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Sports Tehama Tracker Today's games BOYS SOCCER 4:30 p.m. Corning Hamilton City 4:30 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Red Bluff Enterprise Warriors Sacramento mayor to present counteroffer to keep Kings 6 p.m. NBA Miami Wednesday January 16, 2013 NBA Enterprise Red Bluff 1B ESPN 7:30 p.m. Washington CSNC Kings 7 p.m. On the tube MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 4 p.m. ESPN2 — NC State at Maryland 6 p.m. ESPN2 — West Virginia at Iowa St. NBA 5 p.m. ESPN — Houston at Dallas 7:30 p.m. ESPN — Miami at Golden State TENNIS 11 a.m. ESPN2 — Australian Open, second round, at Melbourne, Australia (same-day tape) 8 p.m. ESPN2 — Australian Open, second round, at Melbourne, Australia Midnight ESPN2 — Australian Open, second round, at Melbourne, Australia Serena romps through 1st round of Aussie Open MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Flat on her back, her sore right ankle raised and her hands covering her face, Serena Williams tried to block out thoughts that her bid for a third straight Grand Slam title might be ruined. After a dominating run the last six months, Williams was a big favorite to win the Australian Open. Suddenly, though, there seemed a way for her to be gone in the first round. ''I almost panicked, and I thought, 'I can't do that,''' she said. ''I just have to really remain calm and think things through.'' The stats showed this was nothing more than a stroll — a 6-0, 6-0 wipeout in 54 minutes of No. 110ranked Edina GallovitsHall at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. Williams conceded only six points in the second set. But this match took significantly longer to complete given the medical timeouts. And while the score may have been painful to her opponent, there was plenty of pain to go around. The first set was 4-0 after 19 minutes at Hisense Arena when her tumble near the baseline diverted attention on Day Two from center court, where a day session featuring Roger Federer, Andy Murray and women's champion Victoria Azarenka was under way. After some deep breaths, the 31-year-old Willlams pulled herself together, got to her hands and knees for a few minutes and gradually to her feet. Her already heavily taped ankle was assessed and retaped. She went back on court and won the next four points to get herself to another changeover, and more attention from the doctor. She went back and held another service game to clinch the set, giving her time for more treatment. ''A very similar thing happened to me last year, almost on the same side, the same shot,'' Williams said, referring to a fall that forced her to pull out of the Brisbane International last year and contributed to her See OPEN, page 2B (AP) — Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is taking his fight to keep the Kings in California's capital city to NBA owners. Again. Speaking at the annual State of Downtown breakfast on Tuesday, Johnson said he has received approval from NBA Commissioner David Stern to present a counteroffer to the league from buyers who would keep the team in Sacramento. He said the city is in a ''six-week sprint'' to put together a proposal for the NBA's Board of Governors to consider over a potential sale and relocation to Seattle. The league's deadline for teams to apply for a move for the next season is March 1, though that has been extended each of the last two years for the Kings. And both times, Johnson — a former NBA All-Star — has convinced the league that Sacramento could help fix the franchise's financial woes and secure its long-term home in a new arena. ''We want this to be the final act of a saga that's gone on for far too long,'' Johnson said. People with knowledge of the situation said last week that a group led by San Francisco-based investor Chris Hansen, who wants to return the NBA to Seattle, has contacted the Maloof family about buying the Kings. They spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because no deal has been reached. One person said the Kings could sell for more than $500 million, MCT file photo The Maloof brothers, from left, George, Gavin and Joe, appear before a game between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers at Arco Arena in 2011. topping the NBA-record $450 million the Golden State Warriors sold for in 2010. Some reports have suggested up to $525 million. The Kings' future in Sacramento has been uncertain because the Maloofs and the city haven't been able to agree on a deal for a downtown arena. ''While I am sensitive to the important role of the news media in informing the public, our position has not changed, we will not comment on rumors or speculation about the future of