10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Athletes of the Week
PARIS
VANDERBURG
Knappa
ROBERT
PIÑA-
MORTON
Knappa
fter fi ve straight three-game losses and with their season on the line,
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the Knappa girls came through with a fi ve-game win (25-22, 15-25, 9-25,
25-17, 15-13) Saturday at City Christian to qualify for the league playoff s. One
he sophomore runner had one of the biggest weeks for a Logger runner
T
in recent years, highlighted by an individual Northwest League champi-
onship. At the Bigfoot Invitational Oct. 10, Piña-Morton fi nished second over-
of six Logger seniors, Vanderburg led the way in the numbers department,
with a “triple-double” 14 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs, to go with four ace serves
and two blocks. With a 3-8 league record, the Lady Loggers play at Delphian
tonight as they look to qualify for the state playoff s.
all behind a Clatskanie runner, but fi rst among NWL runners, covering the
5,000-meter course in 20 minutes, 29 seconds. The 15-year-old Piña-Morton
previously won the Vernonia Invitational in a personal best 17:40; and won
the Rainier Invitational Oct. 14 in 18:13. He is working to be the fi rst Knappa
runner to qualify for state since Stevie Allen in 2007.
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
GIRLS SOCCER
Brad Mosher/Tillamook Headlight Herald
Seaside’s Audrey Kunde, left,
and Tillamook’s Mea Upton
challenge for a ball during
Wednesday night’s 0-0 tie.
Banks edges
Astoria, 2-0
The Daily Astorian
BANKS — In Cowapa League
girls soccer action Wednesday,
Banks scored a little payback on
Astoria 2-0, as the Braves avenged
a 1-0 loss to the Lady Fishermen
Sept. 28.
The Lady Fishermen are still
alone in third place at 4-4-1 in
league play, ahead of Banks (3-5-
1). Both teams have one game
remaining. Astoria hosts Scap-
poose next Tuesday.
The Indians locked up the
league title Wednesday with a 2-0
victory over Valley Catholic. Else-
where, Seaside and Tillamook bat-
tled to a 0-0 tie.
Seahawks
expected to
place Avril on
injured reserve
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — Defen-
sive end Cliff Avril is expected to
be placed on injured reserve by
the Seattle Seahawks as he contin-
ues to deal with a neck injury.
Avril was injured three weeks
ago in a game against the Indi-
anapolis Colts. While chasing
down Colts quarterback Jacoby
Brissett, the back of Brissett’s
foot caught Avril in the chin as he
lunged to make the tackle. Avril
was seen shaking his arms and
fl exing his hands after the impact.
Head coach Pete Carroll said
Wednesday in an interview with
Sirius XM NFL Radio that Avril
will go on injured reserve.
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Cross Country — Cullaby Lake 3K,
TBA
Volleyball — Lewis & Clark League
playoff: Warrenton at Oregon Episco-
pal, 6 p.m. Northwest League playoff:
Knappa at Delphian, 6:30 p.m.
Gulls show off their No. 1 ranking in 5-0 win
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — It was just a formal-
ity Wednesday night at Broadway
Field, where the No. 1-ranked Seaside
boys soccer team put the fi nishing
touches on another Cowapa League
championship season.
Seaside sealed the deal with a
decisive 5-0 win over Tillamook, as
the Gulls (8-0-1 in league) defeated
the defending league champs for the
second time this season.
“Just an ‘all team’ effort,” said
Seaside coach John Chapman, “in
crazy weather.”
The defense “did a bang-up job
again,” he said. “We will remain hum-
ble and prepared. Still things to work
on and adjust.”
The wind was the 12th man in
Wednesday night’s game at Broadway
Field, where a strong south wind was
an advantage for whoever was head-
ing for the north goal, while a constant
rain led to a second half soaker.
But it didn’t make much differ-
ence in the fi nal numbers — the Gulls
dominated with the wind in the fi rst
half, building a 3-0 halftime lead, and
Seaside scored twice going against
the wind in the second half.
Five different players scored
goals for the Gulls, while the Seaside
defense posted its sixth straight shut-
out victory, and eighth shutout of the
season, most at the 4A level.
It took the Gulls just over six min-
utes to score the game’s fi rst goal,
as Colton Carter punched in a close
range shot on a scramble in front of
the net.
Just over two minutes later, Sea-
side freshman Dodger Holmstedt
powered in a rocket shot from nearly
30 yards out for a 2-nil lead.
The Gulls peppered the net with
shots on goal for the remainder of the
half, fi nishing with 12 shots, seven on
frame. They also had 10 corner kick
opportunities in the fi rst half.
Seaside’s third goal came with
17:54 left in the half, as freshman
Westin Carter centered a pass to senior
Rafi Sibony, who one-touched the ball
into the net from 20 yards away, his
fi rst goal of the season.
Tillamook did not have a single
shot in the fi rst half, and crossed mid-
fi eld just six times.
The Cheesemakers at least man-
aged four shots in the second half, all
by Eve Hernandez. Two sailed over
the cross bar, and two were saved
by Gulls’ keeper James Petite, who
shared the shutout in goal with Ash-
ton Boyd.
