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ByJeffLarson ParadisePost PARADISE For the first time in three seasons, the Paradise High boys' basketball team has a vic- tory in Eastern Athletic League play. The Bobcats were victori- ous Monday night thanks to the sweet stroke of senior point guard Jet Hampton, who buried a 3-pointer 3-feet behind the line at the buzzer, giving Paradise a 51- 50 victory at home over Red Bluff and snapping a 22-game drought in league play that dates to the 2012-13 season. "I looked at the clock and saw 4 seconds and (spotted) someone down the sideline but I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make the pass," said Hampton, who finished with nine points, "so I took a look at the clock there was about 2 seconds and I cocked and fired." What transpired was a tra- ditional mobbing from the stu- dent body and Paradise's bench as Hampton and the Bobcats (8- 9, 1-3 EAL) celebrated their first league win since the team's 69- 64 win over Las Plumas on Feb. 8, 2013. Hampton, a member of last season's 0-12 finish in league, said it's a step in the right direction for Paradise as it moves forward in EAL play Thursday at home against Enterprise (11-6, 3-0). "I feels great to get a win (in league), especially (going into) Enterprise this week because they're top-dog," Hampton said. "It's good to get some confidence going against them." Paradise nearly squandered what was once a 16-0 first-quar- ter lead on Red Bluff (5-11, 0-4) as senior Lane Pritchard put the Spartans ahead 50-48 with about 26 seconds left on a 3 from the right wing. Then with a chance to make it a two-possession game after Pritchard was fouled by Jacob Warren with 4 seconds, the Spar- tans' leading scorer missed the front end of a one-and-one to set the stage for Hampton. "I know Jet (from) playing with him, he's a great basketball player," Pritchard said. "That's how basketball is sometimes, they're a good team." Paradise and Red Bluff contin- ued their even play this season. Earlier this month, Paradise held off the Spartans 73-66 in overtime at the 23rd Dennis Burnum Clas- sic in Oroville, despite a game- high 37 points from Pritchard. The Bobcats looked poised to make it two straight over the Spartans beginning with a quick 16-0 run in the opening period. But the Spartans fought back with 11 answered to bring it to 16- 11 about the midpoint of the sec- ond. Red Bluff would even grab a slim lead at 25-24 by halftime, thanks in large part to eight first- half points from Joey Knight, six from Wesley Clawson and a pair of buckets from Pritchard. Paradise responded out of half- time with a 9-0 run in the third to jump back ahead 33-25 at the 5:30 mark. Nick Poliquin, one of seven ju- niors, put Paradise up eight with an up-and-under transition layup off a Spartan turnover. Poliquin finished with five while fellow ju- nior Riley Potthast had eight and junior Jacob Warren once again led Paradise with 19 points and seven rebounds. "Jacob's the best player on the team (and) he's only a junior," Hampton said. "He does it all, he plays defense, rebounds, he can get on the break and score, he can shoot, he's definitely a good one to look for going down the court." But Hampton was the one on Monday, putting the finishing touches on the Bobcats' monu- mental milestone. BASKETBALL Spartans'comebackquelled Paradise wins a er buzzer-beater 3-point basket ends rally By Cam Inman Bay Area News Group SANTA CLARA Chip Kelly's first impression as the San Francisco 49ers coach, at least in a public forum, will come six days after his hiring. General manager Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York will introduce Kelly at 11 a.m. Wednesday inside the 49ers auditorium at Levi's Stadium, where preparations are underway for Super Bowl 50. Kelly was hired last Thursday after an 11-day search. The delay in his press conference was attrib- uted to scheduling conflicts and his desire to first compile a staff, which has yet to be unveiled. Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst is among 10 assistants who've been ousted by new 49ers coach Chip Kelly, a league source confirmed Tuesday. Chryst, pro- moted a year ago after serving as the quarterbacks coach since 2011, directed an offense that ranked 31st in yards (303.8 per game) and last in scoring (14.9 points per game). Also fired were Steve Logan (quarterbacks), Tim Lewis (sec- ondary), Adam Henry (wide re- ceivers), Ronald Curry (wide re- ceivers), Scott Brown (defensive line), Ejiro Evero (defense), Au- brayo Franklin (defense), T.C. NFL 49ers to introduce new coach Kelly today By John Pye The Associated Press MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA For five sets and nearly five hours, two chiseled Spanish left-hand- ers went head-to-head again at the Australian Open. It wasn't a semifinal this time, though, and It didn't end nearly as well for Rafael Nadal, who lost 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 to Fer- nando Verdasco and was elimi- nated