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All Times EST
Thursday, March 5
MLB - Spring Training
Baltimore vs. Tampa Bay, at Port Charlotte, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Boston vs. Philadelphia, at Clearwater, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Minnesota vs. N.Y. Yankees, at Tampa, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
N.Y. Mets vs. Washington, at West Palm Beach, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh, at Bradenton, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Toronto vs. Atlanta, at North Port, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Houston vs. Miami, at Jupiter, Fla., 1:10 p.m.
Arizona vs. Chicago Cubs, at Mesa, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.
L.A Dodgers vs. Cincinnati, at Goodyear, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.
Athletics vs. L.A. Angels, at Tempe, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.
Milwaukee vs. Colorado, at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.
San Diego vs. Seattle, at Peoria, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.
Cleveland vs. Chicago White Sox, at Phoenix, 8:05 p.m.
Texas vs. Kansas City, at Surprise, Ariz., 8:05 p.m.
NBA
Dallas at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Utah at Washington, 7 p.m.
Brooklyn at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Golden State at Houston, 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at San Antonio, 8 p.m.
Toronto at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Chicago at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Denver, 10 p.m.
New Orleans at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
NHL
Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Florida at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Utah at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Boston at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Ottawa at Calgary, 9 p.m.
N.Y. Islanders at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m.
T25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
No. 3 Michigan at Iowa, 8 p.m.
No. 8 Michigan St. vs. Rutgers, 8 p.m.
T25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Big 12 Tournament - Second Round
No. 21 Texas Tech vs. Kansas St. at Kansas City, Mo., noon
Big Ten Tournament - Second Round
No. 5 Ohio St. vs. Indiana at Indianapolis, 2:30 p.m.
No. 14 Maryland vs. No. 11 Oregon at Indianapolis, 9 p.m.
No. 18 Michigan St. vs. No. 10 Illinois at Indianapolis, 6:30 p.m.
Southeastern Tournament - Second Round
No. 7 Oklahoma vs. Florida at Greenville, S.C., 1:30 p.m.
No. 17 Kentucky vs. No. 22 Georgia at Greenville, S.C., 11 a.m.
No. 24 Mississippi vs. No. 15 Auburn at Greenville, S.C., 6 p.m.
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Alabama at Greenville, S.C., 8:30 p.m.
PWHL
Boston at New York, 7 p.m.
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How MBA won first Predators Cup hockey championship since 2021
Amidst the celebrations, Montgomery Bell Academy's Matthew Moore and fellow senior Trace Graham embraced in a hug, five years in the making.
The pair first took the ice for MBA hockey as eighth graders, and year-after-year the season ended agonizingly close to an appearance in the GNASH Predators Cup championship game. The wait made this season's finish all that more special on March 4 when Moore, Graham and MBA claimed the 2026 Predators Cup trophy with a 3-0 win over Nolensville.
It was the MBA's first Predators Cup hockey championship since 2021.
"It's surreal. I don't even know what's going on," Moore said with tears of joy in his eyes. "I've been dreaming of this since eighth grade and every year we've gotten knocked out early. I never really thought this game was possible for us, but we got here. We made a statement and we did something that I never thought we could do. I'm so proud of these guys right now."
Moore, MBA's captain, spearheaded a group of six seniors which not only prepared MBA's underclassmen for the biggest stage in Tennessee high school hockey, but also served as their motivation throughout the postseason.
The senior group had come up short before, and this year's underclassmen made sure it wouldn't happen again. Freshman Conner Mazzoni was awarded the Mitchell Mielnik MVP trophy. Sophomore Henry Berk and juniors Cortland Klett and Andrew Frech scored the goals which secured the title.
"Winning for these seniors, it's everything," Mazzoni said. "Just pushing us to keep going, knowing guys like James Lehrman and Trace (Graham), (Ethan) Sides, Matthew (Moore), they've never experienced this and this is the last game they're going to play in this uniform, for this school. So it just kept us going, kept us fighting."
Fight is exactly what MBA had to do on its path to the hockey championship, having been knocked to the elimination bracket after a 2-1 defeat to Nolensville in the first round of the Predators Cup. The Big Red emerged from four elimination games to secure a rematch against Nolensville, defeating the Knights 2-1 on March 2 to force a second and final game for the Predators Cup.
"I was nervous even before Monday; I was nervous Thursday of last week after that win over Franklin," Mazzoni said. "So there were definitely some nerves, some jitters, but mainly excitement. Just excitement to be able to do this with my brothers, with our family and just makes these older guys proud."
MBA doesn't plan on slowing down any time soon, returning the majority of its roster next season under second-year coach Max Wutzke, who's made quick work of turning around a Big Red program which was in transition upon his hire. And while Moore and his fellow seniors will now depart the program as champions, they expect plenty more titles to celebrate in the years to come.
"I think the Big Red are looking to go back-to-back next year," Moore said. "We have a new, young core that (surprised me). They came out, showed up for the playoffs and I'm really excited to cheer these guys on in the future."
