Andreeva, 17, beats Swiatek to reach Indian Wells final; Sabalenka routs Keys

• March 15, 2025

INDIAN WELLS — Russian teen star Mirra Andreeva advanced to the BNP Paribas Open final, beating defending champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3, in chilly conditions on Friday night to become the tournament’s youngest finalist since 2001.

The 17-year-old Andreeva, seeded ninth, will face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Sabalenka routed fifth-seeded Madison Keys, 6-0, 6-1, in the second semifinal, a rematch of their Australian Open final earlier this year.

After a tight first set, Andreeva was flawless in the tiebreak, letting out a roar when she enticed a forehand error from Swiatek on set point. The Polish No. 2 seed stormed back, however, breaking in the first game en route to running away with the second set.

Andreeva, who was studying handwritten notes during the changeovers, regained the momentum by breaking to open the third set as temperatures in the desert plummeted and the wind picked up.

Andreeva and Swiatek both finished the match wearing pullovers, with the temperature dipping into the 50s in the final set. It was in the mid-50s when Sabalenka finished off Keys.

“After she literally killed me in the second set, I thought, OK, I’ll just try to fight,” Andreeva said on court. “There is not much I could do about it; she was playing amazing. I just decided to fight for every point.

“It doesn’t matter how I put the ball in, but I have to put it in. In the end, it wasn’t too bad.”

Andreeva ran her tour winning streak to 11 matches and ended Swiatek’s 10-match run at Indian Wells. Andreeva won her first WTA Tour title last month in Dubai to become the youngest player to capture a WTA 1000 event.

Andreeva is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, who reached the Indian Wells final twice during her playing days.

“I know that my coach lost in the finals, so I’m going to try to be better than her,” Andreeva said with a laugh.

Kim Clijsters was 17 in 2001 when she lost to Serena Williams in the final.

Swiatek, also the 2022 Indian Wells champion, was bidding to become the first woman to win the tournament three times.

Sabalenka ended Keys’ 16-match winning streak and got some revenge for her loss to the American in Australia. Keys beat Sabalenka in three sets in January at Melbourne Park, denying Sabalenka a third consecutive title.

“I didn’t expect this match to be that fast,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super happy with the way I played today – much-needed revenge.”

On Saturday in the men’s semifinals, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz – the No. 2 seed – will face 13th-seeded Jack Draper, and fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play No. 12 Holger Rune.

​ Orange County Register 

University boys volleyball prevails in tight match with Woodbridge

• March 15, 2025

IRVINE – Cole Barkett has something to prove. He wants to fit in. Actually, he wants to do more than fit in.

He wants to stand out. And on Friday, the 6-foot-5 junior picked the biggest moment to put on a pair of stilts.

Barkett had a hand in seven of his team’s 15 points in Game 5 to lead University to a hard-fought victory over rival Woodbridge, 25-22, 19-25, 24-26, 26-24, 15-11, in a Pacific Coast League showdown.

“It was almost as if he put the team on his shoulders and turned himself into a one-man wrecking crew,” said teammate Cole McHenry, a junior who led University with 23 kills in his home gym.

The big nights by McHenry and Barkett helped University improve to 13-5 overall, 3-1 in the PCL. Woodbridge, which had an 8-3 lead in what could have been a decisive Game 4 for the Warriors, dropped to 7-3, 3-3.

“We’re in a really competitive league, I think everyone has a win and a loss,” said Alan Ho, the coach at Woodbridge. “That might be a theme over the year, everyone keeps beating up on each other.”

University coach Hailey Frey agreed with that assessment. But unlike Ho, she saw more consistency and execution, and really liked the way her team responded to the moment.

After struggling with consistency and injuries – including a broken fibula by Collin Hiller a couple weeks ago against Capistrano Valley – the Trojans put a complete game together.

“The last couple of games we found our groove, we found our chemistry,” Frey said. “Chemistry and culture is huge on our team.

“Every point matters for us because the league is very good this year. Every league match is going to be tight.”

