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Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s championship week in high school basketball with some big-time semifinal matchups Tuesday in the Southern Section playoffs.

Championship week

Brandon McCoy of Sierra Canyon soars for a tomahawk dunk.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

The toughest divisions in high school basketball in the state have their semifinals Tuesday for boys and girls. Get ready for intense, crowd-pleasing matchups.

For boys in the Southern Section Open Division, it’s Sierra Canyon hosting Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Harvard-Westlake hosting La Mirada.

Both games are rematches, so there will be no surprises for the coaches. Sierra Canyon and Harvard-Westlake won the first meetings, so they deserve the favorite’s role to reach Saturday’s championship game at Ontario Arena. But that doesn’t mean the favorites will win.

Notre Dame has athleticism to play with Sierra Canyon, especially if Zach White is rebounding and NaVorro Bowman is hitting threes. Sierra Canyon, though, is 25-1 and surging with its depth. Harvard-Westlake looked done after losing three of its last four regular season games, but has come on to beat Damien, Santa Margarita and Crespi in the Open Division playoffs.

La Mirada is the surprise team, seeded No. 12 and winning every game on the road. The Matadores eliminated Redondo Union in the quarterfinals behind Gene Roebuck. You have to admire La Mirada. Last season they desperately wanted to be in the Open Division, giving up a chance to be in the state playoffs. Now the Matadores are one win away from playing for a section title.

The girls’ competition should draw even bigger crowds than the boys Tuesday, with the featured matchup Etiwanda hosting Sierra Canyon. The two powerhouses have been preparing for this game all season. Jerzy Robinson of Sierra Canyon will try to make sure Etiwanda doesn’t serve as a roadblock to winning the Open Division or state championship. The other semifinal has top-seeded Ontario Christian hosting Sage Hill. If Etiwanda and Ontario Christian win, they’ll get to play in front of lots of fans Saturday night in Ontario.

Boys basketball

Freshman Phillip Reed was in dominant form for Palisades in the City Section Open Division semifinals.

(Steve Galluzzo)

It comes as no surprise that No. 1-seeded Palisades will play No. 2 Cleveland in Friday’s 8 p.m. City Section Open Division final at L.A. Southwest College. They’ve been the top two teams all season. Palisades is the heavy favorite. Here’s a report from the semifinals.

Jack Levey celebrates a big win in the Dolphins’ return to their home court against Western League rival Fairfax.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

One of the unsung standouts for Palisades is junior guard Jack Levey, who has made 103 threes this season. Here’s a look at his journey to become a three-point specialist.

Sylmar coach Bort Escoto has his team in the City Division II finals. Two of his ex-players at Sylmar, Jeff Bryant and Sam Harris, have their teams in finals. Bryant for Palisades and Harris for Chatsworth in the Division I final.

The Southern Section Division 1 championship game has two surging Orange County schools meeting: JSerra vs. Crean Lutheran.

Division 2 has two surprise finalists in Hesperia taking on Bishop Amat. Hesperia eliminated Mater Dei and Bishop Amat took out defending Open Division and state champion Eastvale Roosevelt.

Here’s the scores from last week’s Southern Section semifinals.

Girls basketball

Etiwanda is ready to take on Sierra Canyon at home on Tuesday night in an Open Division semifinal.

(Nick Koza)

Etiwanda continues to rely on a balanced attack, which should help the Eagles in their showdown semifinal game against Sierra Canyon. Here’s a report from the quarterfinals.

Valencia’s girls basketball team has reached the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals under coach Jared Honig.

(John Duncan)

Valencia has reached the Division 1 final behind coach Jared Honig, who had previous success at Granada Hills. Here’s the report.

In the City Section, top-seeded Westchester and No. 2 Birmingham will play Saturday night at Pasadena City College in the Open Division final. Westchester has the top player in the City in Savannah Myles. Birmingham has used a young team to get better and better.

Baseball

The approaching storm from last week caused South Hills to come up with the novel idea of playing its season opener against Covina early Monday morning before rain came. So the teams began at 12:40 a.m. and finished at 3:34 a.m. in a new way to pull off Midnight Madness. Here’s the report.

Harvard-Westlake unveiled freshman Louis Lappe of El Segundo Little League fame. Here’s the report.

With darkness coming, Huntington Beach took a 7-5 lead over Loyola in the top of the ninth inning. Coach Benji Medure confirmed that he tried to have his players on base get into a triple play to end the inning immediately to try to win the game before the umpires called the game. Two players were tagged out at home plate, but the home-plate umpire stopped everything before a third runner one could be tagged out. It ended up as a 5-5 tie because of darkness.

The first runner tagged out at home was Jared Grindlinger, who responded to Medure’s instructions to get tagged out by saying, “What?” The creativity wasn’t approved by the umpires.

No. 1 St. John Bosco and No. 2 Orange Lutheran begin their seasons this week.

Here’s a look at The Times’ top 25 baseball rankings after the opening week of the season.

Softball

Norco pitcher Coral Williams was the Southern Section Division 1 player of the year last season.

(Steve Galluzzo)

If you want to win a softball championship, you have to beat Norco and its top pitcher, Coral Williams, a UCLA commit.

Here’s a preview of the season ahead.

Volleyball

Mike Boehle is entering his 28th season as volleyball coach at Loyola.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The boys volleyball season has begun, and Loyola figures to be one of the title contenders in Division 1 after a rough season last year in which players lost homes to the Palisades fire, their coach had prostate cancer and a classmate was tragically killed.

Here’s a look at how the Cubs intend to come back this season.

Soccer

It’s championship week in high school soccer. Once again, the top two boys teams in the City Section all season face off. El Camino Real will take on South East. Both teams won their semifinal games by scores of 1-0.

In girls, No. 1 Cleveland will face No. 7 Granada Hills in a rematch from their West Valley League battles.

Trinity League rivals Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei have advanced to Saturday’s Southern Section Open Division boys final after beating Placentia Valencia and JSerra, respectively.

The girls final will have Santa Margarita taking on Mater Dei in another Trinity League rematch.

Wrestling

The state wrestling championships are set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield.