the Sacramento Kings franchise,'' Maloof family spokesman Eric Rose said in a statement Tuesday. The NBA declined to comment on Johnson's remarks Tuesday. Hansen's goal has been to find a team and restore the SuperSonics name after they were moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008. He reached agreement with local governments in Seattle last October on plans to build a $490 million arena near the city's other stadiums, CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field. As part of the agreement, no construction will begin until all environmental reviews are completed and a team has been secured. NFL Johnson commended Seattle's efforts to bring the NBA back to the Puget Sound. He just doesn't want it to be at the expense of Sacramento. ''We have a city and a community that have done every single thing that is required,'' Johnson said. ''I hope Seattle gets another team. They deserve another team. They didn't deserve to lose a team in the first place. It just won't be the Sacramento Kings if we have anything to do with it.'' The Maloofs backed out of a tentative $391 million deal for a new downtown arena with Sacramento last April, reigniting fears the franchise could relocate. The Kings said the deal didn't make financial sense for the franchise. In 2011, the Kings appeared determined to move to Anaheim before Johnson convinced NBA owners at a meeting in New York to give the city one last chance to help finance an arena. That pitch bought Sacramento time, before the brokered deal between the city and the Maloofs — negotiated by Stern and league lawyers — fell apart last year. Johnson said the Maloofs could still See KINGS, page 2B NFL 49ers to face old coach in NFC title game any better than in last year's AFC championship, when they fell at Foxborough 2320. Baltimore is a 9 1-2point underdog to the Patriots. ''There are challenges that get you to the point that you are at as a football team and make you who you are, even as a person,'' said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, whose team needed a last-minute 70- SANTA CLARA (AP) — Mike Nolan's 3 1/2-year tenure as coach for the San Francisco 49ers offered few highlights on the field. An 18-37 record before a mid-season firing in 2008. No playoff berths for a franchise used to winning championships. A parade of offensive coordinators unable to develop Alex Smith at quarterback. Yet to call Nolan's run in San Francisco a complete failure would clearly miss the point. He took over a franchise decimated under the leadership of former general manager Terry Donahue and coach Dennis Erickson and began acquiring the pieces that Jim Harbaugh later used to make back-to-back runs to the NFC championship game. Nolan, now the defensive coordinator in Atlanta, gets the chance to see the results of some of his work when the Falcons (14-3) host the 49ers (12-4-1) on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. ''There's a lot of players still playing there that we added, that I'll see. I look forward to seeing them before the game. I'm glad they've done well. Not only for those players, but for the organization,'' Nolan said. ''I put a lot of time and effort into that. So, in a strange way, it's a little rewarding that some of those guys are going so well.'' San Francisco owner Jed York said he gives Nolan ''a lot of credit for helping set the foundation for this current 49ers team. ''It's never easy to let somebody go that you have so much respect for, and you wish things had worked out differently for Mike. ... He is a very classy man and he's a heck of a football coach,'' York said. ''He's not the person that I want to see with the 49ers looking across the field knowing he is coordinating the defense of our opponent. That's not a good thing See ENDING, page 2B See 49ERS, page 2B MCT photo The 49ers' Dashon Goldson (38) tackles Green Bay Packers' Greg Jennings (85) after he made a catch Saturday during the NFC Divisional Playoff. 49ers, Ravens plan different endings going into Sunday (AP) — This time, it will be different. That's the mantra the Ravens and 49ers must carry into Sunday's conference championships. One step from the Super Bowl once more, the Ravens and 49ers believe they've found that extra element for success. For San Francisco, it might be the versatility and big-play potential Colin Kaepernick brings to the offense. For Baltimore, it could be the ramped-up emotions from Ray Lewis' pending retirement. The odds makers believe the Niners have what they need to beat the Falcons one year after an overtime loss to the Giants in the NFC title game; San Francisco is favored by 3 12 points at Atlanta. That says a lot. But the bookies don't believe the Ravens will do