberg said. “She throws kids out. … She hits really well, and she’s getting better.”

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    ​ Orange County Register 

    All-CIF Southern Section boys basketball honors for 2023-24 season
    • March 26, 2024

    The All-CIF Southern Section boys basketball teams and the top individual award winners for 2023-24, selected by the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association (SCIBCA), were announced Monday.

    ALL-CIF BOYS BASKETBALL

    OPEN DIVISION

    Player of the Year – Trent Perry, Harvard-Westlake (12)

    Coach of the Year – David Rebibo, Harvard-Westlake

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Brayden Burries Roosevelt 11

    Tyrone Riley IV St. Pius X-St. Matthias 12

    Darnez Slater Roosevelt 12

    Eric Freeny Corona Centennial 12

    Brandon McCoy St. John Bosco 10

    Elzie Harrington St. John Bosco 11

    Aidan Fowler JSerra 12

    Nikolas Khamenia Harvard-Westlake 11

    Brannon Martinsen Mater Dei 10

    Justin Pippen Sierra Canyon 12

    Robert Hinton Harvard-Westlake 12

    DIVISION 1

    Player of the Year – Mercy Miller, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks (12)

    Coach of the Year – Matt Sargeant, Notre Dame/SO

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    James Evans West Ranch 12

    Nate Garcia Damien 11

    Aaron Glass Rancho Cucamonga 11

    Gavin Hightower Windward 11

    Lino Mark Notre Dame/SO 11

    Hudson Mayes Redondo 11

    Trent Minter Los Alamitos 11

    Mazi Mosley St. Francis 11

    Gene Roebuck La Mirada 9

    DIVISION 2AA

    Player of the Year – Quincy Phillips, St. Anthony (12)

    Coach of the Year – Alan Mitchell, St. Anthony

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    JoJo Wicker St. Anthony 10

    Dillan Shaw Heritage Christian 11

    Tae Simmons Heritage Christian 11

    Joe Sterling Crespi 10

    Aaron Powell Campbell Hall 12

    Mateo Trujillo Rolling Hills Prep 11

    Aaron Desantiago Fountain Valley 11

    Elias Chin Thousand Oaks 12

    Collin Haugh Dana Hills 12

    DIVISION 2A

    Player of the Year – Barak Simon, Marina (11)

    Coach of the Year – Nick Racklin, Marina

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Mister Burnside Paraclete 12

    Avant Glimore Temescal Canyon 12

    Bryce Goldman Chaminade 12

    Dylan Gomez Marina 11

    Austin Maziasz Westlake 11

    Matthew Rodriguez Bishop Amat 12

    Jovani Ruff Poly, Long Beach 11

    Maxwell Scott Corona del Mar 9

    Michael Wright Cypress 12

    DIVISION 3AA

    Player of the Year – Grayson Sinek, La Habra (11)

    Coach of the Year – Aaron Riekenberg , La Habra

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Dylan Benner St. Bonaventure 12

    Antony Newman Gomez Hesperia 12

    Maximo Adams Serra 10

    Antranik Balian Pilibos 11

    Sergio Maggette Sage Hill 12

    Acen Jimenez La Habra 10

    Charles Knight Valley View 10

    Russell Williams South Pasadena 12

    Jasiah Williams Hesperia 9

    DIVISION 3A

    Players of the Year – Jared Mims, Alemany (12)

    Coach of the Year – Michael Romo, Bosco Tech

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Jason Crowe Jr. Lynwood 10

    Ryan Osborne Bosco Tech 12

    Jaden Erami Bosco Tech 11

    Luke Zuffelato Santa Barbara 11

    Chace Holly Lynwood 10

    Porter Hansen San Clemente 11

    Timmy Anderson Blair 10

    Zaid Yunis Northwood 12

    JC Schindler Woodbridge 12

    DIVISION 4AA

    Player of the Year – Shay Pema, Cerritos (12)

