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    Nathan MacKinnon helps Avalanche surge past Ducks
    • March 28, 2023

    Ducks goalie John Gibson makes a save in front of Colorado Avalanche forward Lars Eller during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Nieto, left, and Ducks defenseman Nathan Beaulieu vie for the puck during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche forward Evan Rodrigues, left, reaches for the puck against Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks forward Derek Grant is congratulated after his goal during the first period of their game against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews, left, and Ducks forward Frank Vatrano, right, vie for the puck during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks defensemen Scott Harrington, center, controls the puck between teammate Cam Fowler, right, and Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram, left, celebrates with forwards Logan O’Connor, front, and Darren Helm after scoring during the first period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, front, collides with Colorado Avalanche forward Evan Rodrigues during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson, center, is congratulated after his goal during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom, left, and Colorado Avalanche forward Lars Eller vie for the puck during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, left, and Ducks forward Trevor Zegras vie for the puck during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin, right, celebrates after scoring against Ducks goalie John Gibson (36) during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche forward Darren Helm, left, shoots as Ducks goalie John Gibson, center, and defenseman Simon Benoit defend during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks forward Mason McTavish, left, drives the puck against Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche goalie Jonas Johansson, right, defends as defenseman Samuel Girard, left, vies the puck against Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, right, and Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg chase the puck during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks forward Frank Vatrano, left, controls the puck away from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, right, controls the puck in front of Ducks forward Derek Grant during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard, left, and Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg vie for the puck during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche goalie Jonas Johansson blocks a shot by Ducks forward Derek Grant during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks goalie John Gibson, center left, defends against Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook, center right, during the third period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks goalie John Gibson catches a puck during the third period of their 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Nieto, left, and Ducks defenseman Scott Harrington vie for the puck during the third period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Ducks goalie John Gibson, left, and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu (28) defend against Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook, right, during the third period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard celebrates his goal during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson, left, greets goalie Jonas Johansson after the team defeated the Ducks, 5-1, on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

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    ANAHEIM — For nearly 16 tantalizing minutes, it looked like the Ducks could play – at least on this night – with the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

    They held a 1-0 lead and early momentum.

    The Avalanche equalized with defenseman Bowen Byram’s goal at 15:43 and as time wound down in the first period, the Nathan MacKinnon Show took over. Playing in his 700th NHL game, he made something out of nothing, scoring with 7.9 seconds remaining in, making it 2-1, and it completely changed the complexion of the game.

    Colorado went on to score two quick goals – in the first 3:46 of the second period – and it was straight downhill for the Ducks after that as the Avalanche won, 5-1, on Monday night at Honda Center. The Ducks have lost five straight games since defeating Columbus on March 17 and went 1-6-1 during their eight-game homestand.

    “It looks like they’re just ramping it up now and getting ready for another run at it,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said of the Avalanche. “I thought we had some good moments in the game. I thought there were some moments where we were in over our head. And some moments we can learn from.”

    Further compounding the bad news for the Ducks was that leading scorer Trevor Zegras did not play the third period because of a lower-body injury.

    “It actually happened in the first period,” Eakins said of the injury. “He had to leave and get it taped up, or whatever he did. It wasn’t good enough to go. So we’ll have to see how that is for the road trip.”

    The Ducks begin a three-game trip on Thursday in Seattle. Against Colorado, the Ducks were already playing without Troy Terry, who has been absent from the team because of personal reasons.

    By the time Zegras exited, the game had mostly been decided. Ducks goalie John Gibson made 39 saves.

    MacKinnon, who has 24 points and 10 goals this month, was the difference-maker. The two-point night brought him to 95 points in 62 games this season, as he is closing in on an important individual mark – 100 points. His career high is 99 in the 2018-19 season.

    In a season full of lessons for the Ducks, this was yet another one, seeing how a player of MacKinnon’s caliber can single-handedly impact a game with two inspired and energized shifts.

    In addition to his late first-period goal, MacKinnon set up Valeri Nichushkin, making it 4-1 at 3:46 of the second.

