The popular TV Show “This is Us” has the Big Three of the Pearson Clan — Kevin, Kate, and Randall. And it would not be a stretch to say the Oak Park Raiders Varsity High School Girls Basketball Team has the equivalent in Claire Signatovich, Emily Johnson, and Lauren Bartlett.
That trio celebrated winning their third consecutive AAAA title – leading the Raiders to a convincing 83-52 win over Sturgeon Heights in Monday night’s championship final at Investors Group Athletic Centre. Signatovich had 20 points and 16 rebounds while Johnson and Bartlett added 17 each. Oak Park becomes just the second ever school to three-peat.
Head Coach Murray Brown joined Christian Aumell courtside on the CJOB Sports Show after the victory, and admitted that chasing down being a part of Manitoba High School history had a positive effect on his team’s performance.
It was a no doubter in the Boys final as well, with No. 1 ranked Vincent Massey crushing defending champion St. Paul’s 100-60. Tournament MVP Kyler Filewich had 26 points and 20 boards in leading the Trojans to their first Provincial title on the hardcourt.
The Toronto Raptors bounced back from losing in Detroit the night before to cruise past the horrid NY Knicks 128-92. But all star guard Kyle Lowry left the game in the 3rd quarter with a right ankle injury- after missing the 2 previous games with a sore left ankle.
Hockey
The Jets opened their three-game Pacific Division swing with a 3-2 win over the last place Kings in LA. Tyler Myers scored the winning goal late in the second period after Kevin Hayes and Kyle Connor had given Winnipeg a 2-0 lead with goals 65 seconds apart midway through the first.
Head Coach Paul Maurice liked the way his team “battened down the hatches” over the final 20 minutes — just like they did against Boston and Calgary. LA had just two shots on Laurent Brossoit in the third period — and just 17 on the night.
Vegas hammered San Jose 7-3 in the Shark Tank to send a message — in the likely event those two teams meet in the first round of the playoffs. Tampa Bay clinched the President’s Trophy with a 4-1 win over Arizona. And Steven Stamkos scored his 384th career goal in becoming the Lighting’s all time leader ahead of Vinny LeCavalier. Chicago only “half” took advantage of the Coyotes loss- as the Blackhawks dropped a 3-2 overtime decision at home to Vancouver and are now 4 points out of that last playoff berth in the West.
The Winnipeg Blues did not go down without a fight. The Steinbach Pistons avoided having to play a Game Seven in that MJHL quarterfinal by edging the Blues 4-3 in double overtime as Jack Kilroy scored the winner at 10:24 of the second OT period. The defending champs will now meet Swan Valley while Portage and Virden square off in the other semifinal.
Tennis
Bianca Andreescu gets an extra day off before playing her first round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament tomorrow.
Baseball
And Clayton Kershaw will see his streak of eight-straight opening day starts come to an end for the LA Dodgers as he has continues to be plagued with inflammation in his left shoulder.
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