The Southern Section held its Masters Meet last weekend, and here’s the results of players headed to Bakersfield.

Notes . . .

Oaks Christian won its second consecutive Southern Section Open Division girls’ water polo championship with an 11-8 victory over Mater Dei. . . .

Senior Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel, one of the top girls discus and shotputters in the nation, began her outdoor season with a discus mark of 179-6 to set an Orange County record. . . .

Aaron Riekenberg has resigned after nine years as boys basketball coach at La Habra. . . .

Junior defensive lineman Isaia Vandermade from Division 1 champion Santa Margarita has committed to USC, where his father, Lenny, was a lineman. . . .

Pat Harlow, a former head football coach at JSerra, is returning to serve as an assistant coach under new coach Hardy Nickerson. Harlow is well known for his ability to coach the offensive line. This is the second time he’s come out of retirement. “I really believe in the school,” he said. Also added to the staff is former Servite, Notre Dame and NFL quarterback Steve Beuerlein. . .

Former Gardena Serra and USC star Robert Woods has retired from football. . . .

Former Garfield football coach Lorenzo Hernandez has come out of retirement to become football coach at Whittier. Here’s the report. . . .

Former St. Margaret’s and Long Beach Poly coach Stephen Barbee is the new football coach at Irvine Northwood. . . .

Standout pitcher Jared Grindlinger of Huntington Beach has reclassified from junior to class of 2026, making him eligible for this year’s amateur draft. Here’s the report . . .

Chad Rolison from Oaks Christian baseball has committed to Loyola Marymount. . . .

Twins James and Miles Clark from St. John Bosco baseball have committed to Duke. . . .

For the fifth straight year, NFL receiver Trenton Irwin is holding a camp on March 8 at his alma mater, Hart, for grades four through eight. . . . .

Quentin Hale, a junior receiver who transferred from Cathedral to Corona Centennial, has committed to USC. . . .

Patrick Goodpaster is the new football coach at Narbonne. He’s a Narbonne grad, member of the Gardena Police Department and former football player at Colorado State. He’s been a youth football coach in the area. . . .

From the archives: Russell White

Former Crespi, Cal and Rams running back Russell White, who led Crespi to the 1986 Division 1 football championship.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Russell White was one of the greatest running backs in Southern California history, leading Crespi to the 1986 Big Five Conference championship as a sophomore when the Celts routed St. John Bosco in the final.

He’d go on to star at Cal and get drafted by the Rams. He has been at Flintridge Prep the last 10 years coaching eight-man football but is stepping down to perhaps coach 11-man football. His son, Zach, is a standout basketball player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

Here’s a story from 2008 when he was coaching in Northern California

Here’s a story from 1993 detailing White’s emotion obtaining his college degree.

Recommendations

From USA Today, a story on South Carolina legislators moving to replace its high school athletic association over transfers and other disagreements.

From CBS, a story on a Florida proposal to allow high school coaches to spend up to $15,000 on player needs known as the Teddy Bridgewater Act.

From KTLA, a story on how AI cameras are helping youth sports parents capture videos.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the controversy surrounding trans high school athletes in California.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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England and South Africa have postponed a T20 international series which was originally planned for next winter.

The two sides will play three Test matches and three one-day internationals across December 2026 and January 2027.

In addition to the ODIs the white-ball leg of the tour was supposed to include three T20s as per the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme.

Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board are planning to rearrange the 20-over series to a later date.

South Africa’s domestic T20 franchise tournament – the SA20 – is set to be played from 9 January until 14 February 2027 and a number of players from both sides are expected to participate.

“The originally planned T20 series has been removed from the schedule due to scheduling conflicts,” said an ECB statement.

“Both parties are exploring opportunities to reschedule it at a later date.”

England’s Test series in South Africa starts on 17 December at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

The second Test between the sides will start on 26 December at SuperSport Park at Centurion while the final Test at Newlands in Cape Town begins on 3 January.

The ODI series starts at Boland Park in Paarl on 10 January, with the final two matches of the series at the Manguang Oval in Bloemfontein on 13 and 15 January.

One minute has been proposed as a halfway house, but BBC Sport understands concerns remain about negative impacts.

Manchester United were angered last season when Matthijs de Ligt was forced to leave the field with a cut, and Brentford scored from a corner while he was off the pitch.

The fear is a one-minute absence would make it far more likely a team could concede a goal when down to 10 players.

Thirty seconds already causes frustration among supporters – and unintended consequences of goals conceded could add further pressure on to officials.

There is an acceptance players use supposed injuries as a way of breaking up play, but it is felt extending the time limit could unduly penalise genuinely injured players.

There are a few exceptions.

If the opponent is shown a yellow or red card the injured player does not need to stay off. Goalkeepers are also exempt, while a penalty taker would be able to stay on.

However, Ifab is not expected to pass any resolution to tackle the tactical timeout. This is when a goalkeeper goes down off the ball in order for a coach to get new instructions to the team.

Ifab’s advisory panels have discussed the issue at some length but, so far, there has been no agreement on a solution.

Following the success of the eight-second rule for goalkeepers holding the ball, new countdown measures are set to be approved.

A similar process will be added to goal-kicks and throw-ins, with possession changing to the opposition if it takes too long.

A 10-second limit will also be applied to substituted players – if they do not get off the pitch the replacement will not be allowed to come on.

A team would have to play with 10 players until the next stoppage, and that must be after at least 60 seconds.

Ifab is expected to approve video assistant referee reviews for wrongly awarded second yellow cards and, as a competition opt-in, corners.

The Canadian Premier League is also likely to be granted permission to start trials of Arsene Wenger’s daylight offside.

Pakistan players do not play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid ongoing political tensions between the two countries, and that trend is reflected at IPL-owned franchises around the world.

MI London, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave are all now part or fully-owned by IPL sides after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sold stakes in the teams last year.

Trent Rockets, London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix and Welsh Fire are the non IPL-owned teams.

Farhan is currently the leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup and scored a century against Namibia in the group stage.

He has registered for the auction at a base price of £50,000 – half the amount of some players.

“I’m very hopeful,” he said.