    “He had a couple of shifts where he was moving really well,” Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg said. “It’s tough to check him. Sometimes you almost need two guys on him. But as soon as you do that – he slides it to the open man.”

    Added Eakins: “It is incredible how hard that kid has worked on his game. The way he’s trained in the summer and how explosive and strong he is. When he’s cutting back down there and the separation he gets, it’s incredible.”

    It demonstrated once again that Colorado, not at its best, still manages to find a way. The Avs expanded their lead to 5-1 in the third period on Samuel Girard’s goal at 4:22, their 12th consecutive game with a power-play goal.

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    Colorado, which is one point behind Dallas for the Central Division lead, has been beset by injuries all season and started a goaltender, Jonas Johansson, who is well down its organizational depth chart, appearing in just his third game this season.

    He made 29 saves and faced 19 shots in the final two periods. The Ducks’ lone goal was produced by the fourth line as center Derek Grant opened the scoring at 12:08 of the first period, set up by Silfverberg, who capitalized on a turnover by Colorado defenseman Cale Makar. Makar went on to record two assists, bringing his point total to 66 in 58 games this season.

    “That team there – with a certain core, a certain staff, all those things, six years ago that team was 34 games under .500 and they stayed patient with their program,” Eakins said. “Really patient with their young players and they’re Stanley Cup champions five years later.

    “It just takes time. For us, for our fans, that’s a good team to look at and have hope.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Orange County baseball stat leaders through March 25
    • March 28, 2023

    Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

    Orange County baseball stat leaders through Saturday, March 25.

    To be included, teams must have their stats up to date on the MaxPreps.com leaderboards.

