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ByChipThompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter RED BLUFF The Corning Cardi- nals boys basketball team stayed perfect on the season by beating the Red Bluff Spartans on Tues- day night, 58-37. The Cardinals outscored the Spartans each period, but a big third period put the game away with Corning besting Red Bluff 14-4. Noah Zoppi led the Cardinals with 20 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and seven rebounds; Corey Busta had 17 points and 12 rebounds; Marco Tapia had eight points and a pair of rebounds; Austin Mishoe had six points and a pair of rebounds and Brendan Hoag had three points and nine rebounds. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday no stats had been posted for the Spartans. The Cardinals remain unde- feated at 12-0 on the season and return to action following the hol- iday break when they'll host the Corning Shootout, starting with a 6 p.m. matchup with the Yreka Miners (4-7) on Thursday, Jan. 5. League play gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, against the Las Plumas Thunderbirds (7- 2) in Oroville. The Spartans go to 5-5 on the season and are scheduled to re- turn to action after the break at the Dennis Burnhum Classic tour- nament in Oroville Jan. 5-7. League play will get underway with a 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 matchup against the Chico Panthers (4-6) at Red Bluff. Chico61,LadyCardinals21 CHICO The Corning Lady Cardi- nals fell to the Chico Panthers on Tuesday, 61-21. The Cardinals were held to three points in the first period and were scoreless in the sec- ond to go into halftime down 34- 3. The third period was a bright spot on the night and the Cards outscored the Panthers 14-13, but were shut down to only four points in the final frame. The Lady Cardinals (6-6) are scheduled to return to action af- ter the break in tournament play against the Paradise Bobcats (2- 8) Jan. 5. Other teams The Lady Spartans (8-2) are scheduled to resume play at the West Valley tournament in Cot- tonwood Jan. 5-7. The Los Molinos Bulldogs (8- 2) are scheduled to resume play at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 28 against the Fremont Christian Warriors (3-3) at the Liberty Classic tournament in Redding. The Lady Bulldogs (7-1) are scheduled to resume play at 3 p.m. Dec. 28 against the Hayfork Timberjacks (1-6) at the Liberty Christian tournament in Red- ding. The Mercy Warriors (1-6) boys team is scheduled to take on the Hayfork Timberjacks (1-4) at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Liberty Clas- sic tournament. The Lady Warriors (0-6) are scheduled to face the Fall River Bulldogs (8-2) at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 28. BASKETBALL CardinalsrompoverSpartans Corning goes to break with undefeated 12-0 record; Lady Cardinals fall to Chico on the road Staff Report MONTEREYPARK Julia and Jayne Brandt traveled to East Los An- geles College over the weekend to compete at the 2016 Califor- nia and Nevada Speedo Sectional Championships. This is a high level qualifying meet that featured 913 swimmers representing 90 teams. The Brandt sisters swam on the Chico AquaJets' 400-yard med- ley relay team and Jayne Brandt competed in the 100-yard breast- stroke. The relay team finished in 36th place. Jayne Brandt went 1:08.15 to place 54th out of 85 swimmers from all over California and Ne- vada. SPEEDO LOCALSWIMMERS COMPETE IN SO CAL Brandt sisters participate on Chico AquaJets' 400-yard medley relay team, placing 36th; Jayne Brandt adds 54th in 100 breaststroke Picturedisthe400medleyrelayteam,fromle ,Madison Hopkins, Jayne Brandt, Julia Brandt and Amy Harter. CONTRIBUTED Pictured is Julia Brandt anchoring the relay team. By Jimmy Durkin Bay Area News Group ALAMEDA It wasn't long ago that the Oakland Raiders were humming along as one of the best red zone offenses in the league. Nobody was better over the first four games and as recently as two weeks ago, the Raiders were seventh in the NFL with touchdowns on 64.3 percent of their possessions. Two bad weeks — with two touchdowns on their last 11 trips — and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is suddenly answering questions about what happened to his once dynamic unit. "A number of factors," Mus- grave said Wednesday. "We're ready to get back on track, that's for sure." The Raiders had one touch- down and three field goals on seven trips inside the 20-yard line against the San Diego Char- gers. (One red zone possession was following a turnover and led to the game-ending kneel down). It's gotten so bad that, even taking that kneel down pos- session out of the equation, the Raiders are averaging just 2.9 points per red zone trip in these last two games. After producing at least a field goal on 41 of their