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ByChipThompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter RED BLUFF The Lady Spar- tans and Corning Lady Cardi- nals kicked off the Holiday Clas- sic tournament with wins Thurs- day afternoon, Red Bluff sneaking past the West Valley Eagles 46-43 and Corning dominating the Par- adise Bobcats 50-22. The Spartans had their hands full with the Eagles in the first half, going into halftime down 28-21, but came out on fire in the third with freshman Jesse Miller sinking four baskets to open the period and erase the deficit. The Spartans outscored the Eagles by 11 in the period to take a 39-35 lead. In the fourth period both de- fenses stepped up. As time ticked down the teams were knotted at 43, when Julia Brandt buried a 3-pointer from the corner inside a minute to play. The Spartans were able to break up the Eagles' next drive and hold on for the win. After missing nine 3-point- ers in the game, Brandt's win- ning shot showed up when it was needed most and would earn her player of the game status. Brandt put up nine points, six rebounds and two assists. Miller led the Spartans with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal; Allyson Drury had seven points, seven rebounds, two HOLIDAY CLASSIC SPARTANS,CARDS OPEN WITH WINS FreshmanMillerli sRedBluffoverWestValleywith15points,10boards LARRYLONG—CONTRIBUTED Red Bluff's Julia Brandt puts up a shot in Thursday's win over the West Valley Eagles at the Holiday Classic tournament. CHIP THOMPSON — DAILY NEWS Corning's Whitney Armstrong takes a shot Thursday a ernoon in a win over the Paradise Bobcats at the Holiday Classic tournament. Online: Due to a late start Thursday, the boys' portion of the Red Bluff Holiday Classic tourna- ment ran past the Daily News deadline, but the story can be found on REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM. ERIC RISBERG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto puts on a new cap during a media availability Thursday in San Francisco. The Giants introduced Cueto a day a er his physical. By Andrew Baggarly Bay Area News Group SAN FRANCISCO The San Francisco Giants are barely two years removed from cutting the last check on Barry Zito's $126 million contract, a finan- cial boondoggle that sparked an own- ership coup and led to the ouster of a managing partner. If anyone at 24 Willie Mays Plaza screamed "never again," they have an awfully short memory. They showed no reservations at making an even bigger bet on Johnny Cueto, smiling broadly as the right- hander draped a No. 47 Giants jersey over his shoulders in a celebratory news conference Thursday morning. Cueto is guaranteed $130 mil- lion over six years. It is bigger than the Zito deal. It's part of the Gi- ants' $220 million outlay on start- ing pitching this winter, when you include their five-year contract with Jeff Samardzija. And Giants CEO Larry Baer appeared as giddy as if Cal were in the Rose Bowl. "We are beyond thrilled," Baer said. "To a person, (we asked) what single move can we make to improve our chances to get to the World Se- ries and win the World Series. And the one word was 'Cueto.' "It was a unanimous verdict to get Johnny and have him join us. It's a great move for the organization and we're all thrilled." Cueto can opt out of the contract after two seasons, but the Giants are the ones absorbing all the risk if his elbow blows out or he has a signifi- cant downturn in performance. The Giants investigated those risks, and deemed them sufficiently minimal. Cueto underwent an MRI exam as part of Wednesday's phys- ical, and GM Bobby Evans said the right-hander's elbow "looks great, re- ally good." The missed start in May that caused so much concern from clubs this winter? A mild flexor strain, said Evans, adding that a contrast dye injection was the only reason Cueto missed one start. The check- BASEBALL GiantswelcomeCuetoaboard Star right-hander's deal guarantees $130 million over six years by the Bay Sunday: Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders, 1:05p.m., TV on FOX. TUNEIN Sunday: Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers, 1:25p.m., TV on CBS. TUNEIN By Michael Wagaman The Associated Press ALAMEDA The loss of Justin Tuck to a season-ending injury and Al- don Smith to a yearlong suspen- sion figured to be a big blow to the Oakland Raiders' pass rush. Instead, it has had the oppo- site effect with the maturation of Khalil Mack, the NFL sacks leader who has been dominant over the past month and is coming off a five-sack afternoon against the Denver Broncos. The rapid development of de- fensive ends Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr. has been just as critical. Edwards, the 35th overall pick in the draft, has been stellar over the past month and is second among Oakland defensive line- men in tackles. Autry also has played better since Tuck and Smith were lost, and is coming off his best game of the season when he had two hits and five hurries on Denver quar- terback Brock Osweiler. They might not be Tuck and Smith but the duo is definitely making an impact in Oakland. "It's just the knowledge that those two old-heads dropped on NFL Raiders' pass rush making big plays By Cam Inman Bay Area News Group SANTA CLARA The San Fran- cisco 49ers primarily built their trophy case behind a dynamic of- fense, carving out their paths to victory with Bill Walsh famously scripting the first 15 plays. The modern-day 49ers have gone off script. As the league's lowest-scoring team, the 49ers (4-9) set an om- inous tone from the outset each week. They've scored a league- low 18 points in the first quarter, and they've failed to score an of- fensive touchdown, a drought last matched in 2008 by the Raiders and Jamarcus Russell. "At the end of the day, I feel in- credibly responsible for it," 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst said Thursday. Chryst's job security is not in immediate danger. Coach Jim 49ERS Offense has been stuck in neutral The Red Bluff High School JV Spartans basketball team won the recent Chico High Tournament by beating the Oroville Tigers on Thursday by the score of 59-34, the host Chico Panthers 57-50 on Friday night and the Pleasant Valley Vikings on Saturday 45- 38. The team is made up of Dylan Hebert, Drew Stacy, Brayden Hutchens, Matt Glebe, Donald Vargas, Valentin Ramirez, Derek Gorden, Jarron Barrow, Lamant Magana, Tye Clement and Dylan Robinson. The team is coached by Kenny Armstrong and as- sisted by J.B. Stacy. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BASKETBALL JV Spartans win Chico tournament GIRLS PAGE 2 RAIDERS PAGE 2 49ERS PAGE 2 GIANTS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, December 18, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1