When Birmingham High’s Tekeio Phillips and X’Zavion McKay were asked if they are surprised that the Patriots are playing for a Division III state boys’ basketball championship on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento after losing in the first round of the City Section Open Division playoffs, the answer was unanimous: Yes.
The Patriots (22-7) have won four consecutive state playoff games to earn a spot against Antioch Cornerstone Christian (28-8) in a 4 p.m. final. Fellow City Section member Sylmar (24-12) is playing San Marin (21-13) for the Division V title at noon. On Saturday, Palisades’ girls’ team plays Faith Christian at 10 a.m.
Birmingham lost to Fairfax 66-58 on Feb. 11 in the City playoffs and didn’t play another game until March 3. How do you get your team motivated for state playoffs after three weeks off?
“We didn’t do anything the rest of the week and took the next week off,” Halic said. “We rested our bodies and emotionally refreshed.”
Most importantly, Patriot players decided they wanted to win in the state playoffs.
“It definitely helped us offensively connect better,” Halic said. “We’re playing a better game these last four games. When you lose you’re disappointed and sometimes going into state, people don’t care. It’s such a great opportunity for us.”
Phillips is averaging 22.8 points. McKay is averaging 12.6 points and 10.5 rebounds. Phillips has twice played at Golden 1 Center when he was a member of the Alijah Arenas-led Chatsworth team.
“It’s just a bigger gym,” Phillips said. “I feel comfortable.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
A number of UK flights are included in this today, such as:
10:05am from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
11:05am from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
12:05pm from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
12:10pm from Manchester to Frankfurt
1:05pm from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
3:40pm from Edinburgh to Frankfurt
3:45pm from Manchester to Frankfurt
4pm from Birmingham to Frankfurt
4:05pm from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
6:05pm from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
8:05pm from London Heathrow to Frankfurt
A similar number are cancelled tomorrow as well, meaning thousands are affected travelling from the UK.
A statement from Lufthansa reads: “Lufthansa is working intensively to keep the impact on our passengers as low as possible and has published a special flight schedule for both strike days.
“According to this schedule, more than 50 percent of the originally planned flight program can be operated on Thursday and Friday.
“For long-haul connections, the share is as high as 60 percent.”
Passengers affected can request a refund or move their flight date for free up until March 23.
She simply kept showing up for it anyway, through the long and often anonymous slog of the professional tour.
Now 32 and the oldest player in the top 10, Pegula is having her best season start yet.
The fifth-ranked American reached the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in January, falling to eventual champion Elena Rybakina. She followed that by capturing the Dubai 1000-level tournament, just a rung below the majors.
She is 15-2 so far in 2026, tied with Victoria Mboko in match wins and second only to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina (17-3), who she defeated 6-2, 6-4 in the Dubai final.
Pegula is guaranteed to emerge from this week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as the top-ranked American, overtaking No. 4 Coco Gauff, if she reaches the final.
Jessica Pegula kisses the Dubai trophy after defeating Elina Svitolina in the finals on Feb. 21.
(Altaf Qadri / Associated Press)
First, she will have to get past No. 12-seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, her fourth-round opponent on Wednesday. Bencic has not dropped a set in four previous meetings with Pegula.
“That will be a challenge for me,” said the characteristically even-keeled Pegula after defeating former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third round on Monday.
A late bloomer, Pegula has taken the long road.
She failed to qualify for Grand Slam main draws in 12 of 14 attempts from 2011 to 2018, and didn’t reach the third round at a major until the 2020 U.S. Open at age 26. All three of her Grand Slam semifinal runs — along with her 2024 U.S. Open final — have come after she turned 30.
Pegula said this week that her patience and persistence stem from “always being a little more mature for my age even when I was younger.”
“I think as I’ve gotten older, your perspective changes as well,” she added.
Pegula, whose parents are principal owners of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, acknowledges that her wealthy family background can cut two ways.
Financial security offers freedom to push through the sport’s early years on tour, when results are uncertain and the grind is relentless. That same cushion might make it easier to walk away if the climb becomes too frustrating.