Under a drenching downpour in
the second half, Seaside scored twice
in the fi nal 7:11 — a goal by Bryce
DeWinter off an assist from Colton
Carter, and a penalty kick by Uly
Corona with 59 seconds remaining.
The Gulls have one regular sea-
son game remaining, at Banks next
Tuesday. The Braves have lost nine
in a row, and postponed Wednes-
day’s game at Astoria due to a lack of
players.
Blazers hand Suns worst loss MLB PLAYOFFS
Cubs face
ever in season opener, 124-76 Dodgers’
By BOB BAUM
Associated Press
PHOENIX — Damian Lillard
scored 27 points and the Portland Trail
Blazers handed the Phoenix Suns the
most one-sided season-opening loss
in NBA history, 124-76 on Wednes-
day night.
It was also the largest defeat in the
49-year history of the Suns.
Pat Connaughton added a career-
high 24 points, making 4 of 6 3-point-
ers. The Trail Blazers outshot, out-
rebounded and outhustled the Suns
from the opening tip.
The 48-point rout exceeded Den-
ver’s 139-93 (46-point) victory over
the Los Angeles Clippers on opening
day in 1987.
The blowout also topped Phoe-
nix’s 44-point loss to Seattle (151-
107) on April 2, 1988.
The Blazers dominated even
though they were without one of their
best players, guard C.J. McCollum,
who was suspended one game for
leaving the bench area during a tus-
sle involving Phoenix’s Alex Len and
Caleb Swanigan in a preseason game
a week ago.
Portland led 60-35 at the half and
outscored the Suns 64-41 in the sec-
ond. The Blazers led by as many as
58, for a time fl irting with the most
one-sided game in NBA history, a
68-point blowout of the Miami Heat
by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec.
17, 1991.
The Suns shot 31.5 percent to
Portland’s 49 percent, made 7 of 27
3-pointers to the Blazers’ 14 of 24 and
were outrebounded 57-33.
Phoenix had the league’s sec-
ond-worst record last season at 24-58
and looked at least that bad through-
out the opener.
Eric Bledsoe scored 15 points
on 5-of-18 shooting. Devin Booker
added 12 on 6-of-17 shooting. Bled-
soe was 1 for 6 on 3s, Booker 0 for 3.
Portland’s bench outscored Phoe-
Kershaw
trailing 3-1
in NLCS
Associated Press
AP Photo/Matt York
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard drives around Phoenix
Suns guard Tyler Ulis.
UP NEXT: BLAZERS
• Portland Trail Blazers (1-0)
at Indiana Pacers (1-0)
• Friday, 4 p.m. TV: NSNW
nix’s 61-26.
After Booker’s 13-footer tied it at
17, Lillard sank a layup and the Blaz-
ers bolted away from there.
Bledsoe’s three-point play cut the
lead to 45-35 with 4:38 left in the
third quarter, but Portland scored the
fi nal 15 points of the half and was up
60-35 at the break.
The Suns shot 29 percent in the
fi rst half (14 for 49) to Portland’s 44
percent (22 for 50). Phoenix was 1 for
11 from 3-point range in the fi rst two
quarters to the Blazers’ 7 of 13. Most
tellingly, the Portland bench out-
scored its Phoenix counterparts 24-0.
The Blazers led a numbing 98-55
entering the fi nal quarter.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: The one-game sus-
pension, for taking a few steps off
the bench in a preseason game, cost
McCollum $165,000. .... Connaugh-
ton, a fourth-round draft pick of the
Baltimore Orioles, had a previous
career high of 15 points. ... Portland
had six players in double fi gures. ...
Blazers have won four consecutive
season openers. ... Trail Blazers don’t
play their home opener until next
Tuesday against New Orleans.
A look at what’s happening all
around the majors Thursday:
ANOTHER DAY: The Cubs
fi nally broke through for a win
against the Dodgers in their NL
Championship Series, but now
they have to contend with ace
Clayton Kershaw in Game 5. Ker-
shaw limited Chicago to two runs
over fi ve innings in Game 1, a 5-2
win for Los Angeles. It’s a tough
matchup for the Cubs, who are
averaging 2.7 runs over nine post-
season games — including a 9-8
win over Washington in NLDS
Game 5.
TAKE A BREAK: Jose Altuve,
Carlos Corra and the slumping
Astros get a day off, trailing the
Yankees 3-2 in the AL Champion-
ship Series. Neither team is plan-
ning a workout at Minute Maid
Park.
Houston led the majors in bat-
ting and scoring this season, but
is hitting just .147 overall and has
totaled only nine runs in the ALCS.
George Springer and Josh Red-
dick, the 1-2 hitters in the Astros’
lineup, are a combined 2 for 35.
FOR HIRE: Hall of Fame man-
ager Tony La Russa has left the
Diamondbacks’ organization, less
than two weeks after Arizona lost
the NL wild-card game to Colo-
rado. He served as chief baseball
offi cer in 2015-16 and became
chief baseball analyst when the
new regime of general manager
Mike Hazen and manager Torey
Lovullo arrived last spring.