NCAA Tournament: UCLA women thrive off Janiah Barker’s unique style

• March 23, 2025

LOS ANGELES — A driveway, a basketball and a $25 hoop from Craigslist. Tyrone Barker was determined to give his daughter handles.

“You’re tall, but you’re gonna need to learn how to dribble this ball,” he told Janiah, now a forward on the UCLA women’s basketball team. “We’re going to need you to dribble – because nobody else is doing that.”

He objected when coaches tried to turn Barker into a post player. So she kept dribbling and later played point guard throughout high school, developing a playing style that is totally unique to her with a personality to match.

Arriving at UCLA from Texas A&M, Barker is doing it all. Her well-timed rebounds keep the ball in the Bruins’ hands and her fearless physicality allows her to score from all three levels. Barker is one of one, and UCLA (32-2) is reaping the benefits in the NCAA Tournament.

“She’s hit a groove of what it looks like for her to be an elite teammate, an elite puzzle piece for a championship-level team,” Bruins head coach Cori Close told reporters after beating Southern in Friday’s opening-round game. “That took a lot of courage on her part, a lot of humility. And her ability to own things and then continue to grow has been remarkable and much needed.”

Barker shined at Texas A&M, recording eight double-doubles as a sophomore while averaging 12.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.

In high school, she was the No. 3 recruit in espnW’s 2022 Hoopgurlz Recruiting Rankings behind now-teammates Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice.

She went from being a star to being among stars when she transferred to UCLA. The adjustment was frustrating at times, but things started to click when she learned what her role was – similar to her approach to playing with the U16 National Team and the 3×3 U18 World Cup team.

“Sometimes her minutes were up and down,” Close said. “She didn’t start and – really, credit to her – she said, ‘I don’t care about starting, I just want to get better.’”

Barker came off the bench to record one of her best stat lines of the season in the Bruins’ 84-46 win over Southern with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The Big Ten Conference Sixth Player of the Year matched Southern’s ferocity and even fed off it, blowing kisses to Jaguars fans who were heckling her.

“I just feel like God gave my personality,” Barker said. “Shout-out to God for making me funny.”

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Her faith and attitude have helped her in this transitionary year with UCLA. When her minutes fluctuated, she worked to remain grounded and realistic during games.

“Trying to still be confident with who Janiah is and then still trying to fulfill the needs of the team is something that I’ve been dealing with the whole season,” she said.

“Because I don’t want to lose my confidence and I feel like sometimes in the game that happens. That’s what I get frustrated at. I have a great coaching staff and great teammates who also are telling me like, it’s OK, like you’re all right. Having the community of them to keep me level-headed is a blessing.”

The Bruins will face one of the most efficient 3-point shooting teams in the country in eighth-seeded Richmond (28-6) on Sunday evening. The Spiders’ 38.3% accuracy from 3-point range ranks fifth in the country and 6-foot-1 guard Rachel Ullstrom leads them at 42.0%.

“Coach (Aaron Roussell) had a little quote the other day – it’s actually a Taylor Swift song, ‘Death By a Thousand Cuts,’” Richmond 6-foot-2 forward Addie Budnik said. “When we cut and we move, we move really well without the ball, I think it creates a lot of open gaps and it draws a lot of defenders in which allows us to get a lot of open 3s.”

Richmond’s playing style means Barker will have to be more selective with her aggression.

Being at UCLA has helped her develop that ability. The coaching staff has slowed her down in order to work on her fundamentals, then allowed her to speed back up again. Watching film has allowed her to reflect on in-game moments and decide if her aggression level was right for the situation.

“(Richmond) makes me want to study, like a test. It makes me want to be ready to be as prepared to take the test as possible,” Barker said.

The journey to UCLA has already prepared her well, just as the driveway dribbling has. Her dad, who was a high-flying basketball player himself, has even taught her how to dunk.

For as much as Barker leaps and slides around the court, she was very still when the Bruins were announced as the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday. Her serious expression remained locked onto the television screen at the team’s watch party while teammates jumped and hugged and took videos.