Jessica Pegula plays a backhand against Donna Vekic during their match at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
(Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
Pegula says her motivation to pursue tennis came well before her family’s fortune grew.
“I’ve been wanting to be a professional tennis player and No. 1 in the world since I was like 7,” she said in a small interview room after beating Ostapenko this week.
“It’s a privilege, but at the same time I don’t want to do myself a disservice of not taking the opportunity as well,” she explained. “I’ve always looked at it that way.”
In the last few seasons, that maturity on the court has dovetailed with a growing leadership role off it.
Pegula has served for years on the WTA Player Council and was recently tapped to chair the tour’s new Tour Architecture Council, a working group tasked with examining the increasingly demanding schedule and structural pressures players say have intensified in recent seasons. The panel is expected to explore changes that could reshape the calendar and player workload in coming years.
Pegula said she hadn’t put up her hand to be involved but agreed after several players approached her to take the lead role — though she declined to say who they were.
“I think maybe as you mature … you realize how important it is to give back to the sport,” she said last week.
Life has also provided grounding and a wider lens.
The Buffalo native and Florida resident also married businessman Taylor Gahagen in 2021. Gahagen helps “holds down the fort” at home with the couple’s dogs and travels with her when possible. He is with her in Indian Wells.
“I have an amazing support system,” Pegula says.
Despite winning 10 WTA singles titles, achieving a career singles high of No. 3 in 2022 and the No. 1 doubles ranking, Pegula’s low-key demeanor means she flies a bit under the radar.
She’s not one for fashion statements, outlandish antics or attention-seeking initiatives, her joint podcast with close friend Madison Keys notwithstanding.
Instead, Pegula tends to go about her business quietly, relying on a calm temperament and a methodical style that wears opponents down over time.
She gets the job done — the Tim Duncan of the women’s tour.
“She’s just all about lacing them up and competing between the lines, and then trying to be as big an asset as she can to her peers off the court,” says Mark Knowles, the former doubles standout who has shared coaching duties with Mark Merklein since early 2024.
“I think one of her great attributes is she’s very level-headed,” Knowles adds. “She doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low.”
Her tennis identity echoes her steadiness.
Instead of bludgeoning opponents with power, the 5-foot-7 Pegula beats them with savvy, steadiness and tactical variety. A careful student of the game, she studies matchups and patrols the court with a composed efficiency that incrementally drains big hitters and outmaneuvers most rivals long before the final score confirms it.
Keys calls that consistency her “superpower.”
“She doesn’t lose matches that she shouldn’t lose,” the 2025 Australian Open champion said this week.
Because of injuries in the early part of her career, Knowles says Pegula might have less wear-and-tear than other players her age. And he and her team have prioritized rest and recovery, which included the decision to skip the tournament in Doha last month following her tiring Australian Open run.
On brand, there was no panic in Pegula after dropping the first set in her two matches so far at Indian Wells. As she’s done all season, she steadied herself to earn three-set wins.
Bucket-list goals remain, however. Chiefly, capturing a Grand Slam title.
Jessica Pegula returns a shot to Jelena Ostapenko during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Monday.
(Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
Pegula jokes that she briefly interrupted a run of American female success when she fell in the 2024 U.S. Open final to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. But seeing close friend and teenage phenom Keys capture her major in Melbourne last year — after many wondered if her window had passed — hit closer to home.
“I think Madison winning Australia just motivated me even more,” Pegula says.
Although Pegula believes she is among the best hardcourt players in women’s tennis, that confidence hasn’t translated into success in the California desert. She has reached the quarterfinals just once in 10 previous appearances in Indian Wells.
“Why not try and add that one to the resume?” says Knowles, noting that she had never won the title in Dubai until last month. “She’s playing still at a very high level.”
Pegula says the key to keeping things fresh is maintaining her love of the game by continuing to improve and experiment with new ideas, a process that keeps her engaged mentally and eager to compete.
“I’m not afraid to kind of take that risk of changing and working on different things,” she says, “which just keeps my mind working and problem solving.”
For a player who never needed tennis, she remains determined to see how much more it can give her.
