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Sports 1B Wednesday February 17, 2010 Wednesday Boys Basketball — Los Molinos at Biggs, 5:30 p.m. Boys Basketball — Red Bluff at Pleasant Valley, 7:30 p.m. Olympics — Coverage on USA, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC NBA — Suns at Mavericks, 6 p.m., ESPN NBA — Kings at Warriors, 7:30 p.m., CSNBA NCAA — Duke at Miami, 4 p.m., ESPN Vikings too tall of a challenge By RICH GREENE DN Sports Editor The Lady Spartans weren't short on effort, Tuesday, but the visiting Pleasant Valley Vikings had a bit too much height to overcome in a 55-36 Red Bluff loss. Pleasant Valley improved to 9-3 in the Eastern Athletic League with the win and the Lady Spartans fell to 2-10. Red Bluff got off to an early 5-2 lead, but the Vikings soon started play- ing over the top of the Spartans on their way to a 14-3 rebounding advantage in the first quarter. Those boards helped push the Vikings to a 14- 7 lead. Red Bluff battled back in the second quar- ter, matching the Vikings on the boards and also on the scoreboards, to keep the deficit at seven points headed into halftime. But the second half opened with the Vikings turning to their six-footer Mansfield, who on the first possession converted an and-one basket and free throw to giving the Vikings a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. Mansfield finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while her post part- ner Grant picked up seven points and nine rebounds. Carly Summerville added eight. Red Bluff's offense revolved around the 3-point shooting of Rox- anne Luppino, who buried four shots from behind the arc on the night to fin- ish with 16 points. Lottie Jones with four points and eight rebounds and Alana Hinkston with four points and seven boards worked hard to give the Spartans a rebounding presence. Morgan Weaver scored six points. The Lady Spartans close out their home schedule on Thursday against Shasta. Thursday's soccer playoffs at a glance Corning at Wheatland Girls Division I First Round 3 p.m. #5 Corning Cardinals: 9-6; 6-4, third place in the Northern Athletic League #4 Wheatland Pirates: 7-3-2, third place in the Butte Valley League Last meeting Wheatland beat Corning 2-0 on Jan. 4, 2006, but later forfeited the game. Mercedes Rocha made 13 saves for the Lady Cardinals. Players to watch Corning — Karen Torres, Maggie Ramirez, Cynthia Ramirez Wheatland — #7 Sonia Klingensmith, #11 Amanda Merschel, #4 Jackie Colmeneras Notes: The Pirates won the Division II Champi- onship in 2008...Wheatland's allowed just 13 goals all season, including shutouts in their last three games...Corning has two sets of three sisters on the team...10 different Lady Cardinals have found the back of the net this season...Tristen Huntley has been Corn- ing's top goalie this season. Raiders agree to new deal with Janikowski ALAMEDA (AP) — Sebastian Janikowski and the Oakland Raiders agreed on a $16 million, four-year deal Tuesday that is the richest contract for a kicker in NFL histo- ry, the team said. Janikowski will be guaranteed $9 million in the deal, a person familiar with the contract said on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce terms. ESPN first reported the contract Tuesday. Janikowski was eligible to be an unrestricted free agent if the Raiders did not sign him to a contract or place the transition or fran- chise tag on him by Feb. 25. But the team was able to lock him up by giving him the same contract All Pro punter Shane Lechler got a year ago to stay out of free agency. Janikowski is coming off the best season of his 10-year career. He made 26 of 29 field goals, with his only misses coming from 45, 57 and 66 yards. He made six kicks of at least 50 yards, including a 61-yarder that was the fourth longest in NFL history. Janikowski also had 17 touchbacks on 58 kickoffs for the sixth best mark in the league last season. The Raiders used a first-round pick to draft Janikowski in 2000, making him the first specialist in 21 years to go in the first round. Janikowski did not emerge as the game-chang- ing kicker owner Al Davis hoped for at the time. He missed 10 field goals as a rookie, and connected on only 76 percent for his first three seasons. But he has been very consistent the past two seasons, making 41 of 44 kicks inside of 50 yards. He became the all-time leading scorer in team history in 2008 and has 1,000 career points. The Raiders have traditionally done a good job keeping their own free agents. They gave record deals last February to keep Lechler and star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and also gave a big deal to keep defensive tackle Tommy Kelly in 2008. The focus now turns to defensive lineman Richard Sey- mour. Oakland traded a 2011 first-round pick to New Eng- land for Seymour before last season. He had four sacks, but two of the them came in the season opener. If Oakland cannot sign Seymour to a long-term deal by Feb. 25, the team is expected to use the franchise tag to keep him for next season. Seymour, a five-time Pro Bowler, would be guaranteed $12,398,000 with a franchise tag. Janikowski Returning hero: Plushenko wins short program V A N C O U V E R , British Columbia (AP) — Game on, guys. Reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko posted a mon- ster 90.85 points early in the men's short program Tuesday night, daring the competition to beat it. World champion Evan Lysacek and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi came pretty darn close, setting up the most riveting men's final since the ''Battle of the Brians'' in 1988 — the last time the Olympics were in Cana- da. Lysacek is just .55 points behind Plushenko with Takahashi another .05 back going into Thursday night's free skate. Those margins are so small, the three may as well be tied. Lysacek was pumping his fists before he even began his final spin. When his music finished, he threw back his head and then dropped to his knees, sliding across the ice as he buried his head in his hands. He got up pumping his fists, looking a bit dazed by what he had done as he saluted the crowd. This men's competi- tion has been widely anticipated, with a field stocked with enough tal- ent to carry two Olympics. There are four world champions, includ- ing Plushenko, who came out of retirement to try to become the first man to win back-to-back gold medals since Dick Button in 1952. Plushenko set the tone with a majestic program almost worthy of beating his world record from last month's European cham- pionships. While Turin runner-up Stephane Lam- biel and former world champ Brian Joubert weren't up to the chal- lenge, falling apart, Lysacek and Takahashi made it clear they're not about to hand over that second gold to Plushenko. ''Easy? That's compe- tition and it is never going to be easy,'' Plushenko said. ''If somebody says today, 'I am not nervous' or 'I skate easy,' or 'I am not tired,' I don't believe him.'' U.S. tops Switzerland VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The U.S. kids were all right. The youngest collection of American hockey players since the NHL began supplying the talent for the 1998 Nagano Games opened this tournament with a workman- like 3-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday. Bobby Ryan scored late in the first period, and David Backes and Ryan Malone added goals in the second to help the United States avoid a repeat of an opening-game See US, page 2B Correction In Monday's story about the Eastern Athletic League wrestling championships, Red Bluff's Tay- lor Hickson should have been listed as the third place finisher in the 173-pound weight division. Daily News photo by Rich Greene Red Bluff's Morgan Weaver looks for a pass, Tuesday night, against Pleasant Valley. MCT photo Russia's Evgeni Plushenko skates in Tuesday's short program.