“I was locked in,” Barker said. “Once I saw that, it was just surreal. I came from Texas A&M not knowing if we were even going to make it into the tournament to being the first pick on the screen, number one overall.

“Number one, it was a blessing. Two, I think I was a little in shock. And three, I was ready for whatever game came next after that.”

NCAA TOURNAMENT

Who: No. 8 Richmond (28-6) at No. 1 UCLA (32-2)

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Pauley Pavilion

TV/radio: ESPNEWS/UCLA Digital Radio

​ Orange County Register 

Stolen car suspect jumps into Huntington Harbour waters to evade them, police say. But he’s arrested

• March 23, 2025

A man jumped into the Huntington Harbour waters on Friday, March 21, trying to evade police after crashing a stolen Toyota Prius in Sunset Beach,  authorities said.

Just before 10:30 a.m., police located a stolen white Prius in Newport Beach traveling northbound on Pacific Coast Highway into Huntington Beach, according to a Huntington Beach Police Facebook post.

Police noticed the white Prius was driving in tandem with a gray Prius. After both drivers failed to yield to police, a pursuit began.

The driver of the white Prius lost control while turning right onto Fifth Street in downtown Huntington Beach and crashed into a planter.

The woman tried to run away, and discarded drugs and a gun, police said. A good Samaritan tackled her, which led to her arrest

Meanwhile, officers continued pursuing the gray Prius on PCH. They successfully set up a spike strip at PCH and Warner Avenue. The vehicle slowed and crashed into a structure near PCH and Park Avenue in the Sunset Beach area.

A witness interviewed by KTLA said he heard the crash and saw the aftermath as he left a 7-Eleven with an energy drink in hand.

” … And then the guy jumped out of the car like Jason Bourne and ran down the street,” the witness said. When there didn’t seem to be anywhere the man could go, he added, “Sure enough, he jumped into the water, and lifeguards were pulling up and there’s, like, people on the boats looking for the guy … it was just crazy, man.”

Huntington Beach Marine Safety, California State Parks, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the arrest, police said. A gun was found near the scene, they added.

Both drivers of the two Priuses are in custody. It was later discovered that the gray Prius was also stolen, police said.

​ Orange County Register 

Kings show dominance in blowing past Hurricanes

• March 23, 2025

LOS ANGELES –– In a successful stretch defined by squeakers, the Kings added a blowout of the NHL’s hottest team to run their string of seven victories in eight games, smoking the Carolina Hurricanes 7-2 on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.

Captain Anže Kopitar, newcomer Andrei Kuzmenko, grinder Tanner Jeannot, aspiring star Quinton Byfield and creative force Kevin Fiala each contributed a goal and an assist, with Drew Doughty’s pair of helpers also putting him in the multipoint performance club. Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore also lit the lamp. David Rittich won his second straight decision, stopping 34 shots.

Dmitry Orlov and Mark Jankowski scored a goal apiece for Carolina. Pyotr Kochetkov struggled between the pipes, making 18 of 25 saves. The Hurricanes had an NHL-best winning streak of eight games before being knocked to the canvas by the Kings.

The triumph moved the Kings into a points tie with Edmonton for second place in the Pacific ahead of the Oilers’ meeting with the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night, one in which they’d be missing stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl due to injury.

Although the Kings didn’t have any possession advantages in the first period, they got the game’s first goal, earned its first power play to add a man-advantage marker and then tacked on a third tally to accumulate a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.

They’d cash in three more times in the middle frame, trampling Carolina almost effortlessly at points. In all, they found the nylon with six of their first 11 shots.

Kempe got the scoring going 3:03 after the puck dropped with a spectacular individual effort for his team-topping 29th goal. After Jeannot and Samuel Helenius won a board battle, the puck came to Kempe at the red line. He surged forward against two defenders, isolating Brent Burns in the right circle, where Kempe’s toe-drag move into a far-side snipe got the stone rolling for the hosts.

And roll on it did, as Kuzmenko recorded his first point and first power-play point as a King off a brilliant tic-tac-toe play with Doughty to set up Kopitar’s 17th tally at 14:39. Then, the trade-deadline acquisition scored his first goal as a King with five seconds left in the stanza via a snapshot that capped a counterattack.