WE are just days away from St Patrick’s Day and the UK is full of events to celebrate.
Even though St Patrick’s Day falls on a Tuesday (March 17), this weekend there are a number of events you can head to soak up the celebration.
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There are a number of St Patrick’s Day events across the countryCredit: Alamy
Some cities are hosting parades and others have more family-orientated events – so here are some of the best.
Belfast St Patrick’s Day Celebrations
Of course, it wouldn’t be this list without the capital of Northern Ireland.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations are spread across several days in Belfast, with a Music Festival from March 13 to 17, Celebrations at St George’s Market on March 14 and 15 and a parade on March 17.
When it comes to the parade on Tuesday, the streets will come alive with performers, music, dance troupes and community groups.
Also on Tuesday, visitors will be able to enjoy the St Patrick’s Day Festival Village between 1pm and 4pm at Belfast Cathedral Car Park.
The village is free to enter and will boast music, dancing, food and family activities.
London St Patrick’s Day Parade
This Sunday, March 15, London will host one of the largest St Patrick’s Day parades in the country.
Starting at 12pm and running until 6pm, the parade will follow a 1.5 mile route and feature carnival performers, musicians, dancers and marching bands.
There will also be lots of celebrations in Trafalgar Square that are free for the public to enjoy.
For kids there will be arts and crafts sessions and if you get hungry there will be plenty of food stalls around.
Manchester Irish Festival
Manchester Irish Festival will take place across several days with Irish art, comedy, dancing, music, sport and theatre performances.
The parade will take place on Sunday, March 15, starting at 12pm.
It will follow a route into the city centre.
From March 12, there will be the Irish Festival Village at St Ann’s Square, with live music every day, Irish-themed pizza and pints, of course.
For example, London has a 1.5mile parade and Manchester has a festival across several daysCredit: Alamy
Leeds St. Patrick’s Day
Leeds‘ annual St Patrick’s Day celebration will be on March 15.
The day will be full of entertainment but there isn’t a parade this year.
In a statement on social media, the team said: “The Leeds St Patrick’s Day Parade committee would like to inform you of an important change to this year’s festival day.
“Due to matters out of our control, we have had to make the decision not to have floats and walkers travel the parade this year.
“This is a decision which was not made lightly and we hope to have this aspect back next year – bigger and better than ever.
“However, we will still be celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Millennium Square.
“There will be lots of entertainment and displays in the square for all to enjoy.
“It is still set to be a brilliant day – so don’t miss out.”
There won’t be a parade in Leeds this year, but there is a day full of entertainmentCredit: Alamy
Birmingham St. Patrick’s Fun Day
On March 15, there will be a St Patrick’s Family Fun Day in Birmingham.
The event will take place at the Irish Centre, starting at 12pm.
There will be entertainment, activities, food, live bands and music.
For children, there will be a lot of fun to get stuck into including a funfair and face painting.
Meanwhile, parents can peruse stalls and have a go at the tombola.
If you want to grab a bite to eat, there will be Irish sausage baps as well as Fitzgerald’s Irish Store, which sells a range of Irish products.
Tickets to the event cost £10 per person, but children under the age of 10 go free.
In Birmingham, you can join a family fun dayCredit: Alamy
Cheltenham Festival St Patrick’s Thursday
If you happen to be at Cheltenham Festival on March 12, you will get to see St Patrick’s Thursday.
As the battle for the Prestbury Cup continues, attendees can also make the most of live music across six areas.
For example, The Tumbling Paddies will perform live in The Guinness Village.
Glasgow St Patrick’s Festival Family Fun Day
In Scotland, you can head to Glasgow‘s St Patrick’s Festival on March 14.
Running from midday to 5pm, the festival on Merchant Square will include live Irish music, face painting, a balloon artist and stalls with deals on holidays in Ireland.
There will also be a number of bars and restaurants involved in the event.
Can’t make March 14? On March 17 – actual St Patrick’s Day – head to the Grosvenor Cafe in Glasgow’s West End for live music, dancers, spice bags, pints and even a special appearance from Jedward.
