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ByJoshDubow TheAssociatedPress SANJOSE Gettingtothesecond weekend of the NCAA Tourna- ment is nothing new for Gon- zaga and Arizona. The task this weekend for the Bulldogs and Wildcats will be trying to make it out of the West Region and take that next step to the Final Four. The pro- cess starts Thursday when top- seeded Gonzaga (34-1) faces No. 4 seed West Virginia (28-8) and second-seeded Arizona (32-4) faces No. 11 seed Xavier (23-13). "We're in the spotlight now and we have to make the most of it," Gonzaga guard Jordan Mathews said. This marks the third straight trip to the Sweet 16 for the Bull- dogs and fifth in seven years for the Wildcats. But like the rest of their brethren based in the west- ern United States, they haven't made a Final Four in that span. Gonzaga is looking for its first trip ever and Arizona seeks its first since 2001. No western team has made it to the Final Four since UCLA had three straight trips from 2006-08. But with the top two seeds in San Jose, as well as Pac-12 contenders Oregon in the Midwest Region and UCLA in the South, this could be the year that drought ends. "I just think sometimes these things are cyclical," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "I think if you kind of really, you know, drill it down a little bit, the teams are a little bit older and experienced." Arizona coach Sean Miller has a national view, having played at Pittsburgh in the 1980s and coached in the East and Midwest before arriving at Arizona in 2009. He said there was little difference in the qual- ity or type of players from differ- ent parts of the country. Any doubts of the talent out West should have been put to rest by the five Pac-12 players in the NBA All-Star game last month. "The Pac-12 does not get enough credit for the amazing amount of talent that has gone through here," Miller said. Pac-12 deputy commissioner Jamie Zaninovich, who previ- ously ran the West Coast Con- ference, credited coaching conti- nuity that has helped keep West Coast talent home and better exposure from television deals that have put more games from both conferences on ESPN's platforms. "We're seeing the fruits of that labor now," Zaninov- ich said. "There's still work to be done. We have three in the Sweet 16. Now we have to get one to the Final Four. It's been a while now." Here are some other things to watch: PRESS VIRGINIA To beat the Mountaineers you have to beat their press. West Virginia leads the nation with 20.1 turnovers forced per game, including 10.2 steals. The Mountaineers have a plus 7.8 turnover margin and MEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT WestCoastinadrought Gonzaga, Arizona looking to get past West Region, take next step toward Final Four MARCIOJOSESANCHEZ—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss shoots during practice on Wednesday in San Jose in preparation for a regional semifinal game. Gonzaga plays West Virginia on Thursday. Staff Report FRESNO Corning resident Hay- lee Noyes won a state champion- ship over the weekend at the USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle State at Selland Arena. Haylee, an 11-year-old fifth- grader, won the division for 60-pound novice girls on Satur- day. Haylee has been wrestling for about three years. She competes for the Corning Police Activities League and is coached by Luis Hernandez. Haylee attends Woodson Ele- mentary School in Corning. WRESTLING Corning girl wins state title in Fresno By John Hickey Bay Area News Group GLENDALE, ARIZ. Almost any- thing he did Wednesday was go- ing to be better for Andrew Triggs than the six runs in 3.2 innings he showed last time out. So for him to pitch into the sixth inning and leave with a 4-1 lead in what turned out to be a 5-3 win over the White Sox was a ma- jor step forward. More than that, it has him on the edge of a berth in the A's start- ing rotation. Triggs, who wound up being charged with two runs, has only been hit hard in one of his five appearances this spring, that being against the Indians last weekend. The White Sox started seven left-handed batters against Triggs Wednesday but found they could only touch him for three hits. That, coupled with his fourth walkless game in his five appear- ances, lit up the eyes of both man- ager Bob Melvin and catcher Ste- phen Vogt. The win was the 13th of the spring for the A's, surpassing their total from all of last spring with 11 games left on the schedule, includ- ing a pair of split-squad games against the Dodgers and the Reds. •For the moment, Jed Lowrie's position is the vulnerable