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The end of a streak The Corning Cardinals varsity boys basketball team lost its first game of the season Friday in a non-league match against the Foothill Cougars, 6352. The Cards, who have been stomping out opponents with their two-headed monster in Michael Shoemaker and Nick Hoag, both post players, both juniors and both averaging double-doubles, are now 20-1 overall and 4-0 in the Northern Athletic League. Perhaps the team was due for a loss. The Cards escaped with an overtime road win in Anderson on Tuesday. Or perhaps Corning's play style doesn't jibe with teams that shoot a high percentage from 3 . The Cougars were 10 of 25 (40 percent and about the team's season average) from 3-point land, while Corning was just 1 of 11 from behind the arc in the 11-point defeat. Either way, the Cards are on their way to their best finish since 2009, when Corning went 10-0 in league play and finished with an overall 21-6 record after falling to Paradise in the playoffs. Looking ahead, it's hard not to favor Corning in its next four league games against Yreka, Lassen, Central Valley and Anderson — all teams that already have been dealt losses by the Cardinals. Corning's Feb. 15 season closer is a nonleague home match against West Valley, a team in Foothill's league by designation only. The Falcons are winless in league and sport a 8-10 overall record. However, it could be the Cards' biggest threat on their remaining schedule before heading to the postseason. — Andre Byik sports@redbluffdailynews.com 1B Sports Tehama Take Tuesday January 29, 2013 SUPER BOWL 49ers' Gore never lost hope NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Frank Gore never lost hope. Not through all the injuries, all the losing early in his career. That perseverance finally paid off this season for the San Francisco running back. The 29-year-old Gore helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995, a triumph that is especially sweet given all he's been through. He tore up both knees in college. He underwent major surgery on both shoulders after he got to the pros. He lost part of another season to a hip injury. Not to mention, Gore didn't experience winning in the NFL until his seventh year. ''It was tough, real tough,'' he said Monday. ''It was tough coming to work, especially for me coming from a winning program (Miami) in college. I was never used to losing. I used to take it hard.'' One of his teammates, fullback Bruce Miller, has noticed the determination in Gore's eyes as the team prepares to face the Baltimore Ravens in the title game Sunday. ''It means a lot to him,'' Miller said. ''In meetings and at practice, you can see how intense and focused he is. He's worked hard for it.'' The Ravens have their own threat out of the backfield. Like Gore, Baltimore's Ray Rice has been overshadowed by more prominent teammates on the run to the title game, namely quarterback Joe Flacco and retiring linebacker Ray Lewis. But both Gore and Rice have the potential to take control with their contrasting styles. Gore is a power back, someone who can churn out the tough yards between the tackles. That style has served him well; he's run for more than 1,000 yards six of the last seven seasons and become San Francisco's career leader in rushing touchdowns. ''We always credit Frank with the tough yards,'' Miller said. ''He doesn't get the easy runs. It's up the middle, three or four yards a carry. But he just continues to move the chains. That's SHARKS WARRIORS Lee big in road win Tehama Tracker Saturday's results WRESTLING Corning Weight Result 135 — Josh Shults, 5th 163 — Ben Meister, 7th Red Bluff Weight Result 123 — Dalton Gutierrez, 5th 155 — Kyle Case, 2nd 173 — Tucker Gulliford, 3rd Today's games BOYS HOOPS Shasta Red Bluff 7:30 p.m. Chester Los Molinos 7:30 p.m. Dunsmuir Mercy 7:30 p.m. GIRLS HOOPS Chester Los Molinos 5:30 p.m. Red Bluff Shasta They have done that so far, winning their first five games in commanding fashion to top the previous best start for the franchise in 2008-09. San Jose has outscored the opposition by 15 goals and is the third team in NHL history to win its first five games by at least two goals. The Sharks have the top line of Thornton, Marleau and Joe Pavelski to thank for the early success. Marleau became the first player in nearly a century to score at least two goals in the first four games, joining Ottawa's Cy Denneny in 1917-18 as the only NHL players ever to achieve that feat. Marleau added a ninth goal in Sunday night's 4-1 win over Vancouver, even though the record streak came to an end. ''It's something that was fun,'' Marleau said. ''It was helping the team. It was kind of special. The pucks are bouncing right at the right time and going off me. It was fun.'' Marleau has gotten off to the fast start despite not playing any games during the four-month lockout in contrast to Thornton and Pavelski, who went to Europe. Instead, Marleau skated with teammates in San Jose and went to camps on Phoenix and Colorado to play with other NHL players where he put more time into working on skills like stickhandling and shooting than he normally can during a season. But still, he expected it to take time to get back up to game speed, but that wasn't the case after the one-week training camp. ''I thought it might take me a little bit,'' he said. ''But obviously playing with two guys who had been playing overseas, that helped me out a lot out there.'' With nine goals and four assists, Marleau is tied with Thornton (three goals, 10 assists) for the NHL