“Because every player wants to play every league, play in the good leagues.

“The Hundred is one of the best leagues. So I hope for the best.”

Pakistan play England in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Thirteen of their 15-strong squad registered for the auction with batter Fakhar Zaman and former captain Babar Azam, who is likely to be with the Test squad during the Hundred, the only absentees.

Left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi and fellow quick Haris Rauf, who have played in the Hundred previously, and all-rounder Saim Ayub are among those to have signed up with the highest base price of £100,000.

England captain Harry Brook said last week it would be “a shame” if Pakistan players were not involved.

The ECB wrote to the eight franchises on Sunday reminding them of their responsibilities around discrimination.

On one of the most historic golf courses in the world, Jacob Bridgeman made some history of his own Sunday afternoon at Riviera Country Club.

Two months and three days after getting married, the 26-year-old from South Carolina has another memory to last a lifetime after winning for the first time on the PGA Tour and threatening the tournament scoring record at the Genesis Invitational.

“To do it against this field is way, way better than I’ve ever dreamt,” said Bridgeman, who prevailed by a single shot over Kurt Kitayama and Rory McIlroy. “Fans were super supportive all day and winning at this course is a dream come true. I grew up watching this on TV.”

Beginning the final round with a six-stroke lead, Bridgeman birdied the first and third holes to take a seven-shot lead and send an early message to the other 50 players that he would be tough to catch. He carded a one-over-par 72 to finish at 18 under for a four-day total of 266 — two off the 72-hole standard achieved at the 1985 Los Angeles Open by Lanny Wadkins, who won by seven shots with rounds of 63, 70, 67 and 64.

Wadkins’ record-setting performance 41 years ago earned him $72,000 and made him the ninth golfer to earn more than $2 million in his career. Bridgeman pocketed $4 million on Sunday while Sepp Straka and Brian Harman split the last-place share of $51,000.

Making Bridgeman’s accomplishment even more remarkable is the fact that he had never played Riviera before. What he lacked in experience he more than made up for with instinct, ingenuity and poise, especially during a crucial stretch of eight consecutive pars from holes eight through 15 on Sunday to become the tournament’s 100th champion.

Kurt Kitayama chips to the first green during the final round.

(Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)

“I didn’t play golf on Monday or Tuesday because of the weather and I just was a little bit worn out.” he said. “I played my pro-am Wednesday and kind of just had a casual round and let my caddie point me around. It wasn’t a whole lot of practice. I feel like I got my first kind of learning experience of the course Thursday and on Friday everything was a lot more familiar. I knew where some slopes were and where the tee shot lines were, so I started feeling a little more comfortable.”

Bridgeman, who had a stellar college career at Clemson (setting a school record with 50 career rounds in the 60s) before turning pro in 2022, was so dialed in with the putter Friday while grouped with Akshay Bhatia and Maverick McNealy that Bhatia’s caddie Joe Greiner asked him on No. 17: “Are you sure you’re not from the West Coast?”

The last player to notch his first PGA Tour victory at Riviera was James Hahn, who beat Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey in a playoff in the 2015 Northern Trust Open.

“This morning I let myself think about winning and everything was under control but guys started making runs and it got a little tighter than I wanted it too,” Bridgeman said. “This is one of the coolest places I could’ve done it.”

Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, winner of last year’s Genesis at Torrey Pines, tied for 20th at nine-under after a final-round 66.

The day before, Bridgeman matched the tournament’s 54-hole scoring record of 194 set four years ago by Joaquin Niemann, who went on to shoot even par in the final round to win by two strokes at 19 under.

As solid as Bridgeman was playing the first three rounds, eclipsing Wadkins’ record seemed almost inevitable. Instead, he had to have nerves of steel to par the last two holes and preserve the win.

Bridgeman stumbled with bogeys at No. 4 and No. 7 and was wary of two-time Riviera champion Adam Scott, who leapfrogged into second alongside McIlroy, Kitayama and Aldrich Potgieter after beginning the back nine with back-to-back birdies. He narrowed the margin to three with back-to-back birdies at the 17th and 18th to cap his second 63 in three days and finished alone in fourth at 16 under.

Rory McIlroy hits from the fourth tee during the final round.

(Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)

“It’s fun to make birdie at the 18th with this amphitheater,” Scott said. “Today I didn’t have my best and still had a great score.”

History has proven that no lead is safe on Sunday at Riviera. The last time it was played there in 2024 Hideki Matsuyama of Japan overcame a six-shot deficit to win by three shots after firing a 62 — the lowest final round score ever on the course.

“The pins were a lot more challenging than the first three days,” Bridgeman said. “They were harder to get to. For the putts on 17 and 18 I had no idea how hard to hit them.”

Kitayama, who started the final round nine shots behind, nearly pulled off an even bigger comeback, pulling to within one shot when he rolled in a 32-foot birdie at No. 17, and Bridgeman bogeyed No. 16 to drop to 18 under.

Ken Venturi staged the biggest final-round comeback in tournament history, shooting a 63 to erase an eight-shot deficit at Rancho Park in 1959.

McIlroy hit his 30-foot birdie putt just hard enough to fall at the famed 18th green to move into a second-place tie with Kitayama. Then, with tournament host Tiger Woods watching, Bridgeman nervously left his birdie putt three feet short but made his par and the crowd roared.

“I thought it would be a lot easier,” Bridgeman admitted. “It was easy until the 16th, then I made it harder. I was crazy nervous on that five-footer for bogey. I couldn’t feel my hands the last two greens.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was tied for last after the first day and barely made the cut at even par but played the last two rounds in 11 under par to finish tied for 12th.

All of the current Lakers realized that playing against the Boston Celtics on national television really was more than just one of 82 games on the schedule.

It was crystallized even more because iconic former Lakers coach Pat Riley sat courtside after a celebration for the unveiling of his statue on the Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena. He was the first Lakers coach to beat the hated Celtics for an NBA championship after eight failed attempts.

So, yes, on this Sunday afternoon, this game meant more if only because it was another game in the long rivalry, a game the Lakers lost, 111-89.

