Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/215520
Sports 1B Friday November 22, 2013 Lady Bulldogs advance to section final By ANDRE BYIK DN Sports Editor LOS MOLINOS — Los Molinos High School's volleyball court received another good sweeping Thursday night. The top-seeded Lady Bulldogs defeated the visiting No. 4 Pierce Bears in a Northern Section CIF Division V semifinal match, 25-13, 25-11, 25-16 to advance to the section championships for the second straight year. Los Molinos (38-8) has yet to drop a game in their playoff run after dispatching the Hamilton Braves, 3-0 on Tuesday. The Lady 'Dogs will face No. 2 Durham or No. 3 Trinity in the finals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Red Bluff High School, where they fell to Hamilton last year. As for preparing for the championship showdown, Los Molinos coach Chas Konopka said the team will stick to what's worked all year. "We're going to do what we do, and we think what we do is pretty special and pretty good," Konopka said. "So we're going to concentrate on that." Pierce (22-16) never led in the contest, though it came close in the third game, when the Bears came back from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game at nine apiece. The Bulldogs' Emily Bailey quashed the Bears' run from there with a kill, and Los Molinos went on to win the next five points on Jasmine Ortega's service to run out to a 15-10 lead. Los Molinos didn't drop a game at home all year, extending its home winning streak to 16-0. ——— Andre Byik can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 111 or sports@redbluffdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TehamaSports. Daily News photo by Andre Byik Los Molinos High's Clarivel Castillo, second from right, strikes a ball during the Lady Bulldogs' quarterfinal volleyball match against Pierce High School on Thursday at Los Molinos High School. Brees throws 2 TDs, Saints beat Falcons 49ers offense looks to rediscover its groove SANTA CLARA (AP) — Jim Harbaugh called his players together Thursday and talked to them about writing a new story. This isn't the dramatic Super Bowl return of a year ago. It's not the tale of Harbaugh's remarkable turnaround first season as a head coach when the San Francisco 49ers snapped an eight-year playoff drought in 2011. Harbaugh is doing his best to motivate his players in the midst of a tough stretch, while running back Frank Gore is calling on his offensive teammates to do their part to help save San Francisco's season before it's too late. Gore acknowledged what must happen the rest of the way — winning — for the reigning NFC champion Niners (6-4) to return to the playoffs let alone be in position to chase another Super Bowl berth. San Francisco has lost two straight for the second time this season after a home loss to Carolina, then a last-second 23-20 loss at New Orleans last Sunday. A Monday night game at Washington looms, and Gore and Co. realize they cannot afford to let another game get away. "We've lost two in a row. I know Monday night, Washington's going to be pumped and we're trying to get back on track to get where we want to be, and that's to get to the playoffs," Gore said. "Everybody's got to be on board. Everybody's got to make a play when it's there. ... They've lost close games back-to- AP photo San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) walks in the sideline in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans on Sunday. back and I know they're desperate for a win. We're trying to get back on track." Just four total points have decided the past two games for San Francisco, which came out of its bye week riding a five-game winning streak during which quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the offense had scored 31 or more points in each of those victories. "There's a fine line between winning and losing," fullback Bruce Miller said. "In the past, I think more so we've been on the other side of that, the ball bounced our way and we've made plays. Now, Coach Harbaugh just talked about it. This is a different story, a Tehama Tracker Sports on TV AUTO RACING 8 a.m. NBCSN — Formula One, practice for Brazilian Grand Prix, at Sao Paulo COLLEGE FOOTBALL 6:30 p.m. ESPN2 — Navy at San Jose St. GOLF 6 a.m. TGC — European PGA Tour, South African Open Championship, second round, at Johannesburg (same-day tape) 10:30 a.m. TGC — LPGA, Titleholders, second round, at Naples, Fla. 5 p.m. TGC — PGA Tour, World Cup, third round, at Cheltenham, Australia MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11:30 a.m. ESPN2 — Puerto Rico TipOff, semifinal, Charlotte-Kansas St. winner vs. Northeastern-Georgetown winner, at San Juan, Puerto Rico 2 p.m. ESPN2 — Puerto Rico Tip-Off, semifinal, Long Beach St.-Michigan winner vs. Florida St.-VCU winner, at San Juan, Puerto Rico 4 p.m. ESPN2 — 2K Sports Classic, championship, UConn-Boston College winner vs. Indiana- Washington winner, at New York FS1 — Delaware at Villanova TRUTV — Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, doubleheader, first round, Oklahoma vs. Seton Hall and Michigan St. vs. Virginia Tech, at Brooklyn, N.Y. 6 p.m. FS1 — Monmouth at St. John's MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY 4:30 p.m. NBCSN — North Dakota at Boston NBA BASKETBALL 5 p.m. ESPN — San Antonio at Memphis 7:30 p.m. ESPN — Golden State at L.A. Lakers WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 5 p.m. FSN — Southern Cal at Oklahoma St. different season. And we're still writing it. We're in the run, we just have to be more opportunistic." San Francisco has managed only 347 yards and Kaepernick has been sacked nine times while throwing a pair of interceptions