10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Athletes of the Week
FERNANDA
ALVAREZ
Warrenton
LUKE
GOOZEE
Knappa
The Daily Astorian
Gary Henley/The Daily Astorian
he Warrenton Lady Warriors are the hottest basketball team at the 3A
T
level, riding a seven-game win streak. Alvarez, a junior, has played a big
role in the run, with career highs in several statistical categories. Warrenton
he junior for the Class 2A Loggers had a big performance Dec. 5-6 at Sea-
side in the annual Pac Rim Tournament. Wrestling at 132 pounds, Goo-
T
zee opened with an 18-second pin over Vernonia’s Cash Henson, followed by
won home games vs. Catlin Gabel, Oregon Episcopal and Portland Christian,
and a road contest at De La Salle. Alvarez led the Warriors in scoring in all four,
from 11 points against Portland Christian, 13 vs. Catlin Gabel, 16 against OES,
and a career-high 18 vs. Riverdale.
pins over Braydon Merrow-Hansen of 4A Scappoose (59 seconds) and Mat-
thew LaVoie of 5A St. Helens (43 seconds). In the final against Emilio Jimenez
of 6A Tigard, Goozee scored a late reversal to tie the match at 10-10, before
Jimenez picked up a one-point escape for an 11-10 victory. Goozee is 18-4 on
the season.
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Livingstone
rallies for OT win
vs Jewell girls
SALEM — A late rally by Liv-
ingstone Adventist forced over-
time, and the Lions outscored
Jewell in the extra frame for a
28-24 win over the Lady Jays in
a Casco League girls basketball
game Tuesday.
Jewell had rallied from a 14-5
halftime deficit and held a three-
point lead with 1:20 left in regula-
tion, before Livingstone Adventist
rallied to tie the game.
Emma Guillen led Jewell with
11 points, 14 rebounds and eight
steals. Gabi Morales added six
points and Lilly Kaczenski pulled
down seven rebounds.
Boys
Lions 56, Blue Jays 43
SALEM — Ben Stahly had a
monster game for Jewell with 22
points and 17 rebounds, but Liv-
ingstone Adventist scored the win
late Tuesday, 56-43, in a Casco
League boys basketball game.
Ryan Kane chipped in seven
points, six steals and five assists
for Jewell, which trailed 36-13 at
halftime.
— The Daily Astorian
Raiders vs
Seahawks in 1st
NFL game at
new Tottenham
stadium
LONDON — The Oakland
Raiders will host the Seattle Sea-
hawks in the first NFL game at
the new London stadium of
English Premier League club
Tottenham.
The game will be played in
week six of the season on Oct. 14.
Tottenham, the Premier League
runner-up last season, is build-
ing a new 60,000-plus capacity
venue on the site of the White Hart
Lane stadium that was recently
demolished.
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
Girls basketball — Knappa at Colum-
bia Christian, 6 p.m.; Crosshill Christian
at Jewell, 5:30 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ocosta,
7 p.m.
Boys basketball — Knappa at Co-
lumbia Christian, 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls basketball — Stayton at Astoria,
5:30 p.m.; Warrenton at De La Salle, 6
p.m.; Chief Leschi at Ilwaco, 5:45 p.m.;
Naselle at South Bend, 5:45 p.m.
Boys basketball — Stayton at Asto-
ria, 7 p.m; North Marion at Seaside, 6
p.m.; Warrenton at De La Salle, 7:45
p.m.; Chief Leschi at Ilwaco, 7 p.m.;
Naselle at South Bend, 7 p.m.
Paul’s season-high 37 leads Seahawks
Rockets over Blazers 121-112 fire Bevell,
Cable
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
Associated Press
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
H
OUSTON — With James
Harden injured, the Houston
Rockets are figuring out dif-
ferent ways to make up for the offense
the league’s leading scorer normally
provides.
On Wednesday night, that meant
Chris Paul took 29 shots and finished
with a season-high 37 points to help
the Rockets to a 121-112 win over the
Portland Trail Blazers.
Paul tied his career high for field-
goal attempts in a regulation game.
He took 33 shots and scored 42 points
in a double-overtime game with New
Orleans in 2008.
His 37 points were the most by a
Rocket besides Harden since Jeremy
Lin had 38 against San Antonio on
Dec. 10, 2012.
Paul, who made 13 field goals, was
asked if he realized he’d come close
to taking the most shots in his career.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It kind of
felt like it. Like goodness. I missed a
lot, too. That’s what I’m mad about.”
Portland coach Terry Stotts said
Paul was tough to stop.
“He was exceptional,” Stotts said.
“He really controlled the game, like
he can do. His shot-making was as
good as I’ve seen.”
Eric Gordon added 30 points as the
Rockets withstood a late run to win
their second straight.
The Blazers used a big run to cut
a 14-point deficit to three with about
three minutes left. Houston responded
with a 6-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer
from Paul, to make it 111-104 about a
minute later.
Damian Lillard made a layup on
the other end, but Paul cut through
three defenders to make an off-bal-
ance layup to push the lead to 113-106.