Luka Doncic had 25 points for the Lakers but he was just nine for 22 from the field. LeBron James had 20 points but was just nine for 21 from the field.

It was the second time this season the Lakers scored in the 80s, and that also was a loss.

For a team that entered the game shooting a league-best 50% from the field, it was not a good sign for the Lakers’ offense when their shooting slipped to 36.8% in the second quarter. They shot 39.1% for the game and 30% (nine for 30) from three-point range.

“We had some really good looks,” James said. “I think they had a good game plan defensively, forcing us to take some shots … I mean listen, sometimes you got to make shots. And they made timely shots and we didn’t. We didn’t give ourselves a good chance on the offensive end. I think defensively, we held serve as long as we could. But offensively, we didn’t give ourselves a good chance.”

It was obvious the Lakers felt the intensity of the rivalry when Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart received technical fouls in the second quarter and coach JJ Redick got one in the third.

They were unhappy with the officiating that didn’t go their way against an aggressive Celtics defense.

Perhaps, it was posed to Doncic, the Lakers lost some focus on offense because of the complaints that led to the T’s.

“Maybe. …You’re surprised it wasn’t me, huh?” he said. “Then you know it’s bad.”

Doncic laughed.

But what was of real concern for the Lakers was trying to deal with the Celtics and their three-point shooters.

The Celtics (37-19) entered the game tossing up 42.4 threes per game, the third-highest output in the NBA, and making 15.4 of them, also the third-highest.

On cue, the Celtics shot 14 for 36 from three-point range.

The Lakers (34-22) fell behind by 18 points with 4:46 left in the fourth quarter after Jaylen Brown was fouled while scoring. He made the free throw and then followed that with a three-pointer to put the Lakers in a 21-point hole.

Brown finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

But the real problem for the Lakers was not being able to slow down Payton Pritchard. He had 30 points off the bench, making 10 of 14 shots and six of nine three-pointers.

His three-pointer gave the Celtics a 22-point lead and forced Redick to call a timeout with 3:22 left. Redick pulled his starters, knowing it was over.

“You talk about the personnel and how good Jaylen Brown has been and how good Payton Pritchard has been,” Redick said. “Really where this team kills you is when they can get you in the blender and take catch-and-shoot threes. They can shoot 51 of them and they’re going to make 20. They’re that good. Trying to limit that is the biggest thing when you play these guys. And you have to be willing to live with contested off-the-dribble jumpers. Pritchard made a lot of them tonight. He played a great game.”

James said he watched some of the Riley ceremony that took place at halftime.

James played for the Miami Heat for four years under the watchful eye of Riley. The Heat went to four NBA Finals and won two championships.

Riley left an indelible impression on James.

“I got out there for a little bit, sat on the bench during halftime before our meeting,” James said. “Listen, he’s one of the all-time greats to ever have been a part of this league. Not only player — coach, executive, front office, everything. Obviously what he did here for the Lakers organization in the ‘80s goes without saying and rightfully so, him having a statue outside his building. Obviously I spent four years with him. I have the utmost respect for him, for his family and everything. So, it’s pretty cool.”

England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was carried off on a stretcher with a head injury during AC Milan’s 1-0 defeat by Parma.

He collided with Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi when challenging for a cross early in the Serie A game at the San Siro on Sunday.

Loftus-Cheek’s head and neck were put in a brace before he was taken off.

Sky Italia reported that he broke his jaw and several teeth.

A significant injury could affect Loftus-Cheek’s chances of making England’s squad for the World Cup, which starts in June.

Farrell was also pleased with how his more seasoned Test players stepped up after questions over their form as they supplemented headline-stealing displays from Stuart McCloskey and Rob Baloucoune.

“Caelan [Doris] was back to his best, Joe McCarthy was outstanding,” observed Farrell, who also praised player of the match Jamison Gibson-Park.

“Josh [van der Flier] was immense in that first half, wasn’t he? You know, with his line running and stuff like that.

“They know they’ve a responsibility. We said before the game, big-game players turn up and make big-team performances happen.

“They set great examples, but for the lads that I just mentioned, for Rob Baloucoune to come here and do that, you know you’re on for a good day when he’s got a poach, a turnover ball…just his belief to take people on, and for Stu to dominate at this type of level, it was a joy to see.”

With McCloskey and Baloucoune establishing themselves in the Test arena, experienced players recapturing their form and the likes of Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan and Andrew Porter still to return from injury, Farrell’s squad suddenly seems in good shape 18 months out from the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

“That’s the point. That’s the best part of it,” he said.

“We know that and we have to take a bit of stick along the way. I suppose a win like this gets people a little bit back on board.

“As long as we know where we’re going.”

Ireland host winless Wales on 6 March (20:10 GMT) before finishing the campaign against fellow Triple Crown chasers Scotland in Dublin on 14 March (14:10).

The ‘taking for granted’ aspect of Carrick’s answer was telling.

The former United and England midfielder knows the sacrifices needed to excel at the very highest levels of the game. He also knows the demands that are placed on players’ bodies.

Mental strength is also key.

Beyond his ability, it is the kind of attitude that meant he put himself forward to be involved at Burnley, which makes Maguire so valuable to United.

It is why, as they approach a summer when Casemiro’s vast experience is going to be lost, it should be welcomed that multiple sources with an understanding of the situation believe a resolution will eventually be found to Maguire’s contractual situation that will allow him to remain at Manchester United at least for next season.

Nothing is agreed yet. Until it is, there remains the potential for Maguire to either agree a deal with another club – which, under freedom of contract regulations, he is entitled to do – or United back away.

But the mood music is upbeat.

Compromise is likely to be needed, on both salary – Maguire is one of United’s highest-paid players and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is determined to drive costs down – and maybe contract length.

But through Burnley, Brighton, City and beyond Maguire played for every single minute of the four-match winning streak Carrick started his spell in charge with.

The England defender has shown just how valuable he is at a time when Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined for an indefinite period with a back injury, with no immediate sign of return.

Maguire does not only have experience and calmness. His communication is also crucial. He is demanding of those around him and is not scared to let team-mates know when they have fallen below the standards he expects.

