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By RICH GREENE DN Sports Editor Red Bluff conceded a 12-point second half lead and Matt Wayda buried two 3-pointers in the waning minutes, Friday night, to lift Shasta past the Spartans 47- 45. The Spartans had taken a 40-30 after Carlos Tapia tripled to close to third quarter and Trevor Miller did the same to open the fourth, but they would struggle on offense from there. The Wolves went on an 11-1 run to net the game back up at 41-41 with just under four min- utes to play. Grant Blaser responded shortly after with a pair of buckets, part of his 16 points on the night, and the Spartans lead was up to four points. Wayda hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night with under two minutes to play following a Shas- ta timeout. Blaser was then forced to take a shot, with a defender in his face as the shot clock expired that fell short. Back at the other end of the court, Shasta missed their first shot, but the Spartans couldn't grab the offensive rebound and the ball wound back in Wayda's hand who connected again from behind the arc with 19 seconds remaining. Blaser had a final look for Red Bluff in traffic and the Spartans were desperately trying to tip in the rebound as time expired. Both teams had entered the night — their last game of the first go-through of Eastern Athletic League play — at 9-9 and 2-4 in the league. Trevor Miller finished with 14 points and Blaser racked up nine rebounds. Devin Shoop had a handful of blocks. The Spartans had led 24-15 at halftime behind a strong defensive effort, but were unable to con- vert open baskets throughout the game. Red Bluff shot 4-for-10 from the free throw line, while Shasta shot 11-for-17. Wayda finished with 16 points and Mike Lau- ritzen had 13. Red Bluff travels to Chico on Wednesday. Chico, who entered Friday undefeated in the EAL, beat Red Bluff 50-46 in a tightly contested league opener Jan. 5. Lady Spartans The Lady Spartans came within a last second shot of overcoming not only their first game with- out leading scorer Lily Brose, but an 18-point deficit, Thursday, during a 50-47 loss at Shasta. Brose, who is out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury Tuesday, was replaced by Roxy Luppino who slid over to play point guard. With the Lady Spartans down 18 points, Lup- pino converted back-to-back 3-pointers and then a lay-up in the second half to pull Red Bluff back into the game. The Spartans kept battling and found them- selves trailing 49-47 with 47 seconds left follow- ing an Alana Hinkston basket. Shasta made the first of two free throws fol- lowing a Red Bluff follow, but Luppino's game- tying 3-pointer attempt missed long. "I could not be more proud of the way my team played last night," coach Kathy Brandy said. Luppino finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Hinkston finished with a double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lottie Jones had six points and eight rebounds. Lady Cardinals Corning outlasted West Valley, Friday night, in a physical foul-filled game to remain perfect in league play with a 51-46 win. The Cardinals trailed by 11 after scoring just two points in the third quarter, but made the most of their free throw attempts down the stretch and tightened their defense. Brittany Garrett led Corning with 18 points and seven rebounds. Regan Albee had 10 points and dished out seven assists. Chante' Dale had 11 points and Catherine Kinkle seven points and five steals. Michelle Silva had seven rebounds. Corning went to the free throw line 37 times and held West Valley to 16 second half points. Los Molinos The Bulldogs picked up their first Mid-Valley League win of the season, Thursday, behind a double-double from Eric Blanchard in a 72-52 win over Biggs. Blanchard with 19 points and 13 rebounds led Los Molinos, who used a 27-14 second quarter to break open the game. Dominique Ceja finished with 12 points and Efrain Cardenas added 11. Lady Bulldogs Another strong first half propelled the Lady Bulldogs to a 70-56 win over Biggs, Thursday, as Los Molinos improved to 3-1 in the Mid-Valley League. Samantha Andrews had 18 points and plenty of help. Kiersten Seaman had a 10-and-10 double- double and Carolyna Salazar missed similar num- bers by one point. Francis Ocampo scored 14 points. Mercy Coach Steve Shellabarger said as low as the valley of the Warriors recent play has been, it was the complete opposite, Thursday, in reach- ing its peak. The Warriors battled for a 51-45 overtime win over rival University Prep led by Ali Syed's best game of the season. Syed finished with 16 points and six rebounds as the Warriors outscored the Panthers 13-7 in the extra frame. Jeremie Jones had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and was especially strong down the stretch and into overtime. Shellabarger said the Warriors played as hard and as tough on defense