in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament for only the sec- ond time in a career that has net- ted him 14 major titles. Nadal won his only Austra- lian title in 2009 after overcom- ing Verdasco in a 5-hour, 14-min- ute semifinal, a match that still ranks among the classics at Mel- bourne Park. This time, Verdasco rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the last two sets, and came from a break down in the fifth to win in 4:41 and reach the second round. Nad- al's only previous first-round exit in a Grand Slam was at Wim- bledon in 2013, when he lost in straight sets to No. 135-ranked Steve Darcis of Belgium. "It's a hard and painful loss," the fifth-seeded Nadal said. "He was playing amazing in the last AUSTRALIAN OPEN Verdasco tops Nadal in exit in 1st round By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press DENVER Antonio Smith says nobody can get into Tom Brady's head. That didn't stop Denver's defensive lineman from try- ing by labelling New England's quarterback a crybaby. "I've never seen any quarter- back look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady," Smith said with a smile. "Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, 'You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty on him. Get him fined."' Both teams know the AFC championship won't be de- cided by potshots — and maybe not even by the golden arms of Brady and Peyton Manning when they square off for the 17th — and likely final — time Sun- day in Denver. Maybe it'll come down to two of the greatest toes on turf in- stead. Especially with Denver sport- ing the league's stingiest defense and Manning reduced to man- aging the Broncos' no-longer ex- plosive offense. New England's Stephen Gost- kowski was the NFL's top kicker in 2015, winning his second All-Pro honor after leading the league with 151 points. Denver's Brandon McMa- nus tied an NFL record by nail- ing all five of his kicks in tricky crosswinds in Denver's 23-16 win over Pittsburgh in the divi- sional round. Sunday's forecast in Denver calls for a clouds and tempera- tures at kickoff in the lower 40s, dipping into the 30s, which is good news for both Manning and Brady. Yet ... Last weekend's game was also supposed to be mild. "During warmups, we went out there and it was a pretty calm day, a nice, tempered day," McManus said. "We come out seven minutes before kick- off and I see a 30 mph crosswind come in over the Rockies." With the goal posts swaying wildly from the gusts almost the entire game, McManus con- verted field goals of 28, 41, 51, 41 and 45 yards, joking it was such a tricky task that he just kept aiming "at the guy holding the beer in the top left corner." "I think all of them were big," said Demaryius Thomas, who had one of seven dropped passes thanks to the blustery winds. "He kept us in the game with the field goals. Him being able to kick with this wind helped us." Gostkowski is accustomed to kicking in bad conditions, too. So, if it gets windy Sunday, nei- ther he nor McManus will fret. "You kind of have to hit a ball to a spot and hopefully the wind takes it," McManus said. "I had that 51-yarder right before half- time. I thought it was going to be easy down the middle, and it barely sneaked in." Gostkowski's field goals from 40 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter last weekend helped the Patriots stave off Kanas City 27- 20. He also nailed a 47-yarder as time expired to send the game to overtime when New England visited Denver on Nov. 29, a game in which McManus missed from the same distance. While Gostkowski, a 10-year veteran, breezed to his first All- Pro honor since 2008, McManus started out hot, then slumped down the stretch. He made his first 13 kicks, including 57- and 56-yarders in the opener against Baltimore, and was named the AFC's special teams player of the month in October. His late-season slump in- cluded missed kicks in five con- secutive games, including one off the left upright in a three- point loss to Oakland. He also shanked one from 45 yards against Cincinnati with no time NFL PLAYOFFS AFC TITLE MIGHT BE ABOUT KICKERS Patriots' Gostkowski, Denver's McManus may be key factors in determining outcome JOEMAHONEY—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE In this file photo, New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) celebrates his game-tying field goal during the second half of a game against the Denver Broncos in Denver. Denver and New England will play in the AFC Championship game Sunday in Denver. JACK DEMPSEY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus, right, celebrates a er kicking a field goal with tackle Michael Schofield, le , and Britton Colquitt, center, during the second half in an NFL divisional playoff game Sunday in Denver. AFCCHAMPIONSHIPGAME Sunday: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, 12:05p.m., TV on CBS. TUNEIN PLAYOFFS PAGE 2 49ERS PAGE 2 TENNIS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, January 20, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1