    BATTING AVERAGE

    Name, school
    Avg.
    Hits
    AB

    Nick Santivanez, El Modena
    .562
    9
    16

    John Uchytil, Estancia
    .542
    26
    48

    Joshua Delgado, Santa Ana
    .526
    10
    19

    Waylon Pipia, Calvary Chapel
    .526
    10
    19

    Keenan Anzai, Mission Viejo
    .516
    16
    31

    Chase Brunson, San Clemente
    .514
    18
    35

    Jack Boucher, Mission Viejo
    .500
    15
    30

    Alex Blancas, Buena Park
    .481
    13
    27

    Jack Compton, Laguna Hills
    .478
    11
    23

    Cole Lefebvre, Estancia
    .472
    25
    53

    Sawyer Atkinson, Estancia
    .471
    8
    17

    RUNS BATTED IN

    Name, school
    RBI
    PA
    GP

    Grady Jackson, Costa Mesa
    25
    66
    15

    Sam Stute, Costa Mesa
    19
    60
    14

    James De La O, Estancia
    19
    56
    14

    Wylan Rottschafer, Costa Mesa
    18
    68
    15

    John Uchytil, Estancia
    16
    58
    14

    Matt Anderson, Costa Mesa
    16
    56
    15

    Caleb Robeck, Costa Mesa
    16
    50
    15

    Connor Sunderland, Fullerton
    16
    43
    11

    Rylan Morris, Sunny Hills
    15
    46
    11

    Malachi Meni, Fullerton
    15
    41
    11

    Cole Lefebvre, Estancia
    14
    62
    14

    Michael Joyce, Costa Mesa
    14
    58
    15

    Anthony DeMarco, Woodbridge
    14
    58
    16

    Gavin Grahovac, Villa Park
    14
    54
    12

    Zach Brown, Villa Park
    14
    45
    12

    Aiden Comte, Costa Mesa
    13
    48
    15

    Lucas Marinelli, Portola
    12
    37
    10

    Tyler Holland, Mission Viejo
    12
    33
    10

    Jacob Beauchaine, Capo Valley Chr.
    11
    49
    13

    SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

    Name, school
    Slugging %
    AB
    TB

    Neil Navarro, Buena Park
    1.000
    24
    24

    Joshua Delgado, Santa Ana
    1.000
    19
    19

    Chase Brunson, San Clemente
    .971
    35
    34

    Connor Sunderland, Fullerton
    .882
    34
    30

    Tyler Holland, Mission Viejo
    .833
    24
    20

    Gavin Grahovac, Villa Park
    .818
    44
    36

    John Uchytil, Estancia
    .813
    48
    39

    Lucas Marinelli, Portola
    .794
    34
    27

    Anthony Lopez, Saddleback
    .762
    21
    16

    Rylan Morris, Sunny Hills
    .711
    38
    27

    Nate Norman, Fullerton
    .694
    36
    25

    Jake Staffieri, Newport Harbor
    .692
    13
    9

    EARNED-RUN AVERAGE

    Name, school
    ERA
    IP
    ER

    Griffin Naess, Laguna Beach
    0.00
    26.0
    0

    Nick Sandstedt, El Dorado
    0.33
    21.1
    1

    Andrew Mits, Estancia
    0.40
    34.2
    2

    Logan Rome, University
    0.41
    17.0
    1

    Andrew Parker, Foothill
    0.43
    32.1
    2

    Keenan Anzai, Mission Viejo
    0.45
    15.2
    1

    Tyler Onofre, Kennedy
    0.52
    13.1
    1

    Matthew Kuromoto, Woodbridge
    0.55
    38.0
    3

    Jose Arcos, Buena Park
    0.58
    12.0
    1

    Andrew Grove, Villa Park
    0.58
    12.0
    1

    Tyler Bellerose, Huntington Beach
    0.60
    11.2
    1

    Spencer Jacobs, El Modena
    0.60
    11.2
    1

    Hunter Long, Capo Valley Christian
    0.62
    22.2
    2

    Tylor Balenti, Kennedy
    0.64
    11.0
    1

    Cooper Berger, University
    0.70
    30.0
    3

    Brandon Luu, Villa Park
    0.75
    28.0
    3

    Joon Lee, Irvine
    0.77
    36.1
    4

    STRIKEOUTS

    Name, school
    K
    BF
    IP

    Andrew Mits, Estancia
    48
    139
    34.2

    Hunter Long, Capo Valley Christian
    46
    90
    22.2

    Landon Martin, Sonora
    44
    147
    35.2

    Dominic Viglione, Newport Harbor
    42
    148
    31.1

    Joon Lee, Irvine
    42
    148
    36.1

    Brandon Luu, Villa Park
    39
    107
    28.0

    Matthew Kuromoto, Woodbridge
    39
    148
    38.0

    Griffin Naess, Laguna Beach
    37
    99
    26.0

    Michael Joyce, Costa Mesa
    35
    130
    31.0

    Zach Brown, Villa Park
    34
    91
    22.2

    Carson Lane, Huntington Beach
    33
    93
    20.2

    Alex Mascaro, El Modena
    33
    94
    25.0

    Cooper Berger, University
    33
    106
    30.0

    Matthew Solorzano, Fountain Vly
    32
    124
    31.0

    Nicholas Moreno, Katella
    31
    112
    23.1

    Will Clark, Costa Mesa
    31
    122
    30.0

    Luis Tinoco, Katella
    31
    138
    34.0

    Jonathan Rodriguez, Valencia
    30
    91
    18.2

    Andrew Vega, Bolsa Grande
    30
    101
    21.2

     

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Read More
    US renewable electricity surpassed coal in 2022
    • March 28, 2023

    By Isabella O’Malley | Associated Press

    Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.

    Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year.

    Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14% of the electricity produced domestically in 2022.

    “I’m happy to see we’ve crossed that threshold, but that is only a step in what has to be a very rapid and much cheaper journey,” said Stephen Porder, a professor of ecology and assistant provost for sustainability at Brown University.

    California produced 26% of the national utility-scale solar electricity followed by Texas with 16% and North Carolina with 8%.

    The most wind generation occurred in Texas, which accounted for 26% of the U.S. total followed by Iowa (10%) and Oklahoma (9%).

    “This booming growth is driven largely by economics,” said Gregory Wetstone, president and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy. “Over the past decade, the levelized cost of wind energy declined by 70 percent, while the levelized cost of solar power has declined by an even more impressive 90 percent.”

    “Renewable energy is now the most affordable source of new electricity in much of the country,” added Wetstone.