McHenry, a three-year starter, said the Trojans are finally getting over the shock of losing Hiller and filling the hole in the lineup. He also said that being down, as the Trojans were several times, isn’t unusual. Importantly, he said, this is a team that doesn’t panic.

“We are so in the moment,” the 6-foot-4 McHenry said. “We really play one point at a time. We’ve fallen behind quite a bit and clawed our way back. But this is a crosstown rivalry, it’s real important for us to win. It mattered so much to us. We wanted to win for Collin.”

University took the first game after being tied at 20-20, but Soloman Moaleji had three kills over the last five points to secure a 25-22 victory.

Woodbridge tied the match with the most one-sided score – six points – after trailing, 14-11. But a series of runs over three possessions helped the Warriors take a 20-16 advantage to seize control.

Woodbridge overcame a 17-13 deficit in the third game as Sho Okihara served eight points in a row, powered by the play of Evan Condon, who had two blocks and a kill during the stretch. The run began with University hitting wide, long, and wide, which tied the score at 17-17 before Condon flexed his muscles. But even then, despite the big run, University rallied to 24 apiece. Woodbridge took it, 26-24, as Logan Matsuda dinked a winner and Holden Fogt struck the game-winner.

Woodbridge had a chance to win the match in Game 4, and held an 8-3 advantage early. But University put together runs of three and six to lead, 14-9. Woodbridge nickle-and-dimed its way to a 22-20 advantage, but Barkett had a dink, then an ace, and Woodbridge returned long. At 24-24, blocks by Moaleji and Rayan Heyati gave University a 26-24 victory that tied the match at two games.

Game 5 mostly belonged to Barkett, a middle blocker. He was big at the net early, then went to the service line with a 10-6 advantage and served to 12-6. Woodbridge answered with the help of the ceiling. Twice over the next four points the ball dropped between Uni defenders after hitting the roof.

“We got a little unlucky,” Barkett said. “Usually, that works to our advantage playing with the low roof because we’re used to it. One of them was completely my fault. I wasn’t watching the ball.”

Woodbridge got to within 12-10, but McHenry had a kill and Heyati had a block and a kill for the match win.

Woodbridge was led by Fogt’s 15 kills and Karen Shiari’s 11.

In addition to his 19 kills, Barkett had a couple of surprising aces. “I want to be a big player on this team, I always want to play my best” Barkett said. “I’m a good server, but I don’t usually get to serve. But the coach finally gave me a chance (after the match was tied at 1-1). I want to prove I’m one of the best players in the league.”

His performance against the Warriors was a good start.

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine pulls away from Cal Poly to reach Big West Tournament title game

• March 15, 2025

Fans of the Big West Conference have long dreamed of getting two teams into the NCAA Tournament, and they might just get their wish this season.

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team held down its end of the bargain on Friday night by pulling away for a 96-78 victory against Cal Poly in a Big West Tournament semifinal at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.

The second-seeded Anteaters (28-5) will face top-seeded UC San Diego (29-4) in the championship game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

“This is a big game for our community, and we’re excited for it, and it’s a big game for the UCSD community too,” UCI coach Russell Turner said.

The Tritons have won 14 consecutive games after pulling away in the second half to beat fifth-seeded UC Santa Barbara, 69-51, in the earlier semifinal.

Saturday’s winner will get an automatic berth into the 68-team NCAA Tournament, but this season the loser will also get a long look as an at-large candidate. Both teams have been Top 10 mainstays in College Insider.com’s Mid-Major Top 25 all season, with UCSD at No. 2 and UCI at No. 6 in this week’s rankings. They split their regular-season games, each winning on the other’s court.

“Both teams know we’ve obviously got a lot on the line,” Turner said. “We’re looking forward to competing. We’ve both been successful at times against each other, and both also struggled against each other.”

The seventh-seeded Mustangs (16-19) had come a long way since the Anteaters defeated them on Jan. 18, dropping them to 0-8 in conference play. Cal Poly entered the game on a five-game winning streak after upsetting third-seeded UC Riverside in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“They’ve completely changed the dynamics of that program,” Turner said of Cal Poly. “Our style won out tonight.”