    Coach of the Year – Jonathan Watanabe, Cerritos

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Ace Arnold Royal 11

    Bryan Cabrera Jurupa Hills 12

    Alex Gabbay YULA 11

    Aron Hernandez Workman 11

    Ethan List Valley Torah 12

    Tobenna Ozoagu Cerritos 12

    Gabriel R’bibo Valley Torah 12

    Jeremiah Wiley Elsinore 12

    William Young Jr Littlerock 12

    DIVISION 4A

    Players of the Year – Jeremiah Profit, Temecula Valley (9)

    Coaches of the Year – James Profit, Temecula Valley

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Adrian Almaraz Northview 12

    Jaedon Hose-Shea Estancia 12

    Mason Stueber Hillcrest Christian 12

    Cooper Stearns Irvine 11

    Jose Valdovinos Santa Paula 11

    Marcus Gragg-Buchanan Rancho Mirage 9

    Lincoln Dean Cabrillo/LB 11

    Kyrell Foster Carter 12

    Ryan Hajjar La Salle 12

    DIVISION 5AA

    Player of the Year – Shane Biscaya, El Segundo (12)

    Coach of the Year – Scott Martin, El Segundo

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Elijah Coles El Segundo 12

    Christian Clark Castaic 12

    Finn White Buckley 12

    Tashaun Barron Castaic 12

    Latif Diouf Dunn 12

    Zach Van Patten Hoover 12

    Giovani Valentin Castaic 12

    Lucas Andaluz Godinez 12

    Lucas Spring Trinity Classical 12

    DIVISION 5A

    Player of the Year – Aaron Banks, Firebaugh (12)

    Coach of the Year – Stephon Price, Firebaugh

    PLAYER, SCHOOL, YEAR

    Philip Steinart Los Amigos 10

    Caiden Broughton Notre Dame/Riverside 11

    Ashton Brown Foothill Tech 10

    Aidan Brewer Big Bear 11

    Henry Phan Rancho Alamitos 12

    Tristan Green Bellflower 12

    Kentrayl Roberson Firebaugh 9

    Isaac Garcia Nogales 12

    Ryder Dolan Big Bear 11

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    ​ Orange County Register 

    Logan O’Hoppe’s homer sparks Angels to exhibition rout of Dodgers
    • March 26, 2024

    LOS ANGELES — As if the stats did not tell the story of how much Logan O’Hoppe needed his mammoth blast in the second inning Monday, his fist pump while leaving the batter’s box most certainly did.

    O’Hoppe’s three-run home run started the Angels toward a 6-0 victory over the host Dodgers in the middle game of the Freeway Series. The Dodgers won the opener, 5-3, on Sunday with the finale of the exhibition set for Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.

    Angels left-hander Reid Detmers finished off a solid spring with five scoreless innings, giving up three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Detmers had a 2.45 ERA in five spring outings and appears to be headed toward the No. 3 spot in the rotation and a potential outing Sunday on the road against the Baltimore Orioles.

    “Can’t say I felt the best but the result is what I wanted and I got to do it here at Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers and it’s a pretty good feeling,” Detmers said. “Just fastball command was off. The last couple of weeks fastball command hasn’t been the greatest. I’m trying to figure out some stuff with that but everything else was really good.”

    For all of his success throughout the outing, the pitch that seemed to resonate the most was a fastball up and in to walk former teammate Shohei Ohtani in the fifth inning. Ohtani let out a sigh of relief as he staggered out of the batter’s box.

    “We got a little laugh about it, Shohei was laughing,” Detmers said. “I said ‘I’m sorry.’”

    O’Hoppe’s second homer of the spring came off Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone, who gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in 4⅓ innings with four strikeouts. Stone is projected to make his first start of the season Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

    “I thought Gavin was fine, just made a couple mistakes,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But there’s not as much scouting in these exhibition games as there will be going forward.”

    Dodgers right-hander Daniel Hudson, who had just three appearances last season, gave up two runs while recording both of his outs by strikeout. Hudson made a scoreless appearance in the regular-season opener at South Korea last week against the San Diego Padres and picked up the win.

    In addition to his walk, Ohtani grounded out twice against Detmers as he played shortly after addressing the controversy around former interpreter Ippei Mitzuhara, who is accused of draining as much as $4.5 million from Ohtani’s personal account for alleged sports wagering.