    The Energy Information Administration projected that the wind share of the U.S. electricity generation mix will increase from 11% to 12% from 2022 to 2023 and that solar will grow from 4% to 5% during the period. The natural gas share is expected to remain at 39% from 2022 to 2023, and coal is projected to decline from 20% last year to 17% this year.

    “Wind and solar are going to be the backbone of the growth in renewables, but whether or not they can provide 100% of the U.S. electricity without backup is something that engineers are debating,” said Brown University’s Porder.

    Many decisions lie ahead, he said, as the proportion of renewables that supply the energy grid increases.

    This presents challenges for engineers and policy-makers, Porder said, because existing energy grids were built to deliver power from a consistent source. Renewables such as solar and wind generate power intermittently. So battery storage, long-distance transmission and other steps will be needed to help address these challenges, he said.

    The EIA report found the country remains heavily reliant on the burning of climate-changing fossil fuels. Coal-fired generation was 20% of the electric sector in 2022, a decline from 23% in 2021. Natural gas was the largest source of electricity in the U.S. in 2022, generating 39% last year compared to 37% in 2021.

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    “When you look at the data, natural gas has been a major driver for lowering greenhouse gas emissions from electricity because it’s been largely replacing coal-fired power plants,” said Melissa Lott, director of research for the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

    “Moving forward, you can’t have emissions continuing to go up, you need to bring them down quickly,” added Lott.

    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) influenced the amount of renewable energy projects that went online in 2022, Lott said, and it’s expected to have a “tremendous” impact on accelerating clean energy projects.

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Read More
    Clippers’ Paul George discusses knee injury: ‘I couldn’t walk right’
    • March 28, 2023

    His first thought wasn’t good.

    As he lay on the court last week, Paul George began thinking the worst. Is this what a torn anterior cruciate ligament feels like? Did he tear his medial cruciate ligament?

    “I was just like (darn) when is the pain going to stop?,” George said. “It was like throbbing; it was hurting. And the only thing going through my mind is like I hope I didn’t tear any major stuff. I hope I didn’t blow out my knee.”

    George publicly spoke about his knee injury for the first time on an episode of “Podcast P” that was released on Monday but recorded last week. The Clippers’ All-Star wing suffered a sprained right knee last Tuesday after colliding with Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort while jumping for a rebound during the fourth quarter. He called it a “wild play.”

    “It was crazy because I couldn’t walk right. I tried to put pressure on it when I tried to walk off the court, but they had to carry me,” George said. “But then when I got back into the locker room, I felt the pain go down. So, I was like maybe it ain’t that bad.”

    The eight-time All-Star is not expected to have surgery, and could be back for the postseason, should the Clippers advance past the first round. Any return before that is thought to be too soon.

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    “I don’t know when that (return) date is, but the last thing I can do is not be involved with what’s going on because who knows how long injuries take,” George said.

    George is no stranger to significant injuries, the most serious of which occurred when he was playing in an exhibition game for Team USA in August 2014. George suffered a gruesome compound fracture to his leg when he jammed his foot in the base of the backboard stanchion.

    ​ Orange County Register 

    Read More
    Deputy U.S. Marshal from Brea convicted of framing ex-girlfriend over Anaheim condo dispute
    • March 28, 2023

    A deputy U.S. marshal from Brea was convicted last week of attempting to frame his ex-girlfriend for a hoax sex assault and made-up threats as part of a 2016 plot to get her to give up her share of a condo they owned together in Anaheim, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

    A jury found Ian Richard Diaz, 44, guilty of all counts on Thursday, March 23 after a week-long trial held in federal court in Downtown Los Angeles.

    He was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, one count of cyberstalking, one count of perjury and one count of obstructing a federal proceeding. Diaz is set to be sentenced in June; he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, according to a DOJ statement.

    A federal grand jury indictment filed against Diaz nearly two years ago detailed his plans of revenge against his ex-girlfriend, Michelle Suzanne Hadley, of Ontario. The two had dated for two years, with their relationship ending in 2015. Diaz married his now ex-wife, Angela Diaz, in February 2016. The scheme began a few months later.