All five starters scored in double figures for UCI, led by 7-foot-1 center Bent Leuchten, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Devin Tillis had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Justin Hohn scored 15 points and Myles Che, Jurian Dixon and reserve forward Kyle Evans finished with 10 points each for the Anteaters.

“Had a lot of guys contribute, which is always what makes our team good,” Turner said.

UCI is back in the championship game for the first time in four years, its longest dry spell since 2009-12. Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State have each been to the championship game twice in the past four years.

Mac Riniker scored 22 points to lead Cal Poly and Jarred Hyder added 15 points, but Owen Koonce, who came in averaging 17.3 ppg, matched his season low with four points on 2-for-9 shooting.

UCI had defeated Cal Poly in the previous six matchups and 16 of the past 17, but the Anteaters trailed for most of the first half.

UCI didn’t take the lead for good until a 6-0 run made it 49-43 with 16:33 remaining.

Che scored his first points on a 3-pointer from in front of his own bench to extend the lead to 56-48 with 15:04 left. The Anteaters then drew an offensive foul on the other end and Luechten scored with his left hand from in close to give UCI its first double-digit advantage at 58-48.

The Mustangs managed to get back within single digits on a few trips down the court before Che buried another 3-pointer for a 77-66 advantage with 7:23 left and UCI maintained the double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

“Really proud of the belief that our team showed, overcoming a difficult start, where we looked nervous and we’re playing a tough team in Cal Poly,” Turner said.

The Mustangs helped themselves in the first half by shooting 7 for 16 from 3-point range before finishing 13 for 28 for the game (46.4%).

“They shot the ball incredibly well,” Turner said. “They’ve developed an identity that’s difficult for us in many ways, and I think they had confidence in that, and it showed in the first half, but our defense took over the game, which is how we win. That was the difference in the second half, along with our interior presence.”

UCI committed seven turnovers in the first seven minutes, but was able to stay close because the Mustangs missed 13 of their first 17 shots.

Cal Poly used an 8-0 run to expand its lead to 25-17 with 7:23 left in the half, but Isaac Jessup, who came in averaging 11.7 ppg, picked up his third foul shortly afterward and the Anteaters began chipping away. Jessup finished with 10 points.

UCI briefly moved back ahead 38-37 on a 3-pointer by Tillis with 45 seconds left in the half, but the Mustangs scored the final points on a jumper by Hyder with four seconds remaining and the Mustangs took the 39-38 lead into the break.

The Anteaters cleaned things up and committed just three turnovers in the final 13 minutes of the first half.

“Overall, we were able to dominate the paint, both on defense and on offense as the game wore on,” Turner said. “In the first half, we weren’t able to do that. There was uncertainty because they were making so many 3s.”

​ Orange County Register 

Sierra Canyon boys basketball proud of hard-fought win in CIF state Division I final

• March 15, 2025

SACRAMENTO – Winning the CIF State Open Division championship is the highest achievement of California high school boys basketball.

Sierra Canyon boys basketball has won a couple of Open Division championships, in 2018 and ‘19.

On Friday, the Trailblazers won the CIF State Division I title with a 58-53 victory over Lincoln of Stockton at Golden 1 Center.

To Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier, the Division I championship is good enough.

“We prefer the Open Division,” Chevalier said. “But this one was hard as hell. We’re going to hang a banner like it’s a world championship. We’re going to get rings like it’s a world championship.”

Sierra Canyon gets that CIF State championship banner and the championship rings because the Trailblazers played their best basketball in the final two minutes of Friday’s game.

It started with a 3-pointer by junior Maximo Adams that put Sierra Canyon on top 51-50. He was 0 for 5 on 3-point shots before that one.

“Coaches tell me to keep on shooting,” Adams said. “So I let it fly.”

RELATED: Sage Hill girls struggle at free throw line, fall to Carondelet in CIF state Division I final

Lincoln’s Anthony Moore made one of his two free throws to tie it 51-51.