The hectoring continued on the scoreboard despite the Hurricanes earning some 70% of the expected goals through 40 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick. The Kings, however, put three more tangible tallies behind Kochetkov in the second period, while allowing a goal as well.

Moore struck at the 5:58 mark, Jeannot made it 5-0 just 51 seconds later and Byfield slathered on a sixth goal at 8:41.

Phillip Danault pulled up to find Moore trailing the play, allowing the Thousand Oaks native to skate between the circles and tuck a shot under the bar to the stick side for his 15th goal of 2024-25.

Jeannot first had a Doughty shot attempt glance off his leg and bounce right to Alex Turcotte, who fed the puck back to Jeannot for a one-timer, his sixth goal as a King.

Kevin Fiala took the puck away in the neutral zone and set up Byfield’s initial shot, and then Fiala recovered the puck anew before decisively dishing to Byfield at the back post for an uncontested redirection, his 18th goal of the campaign.

Orlov slapped a one-timer from the blue line to claw one back with 5:43 left in the frame, breaking up Rittich’s shutout.

The third period had a running clock feel to it, until the two sides exchanged goals in just eight seconds. Fiala scored a goal, his 26th, trailing the rush with 1:57 to play before Jankowski responded immediately for Carolina.

Both were quickly looking ahead to another game Sunday. Carolina will be at Honda Center to take on the Ducks on Sunday evening, when the Kings will be rolling out the black and silver carpet for the Boston Bruins at Crypto.com Arena.

​ Orange County Register 

CONCACAF Nations League: USMNT plays for pride and third place

• March 22, 2025

INGLEWOOD — Setback? Possibly. Sky is falling? Maybe. Much-needed wake-up call? No hope for 2026?

Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinal loss against Panama has USMNT supporters, players (current and former) and staff sifting through a wide range of emotions

The positive is that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still 400-plus days away. The current state is still to decided.

For the first time, the USMNT will not be in the finals of the Nations League. Thursday’s 1-0 loss against Panama forces the Americans into the third-place match against Canada on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

It’s a big opportunity for the U.S. to bounce back after the disappointing semifinal.

“We are USA. You cannot win with your shirt,” frustrated coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday. “You need to show, and you need to come here and be better and suffer and win the duels and work hard. If not, it’s not going to be enough.”

It certainly wasn’t enough against a determined Panama side. Pochettino described the team’s play as “comfortable” and lacked aggressiveness.

Defender Chris Richards said the team missed “the killer instinct.” Goalkeeper Matt Turner summed it up “the longer we leave them in the game, the more belief they have and the more belief they grow into.”

Midfielder Tyler Adams said: “I don’t think we were as competitive as we needed to be.”

Thursday’s loss might have taken away some of that belief supporters might have had in the U.S. heading into 2026. Without having to go through the ups and downs of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, the U.S., as one of the tournament hosts, is already in the field. The next competition is the summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“It’s disappointing, of course,” USMNT star Christian Pulisic said. “We obviously had the ball most of the game, but we just couldn’t create enough. We weren’t dangerous enough. They got one shot at the end and that was the story.”

There is still a lot of work to be done, starting Sunday against a Canada squad that isn’t going to care about the USMNT’s feelings.

A Copa America loss against Panama was the last game for Gregg Berhalter. Pochettino isn’t going to lose his job, but all eyes will be looking on how the team responds.

Canada lost to Mexico 2-0 in the other semifinal Thursday. Jesse Marsch has settled in as coach of the Canadians. He offered a warning before the start of the tournament as to what to expect.

“I’m trying to build an overall DNA for the sport in a the country that is about being aggressive, that is about fearlessness, that is about going after opponents and that will be the case, I don’t care who we play,” he said earlier this week. “We will never be on the back foot. We will always search and seek to be on the front foot and set the tone.”

Canada defeated the U.S. 2-1 in a friendly in September. That was the first win against the USMNT on U.S. soil since 1957.

In the final, Panama and Mexico will meet in the same location of their 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Mexico won that meeting 1-0 on a late goal by Santiago Giménez.