one. Franklin Barreto's best position is probably shortstop, but he's not going to oust Marcus Semien and his 27-homer power, so sec- ond base is a logical alternative. A'S SPRING TRAINING Triggs closer to rotation spot a er win over Sox By John Marshall The Associated Press The NCAA Tournament's first weekend closed with a flourish, a Sunday full of scintillating games after three days of good- not-always-great basketball. That put the madness back in March and should carry over into a regional round filled with great matchups and big-name programs. Topgames • UCLA vs. Kentucky, South Region; Friday, Memphis. Blue bloods in Bluff City. NBA draft picks everywhere. Rematch game . Coach Cal headed back to Memphis. Yeah, don't miss this. • Gonzaga vs. West Virginia, West Region; Thursday, San Jose. A great contrast in styles between the smothering defense of the Mountaineers and the of- fensive firepower of the Zags. • Kansas vs. Purdue, Midwest Region; Thursday, Kansas City. The Jayhawks have all those ath- letes. The Boilermakers have Mr. Double-Double Caleb Swanigan . The game will be just down the road from Lawrence, so expect the Sprint Center to be rocking. • Xavier vs. Arizona, West Region; Thursday in San Jose. Wildcats coach Sean Miller against protege Chris Mack in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years. We'll take it. • Wisconsin vs. Florida, East Region; Friday, New York. The Duke-Villanova matchup every- one wanted didn't materialize, but the Badgers and Gators will play some high-level basketball in the Garden. Top players • Frank Mason III, Kan- sas. National player of the year frontrunner still playing like it in March. • Lonzo Ball, UCLA. Can dominate without scoring, hits big shots when his team needs them, too. • Caleb Swanigan, Purdue. Practically carried the Boiler- makers past Iowa State and into the Sweet 16 on his broad shoul- ders. • Nigel Williams-Goss, Gon- zaga. The player who makes the Zags go . • Dillon Brooks, Oregon. Clutch, does whatever it takes to win even if he's not hitting shots. • Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina. SEC coaches voted him the player of the year over those future NBA players at Kentucky. There's a reason. MEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT Sweet 16's top matchups, players, story lines ANDREW BAGGARLY – BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Barry Bonds discusses his baseball career Wednesday and his new role with the San Francisco Giants as a special advisor to CEO Larry Baer. By Andrew Baggarly Bay Area News Group SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. So much of Barry Bonds' career was about distance. How far his home runs traveled. How much of it he kept from teammates. When his career with the Gi- ants ended, he needed to get fur- ther away. So he hopped on a bike and blurred a few million of those broken yellow lines. He crossed the country and took a hitting coach job with the Miami Mar- lins, wearing a uniform that never looked quite right. And now, 10 years after he nudged past Hank Aaron and then found himself nudged out by Giants ownership, Bonds is circling back around. He put on a familiar uniform and flashed a familiar smile on Wednesday — his first morning in his new role as special advisor to CEO Larry Baer. A decade went by. It was time to reconcile. "I'm in a different capacity than before," Bonds said with a laugh. "When I was playing, it was whatever role I wanted. Now it's whatever they ask me to do, which I kind of like better." Bonds will meet season-ticket holders, attend events like the Play Ball Luncheon, make appear- ances and serve in an ambassa- dorial roles much as Willie Mays and Willie McCovey have done the past few decades. He'll also help out in uniform as needed, and is spending the last week of camp here as a special instructor. He'll go to the minor league side and mentor prospects. More important than his actual duties, though, is the symbolism behind a formal reestablishment of ties between the seven-time NL MVP and the franchise that he helped to revitalize. The way is clear for things like the statue and retiring his No.25. One of the game's greatest players will be- come a celebrated part of Giants history again, and not a specter made transparent because of the game's steroid era. Bonds met with reporters for 15 GIANTS Bondsenjoyinghisnewrole RED BLUFF DAILY NEWS Haylee Noyes poses with her championship trophy. BONDS PAGE 2 SWEET 16 PAGE 2 WEST PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, March 23, 2017 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1