Bryce Cofield scored inside for Sierra Canyon to give the Trailblazers a 53-51 lead with 58 seconds remaining. Adams put in a layup with 17 seconds left off of a great bounce pass in the lane from Stephen Kankole, was fouled on his basket and made the free throw to push the lead to 56-51.

Anthony Moore scored for Lincoln to make it 56-53 with eight seconds to go. Adams iced the win with two free throws with four seconds remaining.

The loudest cheer of the night came when the Lakers’ LeBron James walked into the arena to watch his son Bryce play for Sierra Canyon. Sitting in a front-row seat alongside his wife and other members of his family, LeBron actively cheered the Trailblazers and interacted with fans around him. LeBron has been sidelined with a groin injury and was not with the Lakers for Friday’s game in Denver.

Gavin Hightower led Sierra Canyon (27-7) with game-highs of 15 points and nine rebounds. Adams scored 14 points, Cofield scored 11 points with three steals and Kankole scored 10 points. Bryce James contributed three points and five rebounds.

Moore and Donez Lindsey scored 18 points each for Lincoln (31-5).

Lincoln coach Anthony Matthews intimated afterward that the officiating was one-sided. Sierra Canyon shot 30 free throws, and made 20 of them, while Lincoln was 11 of 18 at the line.

Lincoln led for most of the first half. The Trojans were the superior defensive team in the first half and moved the ball around on offense more quickly than the Trailblazers did.

Moore made a 3-pointer late in the first quarter to give Lincoln its biggest lead of the half 16-10. Kankole answered with a 3, making it 16-13 at the end of the quarter.

Hightower scored on an offensive rebound to put the Trailblazers on top 23-22 with 1:17 to go, their first lead since it was 8-7 in their favor, That did not last long; Lincoln scored the half’s final five points to take a 27-23 lead into halftime.

Before the game, when it was thought LeBron James was entering through one tunnel, people – especially the Lincoln student section –  rushed the railings, leaning over them to get a look. But James came out one on the other side, and when he did the people screamed like they do at a concert when the house lights dim before the act takes the stage.

Sierra Canyon boys basketball digs deep to beat Redondo in Division I regional final

Sierra Canyon boys basketball tops JSerra in double OT, advances to regional finals

​ Orange County Register 

Corona del Mar boys volleyball fends off challenge from Mater Dei to win in four sets

• March 15, 2025

SANTA ANA — Whether they’re taking on a league opponent or a nonleague opponent, the Corona del Mar boys volleyball team plays one of the toughest schedules in the county.

This week, the Sea Kings showed they are up for the challenge.

Led by the hitting of Ben Brown, Hunter Hannemann and Brady Gant, along with some excellent serving as a team, the Sea Kings came away with a victory over a tough Mater Dei squad, 25-19, 26-28, 25-18, 25-22, in a nonleague match Friday at Mater Dei High School.

The victory for the Sea Kings (9-4), who are ranked No. 6 in Orange County, comes after a sweep of top-ranked Newport Harbor in a key Sunset League match Wednesday.

“Our schedule is loaded with talent,” Sea Kings coach Katey Thompson said. “We don’t have any easy matches. We came out fired up Wednesday. We didn’t quite have that same fire tonight. We had to kind of grind it out. It was an ugly win, but we can learn a lot from an ugly win and that shows a lot about our character.”

All but one set was close and there were multiple ties and lead changes.

RELATED: San Clemente defeats Beckman in their first South Coast League showdown

The match also came within a few close plays from going to a fifth set when several kills landed just inside the line for the Sea Kings in the fourth set.

“They’re tough,” Mater Dei coach Jake Nuneviller said of his team. “They’re fighters. There’s a couple plays where we tried to score on sets that you could not score on, and it resulted in errors. However, on the flip side of that, our floor defense was better than what it normally is.”