as they have in any game this season and at points took the Panthers com- pletely out of the game. The Warriors followed it up with a 67-23 win over Providence Christian on Friday night. Syed had 13 points and Aaron Gash 10 points. The Lady Warriors lost 70-38 to University Prep. Sports 1B Weekend Jan. 30-31, 2010 Weekend Saturday — Wrestling — Corning Invitational, 9 a.m. Saturday — Wrestling — Los Molinos at Sutter Tourney Saturday — NBA — Bobcats at Kings, 7 p.m., CSNCA Sunday — NBA — Lakers at Celtics, 12:30 p.m., ABC Sunday — NBA — Warriors at Thunder, 4 p.m., CSNBA Sunday — NFL — Pro Bowl, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Shasta slips by Spartans TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kurt Warner thanked God, hugged his children and wife and said goodbye to an NFL career that seems the stuff of sports fiction. The 38-year-old quarter- back announced his retire- ment Friday after a dozen years in a league that at first rejected him, then revered him as he came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls. Then, as if going from stocking groceries to win- ning NFL MVP awards wasn't improbable enough, Warner was written off as a has-been and rose again to lead the long-suffering Ari- zona Cardinals to the Super Bowl. A man of deep faith who carried a Bible to each post- game news conference, Warned walked away with a year left on a two-year, $23 million contract, knowing he still had the skills to play at the highest level. ''It's been an amazing ride,'' Warner said. ''I don't think I could have dreamt it would have played out like it has, but I've been humbled every day that I woke up the last 12 years and amazed that God would choose to use me to do what he's given me the opportunity to do.'' Warner had one of the greatest postseason perfor- mances ever in Arizona's 51-45 overtime wild card victory over Green Bay on Jan. 10, but sustained a bru- tal hit in the Cardinals' 45- 14 divisional round loss at New Orleans six days later. The Cardinals signed Warner to a one-year con- tract in 2005 largely because no other team would give him a chance to be a starter. His opportunities over the next two years were scat- tered and even when coach Ken Whisenhunt took over in 2007, Warner was the backup to Matt Leinart. But when Leinart went down with an injury five games into the season, Warner got his chance. He started 48 of the remaining 49 games of his career. ''I've played 12 years, I'm a 38 years old and I believe I was playing at as high a level now and over the last two years as I was playing when I first got into the league,'' he said. ''That's something I'm proud of.'' Blessed with an uncanny throwing accuracy and a knack for reading defenses, Warner leaves the game with a legacy that could land him in the Hall of Fame even though he didn't get his first start until he was 28. In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion percent- age, yards per pass attempt and yards per game. Only Dan Marino had more career 300-yard passing games. In 124 regular-season games, Warner completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 32,344 yards and 208 touchdowns. No player in NFL history reached 10,000 yards passing in less games. Scoreboard Scoreboard NFL Pro Bowl Sunday At Miami AFC vs. NFC, 4:20 p.m., ESPN NBA Thursday's late result Phoenix 112, Dallas 106 Friday's results Charlotte 121, Golden State 110 Utah 101, Sacramento 94 Atlanta 100, Boston 91 Chicago 108, New Orleans 106, OT Cleveland 94, Indiana 73 Houston 104, Portland 100 L.A. Lakers 99, Philadelphia 91 Miami 92, Detroit 65 Minnesota 111, L.A. Clippers 97 Oklahoma City 101, Denver 84 San Antonio 104, Memphis 97 Washington 81, New Jersey 79 Saturday's games Charlotte at Sacramento, 7 p.m., CSNCA Atlanta at Orlando, 4 p.m. New Orleans at Memphis, 5 p.m. New York at Washington, 5 p.m. Miami at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. Portland at Dallas, 6 p.m. Sunday's games Golden State at Oklahoma City, 4 p.m., CSNBA Denver at San Antonio, 10 a.m., ABC L.A. Lakers at Boston, 12:30 p.m., ABC Indiana at Toronto, 3 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Cleveland, 3 p.m. Orlando at Detroit, 3 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey, 3 p.m. New York at Minnesota, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Houston, 4 p.m. NCAA Friday's Top 25 games No games scheduled Saturday's Top 25 games No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 21 Vandy, 1 p.m., ESPN No.2 Kansas at No.11 Kansas St., 4 p.m., ESPN No. 4 Syracuse at DePaul, 11 a.m. No. 5 Michigan State vs. Northwestern, 4 p.m. No. 6 Texas vs. No. 24 Baylor, 1 p.m. No. 7 Georgetown vs. No. 8 Duke, 10 a.m., CBS No. 9 West Virginia vs. Louisville, 9 a.m., ESPN No. 12 BYU vs. Utah, 6 p.m. No. 13 Gonzaga at San Francisco, 6:30 p.m. No. 15 Temple vs. La Salle, 9 a.m., ESPN2 No. 19 Connecticut vs. Marquette, 