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ByChipThompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter CORNING The Corning Cardi- nals boys basketball team took an early lead and never looked back Tuesday night with a 53-44 win over the University Prep Panthers. The Cardinals led 27-11 in the first half and held on for the win despite the Panthers finding the hoop in the second half. Brendan Hoag led the Cardi- nals with 19 points and 10 re- bounds; Noah Zoppi had 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and four boards; Corey Busta had 10 rebounds and four points and Austin Mishoe and Marco Tapia each had five points. The Cardinals were scheduled to face the Winters Warriors on Wednesday at the Live Oak tour- nament, which continues through Friday. They will host the Orland Trojans at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Bulldogs58,Greenville45 LOS MOLINOS The Los Molinos Bulldogs put together a strong second half Tuesday evening to take a 58-45 win over the Green- ville Indians at home. Sophomore Aaron Hardy led the Bulldogs with 19 points, fresh- man Ty Isaksen had 17, Kyle Wood had 13, Alex Russell had six and freshman Devin Henderson had three points. Wood and Hender- son each scored from outside the arc. The Bulldogs are scheduled for a rematch with Greenville at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to kick off the Max- well tournament, which continues through Saturday. Fall River 79, Warriors 17 MCARTHUR The Mercy Warriors fell on the road Tuesday to the Fall River Bulldogs 79-17. Fall River came out strong, put- ting up 44 points in the opening period to Mercy's four. While the Bulldogs took their foot off the gas, Mercy's struggles continued for the remainder of the game, failing to score at all in the third period and being held to single digits in the second and fourth. BASKETBALL CARDS, BULLDOGS BOTH WIN AT HOME WarriorstrouncedonroadtripnorthagainstFallRiverbyscoreof79-17 LARRYLONG—CONTRIBUTED Los Molinos' Ty Isaksen takes a shot Tuesday night against Greenville. CHIP THOMPSON — DAILY NEWS Red Bluff Spartans volleyball player Kennedy Somavia, seated, signs a letter of intent Wednesday a ernoon for New England College. Pictured with Somavia are her parents, Troy and Lisa, and Spartans coach Kelli Mustaine. By Chip Thompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter RED BLUFF Kennedy Somavia helped lead the Red Bluff Spar- tans volleyball team into the playoffs this season, and next fall she'll help build a brand new pro- gram at New England College in New Hampshire. Somavia signed a letter of in- tent at the high school Wednes- day afternoon to play for New England, which will take to the court for the first time in 2017-18. Several universities courted Somavia, but a good rapport with head coach Mark Thomas and a campus visit in Novem- ber led her to commit to the Pil- grims. "When I went to visit, the campus was perfect for me," So- mavia said. While New Hampshire is a long way from home, Soma- via said she is nervous but not scared to be so far away. The chance to be a part of creating a new tradition at the school is exciting, Somavia said, and she looks forward to play- ing with athletes from around the country who share her com- mitment to the game. Somavia, the daughter of Troy and Lisa Somavia, plans to major in business and marketing with a minor in social media but isn't certain what career path she'll chose. With the Spartans, Soma- via tallied 53 kills, 21 aces, 60 blocks, 71 digs and 41 assists in 61 sets played this season. She also played on the varsity team for 26 sets as a junior. VOLLEYBALL SomaviasignswithNewEngland Red Bluff standout helped Spartans reach playoffs this season with 53 kills, 60 blocks "When I went to visit, the campus was perfect for me." – Red Bluff High's Kennedy Somavia. Courtesy of the PRCA LAS VEGAS Bareback rider Jake Vold is doing his best Ry- der Wright impression. Wright won four straight saddle bronc riding rounds outright to open this year's Wrangler National Fi- nals Rodeo, and Vold has nearly equaled that in his event. The Ponoka, Alberta, cowboy won his third straight round Tues- day night with an 85.5-point trip on Burch Rodeo's Jim Dandy. Vold became just the eighth bareback rider in NFR history to win three straight rounds. "I had that same horse at my first NFR two years ago," Vold said. "I was about 81 on him and was fourth in the round, and this time I was a lot more aggressive on him. I knew what to expect from him, and how to help him to make the ride better." Vold entered the WNFR ranked 10th in the world standings, and has now moved up to fourth, sit- ting less than $10,000 out of sec- ond place. He's hoping the momentum keeps snow balling, and that he can put even more pressure on world standings leader Tim O'Connell. "Well, it would be great if that was the case and I kept riding like this the rest of the NFR," Vold said. "When I get on any horse, my mindset is to go right at it and enjoy myself. That's the attitude I had here two years ago, and I've kept it into this year. Beating the top 14 other bareback riders in the world three straight nights isn't easy, and I've been fortunate to put together some solid rides." Team ropers Luke Brown and Jake Long entered the sixth round in first place in both the world standings and the WNFR aver- age. They strengthened their po- sition as the team to beat with a 4.2-second run and their second round win thus far. For Brown, a nine-time WNFR veteran who has finished second in the world three times since 2009, this may be his best chance to grab his first gold buckle. "We drew good, and Jake's heel- ing them fast," Brown said. "And that's the best steer we've had all week. Matt Sherwood (and Quinn Kesler) won Round 3 on him. He ran straight tonight, too, and his horns were just right - not too big, and didn't come up too high." Long, who's making his sixth WNFR appearance, also has been close to tasting the ultimate glory of a world title the past two sea- sons. He was sixth in the world standings in 2015, and third in 2014. "I knew coming in that if we roped good, we'd have a chance to throw our ropes at the gold," Long said. "We've had a fortunate week - even some of our slower runs have made money, and we've had some good runs, too. A lot of things have to go your way to win the world. I believe that hard work brings you luck." Hard work and perseverance also have served bull rider Bren- non Eldred well. RODEO Vold has himself a hat trick in Vegas BOYS PAGE 2 By Chip Thompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter LOSMOLINOS The Los Molinos Lady Bulldogs basketball team beat the Greenville Indians 53- 37 Tuesday at home. The first period remained close, with the Bulldogs hold- ing just a one-point lead go- ing into the second period, but the defense tightened up and they held the Indians to just four points in the sec- ond. The Bulldogs were able to extend their lead in the sec- ond half for the comfortable win. Rachel Rogers led the Bull- dogs with 21 points, seven re- bounds and four blocks; Henna Acevedo had 18 points, 10 re- bounds and a block; Valeria Garnica had six points and four rebounds and freshman Yailin Madera pulled down two re- bounds. The Bulldogs are scheduled to take on the host Pierce Bears at the Arbuckle tournament at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. U-Prep 54, Cardinals 44 REDDING The Corning Lady Cardinals lost on the road Tues- day to the University Prep Pan- thers 54-44. The Cardinals went down 16-7 at the end of the first pe- riod but bounced back in the second to go into halftime down just 26-23. A shaky third period allowed the Panthers to pad their lead and they held on for the win. As of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, no individual stats had been posted for the game. The Cardinals are scheduled to face the McKinleyville Pan- thers at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in tournament play. GIRLS BASKETBALL Lady Bulldogs beat Greenville LARRY LONG — CONTRIBUTED Los Molinos' Rachel Rogers makes a move Tuesday night against the Greenville Indians. RODEO PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, December 8, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1