    The Dodgers’ top three in the order of Mookie Betts, Ohtani and Freddie Freeman combined to go 1 for 8 with a walk. Freeman had the lone hit of the bunch, while Max Muncy had a pair of hits.

    ARM WORK

    On a busy day, Ohtani also did some light throwing in the outfield before the game, which is believed to be the first time he has town a ball since his elbow surgery in September.

    While Ohtani will not pitch for the Dodgers this season following his UCL repair, he did take another step in his rehab by making easy tosses from about 50 feet during a game of catch.

    The Dodgers have not ruled out Ohtani playing in the field later this season with Manager Dave Roberts saying he is willing to “have that conversation,” if Ohtani’s rehab is progressing well. The right-hander’s recovery timeline does have him potentially facing hitters in a closed setting by late September of this year.

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    GETTING CLOSER

    Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson is progressing well from right shoulder inflammation and threw from 120 feet. After signing a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason, Stephenson did not pitch in a Cactus League game.

    The 31-year-old delivered a 3.10 ERA in 60 relief outings last season for the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays and is projected to pitch in the late innings in front of closer Carlos Estevez.

    In other Angels injury news, right-hander Sam Bachman (shoulder surgery) and left-hander Jose Quijada (elbow surgery) are continuing with their throwing progressions, while infielder Michael Stefanic (quadriceps strain) has resumed light baseball activity. All three remain in Arizona.

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Orange County man gets 10 years in prison for DUI crash that killed a Hemet driver
    • March 26, 2024

    MURRIETA — A 55-year-old man who killed a motorist in a driving under the influence head-on collision in Winchester was bound for state prison Monday to serve a 10-year term behind bars after pleading guilty to felony charges.

    Ernest “Sniper” Lugo of Westminster admitted one count each of DUI gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of controlled substances, with a sentence-enhancing great bodily injury allegation, during a status hearing Friday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

    Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon imposed the sentence stipulated by the court prior to the plea.

    Lugo fatally injured 65-year-old Jose Montanchez Jr. of Hemet in the Oct. 22, 2023, wreck on Domenigoni Parkway at Alamar Mesa Drive.

    The California Highway Patrol said that Lugo was at the wheel of a 2016 Chevrolet pickup that entered the eastbound lane of Domenigoni while traveling west at an unconfirmed speed about 7:20 p.m. that Sunday.

    “The pickup was going the wrong way,” CHP Officer Jonathan Torres told City News Service at the time. “A 2008 BMW was eastbound on Domenigoni, going the right way, and the pickup collided head-on with the BMW.”

    Montanchez’s BMW and the defendant’s pickup both sustained significant damage. Debris from the impact was hurled onto a Nissan sedan trailing the BMW, but damage to that vehicle was minor, according to Torres.

    County fire paramedics reached the location minutes later and pronounced Montanchez dead at the scene.

    Lugo and his passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, suffered minor injuries and were taken to a regional trauma center for treatment. The defendant was screened for alcohol or drug impairment, and officers verified Lugo had been driving under the influence. He was taken into custody without incident.

    The passenger was treated and released from the hospital.

     

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    ​ Orange County Register 

    NCAA Tournament: USC women rout Kansas, advance to Sweet 16
    • March 26, 2024

    LOS ANGELES — Invisible smoke billowed off her hands just a couple minutes into the second quarter, USC’s McKenzie Forbes catching a pass in transition and draining another 3-pointer, coming back in the huddle and blowing on locked-and-loaded finger guns.

    There is something to her demeanor, to her shot-making, when moments hang in the balance. When momentum can shift at the drop of the hat. JuJu Watkins is this program’s leading woman, but Forbes is their emotional barometer, her shot-making dropping exclamation point after exclamation point as her face remains expressive as a period.

    Forbes was not perfect on Monday night, the second round of USC’s NCAA Tournament push against Kansas. She shot just 6 for 19 from the field to get her 20 points. She racked up six turnovers. But in the most crucial seconds, she was there as she always manages to be, combining with Watkins (28 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) to lead top-seeded USC to a 73-55 victory over eighth-seeded Kansas in front of a jubilant crowd at the Galen Center.

