June 20, 2013

Belief pays off: After being no-hit for four innings, confident Indians break through, beat Royals

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CLEVELAND — Royals pitcher Luis Mendoza was unstoppable in carrying a no-hitter into the fifth inning Wednesday night. Once the Indians broke through, however, it didn’t take them long to send him to the showers. Left fielder Michael Brantley led off the fifth with a home run and added a sacrifice fly in the three-run [...]

Lorain High School announces new interim head football coach

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With three decades of coaching experience and a deep familiarity with the city’s football history, it wasn’t a huge surprise when Tony Shoulders was named the interim head football coach at Lorain High on Wednesday afternoon. “Tony is a tremendous coach, and an even better person,” Lorain athletic director Bryan Koury said in a release. [...]

Crushers fight back from three down, top CornBelters in 10

AVON — Longtime Lake Erie Crushers fans know all about “Freight Magic.” That’s when the home team makes things happen in the late innings to come away with a thrilling win. Wednesday night, the Crushers tapped into some of that old “Freight Magic,” rallying from a 3-0 seventh-inning deficit to down the CornBelters 4-3 in [...]

Track and field: Avon Lake graduate Trevor Norris learns fast, hopes to run that way at junior nationals

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Trevor Norris has come a long way when it comes to running a long way at the college level. The University of Akron freshman and Avon Lake graduate will get his first taste of national championship competition Friday at 10 p.m. when he competes in the 10,000-meter run at the USA Junior Track and Field [...]

NBA draft 2013: Georgetown’s Otto Porter has all-around talent, but likely lacks top-pick credentials

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There’s not much debate that Georgetown small forward Otto Porter would be an upgrade over current Cavaliers starter Alonzo Gee. The question is whether he would be enough of an upgrade to warrant being selected with the No. 1 pick in the June 27 NBA Draft. “He’d be able to step in and start,” Sheridan [...]

NBA finals: More than just a title on the line tonight when the Heat and Spurs square off in game 7

MIAMI — Game 7s do more than settle championships. They define legacies. No matter what happens tonight, LeBron James and the Miami Heat, and Tim Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs have already won NBA titles and secured a place in history. Now is their opportunity to elevate it. The truly memorable teams won the hard way, [...]

Stanley Cup finals: Blackhawks beat Bruins in OT, tie series

BOSTON — After struggling for more than 120 minutes to score even once, the Blackhawks beat Boston goalie Tuukka Rask a half-dozen times in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals to send the series back to Chicago tied at two games apiece. Now that’s an Original Six. Brent Seabrook’s slap shot 9:51 into overtime [...]

Maryland big man Alex Len moving up NBA draft boards

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Nothing is set in stone, but right now Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel appears to be the favorite to be taken by the Cavaliers with the No. 1 pick in the June 27 NBA Draft. There have been rumors the Cavs secretly covet Indiana shooting guard Victor Oladipo, and Cleveland taking Kansas two-guard Ben McLemore [...]

NBA finals: Ray Allen’s huge 3-pointer and LeBron James’ clutch play beat Spurs, ensure Game 7

MIAMI — LeBron James saved a championship reign and canceled a celebration. The toughest part now might be topping this performance in Game 7. “It’s by far the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” James said. He wouldn’t let the Miami Heat lose it — or their NBA title. If the San Antonio [...]

Crushers use two-out rally to beat CornBelters, finally win back-to-back games again

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AVON — With just two wins in their last seven games coming into Tuesday night, the Lake Erie Crushers were looking for something — anything — to give them a spark. A three-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth and a quality start from Dave Middendorf qualified as the Crushers defeated the Normal [...]