    Prosecutors said the couple set up online accounts in Hadley’s name in May 2016, then used them to make it appear as though Hadley was threatening them. From one account on Craigslist, the couple made it seem as though Hadley had arranged for men to go to their home to sexually assault Angela Diaz.

    In one of those purported incidents, the couple claimed a masked man sent by Hadley attacked Angela Diaz in their garage.

    Ian Diaz reported the false crimes to Anaheim police, landing Hadley in jail for more than three months.

    Eventually, Diaz’s story fell apart and Hadley was released, but it still took nearly five years for federal authorities to arrest and charge the deputy U.S. marshal in May 2021.

    Diaz’s conviction Thursday “has brought so much peace to my family and restored some of the faith we lost in the justice system as a result of (his) crimes against me,” Hadley said in a statement to NBC News.

    Hadley’s ordeal left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a lawsuit she filed against the city of Anaheim in 2018. After her arrest, Hadley lost her job and was forced to drop out of business school.

    Court records show Anaheim police arrested Hadley in June 2016. She quickly bailed out. But less than a month later, Orange County prosecutors demanded she be rearrested — they claimed “escalating events” required them to jail Hadley in the name of public safety. Police took Hadley into custody in July, and she would remain jailed until October 2016.

    Hadley’s lawsuit, and the later indictments against Ian and Angela Diaz, showed the couple convinced police of the alleged harassment campaign they said Hadley was waging against them.

    “APD detectives willfully turned a blind eye to Ian Diaz’s obviously false reports because he was a fellow law enforcement officer,” Hadley’s lawsuit read. “He was friendly with the detectives investigating Ms. Hadley, texting and emailing with them.”

    Angela Diaz was convicted for her part in the plot in 2017. She was sentenced to five years in prison.

    Anaheim settled Hadley’s lawsuit in 2021 for $1.8 million, according to a city spokesman.

    Attorneys for both Ian Diaz and Hadley did not return requests for comment on Monday.

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    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Alexander: For San Diego State, Final Four is a multi-faceted opportunity
    • March 28, 2023

    Yes, San Diego State men’s basketball has come a long way. It has, indeed, been nearly a quarter of a century since Steve Fisher arrived at the school, a former national championship coach at Michigan taking on the challenge of a program that had one winning season in 15 years.

    The season before Fisher and right-hand man Brian Dutcher arrived, 1998-99, the Aztecs had won four games and averaged 3,136 spectators per game with Fred Trenkle in charge. Fisher’s first season, the Aztecs were 5-23, and he’d walk around campus with a fistful of tickets, asking – pleading with? – students to come to the games in the beautiful on-campus arena.

    But here’s the thing: San Diego State basketball has long since gotten past the “coming out of nowhere” stage, even if much of the public outside of its own city hadn’t noticed. And reaching the Final Four, which the Aztecs did by beating Creighton, 57-56, on Sunday, was a first for the school but far from the first time they’ve had the opportunity.

    Try the spring of 2011, Kawhi Leonard’s final season as an Aztec before turning pro. San Diego State was 34-3 that year, and the season ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Connecticut at Honda Center in a game that might have turned on a second-half technical foul, when UConn’s Kemba Walker and San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin bumped on the way back to their respective benches and – well, let’s just say Walker did a little embellishing.

    “I think he (flopped) a little bit,” Franklin said that night. “But that’s part of the game.”

    Franklin was assessed the T, UConn responded with a 16-2 run and went ahead to stay, and the Aztecs went home, 74-67.

    Then in the spring of 2014, San Diego State took a 31-4 record and a No. 4 seed into the Sweet 16, again in Anaheim. That time Arizona sent the Aztecs home, 70-64.

    And 2020 might have been as painful as any near miss because of the what-could-have-beens. Dutcher, who succeeded Fisher in 2017, had San Diego State 30-2 and ranked sixth, and along with Dayton (29-2 and No. 3 in the AP poll) the Aztecs were considered a trendy pick to wreck lots of brackets and maybe take it to the final weekend. But after SDSU won the Mountain West Conference tournament, played a week earlier than usual, COVID-19 ended everyone’s season before brackets could even be unveiled.