    The Trojans (28-5) advanced to face fifth-seeded Baylor (26-7) in a regional semifinal on Saturday in Portland, Oregon. The Bears knocked off fourth-seeded Virginia Tech, 75-72, in their second-round matchup and will present a test for USC with their offensive depth and activity.

    Forbes made six 3-pointers in all, each seeming more timely than the last, gesturing to the home crowd at one fourth-quarter stall and single-handedly summoning a swell.

    More!

    With USC leading by eight early in the second quarter, coming off a steal, Forbes pulled. Bam. Finger-guns.

    With USC up by 10, midway through the second quarter, after a scale-tipping Kansas 3-pointer, Forbes pulled. Bam. 

    With USC up by 11, a couple of minutes later, Forbes caught on the wing and let fly from deep. Bam.

    “It’s great to see her shining, especially right now, when the moment’s even – the spotlight’s even brighter,” teammate Kaitlyn Davis said Sunday. “And you can see the whole crowd light up, too, when she hits those shots.”

    Davis would know, once fierce rivals in the Ivy League. Around a year ago, exactly, Forbes and Harvard knocked Davis and Columbia out of the Ivy League Tournament; the memory still stung to talk about for Davis, leaning against a locker Sunday with a pained smile.

    On Monday night, though, Forbes helped erase a separate unpleasant memory of Davis’ – her Columbia program falling in the WNIT championship last year to Kansas – in beating the Jayhawks (20-13). She buried two more 3-pointers in the third quarter, launching one off-the-bounce transition 3-pointer without any inhibition to extend USC’s lead to 10, coming back in the fourth quarter with two big-time blocked shots to help key a final Trojans push.

    USC’s dream season continues, on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the early 1990s and the days of Cheryl Miller manning the sideline. The Trojans last went this deep when they reached the Elite Eight in 1994, 10 years after the school won the second of its back-to-back national championships.

    This USC run, though, has been built as much on the back of stifling defense as the shot-making shoulders of Watkins or Forbes. They swarmed in the first quarter, Rayah Marshall warding off Kansas’ 6-foot-6 force Taiyanna Jackson in the paint and guard Kayla Padilla bumping down in the post with as much ferocity as her 5-9 frame could carry.

    Marshall was a force within her minutes early, the frontcourt player’s continued evolution one of the keys to USC’s late-season surge. She had come into Monday with five double-doubles in her last six games; when Jackson tested her on an early hook shot, Marshall swatted it into the stands, walking away with a flex and nose upturned. She finished with four steals and two blocks, and USC forced 11 Kansas turnovers in the first half, taking a nine-point lead on the back of Forbes’ shot-making.

    Kansas, though, made a massive push in the third quarter – just as USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb knew they would. This was a veteran group, coming off the WNIT championship; as USC waited in the tunnel Friday watching Kansas battle Michigan Saturday in overtime, Davis said, the realization came: “Okay, this is March.”

    And the Jayhawks mauled their way to a 9-0 run with time ticking in the third, cutting USC’s lead to one, Kansas’ S’mya Nichols attacking the paint with abandon. Watkins, though, flashed a large stop-sign, draining an above-the-break 3-pointer to bottle up Kansas’ momentum and send the Trojans on a 17-2 run that spanned the end of the third and the start of the fourth.

    Forbes’ leadership – coming both loud and quiet, a super-senior veteran capable of both calming her words and barking in a shrill tone – reared its head proud in the fourth. After an early-period swat by Forbes, she found a wide-open backup big Clarice Akunwafo underneath on a pretty feed, only for Akunwafo to blow the layup and a subsequent putback.

    Back down the floor, Forbes put her arm around Akunwafo in a pick-me-up and whispered in her ear. Poised. Level.

    The next possession down, Akunwafo grabbed a Watkins miss and finished a putback.

    In the game of her life, Akunwafo dominated the fourth quarter, Gottlieb entrusting her with crucial minutes and the senior junior delivering with a flurry of huge offensive boards. She finished with nine rebounds and six blocks, helping close out Kansas as the crowd erupted over late Watkins makes.

    Nichols scored 22 points to lead the Jayhawks, while Taiyanna Jackson had 10 points and 18 rebounds.

    More to come on this story.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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