Brown led the Sea Kings with 15 kills and Hannemann and Gant had 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

Jeramiah Potasi and Ben Smith had 22 and 20 kills, respectively, for the Monarchs (8-8), who were playing their first home match of the season.

Mater Dei, ranked No. 8 in Orange County, had defeated No. 3 Beckman in four sets Wednesday.

A middle kill from Dylan Gallagher gave the Monarchs a 7-4 lead in the first set.

From there, the Sea Kings went on a 12-5 run, which included an ace from Brown and from Hannemann and a block from Daniel Booker.

A kill from Booker later in the set gave Corona del Mar a 24-16 lead when the Monarchs scored on three consecutive kills before hitting the ball out of bounds to give the Sea Kings the winning point.

The second set featured 14 ties and was the most competitive set of the match.

Potasi scored the final three points to win the set in overtime and tie the match.

The Sea Kings never trailed in the third set and went on a 6-1 run late in the set to take 15-6 lead, which was too wide of a margin for the Monarchs to overcome.

The fourth set was also close.

The score was tied at 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21. Potasi’s strong-side kill gave the Monarchs a 22-21 lead.

But Corona del Mar scored the next four points, including a final kill from Hannemann, to give the Sea Kings the set and the match.

After tough loss, Los Alamitos boys volleyball bounces back with win over Fountain Valley

Sunny Hills boys volleyball sweeps El Dorado to stay unbeaten in Crestview League

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks edge Predators to gain ground in wild-card chase

• March 15, 2025

ANAHEIM — It might not have been a work of art, but two vital points went into the standings rather than any museum, as the Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators, 2-1, on Friday night at Honda Center.

They moved to within six points of a wild-card playoff berth with the victory, while the Predators, now playing primarily for pride, were unable to extend their four-game winning streak.

Alex Killorn and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks. Lukáš Dostál held the hosts in a battle that saw them out-shot nearly two to one, with that proportion being even more lopsided at points in the third period, by halting 28 pucks.

Jakub Vrana scored Nashville’s only goal, and Juuse Saros had 13 saves.

“It’s a huge win because the boys really pulled together,” Dostál said. “Nashville had a push there. They’re an experienced team. They have veteran guys, but I think we held our ground. It’s important for the win and for the growth [of the team].”

A stalemate persisted for much of the evening, with transparent turning points late in the second period and in the middle of the third.

With 8:40 to play, Killorn’s 15th goal of the season came after Trevor Zegras threw an area pass into the slot, where Killorn criss-crossed with Drew Helleson, swooping on the puck and skating across the crease for the game-deciding goal, and a bit of redemption.

Leo Carlsson added a secondary assist on the goal, bringing his and Zegras’ scoring streaks to four games apiece.

“I thought Leo and Z got better in the third period, and they got rewarded with (Killorn’s) goal there,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said.

The Ducks had been in a tie game after Killorn’s interference penalty gave Nashville a power play. Early on, Dostál made a resplendent save, once again managing to reach out and knock down a puck that was labeled to one post as he slid toward the other.

“I can’t not mention Dostál, he was unbelievable,” Terry said.

On that same power play, however, Nashville regrouped to knot up the contest at the 4:25 mark behind Vrana’s hard one-timer from inside the blue line, which hit Dostál but squibbled through him.

The Ducks spent another 2:50 shorthanded, including 1:10 with a two-man disadvantage, escaping unscathed and propelling them to Killorn’s late, tie-breaking goal.

“The five-on-three that we had to kill was either going to make or break us,” Cronin said. “It was a trigger to get us to play a little bit more on our toes. There was more energy on the bench and in the building after that.”

For almost 36 minutes of the match, there was no score and few events to speak of, but a short spurt late in the middle frame enlivened the action and left the Ducks up 1-0 at the second intermission.

Terry had been dangerous for much of the night, weaving to the net for chances of his own and creating for others, before he scored at the 15:52 mark of the second period. A minute later, all hell broke loose in the Ducks’ crease as they scrambled frantically to prevent a tying goal.

