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METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Sean Payton still hadn't gone home yet when the New Orleans Saints returned to work the day after the biggest win in fran- chise history. Drained after an emo- tional overtime triumph that set off celebrations all across the city, Payton joined fami- ly and friends for dinner downtown and then relaxed in a hotel. ''There was just so much emotion,'' Payton said Mon- day at the team's suburban training center. ''You know, when you finish with the locker room ... you just try to find your family. My son's concern is the confetti's going to keep us from being able to play catch on the field. That was his concern. It was just good to hug them and be around the family and enjoy the time. There never seems to be enough of it.'' ''For them to have a chance to be part of it I think it makes it really special,'' Payton continued. ''Obvi- ously, the same goes for this upcoming game.'' The upcoming game happens to be the first Super Bowl involving the Saints in the franchise's 43 years of existence. This is only the ninth winning season the club has had. The 31-28 overtime victory over Minnesota on Sunday night marked the first time the Saints had hosted an NFC champi- onship game. So when it was over, fans in the Louisiana Superdome and residents of a city that already acts on any excuse for a party spilled into the streets and toasted the Saints' success. Bourbon Street was mobbed with revelers in Saints jerseys letting out high-pitched howls of delight and stirring up impromptu chants of ''Who dat say dey gonna' beat dem Saints!'' Some exchanged watery- eyed embraces after watch- ing their team pull out a high-stakes thriller that appeared to be going the Vikings' way before Tracy Porter intercepted Brett Favre's pass in Saints territo- ry in the last minute of regu- Sports 1B Tuesday January 26, 2010 Tuesday Boys Basketball — Corning at Central Valley, 7:30 p.m. Boys Basketball — East Nicolaus at Los Molinos, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball — Central Valley at Corning, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball — East Nicolaus at Los Molinos, 5:30 p.m. Girls Basketball — Paradise at Red Bluff, 7:30 p.m. Soccer — Liberty Christian at Los Molinos, 4 p.m. Horseshoes and hand grenades For two teams so differ- ent, they've been a lot alike lately. The Red Bluff boys bas- ketball team starts five seniors, who have a lot of experience and have two more come off the bench. The Lady Spartans are led by a freshman and have one senior on their roster. Both teams are off to 1-4 starts in the Eastern Athletic League. Both teams could just as easily be 3-2. Outside of their respec- tive romps over lowly Oroville, both Spartan squads have played with some of the league's top teams only to falter in the waning minutes. They're earning some respect, just not wins. The boys had the ball, down by a point, with a minute left against Pleasant Valley and never got off a shot. They played with Enterprise for a half in a tough road game and had a lead against Chico in the fourth quarter, before the Panthers came back. Meanwhile the Lady Spartans held fourth quar- ter leads against 5-0 Enterprise and 4-1 Pleasant Valley and were in the game with Foothill until the final few minutes. The first two would have been categorized as shocking upsets, but they did have leads. The boys and girls are learning an important les- son in January — it's just as difficult to finish a goal as it is to start one. There's microcosms of this within a game. On Friday, the Spartan boys would play solid defense for 25 seconds, only to bail the Cougars out with an unnecessary foul as the shot clock ticked down. When the Spartans put together a complete defensive stop, they couldn't come up with the rebound. I hate this expression since it's illogical, but it really is about giving a 110 percent effort. The Spartans gave some 100 percent efforts on the defensive end. It's just that last 10 percent they need to find inside themselves to stop their oppo- nents from having second chances. More importantly, Friday night, the Spartans just didn't come out with the intensity they had when they almost beat Chico and Pleasant Valley. Losses can wear on a team, but close ones can be especially devastating. Even though you worked your butt off, you're left with the same result as if you skated through practice — one of those ugly L's on the scoreboard. Hopefully, the Spartans aren't giving up on themselves when they are so close to being a top- notch team in the Northern section. That's why it's up to the Spartan faithful to real- ize what's going on here and give these players all of the encouragement they deserve. Don't worry about these records, they are both better than 1-4 teams. Let's be honest, those young Lady Spartans are ahead of schedule and are basically just trying to earn that upset that will justify all the hope we have in them in the next couple of years. The boys have shown they can play with the best of the EAL, now they just need to believe in them- selves that they can win as well. As their coach Stan Twitchell said following the one-point loss to Pleasant Valley, at this point it's just about a missed layup, a free throw or a turnover. All of that hard work just to get to the point where a single free throw, boxing out, or fighting through a screen makes the difference. And those little things do make a