Sports briefs
Belle Vernon eliminated
Jack Gardinier poured in 36 points and WPIAL champion Quaker Valley erupted for 57 points in the second half to defeat Belle Vernon 86-75 in a PIAA Class 4A second-round game Friday at North Allegheny High School.
Quaker Valley held a 10-point lead after one quarter but Belle Vernon (20-5) pulled into a 29-29 tie at halftime. Quaker Valley (25-0) moved out to a 57-50 lead after three quarters and secured the win by scoring 29 fourth-quarter points.
The Quakers had three players combine for all of their points. In addition to Gardinier’s game-high 36, Marcus Frank rossed in 29 and Adou Thiero added 21.
Alonzo Wade led Belle Vernon with 24 points and Quinton Martin had a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds. Tyler Kovatch added 11 points.
In baseball
The Chicago Cubs agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract with slick-fielding shortstop Andrelton Simmons, a person familiar with the situation said Friday.
- Free agent left-hander Carlos Rodón has agreed to terms on a $44 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants.
- Veteran left-hander Martin Perez and the Texas Rangers are set for a reunion.
Perez and the Rangers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract. Reports, citing unidentified sources, said Perez would make $4 million when rejoining his original big league team.
- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer’s administrative leave was extended Friday for a week by Major League Baseball and the players’ association.
The extension begins Sunday, the mandatory reporting date for spring training, and runs through March 19. Bauer will not report to spring training during the extension or before the mandatory reporting date.
- If the next All-Star Game in Major League Baseball goes deep into the night, a slugger may get a chance to decide it by going deep – in a Home Run Derby.
That’s right, say going, going, goodbye to extra innings in the Midsummer Classic.
Because buried deep in the 182-page memorandum of understanding signed Thursday by MLB and the players’ association is a radical new method of potentially deciding the All-Star Game.
“If the All-Star Game remains tied after nine innings, the game will be decided by a Home Run Derby between the teams, subject to the parties’ agreement on details and format,” reads exhibit 13, titled “Tentative Agreement – All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.”
Plus, a new flavor to MLB’s international mix – there will be a regular-season game in Paris in 2025.
In the NHL
The Dallas Stars have signed forward Joe Pavelski to a $5.5 million, one-year contract extension for the 2022-23 season.
The 37-year-old Pavelski leads the Stars in assists (37) and points (59) and is third with 22 goals in the final year of a $21 million, three-year deal he signed after spending his first 13 seasons in San Jose. The extension announced Friday includes $500,000 in incentives.
In the NBA
Mo Bamba scored 27 points, Markelle Fultz and Mo Wagner did most of Orlando’s scoring in a big second-half rally and the Magic beat Minnesota 118-110 Friday night to end the Timberwolves’ winning streak at six games.
During a 23-4 run over a stretch of eight minutes, Fultz scored five points and Wagner had the final seven, leaving the Magic with a 107-95 lead after they had trailed by 18 in the first half.