His central defensive partnership with Lisandro Martinez has a familiarity about it too, which is a bit surprising given the pair have only started 16 times together in a two-man central defence since the Argentina international joined the Old Trafford outfit from Ajax in 2022.

The reasons for that are numerous. Amorim’s formation for a start. Before that, Erik ten Hag clearly did not feel Maguire was the kind of player he wanted, while Martinez has suffered some pretty hefty injuries.

There is also the knowledge their first two games together were the defeats by Brighton and Brentford that started Ten Hag’s reign.

They have won in 11 of the following 14 games they have started though, which suggests keeping them both fit could be the key to United’s Champions League qualification quest.

Desmond Bane scored 36 points and Paolo Banchero added 16 points and eight assists as the Orlando Magic held on for a 111-109 victory over the Clippers on Sunday night at Intuit Dome.

Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Tristan da Silva scored 13 for the Magic, who improved to 5-2 since Feb. 5.

Kawhi Leonard shrugged off an ankle injury to score 37 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Clippers, who are 4-5 since Feb. 2. Mathurin missed a three-point attempt to win the game at the buzzer.

Jordan Miller had 14 points for the Clippers (27-30).

Leonard exited Friday’s loss against the Lakers with an ankle sprain. Mathurin was playing in his fifth game for the Clippers after he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Indiana Pacers.

Orlando won despite going eight of 23 from three-point range, two games after setting a franchise record with 27 three-pointers in a victory at Sacramento. Jalen Suggs missed his second consecutive game for the Magic with back spasms.

In a tight game throughout, Leonard gave the Clippers a 107-105 lead with 3:03 remaining on a jumper from the top of the key. The Magic took charge from there as Bane hit a jumper to tie the score and then made a layup with 1:28 left for a 109-107 advantage.

As the Clippers missed four consecutive shots, Orlando went up 111-107 on a fast-break dunk from Banchero with 40 seconds left.

Bane tried to pad the Magic’s lead with eight seconds remaining but had his shot blocked inside by rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Mathurin then raced down the floor only to miss a 25-footer as time expired.

Page’s quest for Welsh Open glory was ended by former world champion Luca Brecel in 2025.

The Welshman was beaten 5-2 by the Belgian in the quarter-finals, ending his best run in the competition to date.

And the pair now meet in the first round of the 2026 Welsh Open, with Page eyeing revenge against the 30-year-old.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Page.

“Luca beat me in the quarter-finals last year, so I owe him one in the way.”

Page came to prominence in the Welsh Open as a 15-year-old in 2017, beating Jason Weston and John Astley before losing to Judd Trump in the third round.

And while Page says he is yet to reach the heights he had dreamed of as a teenager, he still believes he can turn things around.

“I’ve done alright but I’m nowhere near where I want to be, I want to be the best and I still think I can do it,” said Page.

“I’ve had a pretty bad season, it’s not been very good, so I need to kick on.

“Obviously last year was a great year, so I’m trying to turn it around to get confidence in myself and perform like I know I can.

“I’m sure I’ll get there.”

Nicolás Fernández scored on a penalty kick in the second half and New York City FC tied the Galaxy 1-1 in a season opener on Sunday before a sellout crowd of 30,510 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Newcomer João Klauss needed 90 seconds to win the hearts of Galaxy fans, scoring with assists from Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil for a 1-0 lead. L.A. worked a cash-for-player trade with St. Louis City to acquire Klauss on a one-year deal, hoping he’ll ease the loss of superstar Riqui Puig for a second straight season after complications from a torn ACL.

Los Angeles maintained the lead until Emiro Garces was sent off the field for a second yellow card, setting up a successful PK for Fernández that tied it in the 66th minute and left the Galaxy a man short. Fernández scored five goals in 19 appearances with L.A. last season.

Novak Micovic did not have a save in his 25th career start for the Galaxy — 20 of them coming last season when the 24-year-old allowed 37 goals.

Matt Freese, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, saved six shots for NYCFC — four in the first half. Freese had eight clean sheets in 31 starts last season on his way to the award.

NYCFC is coming off a loss to eventual MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference Final last season.

The Galaxy are hoping to rebound from a disastrous season that saw them endure a league-record 16-match winless streak — one year after beating the New York Red Bulls to win the MLS Cup.

Rory McIlroy shot a four-under-par 67 but it was not enough to overhaul winner Jacob Bridgeman, who won by one shot at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy started the day six shots off the lead but despite making five birdies he could not catch American Bridgeman, who got over the line with a one-over-par 72 to finish on 18 under.

Bridgeman, who held a seven-shot lead early in the day, held back tears on the 18th green before sinking a three-foot putt for his first PGA Tour title.

He is also the first man to win the prestigious event in his tournament debut since 1975.

Bridgeman’s victory continues his good start to the year having had two top-10 finishes in his opening four events, including last week’s eighth place at Pebble Beach.

The 26-year-old’s three bogies on the final day at the Riviera Country Club gave the chasing players hope, including countryman Kurt Kitayama, who finished tied for second with McIlroy on 17 under after carding a seven-under-par 64.

World number two McIlroy was even par after the first nine holes, but made four birdies on the back nine, including a brilliant hole-out from the greenside bunker on the 12th, to put pressure on Bridgeman.

A nervy closing three holes saw Bridgeman bogey 16 then leave his putt on 18 over three feet short, after McIlroy had drained a 30 footer to get within a shot, to ensure a tense final stroke in front of tournament host Tiger Woods.

Bridgeman held his nerve though to claim a first PGA Tour title in style, with victory at one of the Signature Events moving him inside the top 25 of the world rankings for the first time.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood shot a four-under-par 67 to finish joint-seventh on 12-under, which included a slam dunk eagle with his approach shot on 15 from 173 yards out.

World number one Scottie Scheffler made a flying finish with his 65 seeing him recover from his bad start on Thursday to finish in joint 12th.

That meant an end to Scheffler’s brilliant run of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.

England’s Marco Penge, who was the joint-leader alongside Bridgeman after the second round, ended in tied for 16th place on 10 under.

Max Greyserman provided another big highlight of the day as he made a hole-in-one at the 14th, which illuminated an otherwise difficult day for him as he made four bogeys and a double bogey in his 73.