scoring lead and has single-handedly outscored San Jose's opponents. Marleau is the first player in 20 years to score at least two goals in four straight games at any point in the season and the only Sharks player ever to accomplish the feat. ''You want to keep feeding him because he's so hot,'' Thornton said. ''It just seems like he was always around the goal and the blue paint. That's where he's scoring a lot of his goals. For it to keep going in like it has, I haven't seen anything like it. It's real fun to watch.'' KINGS 96, WIZARDS 94 Mercy 6 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Corning 4:30 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Corning U-Prep SAN JOSE (AP) — Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have found the perfect way to silence the talk about whether their window for success is closing in San Jose. With Marleau scoring goals at a record pace to start the lockout-shortened season and Thornton at his playmaking best, the Sharks have won their first five games to get off to the best start in franchise history. The fast start comes nine months after an early finish last season when the Sharks got eliminated in five games in the opening round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Blues. The step back after two straight trips to the Western Conference finals raised questions about whether a club led by 33-year-olds in Thornton and Marleau had missed its opportunity to win a Stanley Cup. ''Every year you have to earn respect,'' Thornton said Monday. ''It's not given to you. We've had good years in the past. Obviously, people might be doubting us a little but this year just because people say, 'You guys are getting old, you're 33, Joe and Patty.' We still have lots left in the tank. We still feel like we're one of the elites in the West. We just have to prove it each and every night right now.'' 7:30 p.m. Dunsmuir U-Prep MCT file photo San Jose Sharks left wing Patrick Marleau, left, and center Joe Thornton have led the Sharks to a franchise-best start. Marleau, Thornton lead fast start Corning Invitational 3:15 p.m. why we're here.'' Rice is more of a slasher, a player who can dart through the smallest of openings and break off a big gain. He's also a major weapon in the passing game, hauling in more than 300 throws his first five years in the league. Gore said he's impressed by his Ravens' counterpart. ''He does it all,'' Gore said of Rice. ''I love to watch him. I watched him in college. When I saw him in college, I knew he was going to be a pretty good back in the league.'' Sacramento zaps Wizards in final seconds WASHINGTON (AP) — Isaiah Thomas made a floater with a second to play, capping a seesaw finish as the Sacramento Kings broke a four-game losing streak with a 9694 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night. Thomas dribbled down the clock after the Wizards tied the game on Martell Webster's short jumper with 7.9 seconds to play, then drove down the middle and put the ball in with a soft touch from 9 feet. Thomas had 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and also had seven assists. Francisco Garcia scored 17 points for the Kings in a game that included 16 ties and 11 lead changes. Emeka Okafor scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and John Wall had 19 points and six assists for the Wizards, whose home winning streak ended at five games. Still, Washington is 6-4 and has been competitive in every game since Wall's return from a knee injury. TORONTO (AP) — David Lee had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Stephen Curry scored 17 points before leaving with an injury, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 114102 on Monday night. Klay Thompson scored 19 points, Carl Landry had six of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and Andrew Bogut returned from an injury to also score 12 as the Warriors earned their first victory in four games against Eastern Conference opponents this month. Harrison Barnes and Jarrett Jack each scored 14 for Golden State, which wraps up a four-game road trip at Cleveland on Tuesday. Aaron Gray had a careerhigh 22 points and 10 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and Ed Davis had 12 for the Raptors, who have lost seven of nine. Alan Anderson, Jose Calderon and Terrence Ross each scored 11 for Toronto. Up by two points to begin the fourth, the Warriors pulled away with a 12-3 run as Toronto missed 10 of its first 11 field goal attempts of the quarter. Bogut started for Golden State after missing 38 games due to soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle. He had eight rebounds and four blocks in 23 minutes. But not all the injury news was good for the Warriors. Curry twisted his injured right ankle in the third quarter when he tripped and fell after colliding with Davis while driving. He did not return. Gray, back in the Raptors' starting lineup to defend Bogut, scored a season-high 10 points in the first as the Raptors led 28-25 after one. Anderson came off the bench to score 11 points for Toronto in the second but Thompson had nine for the Warriors, including a tying 3-pointer with 1:54 left in the half. Another jumper by Thompson briefly gave Golden State the lead, but two free throws by DeRozan made it 52-all at the half. Golden State led 71-61 with 6:18 left in the third but back-to-back 3s by Calderon sparked a 16-4 run to put Toronto up two less than four minutes later. The Warriors reclaimed the lead thanks to consecutive baskets by Jack, and took a narrow 84-82 edge into the fourth.