difference. Consider this: During their last three losses, the Lady Spartans shot from the free throw line 11-for-33, 12-for-26 and 14-for-31. That's 41 percent. That's a potential 53 points. That's probably why they lost. More importantly it can fixed. When the Lady Spartans realize if they could have made just 60 percent of their free throws and they would be sitting on wins over Enterprise, Pleasant Valley and Foothill — they're going to be scary — just like the boys when they realize they just need to finish off a few more plays. At this point it's not about a lack of talent. No, the last obstacle, is a mental hurdle. Free throws, smart passes, boxing out — the players know how to physically perform these fun- damentals. One of the nice things about league basketball is you get to play schools twice. They'll be another crack at Enterprise, at PV at Foothill. It'll be more difficult a second time around. After the close encounters the Hornets, Vikings and Cougars will realize a trip to or from Red Bluff can burn them. They'll have respect for the Spartans. Whether the Spartans and Lady Spartans have that same confidence in themselves could determine the outcome. Daily News Sports Editor Rich Greene is thankful he never had to find out why being close in hand grenades is on par with playing horseshoes.You can reach him at 527-2151, ext. 109 or by e-mail at sports@redbluffdailynews.com. Rich Greene Red Bluff's 14-year-old archery phenom, Paige Pearce not only grabbed the Adult Women's Freestyle Division championship at the California State Indoor Archery Tournament in Tulare this month, but she swept every state indoor record along the way. They likely won't be the last records she shatters either, as new rule changes for 2010 will allow Pearce to compete as an adult in both indoor and outdoor tournaments and attempt to break junior and adult records simultaneously. That also means records owned by another Pearce, her mother Stacy, could be in trouble. They were Jan. 9 during the first day of the indoor tournament when Paige broke one of Stacy's records. "Paige and I have always had a rivalry," Stacy said. ""When Paige was little and would beat me with such high scores, I would always teaser her and say, 'Well you were shooting a bigger target, or you were shooting closer distances." She would always get so mad." With Paige entered in the adult division, Stacy said it was her daugh- ter who flipped the tables in Tulare and began teasing her about stepping up her shooting to end up on the win- ner's podium. Both Pearces ended up on the podium, as Paige shattered a 14-year- old record and Stacy took third place. Paige however wasn't done earn- ing awards, as she received the Triple Crown, for the top female California archer from the previous season. The award is based on finishes in the California State Indoor, the Cali- fornia State Outdoor and the Pacific Coast Championships. In 2009, Stacy received the honor. As a family friend joked, with Paige competing in the same cate- gory, it may have been Stacy's last. Paige is available to present at clubs or organizations and gives shooting lessons. Those interested should contact 527-3759. The Ishi Archer's indoor shoots will be held during January and February in the Ron Knight build- ing located at the Fairgrounds. The Youth Indoor Shoot will be held on Wednesday nights at 6 and the cost is $5 for both members and guests. Thursday evening shoots begin at 5 and cost $5 for members and $10 for guests. The Ishi Archery club has an outdoor range located on Highway 36 East. Yearly memberships are $30.00 for an individual, $35 for a family and $15 for a student. Contact Pierre Peets at 527-0749 for membership information. Pearce hits mark again Courtesy photo Paige Pearce (center) beat out her mother Stacy and Shiela Bomar for first place in the Adult Women's Freestyle Division at the California State Indoor Archery Tournament in Tulare on Jan. 9-10. Stacy placed third and Bomar took second place. Saints soaking in landmark victory Colts hoping experience pays Super Bowl dividends MCT photo New Orleans Saints players celebrate their win Sunday evening. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts started this season with one goal: winning another Super Bowl. Now they are one victo- ry away and headed back to the place they last one a championship. No, the plans haven't changed much from Indy's last postseason trip to Miami. This week will be spent putting in a game plan, and next week, first- year coach Jim Caldwell is taking a page right out of Tony Dungy's playbook. The Colts will stay at the same hotel, practice at the same facility and follow almost the same routine that they did before beating Chicago in the rainiest Super Bowl on record. ''We'll change some things. We'll tweak them and adjust them a little bit, according to how we envi- sion some things, and it depends on what happens to us this week,'' Caldwell said Monday. ''We'll make some adjustments, it's not an iron-clad sort of routine. But, overall, we'll proba- bly be fairly close to what we've done previously.'' Some of the changes are not by choice. Four-time MVP Peyton Manning and his Pro Bowl teammates, who include Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeney and Reggie Wayne, are expected to be in town Sunday afternoon for a pregame news confer- ence — a full day before the rest of the Colts arrive. MCT photo Peyton Manning holds the Lamar Hunt trophy. See SAINTS, page 2B See COLTS, page 2B