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PLAYOFF ACTION
BEAVER TWP. -- United travels to South Range for a Division VI regional semifinal football game at 7 p.m. today.
It is a matchup of 10-1 teams with United’s only loss coming to Mineral Ridge, 31-28, in the second week and South Range’s loss to unbeaten Girard, 46-42, in the seventh week.
The last time the teams met was in 2016 in the final season of the Inter-Tri County League. The Raiders won nine of 11 meetings when the teams played in the ITCL Upper Tier.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for students. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
LIBERTY COACH STEPS DOWN
YOUNGSTOWN -- Liberty head football coach Dom Prologo stepped down on Thursday.
Prologo led the Leopards to a 19-4 record over two seasons.
Liberty was removed from the playoffs after using an ineligible player in a first-round win over Canton Central Catholic. The ineligible player used a different jersey number than his usual one during the game in an attempt to conceal his identity.
CENTRAL WINS FIRST TITLE
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Wheeling Central Catholic won its first West Virginia state volleyball title with a 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13 win over Philip Barbour on Thursday in the Class AA title match.
Teagan Peters led the Maroon Knights (29-4) with 21 kills, with Remy Peters adding 16 kills. Chloe Groome had 51 assists and Olivia Stephens had 18 digs.
DEATH LEAVES GOALIE SHAKEN
MADRID (AP) -- It will be up to Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono to decide when -- or if -- he will play again after his on-field collision with Jesús de Miguel resulted in the death of the Tenerife striker last week, Andorra coach Carles Manso said on Thursday.
Manso said the entire squad has been going through a difficult time after De Miguel’s death following a second-division match in Spain last week. He said Owono was coping by staying near his close friends and relatives.
“He is deeply affected by the situation,” Manso said in a pre-game news conference. “We will give him the space to feel completely free to decide whether, and when, he might want to return. He can make that decision whenever he feels the time is right and he truly feels prepared to do so.”
Manso said it was a “delicate situation” for Owono. The goalie had already expressed his remorse for the incident and offered his condolences to De Miguel’s family, which includes his wife and one-year-old daughter.
“As the person most directly involved, he faces a very complex challenge, and we must respect his personal process and his privacy,” Manso said. “He is likely experiencing one of the most difficult periods of his life. Our role is simply to stay close to him and offer as much support as we possibly can.”
De Miguel was challenging for the ball in midfield when he was struck in the chest by Owono near the end of the Nov. 2 match at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López. The 30-year-old De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest following the collision.
Police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter. Under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents, are subject to judicial investigation, though prosecutors have said that criminal proceedings were unlikely.
BUCKEYES ROUTED BY UCONN
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Sarah Strong made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points and No. 4 UConn took control with a big third quarter to beat No. 17 Ohio State 87-55 on Thursday night.
Ashlynn Shade had 15 points and freshman Olivia Vukosa grabbed 12 rebounds for the Huskies (3-1), who were playing their third of four straight games against ranked opponents. UConn lost to Michigan 77-66 on Nov. 5 before topping Iowa 91-79 on Sunday behind 37 points from Strong.
Strong was 9 of 12 from the field and 7 of 8 beyond the arc against the Buckeyes.
Jaloni Cambridge had 21 points for Ohio State (3-1), but was 6 of 23 from the field and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc. Ava Watson added 13 points. The Buckeyes shot nearly 50% from the field their first three games, but were 19 of 55 from the field (34.5%)) and 5 of 24 on 3-pointers.
The Huskies were up 38-35 at the half and outscored the Buckeyes 27-11 in the third quarter. Strong made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points.
Kennedy Cambridge’s 3-pointer got Ohio State to 52-45 midway through the period before UConn scored 13 straight points as Strong and Shade had five points apiece.
UConn has won eight of nine meetings against Ohio State.
RAPINOE MAKES HALL OF FAME
Former U.S. national team standouts Megan Rapinoe, Jozy Altidore and Julie Ertz were among those elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Thursday.
David Beckham, who helped grow soccer in the United States when he joined the LA Galaxy in 2007 and later as an owner of Inter Miami, was also voted into the Hall of Fame on the veteran ballot.
The group announced Thursday will be inducted on April 16 at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Plano, Texas.
Rapinoe won a pair of Women’s World Cup championships, an Olympic gold medal and the 2019 Ballon d’Or during her career. She was also honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2022.
She retired from the national team in 2023 with 63 goals and 73 assists in 203 appearances. She also played for the Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League from the league’s first year in 2013 until her retirement.
Rapinoe was elected on the Hall of Fame’s player ballot in her first year of eligibility. Her family, friends, and a group of fans surprised her with announcement of her election upon her arrival off a flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
LEBRON SITS OUT
PHILADEPLHIA (AP) -- Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James sat out Thursday night against Toronto because of low back/sciatica management.
Sixers center Joel Embiid was upgraded from questionable to available with right foot plantar fascia injury management.
James, who turns 42 next month, will now have four to five days off before he plays again. The Sixers are off Friday and Saturday. They have back-to-back games Sunday and Monday. James typically does not play in least one game of a back-to-back set, so he could return Sunday against Indiana or Monday at Brooklyn.
James has averaged 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 10 games for the Sixers this season.
The Raptors will play again without Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Scottie Barnes (groin).