Mason McTavish and Terry applied forecheck pressure, with Vatrano recovering the puck and sliding it across to Terry at the left faceoff dot, where he launched a missile that found its target under the bar to the far side. It was Terry’s 18th goal of the season and second since Jan. 29, but it reminded the world how he was able to score 37 times in 2021-22.

“It felt good. I haven’t been short on chances,” Terry said. “When Frank got it, I knew their (defenseman) had broken his stick, so I just tried to get over to that weak side. I knew (Ryan Strome) was going to the back post, and once I saw the D slide, I tried to get it off before (the shot was blocked).”

The Predators nearly clawed that goal right back, but Jackson LaCombe was on his toes and Radko Gudas was on his back, his belly and whatever else had to touch the ice to keep the puck from reaching Dostál, who also made a save during the sequence and then nearly slid the puck into his own net.

“It was a lot of fuss, but I think the guys blocked every single one of them, so they helped me out pretty much there,” Dostál said.

Twenty minutes came and went without a goal, with the Ducks failing to capitalize on a pair of power-play opportunities. LaCombe showed off his skating on a breakout that saw him elude three Predators by himself, as well as his deception when he looked off a penalty killer to set up a one-timer for McTavish in the right circle. Dostál helped keep the period scoreles with a cat-like glove save on Michael Bunting.

“It was a strange game. There was not a lot of energy. There wasn’t a lot of ice. It was kind of a tight-checking game,” Cronin said. “They were throwing pucks out and we were trying to gap up, and it seemed to be a little of a tennis match in the first period. There was just no rhythm to it.”

The Ducks will take to the skies for a three-game journey that will open against Cam Fowler and the St. Louis Blues, before heading to Dallas and concluding against these same Predators.

​ Orange County Register 

James Harden, Kawhi Leonard help Clippers pull away from Hawks

• March 15, 2025

ATLANTA — The Clippers got head coach Tyronn Lue back and his stars rewarded him with a relatively stress-free fourth quarter.

James Harden and Kawhi Leonard each scored 25 points, with Harden scoring 13 during a dominant third quarter in the Clippers’ 121-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, their fifth win in six games.

Lue, who joked “I’m playing 48 tonight” when asked if he was on a minutes restriction in his return after missing three games with lower back soreness, had to like the way his team took control in the second half.

After trailing 61-53 at halftime, the Clippers outscored the Hawks 35-8 in a lopsided third quarter. They scored the first 11 points of the second half for a 64-61 lead on a Leonard 3-pointer. Following the last tie at 67-all, they scored 19 consecutive points to open an 86-67 cushion.

Harden shot 8 for 14 from the field (4 for 8 from 3-point range) to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. Leonard, who sat out the Clippers’ Wednesday win in Miami due to load management, shot 11 for 21 to go with six rebounds and a season-high five steals.

Ivica Zubac added 18 points and six rebounds but saw his streak of consecutive double-doubles end at 10 games. Derrick Jones Jr. (14), Bogdan Bogdanovic (12) and Amir Coffey (12) also scored in double figures.

Bogdanovic, making his return to Atlanta, received an ovation and video tribute during a first-quarter timeout. The Clippers acquired Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks from the Hawks in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland on Feb. 6. The Hawks waived Hyland.

Onyeka Okongwu, a former USC and Chino Hills High standout, had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Atlanta, which saw its four-game winning streak end. Trae Young, who made all 21 free throws in a 123-110 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday night, scored 17 points while shooting 3 for 4 from the foul line with seven assists and seven turnovers. Rookie Zaccharrie Risacher had 15 points and seven rebounds.

NOTES

Clippers swingman Ben Simmons (left knee) scored two points with four assists in 18 minutes as a backup in his return after missing seven games. … The Clippers were without Norman Powell (right hamstring strain) and Jordan Miller (left hip soreness). … Hawks center Clint Capela missed his second straight game for family reasons.

UP NEXT

The Clippers host Charlotte on Sunday at 4 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Saturday, March 15, 2025

• March 15, 2025

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

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​ Orange County Register