More regions get COVID clearance
Outdoor high school sports can begin in Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties reached the threshold of adjusted COVID-19 case rates to below 14.0 per 100,000, clearing the way for high school sports played outdoors to resume, according to the metrics released Tuesday by the California Department of Public Health.
Corona Centennial football coach Matt Logan welcomed the news, saying: “We’re excited to have any football at all to get back to some normalcy. This spring gives the opportunity to have seniors play a season.”
If school districts give approval, football teams can begin 14 days of mandatory practices and would be able to start holding games March 18-19. Los Angeles and Orange counties passed the threshold last week, and some schools will begin holding scrimmages and games next week.
Ventura is at 10.6, Riverside 11.3 and San Bernardino 9.0. Also cleared is Santa Barbara County at 13.0. Ventura County’s health department also clarified its guidelines and will allow teams to play those from adjacent Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties.
The William S. Hart Union High District announced that teams can begin conditioning immediately and its schools in the Foothill League will be allowed to have a five-game football season.
In another development that could affect indoor sports, the attorney representing students who won a temporary restraining order in San Diego Superior Court and has been filing lawsuits in other cities trying to get the state to allow youth sports to resume said he has been engaged in negotiations with state officials.
“I’m not going to do a deal unless it’s for the whole state,” attorney Stephen Grebing said.
The CIF is still waiting for information from state health officials about procedures and guidelines for required testing of football and water polo athletes in counties above 7.0 in adjusted cases. Los Angeles is at 7.2 and Orange County 7.6.
The first positive test impacting a California football team occurred Monday. Whitney High in Rocklin, near Sacramento, canceled its March 12 game against rival Rocklin and will quarantine its players for 14 days, according to the Rocklin Unified School District.
Also, it appears teams in the Los Angeles Unified School District won’t resume conditioning until next week. A meeting of athletic directors is scheduled for Thursday. Teams were shut down in December. LAUSD has not announced whether sports teams will be allowed to compete during the 2020-21 school year.
Andre Curbelo scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, and No. 4 Illinois dismantled No. 2 Michigan with a smothering defensive performance, routing the Wolverines 76-53 Tuesday night.
Playing again without injured star Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini (19-6, 15-4) kept Michigan from clinching the Big Ten title and boosted their own chances at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Wolverines (16-8, 8-7) looked physically overwhelmed for much of the night.
No. 3 Baylor 94, at No. 6 West Virginia 89 (OT): Jared Butler scored 25 points before fouling out, Davion Mitchell hit the go-ahead basket in overtime and Baylor clinched its first Big 12 regular-season championship. Baylor (19-1, 11-1) bounced back in a big way from its only loss of the season at No. 13 Kansas on Saturday. West Virginia (17-7, 10-5) managed just one field goal in overtime.
at No. 8 Alabama 70, Auburn 58:
Jaden Shackelford scored 23 points, made five three-pointers and helped Alabama (20-6, 15-2 SEC) quash a secondhalf threat.
No. 12 Arkansas 101, at South Carolina 73: Moses Moody tied his career high with 28 points and Arkansas (20-5, 12-4) won its 10th straight in the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks hit 15 three-pointers.
No. 15 Texas 81, at Iowa State 67: Kai Jones scored a season-high 17 points and lead four Texas players in double figures.
at No. 18 Texas Tech 69, Texas Christian 49: Kyler Edwards scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half to help Texas Tech (16-8, 8-7 Big 12) take control.
at No. 23 Purdue 73, No. 25 Wisconsin 69:
Zach Edey led Purdue (17-8, 12-6 Big Ten) with 21 points and seven rebounds as the Badgers lost for the fourth time in last five games.