    “I didn’t play that much throughout the year,” forward Nathan Mensah, one of four players left from that team, told reporters during the Aztecs’ availability Saturday in Louisville. “I could only play 10 games, and I was hoping to get back on track and play (in the) NCAA tournament for the seniors. I feel like now we are here to represent them also and (that) they feel proud about what we have accomplished and what we are capable of doing in this tournament.”

    These Aztecs are 31-6 and champions of a Mountain West Conference that received four tournament bids. They were 14th in the final NET rankings, and are 14th in the kenpom.com computer formula (and fourth nationally in defensive efficiency). They’re experienced (eight seniors, including three transfers), and they’re winning without stars. One player scores in double figures, 6-foot-4 Matt Bradley at 12.5, and seven others score 6.1 or more per game. Ten players average double-figure minutes.

    “I tell them, if you are fortunate enough to play at the next level in the NBA, guess what? You’re going to be asked to come off the bench and make your first shot,’” Dutcher said. “If you can’t do that, you won’t play in the league very long. You have to embrace whatever role you play in. I’ve got a group that’s been able to do that.”

    It’s not a sexy team, but it’s one with a chip on its shoulder that will force you to pay attention to it, and one that will defend you with extreme physicality. Case in point: The Aztecs held Alabama star Brandon Miller to 3-for-19 shooting, and 1 for 10 from the 3-point line, in eliminating the top-seeded Crimson Tide, 71-64, on Friday.

    “They were good looks for him, I guess,” Bradley noted afterward. “But for us, they’re also good looks due to how we were guarding him. We just cause teams to take tough shots, and (with) our physicality, we just wear teams down with that and our depth.”

    If there is ever a year to be a surprise team in the Final Four, this is it. The Aztecs get No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic in Saturday’s national semifinal in Houston, and if they get past that game they’ll be playing either a No. 4 (UConn) or a No. 5 (Miami) for the championship Monday night.

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    To most of us, a Final Four without ones or twos or threes just sounds weird, but as Dutcher noted in Louisville, “We recruit and we say our goal is to win a national championship, so we can’t act surprised when we have an opportunity to advance to the Final Four.”

    The irony here? The attention the Aztecs receive is limited because they’re in the Mountain West, but getting to the big stage could be a step toward getting them into the Pac-12. The departures of UCLA and USC have created openings, and SDSU’s location and athletic profile seem to have placed it first in line should the conference expand.

    “I always thought the Pac-12 would not ask us in with UCLA and USC because they would put us on equal footing, and we would be too great a competitor to let in,” Dutcher said Saturday. “So now that they’re gone and Southern California has a really good team sitting in San Diego. I would think we would be desirable for the Pac-12, the Big 12, a lot of conferences.”

    When you have an opportunity, you’ve got to run with it.

    [email protected]

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    CIF-SS boys tennis polls, March 27
    • March 28, 2023

    This week’s CIF Southern Section boys tennis polls were released Monday, March 27.

    The voting is done by the CIF-SS Boys Tennis Committee.

    CIF-SS BOYS TENNIS POLLS

    Open Division/Division 1

    1. University

    2. Peninsula

    3. Palos Verdes

    4. Corona del Mar

    5. Woodbridge

    6. Harvard Westlake

    7. Claremont

    8. Loyola

    9. Beckman

    10. Portola

    Others: Westlake, Calabasas, Brentwood, Northwood, Servite, San Marino, Arcadia, Newbury Park, Foothill, Mira Costa

