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Sports 49ers' Davis turns in another special year SANTA CLARA (AP) — Vernon Davis is giving opposing safeties fits. Whether it's Davis hurdling over defenders, sprinting by them or easily out-leaping them in the end zone, nobody seems to be able to stop San Francisco's speedy tight end. He has produced one of the best stretches of his eight-year career down the stretch for the 49ers. The Atlanta Falcons certainly have a fresh memory of Davis' spectacular day from last January's NFC championship game. Months later, with Atlanta coming to Candlestick Park on Monday night, Davis has caught touchdown passes in five straight games and will look for another dominant display against the Falcons. He caught a pair of touchdown passes and had five receptions total for 106 yards in that 28-24 victory that sent San Francisco back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years. ''He's the kind of tight end who blocks at the highest level, has speed of the highest level, catching ability, ability to get open,'' coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday. ''An all-tool tight end, which is rare.'' Davis' streak is the longest by a 49ers player since Terrell Owens caught touchdown passes in eight straight games from Nov. 8-Dec. 27, 1998. The 29year-old Davis needs one more touchdown catch to match his career high of 13 set in 2009. With last week's TD catch at Tampa Bay, Davis became the first tight end in NFL history to produce two 12-touchdown seasons. That pretty 52-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick showed how well these two are working together in Kaepernick's first full season as starter. ''He's a big playmaker in our offense,'' left tackle Joe Staley said of Davis. ''The coaches do a good job of drawing up plays for him and he delivers. That was a heck of a throw Colin had and a good job by Vernon to haul it in.'' Davis' latest defensive victim was Buccaneers safety Mark Barron. Davis beat him and made a high catch with arms outstretched at the goal line to put San Francisco ahead 17-0 at halftime of an eventual 33-14 victory. ''Obviously, the special talents of both those guys on display in that one play. Vernon, the speed, the ability to track a football, extend for a catch, balance of keeping and getting the feet in bounds,'' Harbaugh said. ''There's many superlatives there. Colin, great accuracy and arm strength down the field, buying time, which he did a great deal in this ballgame, which was impressive on that play and others.'' The only thing that wasn't picture-perfect on that one: Davis slammed right into the wall behind the end zone and briefly had the wind knocked out of him. Staley joked, ''he needs to watch out for the wall next time.'' ''The timing was perfect,'' Davis said of the play. ''Just the way it was supposed to be and just the way we rehearsed it in practice. He pops back, keeps it high, launched it up in the air and he put it right where it was supposed to be.'' While Davis said late last season he and Kaepernick were still finding their timing, there's no question they have it now — and have had for months. The chemistry of these two will be a big key to whether the Niners can make another run at the Super Bowl. ''I think you saw the same thing last year where there was clickage,'' Harbaugh said. ''And they're clicking again. Two great football players.'' Falcons coach Mike Smith puts Davis right up among the best at the position. At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Davis presents a major mismatch. ''He has a different skill set in that he's a burner,'' Smith said. ''I can remember watching him at the combine run his 40 and he turned a lot of heads.'' Today's Red Bluff Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament Schedule BOYS Paradise vs. Enterprise, 1 p.m. Golden Valley or Pleasant Valley vs. Red Bluff, 2:30 p.m. Lake Oswego vs. Franklin, 5:30 p.m. Golden Valley or Pleasant Valley vs. South Medford, 8:30 p.m. GIRLS Corning vs. Enterprise, 4 p.m. Shasta vs. Red Bluff, 7 p.m. Tehama Tracker Today's schedule BOYS BASKETBALL Red Bluff Holiday Classic Corning at Colusa Tournament Mercy at Providence Christian Tourney GIRLS BASKETBALL Corning at Red Bluff Holiday Classic Mercy at Providence Christian Tourney NBA BASKETBALL Sacramento at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Sports on TV COLLEGE FOOTBALL 5 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA, FCS, semifinal, New Hampshire at North Dakota St. GOLF 7 p.m. TGC — The Royal Trophy, second round, at Guangzhou, China NBA BASKETBALL 5 p.m. ESPN — Houston at Indiana 7:30 p.m. ESPN — Minnesota at L.A. Lakers WINTER SPORTS 5 p.m. NBCSN — Women's hockey, Olympic trials, United States vs. Canada, at Grand Forks, N.D. 1B Friday December 20, 2013 RED BLUFF HOLIDAY CLASSIC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Daily News photo by Andre Byik Red Bluff High's Matthew Fox, center, scrambles for the ball during an opening round basketball game between Red Bluff and South Medford High School on Thursday at Red Bluff High School. Spartans fall to S. Medford By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer Red Bluff High School's basketball team was handed an openinground loss Thursday at its annual Holiday Classic tournament. The Spartans fell to the South Medford Panthers out of Oregon, 60-39, in a game that got away from the hosts in the second half. Red Bluff (5-3) kept things close early, opening the game with a 3pointer from Brandon Luckow. Leading for much of the first period, the Spartans were aided by Greg DuFour's and Curtis Twitchell's aggressive drives to the basket. They each notched four points in the period that ended with the teams knotted at 11 points apiece. DuFour, especially, helped keep