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How MBA hockey won GNASH's Predators Cup championship
Hartford Public knocks off SMSA to win inaugural Greater Hartford Conference boys basketball title
HARTFORD - For a minute there, it looked like the inaugural Greater Hartford Conference boys basketball championship game was going to be a TKO.
No. 2 Hartford Public led top-seed Sport & Medical Sciences Academy by 15 late in the third quarter.
Then it turned into Ali-Frazier.
Pick your own personal favorite of that trilogy. Wednesday night's battle between the GHC's two heavyweights, the third of three on the season, turned into a classic that went down to the wire, with Hartford Public holding on for a 57-54 victory before an amped-up full house at SMSA.
Jaiden Booth scored 29 points to power Public, and Jorge Nieves added 12 while commanding the glass.
But with SMSA heating to a boil in the fourth quarter behind Elijah Williams (19 points) and JaShaun Jernigan (18), the Owls didn't put the Tigers away so much as hold on when a final flurry of 3-pointers failed to find the mark in the waning seconds.
"That was amazing," said Hartford Public coach Leo Ramirez, his Owls Basketball sweatshirt soaked with sweat. "Both teams from Hartford, you couldn't picture it any better, and it was a great game."
A great game that sets a high bar for all league championships that follow. This was the first championship for the former Capital Region Athletic League, which re-branded as the GHC this year.
Both Hartford Public and SMSA are the newest kids on the league block. Hartford Public left the CCC for the CRAL in 2024, and this was SMSA's first season in the GHC after relocating from the NCCC, where the Tigers had won five league crowns, including four straight from 2021-24.
SMSA appeared to be on target for the GHC banner. The Tigers (20-3) blazed a 16-0 trail through league competition, including two previous victories over Hartford Public (17-6).
The Owls flipped the script Wednesday. They never trailed, building leads of 15-11 after one quarter and 25-20 by halftime.
In the third quarter, a 17-4 outburst sparked by a Sasha Elia drive, a Booth 3-pointer and a Ja'meer Jefferson fast break layup had the Owls cruising 42-27.
SMSA, however, closed the frame on a 9-1 surge capped by a top-of-the-key 3 from Williams at the horn. It was a foreshadowing of the fourth quarter, when treys from Williams and Jernigan, fueled by intense full-court pressure, cut the gap to 3 and set up a furious final two minutes.
Public kept the Tigers at bay on a 3-pointer by Leo Ramirez, the son of the coach, and a press-break drive by Booth.
"We lost to them two times in a row; we couldn't do it three," said Booth. "The emotions were high. The intensity was high today. We needed this win. Now we're on the Run to the Sun."
Indeed, the two teams now head to the CIAC tournament holding No. 3 seeds in their respective divisions - SMSA in III, Hartford Public in V. Both have byes into Tuesday's second round. SMSA hosts the winner of Sheehan and South Windsor. Hartford Public will welcome Valley Regional or GHC rival Comp Sci.
Player of the Game
Jaiden Booth:
Quotable
"We were hungry. We lost (to SMSA) twice. We definitely weren't losing the third time, especially in the conference (final). We were hungrier."
- Hartford Public's Jorge Nieves.
Hartford Public 57, SMSA 54
HARTFORD PUBLIC 15 10 18 14-57
SMSA 11 9 16 18-54
3-point field goals: Hartford Public-Booth 2, Ramirez, Mitchell; SMSA-Williams 2, Del Valle 2, Jernigan, Rios.
This article originally published at Hartford Public knocks off SMSA to win inaugural Greater Hartford Conference boys basketball title.
Fiso scores 20, Etute adds double-double and Oregon dumps Purdue 82-64 at women's Big Ten Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Katie Fiso scored 20 points, Ehis Etute had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Oregon defeated Purdue 82-64 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night.
Mia Jacobs had 14 points and nine rebounds for 11th-seeded Oregon (21-11).
Lana McCarthy had 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, and Hila Karsh and Tara Daye each scored 11 points for Purdue (13-17), the 14th seed.
Etute scored eight points in the first quarter and the Ducks led 21-12 after one.
In the second, the Boilermakers had a seven-minute stretch in which they missed all 10 of their shots. Oregon’s lead ballooned to 47-24 at halftime.
After shooting 24% and scoring only 24 points in the first half, Purdue shot 73% in the third quarter and scored 25 points. The Ducks shot only 25% in the third quarter but still led 64-49 heading to the fourth.
Oregon shot 47% in the first half and held on despite shooting only 33% after halftime.
The Ducks and Boilermakers met barely a week ago, on Feb. 25, with Oregon winning 71-65 at Purdue.
Up next
Oregon plays No. 6-seed Maryland on Thursday with the winner moving on to play third-seeded Michigan in the quarterfinals.
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Inland Lakes, Onaway to meet in district final; Cheboygan, Comets fall
ONAWAY – Scoring balance has been a theme for the Inland Lakes Bulldogs all season.
It’s a huge reason why the Bulldogs have been winning championships over the last few years.
That balanced attack was once again on display in a postseason setting, as the Bulldogs saw nine different players score in a 63-22 victory over Rogers City in an MHSAA Division 4 girls basketball district semifinal at Onaway on Wednesday, March 4.