    DIVISION 2

    1. Sage Hill

    2. Huntington Beach

    3. JSerra

    4. Edison

    5. Ayala

    6. El Dorado

    7. Great Oak

    8. Redlands

    9. Yorba Linda

    10. Buckley

    Others: Burbank, Chaminade, San Juan Hills, Temecula Valley

    DIVISION 3

    1. Cypress

    2, Tesoro

    3. Mater Dei

    4. Santiago/Corona

    5. Oaks Christian

    6. Whitney

    7. Cerritos

    8. Campbell Hall

    9. St. Margaret’s

    10. Nordhoff

    Others: Crossroads, Murrieta Valley, South Pasadena, Oxford Academy, Roosevelt

    DIVISION 4

    1. Wilson/HH

    2. Mark Keppel

    3. Rancho Alamitos

    4. San Gabriel

    5. Wilson/LB

    6. Jurupa Valley

    7. La Salle

    8. Yucca Valley

    9. San Dimas

    10. El Segundo

    Others: Fullerton, Oakwood, Village Christian, West Covina

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    DIVISION 5

    1. Schurr

    2. Segerstrom

    3. Whittier

    4. Temescal Canyon

    5. Villa Nova Prep

    6. Arroyo

    7. Costa Mesa

    8. Garden Grove

    9. Northview

    10. Hillcrest

    Others: Chaparral, Chaffey, Chino, Beaumont, Barstow

    ​ Orange County Register 

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    Orange County scores and player stats for Monday, March 27
    • March 28, 2023

    Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

    Scores and stats from Orange County games on Monday, March 27.

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

    MONDAY’S SCORES

    BASEBALL

    PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

    Portola 10, University 8

    Por: Wu 2-4, 2 2B, 5RBI. Lee 3-4,2B, 4RBI. Palacio 3-4, 2R.

    Uni: Barnett 3-5, 2B, 2R, 3RBI. Dougherty 2-4, RBI. Weston 2-5, SB, RBI.

    Beckman 2, Laguna Hills 0

    Beck: Speights (W, CG, 3H, 0R, 6K), 2-3, 3B, R. Lazaruk 1-3, 2B, RBI. Kapur 0-2, RBI.

    LH: Trochio (6IP, 5H, 2ER, K). Kirkpatrick 1-2, BB.

    Irvine 5, Northwood 1, 8 innings

    Irv: Valencia (W, 8IP, 9H, ER, K). Sasaki 2-4, 2 2B, RBI. Canoe 1-1, 2B, R, 2RBI.

    NW: J. Harper 2-3, RBI.

    ANAHEIM LIONS TOURNAMENT

    Columbia (Id.) 17, Anaheim 2

    Magnolia 6, Indian Springs 4

    Columbia (Id) 15, Katella 1

    Montebello 16, Magnolia 1

    NONLEAGUE

    Crean Lutheran 3, Orange 2

    CL: Derflinger 1-2, 2RBI. Sand 2-4, 2B, R. Nichol 1-2, R.

    Or: Rodriguez 1-4, 2B, RBI.

    Fountain Valley 10, Newport Harbor 4

    FV: Peshke 2-3, 3RBI. Moore 1-2, 2B, 2RBI. Long 2-4, RBI.

    NH: Blaser 1-3, HR, 2RBI. Perez 1-3, HR, RBI.

    SOFTBALL

    SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

    Mission Viejo 9, Dana Hills 2

    MV: Uehara (W, CG, 4H, 0ER, 6K). Elliot 3-4, HR, SB, 4R, 4RBI. Ruvalcaba 2-4, 2B, 3B, R. Gald 1-4, 2RBI.

    DH: Llamas 1-2, RBI.

    NONLEAGUE

    Esperanza 12, Yorba Linda 2

    Esp: Duncan 4-4, 2 2B, 3B, 4RBI. Shumaker 3-4, 2B, HR, 4RBI. Taylor 3-3, 2 2B, RBI. Korte (W, CG 5IP 5H 2R 1ER 0BB 3K)

    YL: Cartledge 2-3, HR. Gominski 2B, RBI.

    Canyon 7, El Dorado 0

    Can: Gallegos (W, CG, 3H, 0R, 8K). Cooper 2-4, 2 2B, 3RBI. Alcala 1-3, RBI.

    Other nonleague scores

    Anaheim 10, La Quinta 3

    BOYS LACROSSE

    TRINITY LEAGUE

    Santa Margarita 17, Orange Lutheran 0

    Goals: (SM) Messer 3, Le 2, McDermott 2, Peters 2, Muniz 2

    Note: Kim (SM) won 15 of 16 faceoffs.

    PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

    University 14, Woodbridge 9

     

     

     

     

     

    ​ Orange County Register 

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