first 42 drives inside the 20 over the first 12 games, they've had five scoreless red zone drives these past two. It's happened nu- merous ways — a bad snap on a field goal, a turnover on downs, a fumble, an interception and then that kneel down. Musgrave admits it hasn't been up to snuff. "It's not enough to get to down there," he said. "We want to finish the right way. So we're working hard on that, count on being better moving forward." Musgrave blamed the strug- gles on a "couple uncharacter- istic mistakes," which include LataviusMurray's first lost fum- ble of the season on Sunday and Carr's first red zone interception of the year. "We don't want to just sweep them under the rug," Musgrave said of those mistakes. "We want to address them, get them fixed and get back on track." Carr, as he did after Sunday's win over the Chargers, insisted it was more about the defenses they've been playing. That may be the case against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago — they have the sixth-best red zone defense and eighth-best scoring defense — it's not so true against a San Diego team near the bot- tom of the league. One thing the Raiders do dis- count is that the struggles are a result of the necessity to go from the shotgun or pistol for- mations because of Carr's right pinkie injury. That was a popular talking point after the Raiders failed to score a touchdown on first- and-goal from the 1-yard line in San Diego, but as some play- ers pointed out, they've still be pretty successful along the goal line since abandoning snaps from under center for the past three and a half game. "We got stopped once. I'm not about to make a big deal out of it," Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn said. "The week before when we scored on the goal line, it was no issue. The week before that when we scored on the goal line it was no issue. One time, they stopped it. It's not an issue an all." Penn's right. Against the Chiefs, the Raiders faced first- and-goal at the 1 at the end of the second quarter and Murray RAIDERS Oakland looks to correct recent red zone woes By Cam Inman Bay Area News Group SANTA CLARA Atlanta quarter- back Matt Ryan aptly summed up the San Francisco 49ers pass-rush deficiencies by noting after Sun- day's game: "I didn't really get hit today." Aside from all the missed tackles and blown coverages, the 49ers defense also has missed game-changing sacks in compil- ing a franchise-record, 13-game losing streak. Coach Chip Kelly wants that to change Saturday when the 49ers (1-13) visit the Los Angeles Rams (3-10) and projected starter Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall draft pick out of Cal. Goff has progressed through the league's post-con- cussion protocol was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's injury report. "You've seen him get better as the more snaps he's played," Kelly said. "He throws a nice ball. It's catchable. He's very accurate when he has a chance to get his feet set." Goff is completing 64.4 per- cent of his passes without pres- sure, and just 38.3 percent (plus 15 sacks in five starts) when he is pressured, according to Pro Foot- ball Focus. "Obviously we need to disrupt the timing of the routes and try to get some pressure on him," Kelly added. "When you give him time to throw, he's a very accurate thrower." Overall, Goff has completed 54.7 percent of his passes (88 of 161) with fourth touchdowns and five interceptions for a 65.7 passer rating. "Everybody has been super proud of his development, not only able to spit out play calls but hang in the pocket, go through tough times and harden him up a bit," Rams interim coach John Fassel said on a media conference call. The Rams did not grant the Bay Area media's interview request for Goff, citing how he was in the concussion protocol, even though he'd resumed activities. Instead, backup quarterback Sean Man- nion spoke to the Bay Area media Tuesday and said of Goff: "He's done a great job all year learning and taking things in stride." Mannion, a Foothill High School-Pleasanton graduate, is ex- cited about being in the No. 2 role for the first time since the 49ers' 28-0 season opening win over the Rams and then-starter Case Keenum. Said Mannion: "For me to get this opportunity, I'm very thankful for it, and it's something I've worked really hard for." Mannion likely won' t play much or at all if Goff remains healthy. Goff has been sacked 15 times in five starts, and he got knocked out of the Rams' last game with a devastating, sideline hit by the Seattle Seahawks Rich- ard Sherman while racing for the 49ERS Kelly has hopes for pressure on Goff Hyde 50 yards shy of first 1,000-yard season 49ERS PAGE 2 RAIDERS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, December 22, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1