9 a.m. No. 22 Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky State, 10 a.m. No. 23 New Mexico at TCU, 3:05 p.m. No. 25 UAB vs. UTEP, 5 p.m. Saturday's other televised games Indiana at Illinois, 11 a.m., ESPN2 Oklahoma State at Missouri, 11 a.m., ESPN Washington St. at Washington, 12:30 p.m., FSN Notre Dame at Rutgers, 3 p.m., ESPN2 Pacific at UC Riverside, 5 p.m., ESPN2 Sunday's Top 25 games No. 10 Purdue vs. Penn State, Noon No. 14 Tennessee vs. Florida, 10 a.m., CBS No. 17 Pittsburgh at South Florida, 10 a.m. No. 18 Mississippi vs. Arkansas, 4 p.m. No. 20 Ohio State vs. Minnesota, 10 a.m., CBS Sunday's other televised games California at Arizona, 12:30 p.m., FSN Maryland at Clemson, 2:30 p.m., FSN Virginia at North Carolina, 4:30 p.m., FSN NHL Thursday's late results Chicago 4, San Jose 3, OT Minnesota 1, Colorado 0 Phoenix 3, Calgary 2, SO St. Louis 2, Edmonton 1 Friday's results Anaheim 2, Tampa Bay 1, SO Buffalo 2, Boston 1 Dallas 3, Colorado 2 Detroit 4, Nashville 2 New Jersey 5, Toronto 4, OT Washington 4, Florida 1 Saturday's games Minnesota at San Jose, 7:30 p.m., CSNCA N.Y. Islanders at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Montreal at Ottawa, 11 a.m. Chicago at Carolina, 4 p.m. Los Angeles at Boston, 4 p.m. Vancouver at Toronto, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Nashville, 5 p.m. Columbus at St. Louis, 5 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Phoenix, 5 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 7 p.m. Sunday's games Detroit at Pittsburgh, 9:30 a.m., NBC Tampa Bay at Washington, Noon N.Y. Islanders at Florida, 1 p.m. Los Angeles at New Jersey, 2 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 3 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Colorado, 5 p.m. Captain Jack, Bobcats top Golden State OAKLAND (AP) — Stephen Jackson scored 30 points in his return to Oracle Arena, Gerald Wallace had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Golden State War- riors 121-110 on Friday night. Jackson, who was acquired from the Warriors in a Nov. 16 trade after a falling out with Golden State management in the offsea- son, was booed throughout the night but responded with his fifth game of 30 points or more since landing in Char- lotte. Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin added 14 points apiece for the Bobcats (23-22), who have won 10 of their last 15. Corey Maggette had 25 points, while Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry had 22 points apiece for the War- riors (13-32), who have lost five of six. Since the trade, Charlotte has gone 20-16 and improved its scoring average by more than 15 points. Warner calls end to career Warner Daily News photo by Rich Greene Trevor Miller (middle) tries to get off a shot in between a pair of Shasta defenders. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — After waiting 45 games for his first start of the season, Paul Millsap played as if he didn't want it to be his last. Millsap tied his career high with 32 points and added 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead the short-handed Utah Jazz over the Sacramento Kings 101- 94 on Friday night. Utah was without starters Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, but still pulled off its fifth straight win for the Jazz's longest winning streak of the season. Millsap played 43 min- utes while starting for Booz- er, who missed his first game of the season with a strained right calf. Williams, selected a Western Confer- ence All-Star on Thursday, was away attending a funer- al. Millsap seemed to fill in for both players against the Kings, controlling the paint, hitting outside jumpers and dishing off more assists than any other Utah player. Andrei Kirilenko added 18 points, seven rebounds and blocked five shots — including one with 25 sec- onds left to help seal it for Utah — and Sundiata Gaines added 12 points and five assists. Kevin Martin led Sacramento with 33 points and Tyreke Evans had 25 points and six assists. The Kings scored just 17 points in the third quarter and never could quite recover, although they did keep it close. Sacramento has won only three road games, but one was here when the Kings embarrassed the Jazz in early November. ''When we broke down offensively and kind of came to a standstill, they just kept scoring and they got the lead and we were never able to fight back into the game,'' Kings coach Paul Westphal said. After falling behind 10-0 to start Friday, the Kings surged late in the first quar- ter and kept up with the Jazz most of the night by taking advantage of their foul shots while Utah struggled from the line. The Kings were 23 for 26 from the line while Utah made 27 of 40. That was more than enough for Sacramento to stay in it, especially with the way Martin was shooting. Martin made 10 of 18 from the field, including four 3- pointers. Millsap leads Jazz over Kings