Senior Chloe Robinson and sophomore Ava Belford recorded 14 points apiece for the Bulldogs (19-3), who led 10-7 despite a sluggish opening quarter. Inland Lakes showed improvement in the second quarter, outscoring the Hurons 15-3 and taking a 25-10 advantage into halftime.
“We discussed being more balanced offensively after the first quarter. From that point, we started rolling,” Inland Lakes coach Daryl Vizina said. “This game was like so many this season where we got contributions from everyone.”
Also getting in on the I-L scoring act were Faith Lehre and Molly Monthei, who tallied six points apiece, Josephine Furman, Mary Myshock, Andrea Vigneau and Addison Byrne, who scored five points each, and Kalli Williamson, who chipped in with three.
"Faith (Lehre) got our game ball. She scored a few buckets when we were working through things early,” Vizina said. "She also played tough defense. She’s an unsung hero for us every game.”
Natalie Crawford’s 12 points paced Rogers City (10-13), which received six points from Chelsea Myers.
Inland Lakes will go for a fourth consecutive district title when they travel to face M-68 rival Onaway in a 7 p.m. final on Friday, March 6.
Szymoniak, Cardinals power past Posen
ONAWAY – Marley Szymoniak’s high school basketball career is ending soon.
But the Onaway senior guard will get one last shot to win a district title on her home court.
Szymoniak netted a game-high 19 points – including four 3-pointers – to help lead the Cardinals to a 42-26 victory over Posen in an MHSAA Division 4 girls basketball district semifinal at Onaway on Wednesday, March 4.
Szymoniak’s big-time performance was pivotal for the Cardinals (8-15), who used a strong first half to take a 27-14 lead into the break.
“(Szymoniak) had a great night on both sides of the court,” Onaway coach John George said. “She was talking and keeping everyone up.”
Onaway also played outstanding defense, forcing 18 Posen turnovers in the contest.
Onaway received seven points from Maya Shimel, six from Saleen MacGregor, five from Natalee Hyde (five steals), three from Andrea Ruppert (six blocks), and two from Aleigha Garms (10 rebounds).
Onaway faces Inland Lakes (19-3) in a 7 p.m. district final at Onaway on Friday, March 6.
“We all know we have our hands full playing another matchup with I-Lakes,” George said. “The last two meetings haven’t been favorable for us, but we are familiar with what we are going to see and hope that helps us a bit. Either way, I’m proud of my group. Great win to make it to the final on our home court.”
Second quarter sinks Chiefs in loss to Sault
PETOSKEY – When senior Olivia Patrick hit a 3-pointer to cut Cheboygan’s deficit to one against Sault Ste. Marie in the second quarter, it seemed like momentum was in favor of the Chiefs.
But then the Blue Devils snatched it away in an instant, while the Chiefs could never recover.
Right after Patrick’s three, the Blue Devils exploded with a 16-0 run and coasted to a 51-26 victory over the Chiefs in an MHSAA Division 2 basketball district semifinal at Petoskey on Wednesday, March 4.
“The Sault is always tough. We knew we needed to break their press every possession and stop transition buckets,” Cheboygan coach Walter Hanson said. “We also wanted to work the inside with various mismatches. Things went to plan in the first quarter. Diem (Schley) did great working the inside. Then (Sault) started to get into their groove and got some buckets. Then we struggled from then on.”
Schley’s seven points led the Chiefs (11-11), who received six points from Cloee Rupp, five apiece from Estella Redding and Patrick, and two from Jaelyn Wheelock.
“We played hard and did a lot of things well,” Hanson said. “(Sault) had a few more unanswered runs that sunk our efforts. Overall, it was a good season for us and the girls worked really hard. The seniors need to get a lot of credit for the work they have put in. Our team is full of amazing kids who work hard, care about each other, and put others before themselves.”
Following the defeat, Hanson praised his senior class – Jaelyn Wheelock, Olivia Patrick, Addison Ptasnik, Caleigh Easter and Bea Schulz – once more.
“It’s been an honor and privilege to have had the opportunity to coach them the last few years,” Hanson said.
Madee Darling scored a game-high 19 points and Piper Bell netted 16 for the Blue Devils (18-4), who clash with host Petoskey (19-3) in a 6 p.m. district final on Friday, March 6.
Petoskey rolled to a 57-22 victory over Kalkaska in its semifinal.
Comets beaten by Cedarville in semifinals
CEDARVILLE – The Mackinaw City Comets gave Cedarville a battle, but it just wasn’t enough.
Looking to book their ticket to a district final, the Comets fell short in a 47-37 loss in an MHSAA Division 4 girls basketball semifinal at Cedarville on Wednesday, March 4.
Cedarville (14-7) travels to St. Ignace (13-8) for a 6 p.m. district final on Friday, March 6. The Saints rolled to a 57-21 win over Pickford in their semifinal.
Despite the loss, the Comets (15-9) had a solid season, capturing eight victories in their final 10 games.
Stats for Mackinaw City will be provided when they become available.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan-area high school girls basketball district semifinal roundup