The No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball team beat Wisconsin 80-60 on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. Lauren Betts recorded a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds — including three in quick succession in the fourth quarter — as the Bruins celebrated their six graduates on Senior Day by winning their 21st game in a row. Five Bruins — all seniors — scored in double digits.

Gabriela Jaquez had 14 points and six rebounds in the first half for the Bruins, while the Badgers’ leading scorer, Dorja Zaja, had 10 points in the first half and 16 on the game.

While Jaquez led the way in the first half, Betts took over in the second, with a double-double in the second half alone.

After jumping out to a 14-4 lead just over three minutes into the game, UCLA (27-1 overall, 17-0 in the Big Ten) was held scoreless from the field for nearly five minutes, until a Betts basket ended the drought. Wisconsin (13-15, 5-12) cut the lead in half to 16-11 during that stretch, but UCLA extended it to 25-15 to end the first quarter.

The Badgers committed six fouls in the first quarter and the Bruins capitalized for seven points from the free-throw line.

Wisconsin held nearly even with UCLA on the scoreboard in the second quarter (15-14), while leading the rebound game 12-9.

The Badgers scored the first five points of the third quarter to tighten the gap to seven, but the Bruins took control from there and led 65-49 by the end of the quarter.

The Bruins won the fourth quarter 15-11, and they took time for the crowd to honor their seniors as the quarter came to a close.

UCLA has one remaining game in the regular season, against USC on March 1.

VERONA, Italy — In fair Verona, L.A., unofficially, takes the torch.

While the Olympic flag passed from Italy to France at Sunday’s closing ceremony, handing off the Winter Games from Milan-Cortina to the French Alps, the flame will burn next in L.A.

In just over two years, the United States will host the country’s first Summer Games since 1996, welcoming an Olympic movement that is surging in popularity but unsteady in a changing world, as the Games return to Los Angeles for the third time.

The Milan-Cortina Olympics are expected to rake in record TV numbers for NBC. They already produced the most-watched women’s hockey game on record when an average of 5.3 million viewers took in the United States’ thrilling overtime win over Canada. The rivalry game contributed to the largest weekday audience for a Winter Games since 2014 with an average of 26.7 million viewers who also watched U.S. star Alysa Liu win the country’s first Olympic gold medal for women’s singles figure skating in 24 years.

The smiling 20-year-old with horizontal stripes in her hair became a sensation in Milan just as 41-year-old mother of two Elana Meyers Taylor did in Cortina d’Ampezzo after the five-time Olympian won her first gold medal in bobsled, jumping into the arms of her nanny and, through tears, signing to her deaf children, “Mommy won.”

No matter protests, politics or planning hurdles, the Olympics sought to remain a stage for those athletes to shine.

“You showed us what excellence, respect and friendship look like in a world that sometimes forgets these values,” International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said to the Olympians in her speech while standing on a platform in the stands placed in front of the Italian delegation. “You showed us that the Olympic Games are a place for everyone. A place where sport brings us together.”

After record numbers from the 2024 Paris Summer Games, the Milan-Cortina Games sold 1.3 million tickets, which, accounting for 80% of the expected tickets, was “beyond our expectations,” Milano Cortina 2026 chief executive officer Andrea Varnier said at a news conference. Of the 63% of international fans who attended the Games, the United States, at 14%, bought the second-most tickets.

Fans filled arenas that were finished just in time in Milan. They withstood snowstorms in Livigno, cheered the debut of ski mountaineering in Bormio and held their breath while multiple skiers got airlifted off the downhill course in Cortina.

The most widespread Games in history created distinct pockets of Olympic spirit separated by hours on trains and miles of winding mountain roads. The Olympics that preached harmony finally united in a single city known for love, beauty and grudges. The Milan-Cortina Games represented seemingly every Shakespearean theme.

Athletes got engaged. Sponsors organized hair and makeup sessions in the Olympic villages, which went through an average of 365 kilograms of pasta and 10,000 eggs a day. A cheating scandal rocked curling.

The closing ceremony set at the Roman amphitheater at the heart of the city that inspired “Romeo and Juliet” celebrated the Games as “beauty in action.” But beneath the glittering gold medals, there was pain.

Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a horrific crash and has already undergone four surgeries on her broken leg. Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified when he refused to compete without his helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes who’ve been killed in the war with Russia.

Artists perform during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Verona, Italy.

(Bernat Armangue / Associated Press)

Already holding the weight of their personal dreams, U.S. athletes faced additional pressure answering questions about the country’s political landscape. After freestyle skier Hunter Hess he said he had “mixed emotions” representing the United States at the Olympics, President Trump called the 27-year-old “a real loser” on social media.

Two weeks later, Hess held his thumb and forefinger in the shape of an “L” to his forehead after his first qualifying run.

Athletes pleaded for assistance navigating an onslaught of social media threats as the Olympic spotlight grows with every Games. Coventry said at a news conference last week that the IOC has a safeguarding unit that monitors the organization’s social media platforms for hateful messages. More than 10,000 such comments were taken down during the Paris Games, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. The number for the Milan-Cortina Games hadn’t been finalized.

With the largest delegation of any country at the Games, the United States won the second-most medals with 33, including 12 golds, the most Olympic titles for the country at any single Winter Games. The total gold medals surpassed the 10 won in Salt Lake City in 2002, the last time the United States hosted an Olympic Games.

After more than two decades away, the Games will return to the United States twice in the next eight years. L.A. will host the 2028 Games and Utah will have the 2034 Winter Games.

Approaching the final stretch of an 11-year planning period, the L.A. Games confronted another challenge this month when a growing number of local politicians called for LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman’s resignation after racy emails he exchanged with Ghislaine Maxwell were revealed in the Epstein files. After initial hesitation, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and other leaders joined the chorus calling for Wasserman’s dismissal.

But LA28 doubled down on his role. The executive committee of the LA28 board stood by Wasserman after a review from an outside legal firm found that the Hollywood mogul’s relationship with Maxwell “did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.”