during the losing streak. "There's a lot of things this offense has to do and it's expected of us," Kaepernick said. Harbaugh is standing by Kaepernick each week, regardless of the result. It's been a year since the coach chose to promote the thensecond-year pro over Alex Smith, now with the Chiefs. In respect to Kaepernick's lower production the past two games, Harbaugh questions why critics would say Kaepernick is struggling. "I think he's doing a heck of a job. I'd be puzzled why people would think that," Harbaugh said. "What's most important is what we see." And, now, the 49ers will be mixing in a new face on the offensive line. Adam Snyder is expected to start at left guard in place of Mike Iupati, who confirmed Thursday he won't play because of a sprained left knee. While the injury isn't considered season- ending, he doesn't know how much time he might miss and is still undergoing evaluations. Iupati, the 17th overall pick in the 2010 draft who hasn't missed a start yet, was using crutches with his knee in a bulky brace and needed help from a teammate to pull on his left sock. Cornerback Carlos Rogers acknowledged there can be frustration when the offense goes three-and-out and the defense must immediately go back out there, but added: "We're a tight family. We stick together. We don't call people out." Also Thursday, linebacker Ahmad Brooks defended his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees late in Sunday's 23-20 loss that landed Brooks a $15,570 fine. On Tuesday he will appeal the penalty, his second such fine this year for quarterback hits after clobbering Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers in the season opener. Brooks has declined to accept contributions from Ray Lewis and Teddy Bruschi toward the fine. He told Bruschi in a recent conversation, "I'm a grown man, I'll take care of it." "This is the most publicity I've ever had on one play," Brooks said. ATLANTA (AP) — The New Orleans Saints had to grind one out to avoid an upset at the hands of their biggest rival. Drew Brees put up just enough points, and the defense took care of the rest. Brees threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham and a 1-yarder to Benjamin Waton as the Saints overcame a lackluster offensive showing to beat the Atlanta Falcons 1713 Thursday night. Both scoring plays came in the first half, good enough to give the first-place Saints (9-2) a sweep of the season series with their NFC South rivals. Atlanta (2-9) dropped its fifth straight game, clinched its first losing season since 2007 and was officially eliminated from the division race with five weeks remaining. The Falcons had a chance to pull off the upset, driving to the Saints 29 with less than 3 minutes to go. But New Orleans turned up the pressure on Matt Ryan, Atlanta missed a long field goal, and the Saints ran off all but the last 5 seconds. New Orleans also forced a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter. Keyunta Dawson stripped the ball from Falcons rookie receiver Darius Johnson, and Corey White fell on it at the Saints 13. The Georgia Dome rocked with chants of "Who Dat! Who Dat!" as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Saints ensuring they will remain alone atop the NFC South and just one game behind Seattle for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. New Orleans will face the Seahawks on Dec. 2 in what shapes up as one of the biggest games of the year. The Falcons had hoped to salvage some bit of pride in this lost season, driving from their own 9 — actually, the 3 after Ryan was sacked — to the Saints 29. But Ryan was sacked again by Cameron Jordan and hurried into a pair of incompletions. As the crowd groaned, the Falcons surprisingly sent on Matt Bryant to attempt a 52-yard field goal. He knocked one through, but the Saints called timeout just before the snap. After standing around during the commercial break, Bryant's next try sailed wide of the left upright. Brees and the offense took it from there, assuring Atlanta had time for only one desperate play at the end. The Saints quarterback was 23 of 33 for 278 yards. Ryan was 30 of 39 for 297 yards, but Atlanta's offense produced only one touchdown — the fourth time that has happened during its current skid. Ryan was sacked five times, with Jordan getting credit for 21⁄2 and Akiem Hicks 11⁄2. The Falcons, who had been outscored 135-61 over their previous four games, put together an impressive drive on their opening possession. Steven Jackson carried it five times for 24 yards, the last of them a dive into the end zone on third-and-goal at the Saints 1. The touchdown came after Johnson appeared to score on a quick slant, but the replay showed his knee was down just before he stuck the ball over the goal line. Jackson's TD on the next play gave Atlanta its first lead in nearly a month. The Falcons had gone nearly 15 quarters — almost four full games — since being up 3-0 over Arizona early in Week 8. The advantage didn't last long. Brees guided a 15-play, 78-yard drive in which the Saints converted five straight times on third down, including Watson's leaping catch in the back of the end zone. Bryant put the Falcons back ahead with the first of his two field goals, a 39-yarder early in the second quarter, but New Orleans grabbed the lead for good when Graham slipped behind the secondary and hauled in his long touchdown. He celebrated by dunking over the goalpost and hung on the crossbar for extra emphasis, and ended up bending the post. As the Saints lined up to attempt the extra point, the officials noticed the crooked uprights, leading to a brief delay as a worker came out with a ladder to straighten the bar.