the early game competitive, nabbing five rebounds and forcing turnovers. He finished with nine points and nine rebounds. The Panthers (5-0), however, would take the lead for good in the second period after Brandon Robertson nailed a corner 3 that gave South Medford a 14-13 advan- tage. Red Bluff would score just six points in the second and trailed 2617 at the half. The Panthers, with the help of Bryson Carpenter's and Robertson's impressive play at guard, outscored the Spartans 34-22 the rest of the way. Red Bluff's Twitchell finished with seven points and Matthew Fox added six of his own. The Spartans will take on Golden Valley or Pleasant Valley in the consolation bracket at 2:30 p.m. today. Kobe to miss 6 weeks with knee injury EL SEGUNDO (AP) — Kobe Bryant is expected to miss about six weeks with an injured left knee. The Lakers said Thursday that an MRI showed Bryant has a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau of his knee. The team said Bryant had hyperextended the knee in Tuesday night's game at Memphis. On Thursday afternoon, a tweet was posted on Bryant's official Twitter account that consisted solely of the hashtag: BrokenNotBeaten. The injury is the latest setback for the Lakers star, who had only returned to the court on Dec. 8 after nearly eight months away because of a torn Achilles tendon. Los Angeles had signed the fourth-leading scoring in NBA history to a two-year contract extension last month. Bryant's new deal is reportedly worth $48.5 million and takes him into his 20th season with the Lakers. Bryant was hurt in his sixth game back when he matched his season high with 21 points. He went to the floor with 3:25 left in the third quarter of Tuesday night's 96-92 win at Memphis. He stayed on the floor briefly before standing up, and Bryant bent over at the waist as he flexed his left leg back and forth. He walked to the bench with trainer Gary Vitti but returned to the floor following the timeout. He hit a deep 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to AP photo Kobe Bryant is expected to miss about six weeks with an injured left knee. The Lakers said Thursday that an MRI scan showed that he has a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau of his knee. help clinch the win and finished playing more than 32 minutes. Bryant said after the game that he kind of twisted his knee but it felt all right. ''I just hyperextended it,'' Bryant said when asked to describe what happened on the play. ''I tend to hyperextend my knees every now and then.'' Rodgers: Medical, organizational decision for Pack GREEN BAY (AP) — Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. It doesn't mean he is going to play. There was no definitive word on whether Rodgers will be medically cleared to return from his left collarbone injury in time for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was just another day in the guessing game called ''When Will the Franchise Quarterback Return'' for the Packers. Coach Mike McCarthy indicated he would name his starter Friday, though it doesn't sound like it's going to happen judging solely by verbal cues. Rodgers made several references to his playing status being an ''organizational decision.'' ''Just a Thursday practice, didn't take a lot of reps with the teams but felt pretty good out there, was feeling good,'' Rodgers said. ''It's obviously a medical decision and an organizational decision at this point.'' Flat out, Aaron: Will you be playing Sunday? ''It's a medical decision, it's an organizational decision,'' said Rodgers, who is listed as ''limited'' on the official practice report. During a brief portion of practice open to media Thursday, Rodgers did a little stretching and looked sharp in position drills. He watched as backup Matt Flynn led the offense during another short practice period. ''Aaron Rodgers practiced well today. Tomorrow is — we have the medical meetings on Wednesday and Friday, so we'll have a conversation tomorrow,'' McCarthy said. ''Obviously, today he's still not medically cleared. Looked very good at practice. I would state him ready to play.'' Flynn took the majority of the reps Thursday, McCarthy said. Flynn has said he's preparing this week as if he'll start. By all accounts, Rodgers is itching to return. He hasn't played since getting knocked out of the first series of a 27-20 loss Nov. 4 to the Bears. Green Bay started 0-4-1 without him before rallying for two straight come-from-behind victories to get back into the NFC North race. Flynn has played well late in games to lead the Packers, but knows full well that Rodgers gets the job back whenever he's cleared. ''We want him back when he's healthy and ready to go, and look forward to that,'' receiver Jordy Nelson said. ''Hopefully if it's not this week, we can keep winning, and give him another opportunity.'' For Rodgers, the frustration level goes down when he's back out there on the practice field with his teammates. He would much rather have the ball in his hands than holding a clipboard on Sundays. He came close to being cleared last week. Asked about his progress, Rodgers said he had had completed about every pass in practice after throwing a few clunkers last week. ''At this point, I have to focus on the things I can control and that's practicing well, taking care of my business in the weight room, preparing, being a good teammate,'' Rodgers said. The Packers made a big investment in Rodgers this past offseason, signing him to a five-year contract extension through the 2019 season worth as much as $110 million. The 2011 NFL MVP, who turned 30 this month, led the Packers to a 5-2 start despite a litany of injuries elsewhere on the team. Receiver Randall Cobb, tight end Jermichael Finley and linebacker Clay Matthews were among those who got hurt before Rodgers went down.