As with his 2026 organizing committee counterpart Giovanni Malago, Wasserman would be expected to deliver speeches in 2028.

PHOENIX — Dalton Rushing’s first year in the big leagues with the Dodgers didn’t go quite as planned.

Over 53 games after his May call-up, the highly-regarded prospect batted .204 with a .258 on-base percentage, .582 OPS, four home runs and 24 RBI. It was the only time in his baseball life — aside from his freshman year at the University of Louisville — that Rushing was not a regular fixture in his team’s lineup.

“It was very, very up and down,” Rushing said. “It was some good, some bad, some ugly. A lot of things were new to me, the scattering [of] playing time was tough. It was a little tough being able to stay on top of compete mode, keep the swing in a good spot.”

But it still yielded a rather satisfying end result.

“Overall, I got to win a World Series with this team,” Rushing said. “And it’s hard to look back and think, ‘I’d take this back or I’d take that back.’ It went exactly how it was planned.”

With three-time All-Star catcher Will Smith in front of him, Rushing’s role is clear: he is the Dodgers’ backup catcher. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts feels good about Rushing’s progression going into 2026.

“Dalton’s in a good spot right now,” Roberts said last week. “I want him to understand his role as a backup catcher, what that entails, really learn the pitchers, learn the swing that works for playing a couple times a week. He’s used to playing a lot more. But I think, that [he’s] still maturing, because it’s not easy to not play every day when you’re used to [playing regularly]. I think that he grew last year, and I like where he’s at.”

Roberts plans to use Rushing at first base, if Freddie Freeman comes out of the game or needs a day off. Rushing will not, however, play in the outfield, where he saw some run in the minor leagues.

“Outfield’s not on the table”, Roberts said. “I do think that there’s going to be some spots for him to come into games if Freddie’s out or if there’s a game he doesn’t play, we’ll see how that lines up. And I think right now for me, just seeing how the roster plays out as far as what are the options we might have at first base, but I do want to get him at-bats when I can.”

Rushing started Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the Angels, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly in his three at-bats. The 25-year-old said he’s fully embracing his spot on a club vying for its third consecutive championship.

“For me, if I can keep myself ready to play two or three times a week, then it’s going to be easy to keep myself ready to play five or six,” Rushing said. “To be able to go through something like this early in my career, where I have to not only earn the time on the field, but also navigate my way through my career, I think it’s a really good start to my career, to be able to understand how this game works.”

Rushing also views playing behind Smith as a valuable opportunity to learn from one baseball’s best catchers, something he believes will help him grow as a player.

“I have a spot to work behind the best catcher in baseball,” Rushing said. “And from there, I’m going to be given opportunities to see more time on the field, to get my bat in there as much as possible, and it’s up to me to take advantage of those opportunities and continue to put myself on the field as much as possible.”

Rushing says he does not have any personal goals or accolades that he hopes to reach in 2026. This season is about team success and winning.

“The main goal especially with this role is I’m going to win as many [games as] possible,” Rushing said. “Every game I’m on the field, I want to win. I want to win 110 games in the regular season as a Dodger. We’re fully capable of it. I think that’s a good goal to put for ourselves and it just makes each and every game that much important.”

Shohei Ohtani throws live BP before departing for WBC

Before the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres in Peoria, Ariz., on Sunday, Shohei Ohtani had a live batting practice session at Camelback Ranch in which he threw 33 pitches and struck out Freeman and Mookie Betts.

“I felt pretty good about today in terms of volume,” Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton after his session. “While in Japan, I plan to do some sort of live BP/bullpen/some kind of simulation.”

After the game, Roberts revealed the star two-way player is expected to depart either Sunday night or on Monday to join Team Japan for preparations for next month’s World Baseball Classic.

A look at The Times’ high school top 25 baseball rankings for the Southland after the first week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (0-0): Twins James and Miles Clark commit to Duke; 1

2. ORANGE LUTHERAN (0-0): Lancers begin season Friday against Crespi; 2

3. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (2-0): Texas commit Ira Rootman hits two home runs, gets six RBIs; 3

4. HUNTINGTON BEACH (1-0-1): Jared Grindlinger reclassifies to become potential first-round draft pick; 4

5. CORONA (1-0): Danny DeLaTorre hits two home runs in opening game; 5

6. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (2-0): Three pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in opening win; 6

7. ROYAL (1-0): Face Santa Monica on Tuesday; 8

8. NORCO (2-0): Dylan Seward is already hot at the plate; 14

9. CYPRESS (1-1): Face Harvard-Westlake on Friday; 9

10. SIERRA CANYON (1-1): Host Huntington Beach on Tuesday; 10

11. MATER DEI (0-0): Open on the road on Tuesday against Capistrano Valley; 12

12. EL DORADO (1-0): Win over Sierra Canyon shows off pitching; 18

13. ARCADIA (0-1); Was blanked by Charter Oak in opener; 11

14. AQUINAS (0-0): Open against Grand Terrace on Tuesday; 13

15. LA MIRADA (1-0): Two hits to start season for freshman Blake Barberena; 16

16. CORONA CENTENNIAL (0-1): 3-1 loss to Garden Grove Pacifica; 15

17. SOUTH HILLS (2-0): So far, so good with the pitching; 17

18. OAKS CHRISTIAN (2-0): Carson Sheffer begins season with two doubles, home run; 19

19. JSERRA (0-0): It’s time to get first look at outfielder Blake Bowen; 20

20. LOYOLA (1-0-1): Matthew Favela starts with three hits; 21

21. AYALA (1-0): Caleb Trugman debuts with eight strikeouts; 22

22. BONITA (1-0): Four scoreless innings from Ryder Gibson; 23

23. GAHR (1-0): Hitters came through in 16-3 win; 24

24. VILLA PARK (1-0): Jack McGuire starts with seven strikeouts in five innings; 25

25. MIRA COSTA (3-0): Strong pitching depth to start season; NR

It’s been a difficult period for Eze, who has found minutes in the league hard to come by and this was was only his second start in the league since December.

He has a tough route into the team with captain Martin Odegaard a key part of Arteta’s first-choice midfield when he is fit and Leandro Trossard being in good form on the left wing, which is the other position Eze might feature.