The Blazers couldn’t get the ball in
after a timeout, Houston got the ball
back and Clint Capela added two free
throws to secure the victory.
The Rockets won their second
straight and improved to 3-2 in five
games without Harden, who is out for
at least two weeks with a hamstring
injury.
Lillard scored 29 after missing
the last two games with a strained
right calf, and C.J. McCollum added
24 points as the Blazers saw a three-
game winning streak snapped.
Paul had 11 assists, seven rebounds
and three steals, and Capela added 13
points with eight rebounds.
Gerald Green scored all of Hous-
ton’s points in a 5-2 run that extended
the lead to 103-89 midway through
the fourth period. He finished with 12
points and has scored in double dig-
its in seven straight games for the first
time since 2015.
“We’re having to manufacture
points in different ways,” Paul said.
“Gerald continues to be great and be
aggressive. ... James averages 30 and
we’re just doing it by committee.”
AP Photo/Michael Wyke
Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul goes up for a 3-point shot between
Portland Trail Blazers forward Ed Davis and guard Shabazz Napier
during the first half of Wednesday’s game in Houston.
UP NEXT: BLAZERS
• Portland Trail Blazers (22-19)
at New Orleans Pelicans (20-20)
• Friday, 5 p.m. TV: NSNW
Lillard scored the first seven points
of an 11-0 spurt that got the Trail
Blazers within 103-100 with about 3
1/2 minutes left.
Paul received a technical in that
span for arguing about a foul called
on P.J. Tucker.
The Rockets led by nine entering
the fourth quarter and were up by 11
with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining
after Gordon scored four points. He
made a layup before missing a shot
on the next possession, only to grab it
with one hand and finish with a dunk
that made it 98-87.
Portland’s Ed Davis was called for
a flagrant foul late in the third when
he hit Tarik Black in the right eye as
Black dunked. Black remained on the
court for a couple of minutes before
being helped to his feet and escorted
to the locker room, holding a towel
over his right eye. The team said he
had an abrasion to his right eye and
he’ll miss Friday’s game.
Paul made the free throw on that
play, and Tucker added a layup after
that to extend the lead to 84-74.
The Rockets led 55-45 at halftime.
Tip-ins
Trail Blazers: Lillard had eight
assists and five rebounds and made 10
of 12 free throws. ... Portland had six
blocks, led by Jusuf Nurkic’s three.
Rockets: Black tied a season high
with 13 points. ... Nene missed his
fourth straight game with a bruised
right knee. ... Gordon has scored 20
or more points in 21 games this sea-
son after doing so in only 19 games
last season.
Nice putback
Gordon’s
teammates
were
impressed with his dunk in the fourth
quarter. Paul called it “sick.”
“I surprise myself sometimes,”
Gordon said with a laugh. “When I
saw it floating in the air, I just went
after it.”
He said it
Lillard on being unable to combat
Houston’s runs: “When you’re deal-
ing with a team that shoots 3s as much
as them and as well, you can’t give
them extra possessions and I thought
we did that on too many occasions.”
RENTON, Wash. — What’s
expected to be an offseason make-
over for the Seattle Seahawks is
starting with its coaching staff.
The Seahawks fired offensive
coordinator Darrell Bevell and
offensive line coach Tom Cable on
Wednesday. Bevell was in charge
of calling plays, while Cable was
responsible for a run game and
offensive line that failed to meet
expectations.
It was a stunning sweep for head
coach Pete Carroll, who has been
immensely loyal to his assistants
during his tenure. Carroll’s only
other significant firing was offen-
sive coordinator Jeremy Bates fol-
lowing the 2010 season, Carroll’s
first in Seattle.
Seattle has been backsliding
since appearing in the Super Bowl
three years ago. The Seahawks
missed the playoffs for the first time
since 2011 after going 9-7 this sea-
son. It was clear there would be sig-
nificant personnel changes going
into 2018 and it started with the
coaching staff.
Bevell and Cable had been with
the team since 2011, responsible for
developing an offense that was good
enough to appear in two straight
Super Bowls but that had regressed
since. Bevell was let go on Tuesday
night, according to ProFootballTalk.
com, which first reported the move,
and Cable was dismissed a day later.
It seemed unlikely Cable would be
retained after Bevell was let go.
Making wholesale changes is a
massive departure for Carroll. Both
in the college ranks at Southern Cal-
ifornia and during his successful
tenure in Seattle, there was never
the need to completely remodel
the coaching staff. If coaches left,
it was because they were getting
better opportunities elsewhere,
something Carroll has relished.
Carroll hinted that changes were
likely when he recapped the 2017
season last week. It may be his last
chance to refashion the Seahawks
into a championship contender. Car-
roll is the oldest coach in the league
at 66 — although he often acts like
the youngest — and has two years
remaining on his contract.
While Bevell was able to
develop Russell Wilson into a top
quarterback and create an offense
good enough to win a Super Bowl,
he was never able to escape the
shadow of the play call made at
the conclusion of the Super Bowl
against New England. Rather than a
run from the 1-yard line in the final
minute, Bevell called for a pass that
was intercepted by Malcolm Butler
and cost Seattle its chance at a sec-
ond straight title.