TimesDaily |Thursday, June 6, 2019 D1 SPORTS QUESTIONS: Contact Sports Editor Gregg Dewalt at 256-740-5748 or [email protected]

NBA FINALS IN BRIEF UNA ATHLETICS Raptorshit bigshots,take2-1 lead Lions announceten By Janie McCauley reboundsand seven assists, but first career playoff game after then Curry’s three free throws signees for soccer The Associated Press couldn’t do it all for the two- straining his left hamstring late at 10:37madeitaseven-point FLORENCE, Ala. —University of time defending champions, in Game 2, while Looneyisout game before back-to-back bas- North Alabama women’s soccer OAKLAND, Calif. —Kawhi down starters Kevin Durant and the rest of the series after acar- kets by Serge Ibaka. coach Chris Walker hasannounced Leonard, Danny Green and Kyle Klay Thompson and key backup tilage fracture on his right side Siakam scored 18 points and the addition of ten players to his Lowry kept finding answers for big man Kevon Looney because near the collarbone that also established the momentum for team’s roster for the upcoming every big shot by Stephen Curry of injuries. happened Sunday. Durant, a Toronto from the tip, hitting 2019 season. and the beat-up Warriors, and Leonard scored 30 points, two-time reigning NBA Finals hisfirst threeshotsand setting The Lions will the Toronto Raptors grabbed Lowry contributed 23 with five MVP, is still out because of a atone for adefensive effort that be adding seven apivotal road win in the NBA 3-pointers and Green had 18 strained right calf. stayed solid without the foul high school Finals by beating Golden State points with six 3s after Pascal Golden State hopes to get problems that plagued the Rap- signees and three 123-109 on Wednesdaynight Siakam got the Raptors rolling healthier by Game 4onFriday tors in Game 2. international play- for a2-1 series lead. early as Toronto shot 52.4% and night back at Oracle Arena. Golden State greatly missed Curry scored aplayoff career- made 17 from deep. The Warriors trailed 96-83 Walker ers to their squad SEE FINALS,D2 as they approach best 47 points to go with eight Splash Thompson missed his going into the final quarter their second season in Division I and the ASUN Conference. The high school signees include: TIMESDAILYCLASS 4A-7A ALL-AREA TEAM •midfielder ClaireGuillen, Chel- sea High School •midfielder LexieDuca, Chelsea High School •goalkeeper Jordyn Spreck, St Pius XHigh School(Barnhart, Mo.) •defender Izzi Gurney,Ruben S. Ayala High School (Corona, Calif.) •defender Delaney Whelan, Fish- ers (Ind.) High School •midfielder/forwardMya McGee, Baylor High School(Chattanooga, Tenn.) •defender Hannah Guthrie, Gulf Shores High School International players joining the Lions will be: •forward Charlotte Kellett, (Colchester, England) •forward Inês Freitas(Madeira, Portugal) •midfielder Katherine Laroche (Quebec, Canada) The Lions finished 11-9-1 last year, falling to Lipscomb 3-2 in the ASUN tournament championship. UNA has its first game at 2p.m. August 11 in Florence against UT Martin. Conference playstarts Sept. 27 with agame against Florida Gulf Coast.

MLB Reports: Carson Villalta is the TimesDaily Class 4A-7A Hitter of the Year. [MATT MCKEAN/TIMESDAILY] signs with the Cubs CHICAGO—At the start of spring training, when Cubs Chair- man TomRicketts said he had no money to spend, PedroStrop wasasked if the Cubs could use free agent Craig Kimbrel in the bullpen. “I’m never going to saywe don’tneed aguy likethat,” Strop DynamicDuo replied. “Noway.Kimbrel, (Aroldis) Chapman, (Kenley) Jansen _ you’retalking about the best in the Villalta,Brooks business. Out of 30 teams, you’re talking about the first-, second- and third-best closers. If they were able to get him, he’d be morethan thrivedunder welcomehere.” The Cubs didn’t pursue Kimbrel then, but according to The Ath- Fowler’s leadership letic’s KenRosenthal, they agreed on adeal Wednesdaynight. It made sense that acontend- By Craig Thomas feelings in 2019 for Villalta ing team with 11 blown savesin Sports Writer (pronounced Vee-OWL-ta) 22 opportunities would go all-out and the rest of the Lions -par- to find someone reliable to close Carson Villalta could feel his ticularly in the postseason as games, especially nowthat they poker face slipping. Brooks won all five playoff won’t have to giveupadraft pick. Underwhelmed by his per- rounds to capture its first state formance in the Class 4A first baseball title in school history. —Wire reports round playoff series against Afine as well, Villalta Deshler, Brooks’ junior short- batted .382 for asolid Brooks Blue Jays draft son stop/pitcher homered to right offense and is the TimesDaily’s center in game two of asecond Class 4A-7A Hitter of the Year. of late Roy Halladay round sweep at Cherokee Villalta and the other Times- NEW YORK —Torontohas County. Daily players of the year will be selected Florida high school pitcher Alittle bit later in that same honored at the annual Athlete Braden Halladay, ason of the late game, he homered again. of the Year banquet June 11 at RoyHalladay, in the 32nd round of “It’s hard not to smile when the Florence-Lauderdale Col- the draft you’re running around the iseum where overall male and —the round matching his father’s bases,” Villalta said recently. female athletes ofthe yearand Blue Jays uniform number. “You don’t wantthe other top athletic program will be The younger Halladayisaright- team to see your excitement, named. hander likehis famousfather, who but Iwas pumped. Especially Villalta still had those home will be posthumously inducted into Brooks’ Carson Villalta is fired up after getting out of the sixth inning of game when you round third and you runbaseballs in his car aweek the Hall of Fame next month. Roy twoofthe AHSAA Class 4A championship series at Riverwalk Stadium in see your coach smiling at you after the state championship, Halladaywon 203 games and two downtown Montgomery.Villalta, the TimesDaily’s 4A-7A Hitter of the Year, and telling you good job, it’s a when they had shifted from Cy Young Awards over 16 big league also pitched regularlyfor the Lions and earned the win in the title-clinching great feeling.” seasons with the Blue Jays from game. [MATT MCKEAN/TIMESDAILY] There were alot of great SEE DUO,D4 1998-2009 and from 2010-13. He died in November 2017 at age 40 when the private plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Ex-USC basketball coachavoidsprisonafter plea Mexico off the coast of Florida. By Larry Neumeister Tony Bland was Students, players and uni- Blandchoked up as he apolo- Toronto retired his No. 32 on Associated Press sentenced to 100 versities were victimized by the gized for his crime, including to opening dayin2018. hours of com- bribery scandal revealed when “the young people Imisled.” His Braden Halladaytweeted a NEW YORK —Aformer munity service 10 individuals, including the plea deal recommended up to a thank youtothe Blue Jays and assistant basketball coach for and two years’ coaches, were arrested in Sep- year in prison after he pleaded added in his post that therewas the University of Southern probation by U.S. tember 2017, the judge said. guilty in January, admitting amutual understanding between California dropped his head in Bland District Judge Bland, 38, of Los Angeles, was accepting a$4,100 bribe. him and the team that he will be relief Wednesday when ajudge Edgardo Ramos, the first offour assistantbasket- Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli honoring his commitment to attend announced he won’t go to prison who said the debate over whether ball coaches who pleaded guilty Mark urged a“meaningful sen- Penn State. for accepting abribe to steer college basketball players should to bribery conspiracy to learn his tence” to deter others. young athletes to aparticular be paid “plays no role in the way I fate. Ramos will sentence two —The Associated Press manager. thought about this case.” others later this week. SEE PLEA, D2