The Arsenal boss did trial Eze on the left, but he switched off when Matty Cash scored Aston Villa‘s opener in their 2-1 defeat in December and, despite starting the following game, he was left on the substitute’s bench for the next four league matches.

Arteta opted to play England winger Bukayo Saka from the start in the disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolves in midweek as a number 10 – ahead of Eze, who started on the bench.

And the Spaniard admitted: “He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t play him the other day from the beginning, and some of the decisions that I made. And I just have to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.”

Arteta was asked by BBC Sport whether Eze’s record of producing goals at the end of the season was one of the reasons they signed him.

“We looked at every stat, but that one, to be very honest, no,” he added while laughing.

“He scored five goals in the last few games against them, which is extremely difficult to do. But I could see that he wanted to prove something.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel was in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Eze will have hoped to have caught his eye after a recent lack of game time to boost his World Cup hopes this summer.

“Today it’s worked out, we thank God for it,” Eze told Sky Sports. “We put in a good performance. We did what we needed to do, which was the main thing.

“I’m always trying to get in those positions to be ready and to find the space and to work hard to get those opportunities. It takes a lot to get there and it’s worked out today.”

It is no secret things are far from rosy at Parkhead, with fan protests during almost every home match.

O’Neill is in charge until the end of the season – his second interim spell in this chaotic campaign – and cracks are starting to appear despite the Northern Irishman’s legendary status at the club.

Supporters continue to demand boardroom change, there are obvious holes in O’Neill’s squad and they have now lost seven league matches. That’s as many as they lost in the previous two seasons combined.

Celtic fell behind to Felix Passlack’s header and rallied to equalise through Benjamin Nygren’s 18th goal of the season, but went down to 10 men after centre-back Auston Trusty was sent off for violent conduct.

Kai Andrews fired in a late winner for Hibs, making it successive defeats for Celtic after Thursday’s Europa League reverse against Stuttgart.

“It’s a setback, that’s all it is,” O’Neill said. “We’re still in the race.

“I thought we were absolutely terrific. The players put heart and soul into the game. No complaints on that side whatsoever.

“We’ve been chasing for months now. There’s not much room for error but we can still fight back. The players are disappointed but it’s not over.”

Despite O’Neill’s defence of his players, others were less complimentary.

“It all changed with Trusty’s sending off,” Bonner said. “Hibs handled the game very well after that.

“Celtic couldn’t get any momentum and it’s a brilliant goal from Kai Andrews. Celtic didn’t create anything. They ran out of luck.”

O’Neill brought in Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka to bolster his attacking options in January, but Adamu was an unused substitute against Hibs and Mvuka wasn’t in the matchday squad.

“Without doubt, there is a lack of cutting edge at Celtic,” Stewart said.

“What’s up with Adamu? They need a goal and they put on [Daizen] Maeda, who is nowhere near the levels he was at before.”

A half dozen little kids have come out of the bleachers seeking high fives from any Palisades High basketball player. Jack Levey, the smallest player on the court, responds to the delight of the fanatics. Receiving recognition and giving back to those rooting for you is among the most memorable parts of the high school sports experience.

Palisades is on the verge of winning its first upper division City Section basketball championship since 1969. The Dolphins will play Cleveland on Friday night at 8 p.m. at L.A. Southwest College for the Open Division title.

Levey, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, is the secret weapon who shows up when the Dolphins’ three stars — freshman Phillip Reed and junior twins EJ and OJ Popoola — need a little help.

“All the attention is on them,” he said. “I’m always open.”

His contribution comes in the form of making three-pointers.

“I practice all the time,” Levey said. “Any time I’m in the gym, I’m shooting threes. That’s why I know if I’m going to play in college, I have to be able to shoot threes.”

If he’s not shooting 400 threes a day at practice, he’s in the backyard at home in Westchester shooting threes on a hoop, with his father feeding him passes.

He has made 103 threes this season. During Palisades’ 71-56 semifinal victory over San Pedro on Saturday night, he stole the ball and was leading the fast break for what looked like could have been a breakaway layup. Instead, he pulled up on the wing and made a three.

“I’m more comfortable shooting a transition three than getting to the basket,” he said. “I feel like a three is a layup.”

Coach Jeff Bryant has given him the green light to pretty much shoot from anywhere. In a game against Westchester this season, he was 11 for 12 from three-point range.

Jack Levey celebrates a big win in the Dolphins’ return to their home court against Western League rival Fairfax.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I couldn’t miss,” he said. “It was so fun. It was the best.”

Other coaches in the Western League know they must pay attention to Levey or suffer the consequences.

“He’s one person we game plan for to limit his looks,” University coach Steve Ackerman said. “He’s an exceptional three-point shooter and has even improved over last season.”

Levey’s journey wasn’t necessarily supposed to turn him into a three-point shooter. Growing up, he was usually the tallest player on his youth team. Then he stopped growing and saw others pass him by. When he entered high school, he had to re-invent himself.

“I thought I was going to be 6-3,” he said. “I have to be able to shoot the ball.”

You’d have to know nothing about basketball these days to fail to guess who his favorite player is.

“Steph Curry,” he said. “That’s my GOAT.”

In a season where the overall talent level in City Section basketball probably reached a new low, the young talent at Palisades provides a starting point to move forward. Reed, the talented freshman, had 29 points Saturday in the semifinals.

And from a fan perspective, waiting for Levey to launch one of his threes offers a moment of excitement and entertainment that even makes little kids look up and put down their video games to see if the ball goes in.

Huddersfield: Flanagan; Carr, Gagai, Milne, Halsall; Lolohea, Russell; Patolo, Woolford, Rogers, O’Donnell, Hewitt, Powell.

Interchanges: Burgess, King, Rush, Cozza.

Wakefield: Jowitt; Pratt, Scott, Hall, Walmsley; Trueman, Sinfield; McMeeken, Smoothy, Hamlin-Uele, Nikotemo, Vagana, Pitts.

Interchanges: Rodwell, Storton, Tevaga, Smith.

Referee: Jack Smith.