On Thursday, Mexico started Giménez and Raúl Jiménez at forward. Jiménez scored both goals in the 2-0 win against Canada.

Panama coach Thomas Christiansen credited his team’s togetherness in the win against the U.S. and that will likely be needed again.

“I will use the victory to get more strength in my team,” Christiansen said after Thursday’s victory. “More believing that things can happen with good work and commitment. What I can say is that Panama has to be proud of what we have achieved tonight. And of course we will enjoy it for a few hours and then we’ll focus on the final.”

Panama finished in fourth in the 2023 Nations League. This is their first trip to the finals.

CONCACAF Nations League

What: USMNT vs. Canada (third-place, 4 p.m.); Mexico vs. Panama (final, 6:30 p.m.)

When: Sunday

Where: SoFi Stadium

How to watch: Paramount+ (English); TUDN (Spanish)

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Saturday, March 22

• March 22, 2025

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Saturday, March 22

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

ANAHEIM LIONS TOURNAMENT

Aliso Niguel 7, Canyon Springs 0

Dana Hills 3, Brea Olinda 1

Kennedy 7, Montclair 0

West Linn (OR) 9, Foothill 4

Ramona 11, Buena Park 2

Dana Hills 7, Sprague 6

NONLEAGUE

Calvary Chapel 5, Savanna 1

Fountain Valley 4, Great Oak 1

Cypress 2, Bishop Amat 1

Beckman 5, Portola 1

Covina 11, Laguna Hills 6

Century 9, Santa Ana 4

Orange 3, Oxford Academy 0

La Habra 3, El Segundo 1

West Covina 10, Tustin 9

SOFTBALL

WOODBRIDGE TOURNAMENT

Burroughs/Burbank 2, Mater Dei 1

GIRLS LACROSSE

NONLEAGUE

Village Christian 18, Newport Harbor 6

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks’ 5-game homestand doesn’t start easy with Carolina

• March 22, 2025

The Ducks returned home from a .500 road trip and now will have an opportunity to get back to a .500 points percentage for the season against the Carolina Hurricanes at Honda Center, where a five-game homestand kicks off Sunday.

The ‘Canes, who had won eight straight games entering the front end of their Los Angeles-Anaheim back-to-back set Saturday, are one of several formidable opponents left on the Ducks’ schedule. On the homestand, they’ll face Boston and San Jose, with their other 11 remaining matchups this season being against teams above .500, most of whom are clearly playoff-bound.

Of late, the Ducks have diversified some of their offensive looks, particularly on the power play, and while they were a lean 1 for 10 on the trip, they’ve been inching closer to breaking up the slog that’s defined their attack for much of the season.

In Thursday’s 4-1 victory over Nashville, Trevor Zegras’ creativity resplended as he scored a goal and assisted on another on his 24th birthday. Mason McTavish, who has 15 points in as many games since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, added a pair of assists in a game that saw the Ducks score four unanswered goals while a healthy John Gibson held down the fort.

Although Zegras has not recaptured the productivity he enjoyed during the Dallas Eakins era, his play-making potential and singular vision on the ice have still shown through often.

“Z is super creative, you’ve always got to be ready to shoot when you’re on the ice with him,” McTavish told reporters.

In Nashville, that duo was joined by Brett Leason. Either he or Nikita Nesterenko, another formidably sized forward who was ill Thursday, could appear Sunday with McTavish and Zegras, who are close friends away from the rink as well.

“They’re big bodies and they’re great on the forecheck, I just tried to help out as much as I could,” Zegras told reporters of the efforts of his linemates.

As the Ducks have sought winning combinations on the ice, it appears their first season partnering with Fox 11 Plus and Victory+ for telecasts and webcasts has been a fruitful one. Year-over-year viewership was up 170% with both entities increasing overall subscriptions significantly, Fox 11 Plus said in a news release. In addition to the Ducks, Victory+ also broadcasts the Dallas Stars and, this upcoming season, the Texas Rangers.

For Carolina’s part, not only have they been winning of late to keep pace near the top of the Eastern Conference, but they loved and lost Mikko Rantanen, never missing a beat despite not one but two massive trades involving the Finnish forward.

They gave up their scorching scorer from the early season, Martin Necas, and more to acquire Rantanen in February.  But when they were unable to extend the pending unrestricted free agent, they moved him to Dallas for another package, one with Logan Stankoven as its centerpiece.

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour has the highest points percentage of any active coach at .660, and in seven seasons he’s guided Carolina to the playoffs seven times, never once losing an opening series. He also captained the ‘Canes to a Cup as a player and has been involved in every Carolina playoff game apart from one series as either a player or coach.

Carolina at Ducks

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Honda Center

TV/radio: KTTV (Ch. 11), Victory+

​ Orange County Register 

USC women open NCAA Tournament routing UNC Greensboro

• March 22, 2025

LOS ANGELES — The USC women’s basketball team breathes in the national spotlight because of its fast-paced offense and flashy superstar JuJu Watkins. But what separates these Trojans from their peers, and increases their ceiling from last year’s Elite 8 run, is their defensive versatility.

One in which, Watkins, the point guard, is tied for the team lead in blocks and center Rayah Marshall is the head of the snake on their full-court press.

On Saturday in its opening-round game of the NCAA Tournament, it was that defense that allowed USC to survive a slow start as it suffocated UNC Greensboro and made up for the sloppy offensive play, boosting the Trojans to a 71-25 win at the Galen Center.

The Trojans (29-3) held the Spartans to 7-of-54 shooting from the field, including a second quarter in which they went without a field goal.

Marshall had a season-high seven blocks to go with a pair of steals. Watkins grabbed three steals and led USC with 22 points, as she fought through a a pair of injuries.

Early in the first half, Watkins was in clear discomfort, grabbing and shaking her left hand as a player does after jamming a finger, trying to wring the injury out. It wasn’t visible in the box score, and she did well to hide it apart from the initial wincing, coming out of halftime with a wrap around her fingers and finishing layups with the right hand on the left side a handful of times.

Watkins also couldn’t catch a pass that Kennedy Smith rifled her way in the first quarter.

Even with Watkins hampered, she was USC’s clear best source of offense. Smith overthrew Marshall on a post-entry pass. Kiki Iriafen committed a pair of offensive fouls and a traveling violation. Talia Von Oelhoffen rushed a drive and dribbled it off her foot.

The Trojans turned it over 11 times in the first half. They led just 12-8 at the end of the first quarter.

From that point on, though, they allowed UNC Greensboro (25-7) just 15 points.

On the first possession of the second quarter, Marshall sent back Nya Smith’s shot attempt for her third block. Marshall protected the rim and was also on the front line of the Trojans’ press, her 6-foot-4 frame and activity agitating the Spartans. Watkins, on the next line of the press, picked Jayde Gamble’s pocket and finished the break with a euro-step layup.

If a jammed finger wasn’t enough, Watkins turned her ankle midway through the third quarter on a drive to the basket. She recovered quickly, re-entering the play unguarded to knock down a corner 3-pointer, but left the game and went to the locker room on the next dead ball.

With her out, USC’s defense held strong. Kayleigh Heckel and Malia Samuels hounded the Spartans’ ball-handlers. Heckel stole the ball from Makiah Asidanya and went coast-to-coast for a layup and then Samuels stepped in front of the ensuing inbound pass and finished through contact for an and-one reverse.

With USC leading 53-16 at the end of the third quarter, Watkins returned to the game, again masking her pain. She drove for a layup, which gave her 22 points, and fed Iriafen for a pair of baskets before finally subbing out.

In the end, the Trojans won in blowout fashion, but it wasn’t their ordinary, offensively potent dominance. They did it with defense, showing no fear when the game slowed down and got mucky. And Watkins, bound by injuries but playing through them, represented her team’s fight.

Rhythm will come on offense for this USC team, which ranks ninth in the country with 81.5 points per game. But gritty performances, like Saturday’s when defense was the headliner, show the Trojans’ potential for a deeper run.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County baseball standings: Saturday, March 22

• March 22, 2025

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Orange County high school baseball standings through Friday, March 21.

​ Orange County Register